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TL;DR: Through April 7, score the Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad 10th-Gen for just $99.99 (open-box). (Reg. $249.)

While navigating an iPad on the touchscreen can be convenient, it can also be a challenge when it comes to typing lengthy documents, filling out forms, or sending emails. This open-box 2022 Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad offers a more comfortable typing experience so you can get more done in a fraction of the time.

The built-in, click-anywhere trackpad supports multi‑touch gestures and the cursor in iPadOS. Designed to manage ​​precise task handling, you’ll be able to complete any assignment as you would on any standard keyboard. The 14-key function row allows the user to access easy shortcuts, saving time in the long run.

The Apple Magic Keyboard Folio comes in a chic white color and has a two-piece design with front and back protection for extra durability. The adjustable stand has flexible viewing angles for customizing comfortability preferences and deflecting glares.

This detachable keyboard is designed to be great for anyone who’s on the go or needs a reliable setup when working remotely. Simply prop it up and start fleshing out a report or watching your favorite movie — just as you would on a laptop or PC.

Open-box items are often excess inventory from store shelves or items that have been returned from retail stores back to the warehouse. Products may have had customer contact or been repackaged, but rest assured they go through a verification process that verifies they’re still in new condition and put in fresh packaging.

Get this 2022 open-box 10th-generation Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad for only $99.99 (reg. $249).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad 10th Gen (Open Box) $99.99 at the Mashable Shop
$249.00 Save $149.01 Get Deal

The fastest spacecraft in our solar system has captured wild footage inside the sun's atmosphere.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe — a craft flying much closer to the sun than any previous mission — witnessed massive "vortex-like structures" in our star's outer atmosphere, called the corona. You can see the unprecedented view below, taken by the probe's WISPR camera (short for Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe) and recently posted online.

SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.

Researchers suspect that the phenomena was caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) — when the sun ejects a mass of super hot gas (plasma) into space — interacting with the solar wind. The sun's solar wind is constant, as our medium-sized star emits a steady stream of charged particles.

The new research associated with the footage, published in The Astrophysical Journal, concluded that this find in uncharted realms of the sun has created new opportunities to better understand and predict CMEs, outbursts that can severely harm communications and electrical grids on Earth. Technically, these rare vortices are called "Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities," or KHI.

"The direct imaging of extraordinary ephemeral phenomena like KHI with WISPR/PSP is a discovery that opens a new window to better understand CME propagation and their interaction with the ambient solar wind," Evangelos Paouris, a space weather researcher and member of the WISPR team at George Mason University, said in a statement.

CMEs "can endanger satellites, disrupt communications and navigation technologies, and even knock out power grids on Earth," NASA explains. Infamously, a potent CME in 1989 knocked out power to millions in Québec, Canada. The CME hit Earth's magnetic field on March 12 of that year, and then, wrote NASA astronomer Sten Odenwald, "Just after 2:44 a.m. on March 13, the currents found a weakness in the electrical power grid of Québec. In less than two minutes, the entire Québec power grid lost power. During the 12-hour blackout that followed, millions of people suddenly found themselves in dark office buildings and underground pedestrian tunnels, and in stalled elevators."

An artist's conception of NASA's Parker Solar Probe passing through the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona. Credit: NASA

The space agency's Parker Solar Probe will continue its speeding dives into the sun's corona. To withstand the heat, it's fortified with a 4.5-inch-thick carbon heat shield that's pointed at the sun. The shield itself heats up to some 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, but just a couple of feet behind the shield, the environs are surprisingly mild.

Later this year, the spacecraft will reach a whopping 430,000 miles per hour.

Sexting (dirty talk, swapping nudes, sending explicit audio messages...the list goes on, depending on your personal preference and comfort level) is one way to take your dating life to new heights.

Whether you're single and ravenous for some sexy screen time with a stranger, in a long-distance relationship that's keeping the passion alive through digital intimacy, or interested in amping up your solo sex toy sessions with steamy instructions from an AI companion, mastering the act (art?) of sexting leads to a more fulfilling physical and emotional experience.

And, no, we're not talking about flirting with your crush on Facebook Messenger or sliding into someone's DMs on Instagram. We're talking about good old-fashioned dirty talk with a modern twist (think: video chat, sexy snaps, and erotic audio messages, with self-destructing features for added privacy). We made a lot of accounts to test the best sexting apps, and we've gathered our favorites below. You'll recognize some of them from our guide to the best dating apps, and for more adult fun, check out our review of the best hookup apps.

Once viewed as taboo, sexting is a mainstream way to communicate your desires

According to a 2023 survey of U.S. adults by the market research platform Statista, 77 percent of participants said they've sent at least one sext — that's up from 45 percent in 2019 and just 14 percent about 10 years ago.

