Author Archives: Sarah Fielding

The Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle is still on sale for $50 off right now

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Cyber Monday may be long gone, but there are still some deals floating around on the internet today. One deal that wasn't available on Black Friday but made an appearance on Cyber Monday was a discount on the Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World bundle. It's back again today at both Amazon and Walmart — you can get the bundle for $50 off, bringing the final price down to $449.

For Amazon, you have to add the bundle to your cart to see the discounted price. For Walmart, you'll need to be signed in to a Walmart account (which is free to make) and add the bundle to your cart to see the sale price.

The long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 came out in June and somehow beat our expectations. We gave it a 93 in our review thanks to features like its larger 7.9-inch LCD screen with HCR and very polished design. We were also impressed by its 256GB of base storage, magnetic Joy-Con and overall much improved performance. 

Nintendo introduced Mario Kart World alongside the new Switch and we're big fans. It brings wall riding and rail grinds to the Mario Kart franchise in a bright, colorful space. The game is extremely replayable and a great option for anyone looking to quickly pass the time during their travels this holiday season. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-nintendo-switch-2-mario-kart-world-bundle-is-still-on-sale-for-50-off-right-now-150612988.html?src=rss

Cyber Monday streaming deals aren’t over yet: Get one year of Starz for only $12 before the sale ends

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December is finally here, meaning the winter months are just about upon us. In the cold, there are few things better than staying in and watching your favorite shows. Thankfully, there are lots of Cyber Monday streaming deals still available. If you're not sure about Starz, you can test the waters by paying $1 monthly, down from $11. That comes out to just $12 for the whole year when you pay upfront for the whole term. There's also a month-to-month option that brings the price down to $3 monthly, but only for your first three months.

If Starz isn't for you, check out some of the other great streaming deals still available post-Cyber Monday. 

  • Paramount+ — two months of Essential or Premium for $6: This Cyber Monday deal brings the monthly price of either Paramount+ tier down to just $6 for two months, or $3 per month. The obvious better deal is on the Premium plan, which typically costs $13 per month. This deal ends December 2.

  • MasterClass — up to 50 percent off annual subscriptions: The MasterClass Cyber Monday deal discounts most subscription tiers by 50 percent when you pay for one year upfront. The Premium tier, the most expensive option, usually costs $20 per month but now only sets you back $10 per month for one year. That gives you access to the entire MasterClass content library, offline viewing and up to six simultaneous streams.

  • Audible — three months for $3: For literally $1 per month, you can get access to Audible's enormous library of published audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals (which can be anything from never-before-heard books to live performances). It's only three months, after which you'll have to cancel or renew at the regular price, but an audiobibliophile can cram a lot of listening into 90 days.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-streaming-deals-arent-over-yet-get-one-year-of-starz-for-only-12-before-the-sale-ends-190854524.html?src=rss

Black Friday streaming deal: Plex is offering a lifetime pass for 40 percent off

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It's easy to overlook the Black Friday subscription deals available each year when you're focused on getting physical things for yourself and others. But it would be a mistake to do so since you can often save a ton on subscriptions and services you either already use, or have been thinking about trying. Take Plex, which is offering 40 percent off its lifetime pass. You can use the code ANYPASS40 to get it for $150 instead of the usual $250.

The monthly and annual Plex Pass options are also 40 percent off. You can get a year of Plex for $42, down from $70 or a monthly subscription for $4.19 each month, down from $7. The latter lets you cancel a lot more easily, but costs about $8 more for the year. 

Plex acts as a personal media server that lets you curate a digital collection from a range of platforms. It also offers its own streaming options, so you can access a mix of titles. However, the Lifetime Pass was only $120 until earlier this year, when it more than doubled. The discount will get you close to that price, but you might also want to check out other streaming sales available for Black Friday. 

  • Disney+ Hulu bundle — $60 for one year: The Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) bundle is on sale for $5 per month for one year (for a total of $60) through December 1. New and eligible returning subscribers can take advantage of this deal, and considering the bundle typically costs $13 per month, this deal represents more than a 50 percent discount on the standard monthly price.

