Trump’s 5G proposal is destructive nonsense

Last night, Axios broke the news that officials in the Trump administration were considering a fundamental rethinking of the US telecom industry. A proposal presented by a senior National Security Council official laid out a plan for aggressive federal intervention in 5G wireless technologies, with the federal government laying its own infrastructure to be leased to carriers. The White House is already distancing itself from the proposal, along with the FCC, but it’s noteworthy that the i

China is drafting new, stricter AI regulations that could set the country on its way to becoming the first to regulate the emotional repercussions of chatbot companions. SEE ALSO:ChatGPT is changing the abortion landscape
Detailed in a new draft proposal written by China's Cyberspace Administration and translated by CNBC, the policy would require guardian consent for minors to engage with chatbot companions as well as sweeping age verification. AI chatbots would not be allowed to generate gambli

If it feels like there's a lot of AI slop on YouTube, that's because there is a lot of AI slop on YouTube. That's according to new research from video-editing company Kapwing (as reported by the Guardian), which found that more than one in every five videos that the YouTube Shorts algorithm shows new users is low-quality, AI-generated content, also known as AI slop.SEE ALSO:Merriam-Webster names "slop" the word of the year, and boy was 2025 sloppy
One of the most interesting parts of the Kapwing

It seems certain at this point that laptop and smartphone prices are going to go up even more in 2026.Case in point: modular PC maker Framework just announced yet another price hike on DDR5 RAM components. Framework says that it's charging customers "as close as possible to the actual purchase prices we have with our suppliers," and that it will now be charging roughly $10 per gigabyte.Why? Demand for memory hardware, as a result of the AI boom, has led to a global memory shortage, which has in

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Dr. Lisa Su will help get CES 2026 underway on Monday, Jan. 5 by delivering a keynote address.AMD is a major player in the tech world, if perhaps not a household name like Apple or Samsung. It's one of the preeminent chipmakers on the globe, making it increasingly powerful and important in the AI era. OpenAI, in fact, just announced a massive partnership with AMD in an effort to build out AI infrastructure. AMD wrote on its site that Su will take the "CES stage i

If your pup could talk, what would they tell you? That they want to play fetch 24/7 and love it when you feed her people food? Yes, and yes.As you’re setting healthy New Year’s resolutions for yourself, maybe it’s time to make some positive changes in your best buddy’s life, too. Right now, you can save 50% off your first box of human-grade The Farmer’s Dog pet food, so that’s a great start. Here’s how a fresh-food diet and healthy lifestyle can help kee

Samsung has a more sentimental vision for AI in your living room. In a Monday press release, the company announced plans to bring Google Photos to its Samsung AI TV lineup, transforming televisions into oversized digital frames that showcase your most meaningful memories.The integration, currently slated to begin rolling out in 2026, is positioned as a first-of-its-kind experience. Samsung says its TVs will be the first to support Google Photos’ Memories feature on the big screen, offering

Visiting Austin, Texas and planning to hop into a Tesla robotaxi after a night at the bar? Just don't barf inside the autonomous vehicle or that ride may cost you an extra $150.According to a report from longtime Tesla influencer Sawyer Merritt, Tesla has rolled out a new cleaning fee system for its robotaxi service, which is currently only available in Austin. Basically, if you make a mess in a robotaxi, it's going to cost you a pretty penny.Merritt reports that Tesla now has two tiers of poten

SAVE 30%: As of Dec. 29, you can grab TurboTax Desktop Deluxe 2025 (Federal & State) for $55.99, down from $79.99, at Amazon. TurboTax Desktop Deluxe 2025 (Fed + State Tax Return, Digital Download) $55.99 at Amazon $79.99 Save $24.00 Get Deal at Amazon
As a freelancer, tax season is a multi-week dread that starts as soon as the first 1099 hits your inbox. If you’re like me and literally hate everything about tax time, the goal is always the same: get it over with as quickly and pa

SAVE $10 PER BOOK: Each of the six titles in the Rachel Reid "Game Changers" series which inspired the show "Heated Rivalry" are on sale in Kindle version for $8.99 each, down from the standard print price of $18.99 each. You can also snag all six titles in a set for $53.94.Opens in a new windowCredit: Harlequin Digital Sales Corp."Heated Rivalry" by Rachel Reid (Kindle version)$8.99 at Amazon $18.99 Save $10.00 Get DealIf you don't know how to proceed with life after watching all six episo