SEE ALSO: The cherry emoji and 14 other emoji you can use to sext

And we're pretty sure those numbers will rise as tech advances and societal norms evolve to become more accepting and inclusive of sexual expression.

Sexting isn't just a saucy way to get off; it's a great tool for building trust and intimacy and sharing or exploring your wants and fantasies in a consensual and safe manner. It can also help you and your partner feel more connected and maintain a strong sexual bond (so the next time you get together, it may be even hotter). This is especially true in long-distance relationships or during periods of physical separation.

How to start sexting

For some, just the thought of sending an explicit message or racy photo can be intimidating. (And that's OK!) There are so many apps and resources out there to help even the most novice sexters feel empowered and confident.

Not sure where to start? Based on our research and hands-on testing, we've narrowed down the best sexting apps of 2024 to the following top contenders:

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for April 4 SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for April 4

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, April 4, 2024:

AcrossTiny bit of kindling

• The answer is twig.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way" speaker

• The answer is Frodo.

Screenwriter Sorkin

• The answer is Aaron.

Suffix with Louis and Jackson, in city names

• The answer is ville.

Trimmed parts of green beans

• The answer is ends.

DownOne might be on track to arrive

The answer is train.

"What in the ___?!"

• The answer is world.

Venerated celebrities

• The answer is idols.

Missing

• The answer is gone.

#1 choice, informally

• The answer is fave.

Another day, another unpaid severance lawsuit against Twitter/X and Elon Musk. Former Twitter executive Nick Caldwell is suing the social media platform for approximately $19.3 million in withheld entitlements, joining a slew of similar claims which have arisen since Musk took over in 2022.

Filed in a California District Court on Wednesday, the lawsuit states that Caldwell resigned from his former role as Twitter's General Manager for Core Technologies on Oct. 22, 2022 — mere days before Musk officially took the reigns as its new owner. At the time, Twitter's termination policy stated that executives such as Caldwell were entitled to severance packages if they resigned for "Good Reason" or were fired without cause. 

SEE ALSO: Former Twitter/X executives sue Elon Musk for $128 million in unpaid severance

Caldwell contends that his resignation fulfilled this requirement because Twitter going private meant he would no longer directly report to the CEO of a publicly traded company. Such a circumstance was specifically listed as a "material adverse change" and "Good Reason" for resigning under the company's termination policy. Twitter was officially delisted from the New York Stock Exchange on Oct. 28.

In response to Caldwell's resignation, Twitter/X allegedly told him that he would serve out his notice period until Nov. 27, but did not provide its standard separation agreement despite repeated requests. Musk subsequently fired Caldwell on Nov. 27, terminating him for alleged "failure to comply with the Company’s written policies or rules, including its code of conduct," as well as "gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of [his] duties."

This meant that, in Musk's assessment, Caldwell had been fired with cause and was thus no longer entitled to his $19.3 million severance package. Caldwell disputes this, claiming that he resigned for "Good Reason" before he was ostensibly fired, and that Twitter/X failed to provide any facts or proof to substantiate its accusations against him.

"Tellingly, Musk’s termination letter, like those of the other executives, did not include any facts demonstrating any misconduct or grounds for termination for 'Cause,'" the lawsuit reads (emphasis original). "With no factual basis, Musk simply accused Mr. Caldwell of misconduct as a ploy to evade paying him millions of dollars in severance benefits that Musk/Twitter owed to Mr. Caldwell."

In addition to his $19.3 million severance entitlements, Caldwell is seeking interest, attorney's fees, and almost $490,000 for the value of the restricted stock units Twitter/X should have vested when his employment ended.

Twitter/X and Musk have been accused of withholding severance from over 2000 people

This is far from the only case of unpaid severance plaguing Twitter/X. The company has been inundated with a deluge of severance claims since Musk's acquisition in late 2022, with the billionaire having laid off approximately 80 percent of its staff. Last September the company agreed to settlement talks with approximately 2,000 former employees, all of whom have accused Twitter/X of withholding their entitlements.

Caldwell isn't even the only former Twitter/X executive chasing millions in severance. In a similar lawsuit filed last month, Twitter/X's former Chief Executive Officer Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal, Chief Legal Officer Vijaya Gadde, and General Counsel Sean Edgett accused the company of withholding a combined total of over $128 million in unpaid severance. Like Caldwell, these former executives also accused Musk of fabricating reasons to fire them in order to avoid paying out their entitlements.

"Because Musk decided he didn’t want to pay Plaintiffs’ severance benefits, he simply fired them without reason, then made up fake cause and appointed employees of his various companies to uphold his decision," the plaintiff's complaint read. "He claimed in his termination letters that each Plaintiff committed 'gross negligence' and 'willful misconduct' without citing a single fact in support of this claim."