  • Apple TV+ — 6 months for $36: Apple TV+ is offering six months of access for only $36 for Black Friday, which comes out to a discounted price of $6 per month for the six-month period. The deal is live now for new and eligible returning subscribers and runs through December 1, giving you a chance to stream shows like Silo, The Morning Show and For All Mankind for less. The biggest caveat to the deal is that you must subscribe directly through Apple and not through a third-party service.

  • HBO Max — one year for $36: HBO Max's Black Friday deal gives subscribers one year streaming for $36 through December 1. This Black Friday streaming deal is on the ad-supported option, which normally goes for $11 per month. With this discount, you're getting it for $3 per month for one year. You can sign up via HBO Max's website or, if you're a Prime Video subscriber already, via that service as an add-on.

  • Sling TV Orange — day pass for only $1: Sling TV launched Day Passes earlier this year, giving users one-day access to a variety of its packages. This deal cuts $4 off the normal price of a day pass for Sling Orange. With that, you get unlimited access for 24 hours to Orange's more than 30 channels that includes ESPN, CNN, TBS and others.

  • Paramount+ — two months of Essential or Premium for $6: This Black Friday deal brings the monthly price of either Paramount+ tier down to just $6 for two months, or $3 per month. The obvious better deal is on the Premium plan, which typically costs $13 per month.

  • Starz — one year for $12: Pay upfront for one year and you can get more than $50 off a Stars annual subscription. There's a month-to-month option too, which costs $3 per month for the first three months if you don't want to commit to the full year. Either option gives you access to the entire Starz TV and movie library with offline viewing and no ads.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-streaming-deal-plex-is-offering-a-lifetime-pass-for-40-percent-off-155614379.html?src=rss

Black Friday streaming deals drop one year of Starz down to just $12

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As winter truly draws near, there are few things better than spending a chill night at home watching your favorite shows. There are lots of Black Friday streaming deals available this year to make doing that a bit more affordable.

One of the best comes courtesy of a $58 discount on an annual Starz subscription. Right now, you can pay just $1 a month for an entire year of watching Outlander — or one of the other great titles available. the only catch is that you have to pay the entire $12 upfront.  

If you're not sure about Starz, you can test the waters by paying $3 monthly, down from $11. However, this 73 percent discount is only available for your first three months and then goes back up to full price. Basically, if you're at all interested, it's only an extra $3 for an extra nine months if you pay annually. 

If Starz isn't for you, check out some of the other great streaming deals available for Black Friday. There's discounts like six months of Apple TV for only $36 or $96 off one year of a Disney+ and Hulu bundle. We've also found amazing Black Friday tech deals from brands like Sony, LEGO and 1Password. 

  • Disney+ Hulu bundle — $60 for one year: The Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) bundle is on sale for $5 per month for one year (for a total of $60) through December 1. New and eligible returning subscribers can take advantage of this deal, and considering the bundle typically costs $13 per month, this deal represents more than a 50 percent discount on the standard monthly price.

  • Apple TV+ — 6 months for $36: Apple TV+ is offering six months of access for only $36 for Black Friday, which comes out to a discounted price of $6 per month for the six-month period. The deal is live now for new and eligible returning subscribers and runs through December 1, giving you a chance to stream shows like Silo, The Morning Show and For All Mankind for less. The biggest caveat to the deal is that you must subscribe directly through Apple and not through a third-party service.

  • HBO Max — one year for $36: HBO Max's Black Friday deal gives subscribers one year streaming for $36 through December 1. This Black Friday streaming deal is on the ad-supported option, which normally goes for $11 per month. With this discount, you're getting it for $3 per month for one year. You can sign up via HBO Max's website or, if you're a Prime Video subscriber already, via that service as an add-on.

  • Sling TV Orange — day pass for only $1: Sling TV launched Day Passes earlier this year, giving users one-day access to a variety of its packages. This deal cuts $4 off the normal price of a day pass for Sling Orange. With that, you get unlimited access for 24 hours to Orange's more than 30 channels that includes ESPN, CNN, TBS and others.