We may be in that weird timeframe known to most as “Betwixmas,” but that hasn’t stopped brands from launching new ideas and releasing products just before the new year hits. Just last week, Samsung introduced its 2026 sound device lineup. It’s not available to purchase just yet, so if you’d like to see it in person, you’ll have to go to CES 2026 in Las Vegas (Jan. 6-9).SEE ALSO:If your Samsung TV sounds underwhelming, it’s because you haven’t appli

SAVE $30: The Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds are on sale at Amazon for $199.99, down from the list price of $229.99. That's a 13% discount.Opens in a new windowCredit: SoundcoreSoundcore Sleep A30 earbuds$199.99 at Amazon $229.99 Save $30 Get DealNow that we're almost to New Year's, some of us are considering resolutions for the upcoming year. Sure, getting 10,000 steps everyday or going to the gym a few times per week is great for overall health, but how are you sleeping? If your sleep is not

If you have an embarrassing or outdated Gmail address, you may soon be able to change that — without losing all your files and records. The tech site 9to5Google reported that it appears Google may be rolling out the ability to change the address of your gmail.com email without losing all your files. 9to5Google reported that the change was discovered on a Hindi-language support forum page but that the ability was "gradually rolling out to all users." Read the translated forum page:"The emai

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Not everyone thinks of winter as the ideal time for outdoor activities, but it might actually be

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so t

SAVE 28%: As of Dec. 29, you can get the 27-inch HP All-in-One Touch (AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, 16GB RAM, 1 TB SSD) for $809.99, down from $1,129.99, at Best Buy. That's a 28% discount or $320 in savings. Opens in a new windowCredit: HP27-inch HP All-in-One Touch (AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, 16GB RAM, 1 TB SSD)$809.99 at Best Buy$1,129.99 Save $320 Get DealIf you're officially tired of staring at a cluttered desk filled with wires and tower units, you may want to look into an all-in-one desktop. Right now,

Among the most difficult parenting tasks, there are few as dreaded as asking a child to put down the device that's just absorbed their attention for hours. As a parent, you feel guilty that it got this far. You're also gearing up for a potential fight, should that child throw a toddler, tween, or teen tantrum. As they say, nobody wants this. While setting new boundaries on screen time might feel daunting, experts want you to know that a reset is possible. The new year, with its fresh beginnings

Nineties boyband fans rejoice: a new Take That documentary series will be landing in the new year, launching globally on Netflix on 27 Jan. 2026. This three-part limited series, directed by David Soutar, will tell the story of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, and Robbie Williams and their experiences in one of the UK's most successful bands. Expect archive, previously unseen footage, along with interviews with Gary, Howard, and Mark as the series explores the highs and lows o

TL;DR: Learn 12 different languages with a lifetime subscription to Promova, on sale for $55 when you use code LANG25.Opens in a new windowCredit: PromovaPromova Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription$54.97 $299.99 Save $245.02 Get DealSticking with a new language is tough when attention is split between work, social feeds, and everything else on a screen. Promova is a language-learning platform that tries to meet that reality with short lessons, AI practice, and live tutors in one app, a

30% OFF: It's your last chance to save 30% on Nomad eSIM plans (excluding anything already on sale) with the Mashable-exclusive discount code MASH30. This code is only valid until the last day of this year.Opens in a new windowCredit: Nomad eSIMNomad eSIM: 30% off with code MASH30 Get Deal2026 is just a couple of weeks away, and if you've been planning some trips for the new year, it's worth having an eSIM that helps you stay connected while you travel abroad. Nomad can help here, and thank

Sure, we've already taken stock of the best overall smartphones in 2025, but that doesn't mean we can't give them a little more shine. Specifically, it's time to talk cameras. Apple, Samsung, Google, and others released some excellent handsets in the past calendar year, but there's a lot that goes into deciding whether or not a phone is good. Processing power, battery life, AI features, and a bunch of other little odds and ends factor into our reviews, but for a lot of people, all of those thing

TL;DR: Turn your phone into a professional-grade document scanner with lifetime access to SwiftScan VIP for $39.97 — use code SCAN until Jan. 11.Opens in a new windowCredit: SwiftScanSwiftScan VIP: Lifetime Subscription$39.97 $199.99 Save $160.02 Get DealIs your workspace buried under a growing stack of papers? From receipts and contracts to loose notes you meant to organize ages ago, staying on top of documents can feel like a losing battle. SwiftScan VIP brings o