Basically, there seem to be two possibilities. Either Twitter/X's entire executive suite was engaging in gross negligence and willful misconduct, egregious behaviour which went completely undetected until Musk figured it out within mere hours of taking over the company. Or Musk was attempting a clumsy, ill-conceived scheme to stop haemorrhaging money into a $44 billion acquisition he did not want but was legally obligated to go through with.

Regardless of your job, rank, or industry, written communication is a skill that can set you apart from your peers. Here’s a three-step framework to help you level up as a writer—whether you’re writing an email, a formal document, a social post, or something else. First, determine the purpose of what you’re writing. What result […]

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TL;DR: The Complete 2024 CompTIA Course Bundle by IDUNOVA is on sale for £50.94 with the code SECURE20.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to change careers, you should consider joining the IT field. With a wealth of opportunities for computer nerds as technicians, ethical hackers as penetration testers, and bossy types as project managers, and more, there’s something for almost everyone — and many titles don’t require a degree.

Instead, you can earn CompTIA certifications to train for the job and prove your skills to employers. While you have to pass each exam, this training bundle could help you pass with flying colours for £50.94 with the code SECURE20.

With courses in 12 certifications, it may be difficult to know where to start. If you have little or no prior IT experience, you may want to begin with CompTIA Fundamentals+ and A+, industry standards that also build a foundation for more advanced training. 

From there, explore certifications that could help you land your dream job title:

• Network+: network administrator or IT support manager

• Server+: server administrator, data architect, or support technician

• Linux+: cybersecurity engineer or web administrator

• Cloud+ and Cloud Essentials+: cloud specialist or business development manager

• Project+: IT project manager or coordinator

• PenTest+: penetration tester or web app penetration tester

• CySA+: vulnerability analyst, threat hunter, security architect

• CASP+: cybersecurity manager or information security analyst

As you can see, there are opportunities for many different areas of interest, and you get lifetime access to training courses in them all. You may need a degree for some, but you only need a certification for many of these IT jobs.

Start exploring a new career path today with this 15-course CompTIA training course bundle, on sale for £50.94 with the code SECURE20.

Opens in a new window Credit: CommerceNova Ltd The Complete 2024 CompTIA Certification Training Bundle by IDUNOVA £50.94 with the code SECURE20 Get Deal

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for April 4's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

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 even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Scaling a large object.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no letters that appear twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter C.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. What's the answer to Wordle today?

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #1020 is...

CLIMB.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for April 4's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Cooking an egg

• Green: Adrenaline junkie

• Blue: You can throw these

• Purple: Wrapping

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Ways to Prepare Eggs

• Green: Exhilaration

• Blue: Thrown in Target Games

• Purple: ___Wrap

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to Connections #298 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Ways to Prepare Eggs: BOIL, FRY, POACH, SCRAMBLE

• Exhilaration: BUZZ, KICK, RUSH, THRILL

• Thrown in Target Games: AXE, DART, HORSESHOE, RING

• ___Wrap: BODY, BUBBLE, GIFT, SHRINK

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.

Apple just had a massive outage of its services, with users around the world unable to access everything from the App Store to Apple TV. Fortunately the tech giant appears to have since resolved the issue, leaving you free to stream your Apple Music playlist in peace.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new AI: 3 ways Siri could beat ChatGPT

First complaints of an outage began appearing shortly after Apple's systems went down at 3:13 p.m. PT / 6:13 p.m. ET, with multiple users notifying the company that they were unable to access services such as the App Store, Apple Music, or Apple TV. Mashable's testing found that attempting to access the Apple Store on an iPhone during the outage brought up a notification that it "cannot connect."

It quickly became apparent that the issue was impacting many more services, though. The official Apple Support Twitter/X account has not made any general announcement about the outage, however it did tell users who raised the issue to bookmark its System Status page for updates.

Fortunately, Apple's services came back up at 4:35 p.m. PT / 7:35 p.m. ET, allowing Apple TV customers to resume streaming The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin without interruption.

Which Apple services were down?

Apple's website listed outages on:

• App Store

• Apple Arcade

• Apple Books

• Apple Fitness+

• Apple Music

• Apple Music radio

• Apple Music Subscriptions

• Apple Sports

• Apple TV Channels

• Apple TV+

• AppleCare on Device

• Audiobooks

• Mac App Store

• Podcasts

• Subscription Purchase

So basically the majority of Apple's most popular services were down, though fortunately Apple Pay remained unaffected. Apple Music Classical was still up as well, which was good news for anyone who prefers Tchaikovsky to Taylor Swift.

As of writing, Apple's Systems Status page lists everything back up except for AppleCare on Device.

Several other Apple services are still experiencing issues though, including:

• Apple Business Essentials

• Apple Business Manager

• Apple School Manager

UPDATE: Apr. 4, 2024, 11:15 a.m. AEDT Apple's Systems Status page now states that AppleCare on Device is back up as well.