  • Paramount+ — two months of Essential or Premium for $6: This Black Friday deal brings the monthly price of either Paramount+ tier down to just $6 for two months, or $3 per month. The obvious better deal is on the Premium plan, which typically costs $13 per month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-streaming-deals-drop-one-year-of-starz-down-to-just-12-143804639.html?src=rss

Meta’s Oversight Board is fine with leaving manipulated content on Facebook

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Apparently misleading protest videos are welcome to stay on Facebook now. Meta's Oversight Board has ruled that the company was right to leave up a manipulated video that made footage of a Serbian protest look like it took place in Holland and was in support of Rodrigo Duterte, former president of the Philippines. A user reshared it within days of Duterte's March 2025 extradition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands. 

The original video gained additional audio and captions, including chants of "Duterte" and the song Bayan Ko — which accompanied many Filipino 1980s anti-martial law protests — played in tagalog. About 100,000 users viewed the manipulated video, alongside "hundreds" of shares. 

Meta's automated systems flagged the video as potential misinformation and lowered its visibility for non-US users. However, despite it being added to the fact-checking queue, the "high volume of posts" meant it was never reviewed. Fact-checkers in the Philippines checked some similar viral videos and labeled them as false. It reached the attention of the Oversight Board only after a separate Facebook user reported this video and appealed it when Meta left the content up. 

But the Oversight Board now says it agrees with Meta's decision to leave a completely inaccurate protest video public. It just notes that Meta should have given the video a "High-Risk" label "because it contained a digitally altered, photorealistic video with a high risk of deceiving the public during a significant public event." How something with that description merits staying up on Facebook is very unclear.  

The Oversight Board further states that Meta should have prioritized a video of this nature getting fact-checked. Moving forward, it recommends that Meta create a separate fact-checking queue for any content of a similar nature to what has been fact-checked in that market — and that fact-checkers should have improved tools to more swiftly find misleading viral media. It also wants Meta to better describe its labels for manipulated media so users can understand the criteria. 

Meta notably suspended its fact-checking program in the US in January, opting instead for Community Notes. However, it's now looking at expanding that system other countries and has asked the Oversight Board for advice on locations. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/metas-oversight-board-is-fine-with-leaving-manipulated-content-on-facebook-151919279.html?src=rss

Signal extends backup feature to iOS users

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Fortunately, we live in a time when most information can be recovered from another device or the cloud. Now, iPhone users can add another app to that list. Signal has announced that secure backups are now available for iOS devices. It follows a similar launch for Android devices in early September. The company shared the news on X and linked to the previous Android blog post for all additional information.

At the time, Signal noted that secure backups would be an opt-in feature and available in Android users' latest beta release. The company stated this was to test the feature on a smaller scale before it came to iOS and desktop — so clearly something worked. 

The end-to-end encrypted backup offers no-cost storage of a user's text messages and up to 45 days of media. Keeping older media costs $2 per month — Signal's first paid offering. "The reason we’re doing this is simple: media requires a lot of storage, and storing and transferring large amounts of data is expensive," Signal said at the time. "As a nonprofit that refuses to collect or sell your data, Signal needs to cover those costs differently than other tech organizations that offer similar products but support themselves by selling ads and monetizing data."

Anyone who opts-in will have their messages backed up each day. The secure backups use a 64-character recovery key that is available exclusively on a user's device. It's required to access the backup and Signal is unable to recover it. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/signal-extends-backup-feature-to-ios-users-133006884.html?src=rss

Malaysia takes steps to ban social media for children under 16

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Malaysia is the latest country with plans to limit social media use by age. On Sunday, the country's cabinet approved a ban on social media accounts for anyone under the age of 16, The Associated Press reports. It comes as concerns around social media's negative impact on children has grown globally.

The ban will reportedly go into affect in 2026. "I believe that if the government, regulatory bodies, and parents all play their roles, we can ensure that the Internet in Malaysia is not only fast, widespread and affordable but most importantly, safe, especially for children and families," Malaysian communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said in a statement reported by The Associated Press. The country already requires social media and messaging platforms with more than eight million local users to have a license. These companies must take steps like age verification and safety measures.

The Malaysian government is looking at countries like Australia to see the success of electronic ID verification checks. On December 10, Australia will enact the world's first blanket social media ban for anyone under 16-years-old. Social media companies will have to ensure compliance or face a fine of up to $49.5 million AUD ($32 million USD). Platforms impacted by the ban include X, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, YouTube and Twitch. 