UPDATE: Apr. 4, 2024, 11:39 a.m. AEDT The issues impacting Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple School Manager have now been resolved as well, meaning all of Apple's systems are now back up and running without problems.

The FCC is defrosting net neutrality once again, bringing back internet protection laws intended to keep users from paying high prices for the same web.

In an exclusive statement to Reuters, FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said the federal committee would be voting to bring back net neutrality laws at the end of the month, despite lingering internal challenges. "The pandemic made clear that broadband is an essential service, that every one of us — no matter who we are or where we live — needs it to have a fair shot at success in the digital age," she told the publication. "An essential service requires oversight and in this case we are just putting back in place the rules that have already been court-approved that [ensure] that broadband access is fast, open, and fair."

But former net neutrality protections have failed to fully stick in the U.S., so what's up? 

SEE ALSO: Google is funding AI tools for nonprofits, including the World Bank What is net neutrality?

Net neutrality is an internet anti-discrimination principle that argues for the equal treatment of websites and services by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). In the words of its supporters, the concept ensures fast, open, and fair broadband access to all. It's the path toward an "open internet."

In practice, net neutrality regulations include prohibitions on ISPs blocking (legal) websites and services as part of paid packages, or throttling website speeds according to a customer's plan or at the ISP's discretion. Laws may also block the prioritization of services and providers that pay more for bandwidth access, or ensure that users of different ISPs receive similar web experiences. 

For consumers, a world without net neutrality could look like Verizon striking a deal with one website or streaming service, and then charging you more to access its competitors. An ISP could censor entire categories of apps from free access. Conversely, some credit the rise of online streaming services with former net neutrality protections, including the Disney+ acquisitions that now let you digitally stream what were once cable-only channels.

On the whole, net neutrality argues that telecommunications companies shouldn't be allowed to ramp up prices or put walls up to digital access without the government being involved. 

Advocates for net neutrality laws include digital rights advocacy groups, the ACLU, and even the inventor of the World Wide Web, arguing that an open market for broadband access is both a requirement for innovation and a free speech issue. 

What is the United States' stance on net neutrality? 

Debate between those aligning with providers and those in favor of more government oversight has led to a split among political leaders, with the majority of Republican leadership favoring the former and Democrats the latter. The FCC, made up of presidentially-appointed members that serve five-year terms, tends to lean toward the appointing side. Major providers, like Verizon and Comcast, have taken net neutrality to court — and won.

While the first FCC attempt to instate net neutrality laws happened way back in 2005, the regulations didn't officially make it onto the books until a decade later, with the support of the ardently pro-net neutrality Obama administration. In a 2014 White House statement, President Barack Obama wrote, "'Net neutrality' has been built into the fabric of the Internet since its creation — but it is also a principle that we cannot take for granted. We cannot allow Internet service providers (ISPs) to restrict the best access or to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas." The Obama administration's net neutrality agenda, known as the Open Internet Rule, included limits on ISP blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization. 

But the 2015 regulations were repealed by a new Republican-controlled FCC only a year later, under President Donald Trump. At the time, FCC chairman Ajit Pai argued the regulations had a negative impact on innovative internet investment and small providers. "These providers often serve rural and lower-income areas where better internet access and competition are most desperately needed. But they were forced to spend scarce funds on regulatory compliance rather than building out broadband to more Americans," said Pai. 

What followed were several years of failed bills to reinstate the Obama era laws, including a bicameral bill, known as the Save the Internet Act of 2019, introduced by Democratic legislators. As federal regulations stalled, states introduced their own net neutrality laws, like California's 2018 Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act.

In a 2021 executive order, President Joe Biden called on the FCC to restore net neutrality rules, as well as require ISPs to report their prices and subscription rates directly to the FCC. Biden also championed the revival of the FCC's shelved "Broadband Nutrition Label," a standardized consumer label that would provide basic information about internet services and prices.

How will the FCC's decision affect internet users?

A "yes" vote from the FCC would reinstate protections and oversight powers bestowed under the Open Internet Rule. This means federal agencies would once again require ISPs to report speed, pricing, and network management practice; that information would then be made available to customers. 

Notably, Rosenworcel explained it would also provide the FCC with "new national security tools," which could impact international companies providing equipment and services to ISPs and U.S. customers. Amid growing political fears of foreign state actors online (read: TikTok), that fact could be the bipartisan chip that gets net neutrality back in U.S. law. 

The internet itself wouldn't immediately change for consumers with the revival of open internet laws, but the downstream effects could be significant to those shopping around for new providers, plans, services, and more.

SEE ALSO: Biden’s executive order: What it means for Big Tech and you

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) officially went into effect in the EU last month. That means Big Tech needs to start abiding by this new regulation that intends to spur competition on these companies' core platforms.

In Apple's case, one of the biggest results of the DMA has been to allow "alternative marketplaces," basically App Store competitors, on the iPhone.

What's coming for iPhone users in the EU

As The Verge points out, there's currently just one third-party alternative marketplace on iOS that users in the EU can currently download — a business-to-business marketplace for corporations to distribute their own internal apps called Mobivention.

However, there's a lot more on the way.

Epic Games, the company behind the super popular Battle Royale game Fortnite, has already shared its plans to soon launch its own alternative marketplace on the iPhone. 

In addition, Epic Games has announced they would use this distribution model to get Fortnite back on iOS for users in the EU. The game has been missing from Apple's App Store for nearly four years after the Fortnite developer and the iPhone maker had a very public falling out over App Store fees and revenue share models.

SEE ALSO: Apple already unbans Epic Games, will allow Fortnite on iPhone in EU

SetApp by MacPaw is also coming to the iPhone in the EU. Mac users may be familiar with SetApp, a sort of Netflix for Mac apps. The subscription service charges $9.99 per month and allows users to download and use any of the more than 200 third-party Mac apps that are part of its program for as long as they are subscribed. SetApp plans to bring a similar iOS subscription service to the iPhone via its alternative marketplace.

However, as both TechCrunch and The Verge note, an alternative marketplace called AltStore will likely be the first to make it to the iPhone.

AltStore leading the way

AltStore, by developer Riley Testut, has already existed for years as an "alternative marketplace" before the concept officially existed. Testut found a workaround that allowed iPhone users anywhere in the world to sideload AltStore, basically installing it directly to their device via their PC or Mac. Testut found a creative way to make his public App Store alternative work on an iPhone without being distributed via Apple's official App Store, in a similar way to how businesses install and use internal company apps on employees' iOS devices. 

AltStore comes with preloaded apps like Delta, Testut's Nintendo emulator and a perfect example of apps that likely would never be approved by Apple for distribution in the App Store.

Post by @rileytestut View on Threads

Testut's AltStore is currently undergoing Apple's alternative marketplace review process and will be ready to launch as soon as Apple approves of AltStore.

Once Apple approves, AltStore will be available for "official" download in the EU. The alternative marketplace will have two apps ready to go at launch: the aforementioned Delta game emulator, which will be available for free, and and clipboard manager called Clip.

Testut will require users pay a small fee for Clip, and it appears that this app will be used to test out a very new and unique mobile app subscription model. According to Testut, users will pay for Clip via a $1 or more pledge via the creator monetization platform Patreon. 

Patreon allows creators to setup subscription models so that their followers can pay a monthly monetary fee for exclusive content. According to Testut, AltStore will have Patreon directly integrated into it as its payment platform for paid apps. If all works out, Testut plans to allow other developers to distribute their own apps in AltStore and monetize them using the Patreon pledge model

One thing holding back more alternative marketplaces

With the DMA in effect for about a month now, it may seem surprising that we have yet to see a deluge of alternative marketplaces opening on the iPhone for EU users.

However, there's a good reason we haven't seen that yet.

When announcing alternative marketplaces, Apple also introduced a new "Core Technology Fee" for developers looking to distribute via these App Store competitors. Instead of paying 15 to 30 percent of app revenue to Apple like they would in the App Store, developers will now be paying €0.50 for every first annual install of their app over 1 million downloads. This includes free apps, meaning that a developer that creates very popular free app can owe Apple money for those downloads — a cost of business that never before existed in Apple's official App Store. And any developer that wants to distribute apps via alternative marketplaces needs to abide by Apple's new terms that include this fee. 

The EU is already investigating Apple for these new terms and fees to see if they are actually in violation of the DMA.

So, we'll definitely soon see a number of alternative marketplaces on iPhones in the EU. But based on the results of that EU investigation, we'll have to wait and see how many actually pop up.

Author John Green's books have frequently made homes for themselves onscreen, from The Fault in Our Stars to Paper Towns to Looking for Alaska. Next up to the plate is an adaptation of his 2017 novel Turtles All The Way Down, which premieres May 2 on Max.

Directed by Hannah Marks and starring Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Turtles All The Way Down centers on high schooler Aza (Merced), who struggles with a constant stream of anxious, obsessive thoughts. As seen in the trailer, these thoughts include worries about the sheer amount of bacteria living inside us, and whether others perceive her as "crazy." But when Aza reconnects with her childhood crush Davis (Felix Mallard, Ginny & Georgia), she'll embark on a journey that will prompt her to reconsider her potential for love, friendship, and happiness.

Turtles All The Way Down hits Max May 2.

Apple seemed slow to jump on the generative AI bandwagon, but new research related to contextual understanding might make Siri better than ChatGPT.

The tech giant was conspicuously quiet during the meteoric rise of ChatGPT and the subsequent barrage of generative AI tools and features from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta. But Apple researchers have a new model that could give Siri the generative AI upgrade Apple fans have been hoping for.