Earlier this month, Denmark announced that it was taking steps toward a social media ban for anyone under the age of 15. "Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present," Denmark's Digitalization Ministry stated. 

In the US, some states have tried to enact their own restrictions. In Utah, teens now require parental consent to make a social media account. In Texas, a bill that would have banned social media for anyone under 18-year-old failed to pass, while a Florida law to require consent for under 16s and banning under 14s passed but is held up in court. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/malaysia-takes-steps-to-ban-social-media-for-children-under-16-142643494.html?src=rss

Uber One subscribers can now share free deliveries and other perks with their family

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Uber is apparently feeling generous this holiday season. The company is launching family sharing for Uber One members, allowing individuals to add another adult to their account for free. They can also include an unlimited number of teens. 

Anyone added to the membership can access all of the same benefits, including free delivery. They will also earn unique credits for rides. You can attach someone to your membership by clicking Account and then Uber One. From there, you can tap manage membership and then family sharing. 

Family sharing Uber One.
Uber

Uber is also giving members additional perks, like prioritized complimentary upgrades. The company claims that it will upgrade over one million rides for members between December 2 and 25. Plus, members traveling between today and Thursday for Thanksgiving should get 10 percent off if booking an Uber Black to or from an airport. 

Tech lovers with an Uber One subscription will be happy to hear that you can get early access to $25 off if you spend $75 or more at Best Buy — through Uber Eats, of course. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/uber-one-subscribers-can-now-share-free-deliveries-and-other-perks-with-their-family-120004629.html?src=rss

Project Hail Mary keeps us intrigued in a second trailer

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Amazon MGM has released another full-length trailer for Project Hail Mary and we are already at the theater seated. The three minute and four second trailer shows Ryan Gosling as Dr. Ryland Grace, a school teacher and former biologist who wakes up on a spacecraft with no idea who he is or why he's there. 

The first trailer gave us a look at Dr. Grace's first moments after waking up and an overview of his mission: find the one star in the universe that's not dying and save the world — no big deal. Today's trailer gives us a better idea of how he'll go about this and the alien he teams up with along the way. Check it out for yourself on Amazon MGM's YouTube channel here. 

Project Hail Mary is adapted from Andy Weir's novel of the same name. Weir also wrote The Martian, which was successfully turned into a 2015 film starring Matt Damon. This time around, Oscar-winning filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are directing with a screenplay by Drew Goddard — the latter also wrote the adaptation of The Martian so we're in good hands. The movie also stars Sandra Hüller as the head of the titular Project Hail Mary. 

You can see Project Hail Mary for yourself on March 20, 2026 in theaters and IMAX. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/project-hail-mary-keeps-us-intrigued-in-a-second-trailer-151108278.html?src=rss

Mastodon’s founder is no longer its CEO

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Mastodon's founder Eugen Rochko has officially stepped down as CEO. The move comes ten months after the company announced it would transition into a nonprofit entity and that Rochko would leave his post. Rochko will take on an advisory role with the company. 

In a blog post about this decision, Rochko pointed to a desire for guardrails to avoid becoming another egotistical founder "sabotaging thriving communities." He added, "But it would be uncouth for me to pretend that there isn’t some self-interest involved. Being in charge of a social media project is, turns out, quite the stressful endeavour, and I don’t have the right personality for it." 

In his place, Felix Hlatky has taken on the role of executive director. Hlatky has worked at Mastodon since March 2020 and plans to focus on expanding the team, long-term financial stability and making it easier to run servers safely and efficiently.

Currently, Mastodon is operating as a nonprofit in the US, but aims to set up a permanent home base as a nonprofit in Belgium, known as an AISBL. Mastodon previously held nonprofit status in Germany but lost that it last year. 

Mastodon has pursued outside funding since its announced transition to a nonprofit. It shared that Stock Exchange co-founder Jeff Atwood and his family gave the organization €2.2 million ($2.5 million). Part of that influx of cash has gone toward hiring new employees in its engineering, marketing, operations and product teams. Rochko also received a one-time €1 million ($1.2 million) compensation after ten years of "taking less than a fair market salary." 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodons-founder-is-no-longer-its-ceo-143011438.html?src=rss