SEE ALSO: Apple and Google are reportedly talking. Could Gemini come to iPhone?

"Human speech typically contains ambiguous references such as 'they' or 'that,' whose meaning is obvious (to other humans) given the context," said the researchers. The paper proposes a model called ReALM (Reference Resolution As Language Modeling) that tackles the problem of large language models (LLMs) not always being able to understand context when it comes to on-screen, conversational, and background references (e.g., apps or features running in the background) with the goal of achieving a "true hands-free experience in voice assistants."

While ChatGPT is pretty good and certain kinds of context understanding, researchers said ReALM outperforms GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 (which power free and paid versions of ChatGPT) on all of its context tests. Here's what that could mean for Siri.

1. On-screen context clues

Apple researchers trained ReALM using "on-screen" data from web pages, including contact information, enabling the model to comprehend text within screenshots (e.g., addresses and bank account details). While GPT-4 can also understand images, it wasn't trained on screenshots, which the paper argues makes ReALM better at understanding on-screen information that Apple users would be asking Siri for help with.

2. Conversational and background understanding

Conversational references mean something that's relevant to the conversation, but maybe not explicitly mentioned in the prompt. From training ReALM on data like lists of businesses, the model can understand prompts like "call the bottom one" in reference to a list of nearby pharmacies shown on the screen, without needing to provide more specific instructions.

ReALM is capable of understanding "background entities," which means something running in the background of a device "that might not necessarily be a direct part of what the user sees on their screen or their interaction with the virtual agent," such as music playing or an alarm going off.

3. Completely on-device

Last but not least, ReALM is designed to be on-device, which would be a big deal since LLMs require lots of computing power and are therefore mostly cloud-based. Instead, ReALM is a smaller LLM, "but fine-tuned for specifically and explicitly for the task of reference resolution." Apple has historically touted its commitment to privacy as a selling point for its devices, so a generative AI version of Siri that runs completely on the device would be both very on-brand and a major achievement for devices with AI capabilities.

Apple has been predictably tight-lipped about its AI plans, but CEO Tim Cook said a big AI announcement is expected later this year, so all eyes are on Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10.

Stable Audio, a text-to-music AI tool from Stability AI, once maxed out at 90 seconds. Now, you can generate longer audio content.

Stability AI announced Stable Audio 2.0, an update to Stable Audio 1.0 that lets users generate up to three minutes of AI sound.

SEE ALSO: StableLM: What to know about Stability AI's language model What's new with Stable Audio 2.0?

As mentioned, Stability AI launched Stable Audio 2.0, an AI audio generator with a free tier. The new model comes with the following new perks:

• With text prompts, users can generate high-quality, full tracks with "coherent musical structure" for up to three minutes long at 44.1 kHz stereo

• In addition to text-to-audio, Stability Audio 2.0 now has audio-to-audio capabilities. In other words, you can transform uploaded audio samples via natural language prompts

• Stability AI expanded Stable Audio's sound-effect generation, allowing artists and musicians more "flexibility" and "control"

Stable Audio 2.0 was exclusively trained on a licensed dataset sourced from AudioSparx music library. Opt-out requests from musicians and artists are honored, according to Stability AI, ensuring creators are fairly compensated.

In addition to a Stable Audio 2.0's free tier, there are also premium subscriptions that offer access to creator licenses and greater monthly allowances for track generation.

SAVE $100: The HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch (Intel Core i3-N305, 8GB RAM, 128GB UFS) is on sale for $399 at Best Buy as of April 3 — a 20% discount on its $499 MSRP.

HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch $399.00 at Best Buy
$499.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal

Google's Chromebook Plus series is a haven for value seekers. And while the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch may not be the absolute best deal of the bunch, it's a decidedly more compelling purchase now that it's on sale at Best Buy.

As of April 3, the tech retailer has the HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch marked down to just $399. That's $100 off its $499 sticker price, which works out to a 20% discount. Note that this is the base configuration of the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch that includes an Intel Core i3-N305 processor, 8GB of memory, and 128GB of Universal Flash Storage (UFS). Other variants are available on the HP website starting at $599.99, though they weren't on sale at the time of writing.

I'm hot off the heels of reviewing this Chromebook Plus and was surprised by how much I enjoyed using it, even as an Apple MacBook devotee. It zips through Google-based productivity tasks and its huge, colorful display is great for movie-watching and casual gaming. (I'd never, ever recommend it as someone's primary rig, but it's worth mentioning that I used the Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch to play a ton of Palworld at launch, and it never ran hot or slowed me down.)

SEE ALSO: HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch review: A big-screened budget laptop for the right user

The Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch also comes with some useful software features that are exclusive to the Chromebook Plus line, including a FileSync tool that automatically downloads your My Drive files for offline use, AI-powered webcam settings, and Google Photos Magic Eraser.

This laptop isn't totally free from flaws, to be clear. It could benefit from a snappier keyboard, upgraded speakers, and a longer battery life. Candidly, I think it's outpaced by some of the other new Chromebook Plus models at its regular MSRP. But for $400, it's a really solid budget buy.

SAVE $30: The Tile Mate Essentials four-pack of Bluetooth trackers is just $49.99 at Amazon, marked down from the usual price of $79.99. That's a 38% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Tile Tile Mate Essentials four-pack $49.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $30.00 Shop Now

Listen up, travelers. If there's a plane ticket with your name on it, you're likely to be packing a few items that you definitely do not want to lose. Regardless of if you're checking a bag or packing a light carry-on, Bluetooth trackers can come in handy when you're away from home. Thanks to today's deal, you can score a pack of four at a great sale price.

As of April 3, the Tile Mate Essentials four-pack is just $49.99 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $79.99. That's a savings of $30 or a 38% discount. The pack includes two Tile Mate trackers, one Tile Slim, and one Tile Sticker.

If you excel when it comes to misplacing important items, Bluetooth trackers can save the day. Through the power of Bluetooth connectivity, these trackers can locate and inform you of where your lost items have gone.

The Tile Mate Essentials four-pack includes two Tile Mate trackers which easily connect to your key ring or slip into luggage. The set also includes one Tile Slim which is similar in size to a credit card, for easy storage and tracking of your wallet or purse. One Tile Sticker tracker is also included which has an adhesive backing designed to stick to a remote control, a video game controller, or your tablet.

All four Tile trackers are water resistant so they'll be ok if you're on vacation and it starts to pour.

If you have upcoming travel plans, investing in the Tile Mate Essentials four-pack could save you time and stress when it comes to keeping tabs on your belongings. Today's sale price means each Tile tracker costs $12.50. The reassurance of always knowing where your checked bag is located is well worth the price.

Amazon deals of the day: OUR TOP PICK Tile Mate Essentials (4-pack) $49.99 at Amazon (save $30) Get Deal BEST SMARTWATCH DEAL Google Pixel Watch $199.99 at Amazon (save $90) Get Deal BEST PHONE DEAL Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Get a free $200 promotional credit Get Deal BEST HOME SECURITY DEAL SimpliSafe Wireless Home Security Systems as low as $139.99 (save 30%) Get Deal

There are always deals to be found, even if it's not explicitly a major shopping event or holiday. Amazon continuously hides the most impressive deals in plain sight, amongst a slew of some too-good-to-be-true discounts. We've cleared out the nonsense for you and hand-picked a few of the best deals you can shop at Amazon today, April 3.

Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. And don't forget to take a second look at our picks from April 1 and April 2, as many of those discounts are still alive and thriving.

Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Tile Amazon deal of the day: Tile Mate Essentials (4-pack) $49.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal

One of our top picks for a Bluetooth tracker, the Tile Mate is a reliable way to track your keys, wallet, luggage, and more via GPS (with both iOS and Android devices). It's one of the thinnest trackers on the market, making it ideal for slipping into small places without much bulk. Plus, when you opt into the paid Tile Premium subscription, you'll get notifications when you leave stuff behind and qualify for reimbursement for items you aren't able to recover. A single Tile Mate is usually $24.99 on its own, so this 4-pack deal — which includes two Tile Mates, a Tile Slim, and a Tile Sticker — is a total steal for $49.99. You're essentially getting the Tile Slim and Tile Sticker for free.

Opens in a new window Credit: Google Google Pixel Watch (WiFi) $199.99 at Amazon
$279.99 Save $80.00 Get Deal

At full price, we're not major fans of the Google Pixel Watch's features-to-value ratio. However, with this $90 discount — just $2 away from its lowest price ever — we're much more obliged to recommend it. It offers Fitbit capabilities rolled into a sleek smartwatch design and does all the basic things you'd expect a smartwatch to do: track sleep, count steps, read heart rate, activate Google Assistant, and more. If you're a fan of the Google ecosystem, it's certainly worth a grab at this price.

Read our full review of the Google Pixel Watch.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Cell Phone (unlocked, 256GB) Get a free $200 promotional credit with purchase Get Deal

Following its January debut, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is offering a pretty sweet incentive to snag it: a free $200 Amazon promotional credit. Through April 14, just click "redeem" next to the listed promotion and go about your purchase as usual. After your shipment is complete, you'll receive an email confirming your credit, which will then be added to your Amazon account. Note that the $200 credit only applies to select colors in the 256GB configuration. However, if you prefer a different model, there's also a $50 credit and $150 credit up for grabs for the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+. For what it's worth, though, Mashable's reviewer claimed that the S24 Ultra "takes the throne as the best Android phone."

Read our full review of the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Opens in a new window Credit: SimpliSafe SimpliSafe Wireless Home Security Systems as low as $139.99 (save 30%) Get Deal

Our top pick for a home security system, SimpliSafe offers comprehensive protection at an excellent value. We love how flexible its systems are, with the ability to choose between DIY and professional monitoring and installation, as well as the wide variety of starter kits to choose from. As of April 3, you can save 30% on a variety of options, including five, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, or 12-piece bundles. Prices start at just $139.99, so you can outfit your home with some extra eyes for a steal.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

GET UP TP 34% OFF: As of April 3, you can get up to 34% off LG TVs, projectors, and soundbars at Amazon.

Our top picks: Best TV deal LG C3 Series 55-inch TV $1,296.99 at Amazon (save $503 ) Get Deal Best soundbar deal LG S65Q soundbar $196.99 at Amazon (save $100 ) Get Deal Best projector deal LG CineBeam 4K projector $1,229.96 at Amazon (save $270.03) Get Deal

Remember a long time ago (like, the early aughts) when only celebrities and people on MTV Cribs had huge, fancy flat-screen TVs? Today, flat-screen TVs are the norm, and you don't have to be 50 Cent to afford one.

SEE ALSO: The best time to buy a TV: A guide to the times of year that you'll find the best TV deals

Not only are they more affordable now, but there are many ways to transform any living room into a full home theater experience. There are upgrades to fit every home theater vision and budget, and Amazon's sale on LG entertainment tech is worth checking out today.

Get LG soundbars, projectors, and TVs up to 34% off at Amazon as of April 3. Here are our top picks:

Best TV deal Opens in a new window Credit: LG Our pick: LG C3 Series 55-inch TV $1,296.99 at Amazon
$1,799.99 Save $503.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The LG C3 Series 55-inch TV offers crisp picture quality with its 4K Ultra HD resolution and OLED EVO display. Its AI-assisted deep learning capabilities analyze what's on and automatically adjust the picture and sound settings for the best viewing experience. (Thanks to its 0.1 ms response time and 120 Hz refresh rate, it's also great for gaming.)

It has more than 300 free LG channels and built-in streaming apps for easy access to popular content. You can organize your faves with Quick Cards, and the webOS platform allows for seamless navigation and app integration.

Plus, whenever the TV's not in use, you can use it to display photos or artwork.

Best soundbar deal Opens in a new window Credit: LG Our pick: LG S65Q soundbar $196.99 at Amazon
$296.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The LG S65Q soundbar has Bluetooth connectivity and 3.1-channel audio with 420W power output, delivering immersive sound quality for movies, music, and games.

It includes a remote and wireless subwoofer for enhanced bass and a more dynamic audio experience.

Best projector deal Opens in a new window Credit: LG Our pick: LG CineBeam 4K projector $1,229.99 at Amazon
$1,499.99 Save $270.00 Get Deal Why we like it

The LG CineBeam 4K projector has a max screen size of 140 inches, so you can watch your favorite movies and shows on a big, cinematic display. The ceiling-mountable design allows for a flexible installation process (it's also out of the way), and the HU70LA delivers a 4K UHD resolution with 8.3 million pixels (four times the resolution of Full HD) for sharp, detailed visuals. This projector's quality and details mean it won't look or feel like you're watching on a projector screen.

This little gadget is also Alexa- and Google Assistant-compatible, making it easy to control your home theater setup with voice commands.

Spotify did something really cool last fall: it started offering Premium subscribers 15 hours of audiobook listening per month with access to more than 150,000 reads. Now they might be doing something less cool: hiking up the price for Premium subscribers who want to listen to those audiobooks.

The music streaming service cost a monthly subscription of $9.99 for 12 years before hiking it up to $10.99 in July 2023. According to a report from Bloomberg, Spotify is eyeing another increase of anywhere from $1 and $2 in the UK, Australia, Pakistan, and two other markets by the end of April and an increase in the U.S. "later this year." Spotify did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable.

SEE ALSO: How to use Spotify Audiobooks

Part of the price increase could be to cover the cost of adding audiobooks on Spotify — an addition that many of people, myself included, seem to love. There's already a limit to how many hours of audiobooks you can listen to on Spotify without paying extra money, which is, admittedly, pretty annoying. An average audiobook is between eight and 12 hours long, and Spotify includes a 15-hour listening period per month. That means if you want to listen to more than one book, or one exceptionally long book, you'll have to pay for the top-off or wait until the next month. I have personally paid for the top-off twice. I don't like it — most users don't — but I will probably do it again.

But if you're not an audiobook listener, you'll allegedly be able to use Spotify's new "basic" plan, which stays at the current $10.99 Premium rate and doesn't include audiobooks, according to Bloomberg. We're still waiting on news and details about Spotify's “Supremium” plan.