Edens.nl: het laatste nieuws het eerst!

πŸ”’
❌ About FreshRSS
There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.
Today β€” 7 October 2026Main stream

This Amazon Fire TV Stick Is Just $38 Right Now for October Prime Day

6 October 2026 at 23:10

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

A lot of companies offer discounts during October Prime Day, but the steepest price drops are usually on Amazon's house brand. Case in point: This Amazon Fire 4K Stick is $37.99, a 45% discount on the list price. The 4K Fire Stick is optimized for streaming to 4K televisions. It's Wi-Fi 6 compatible, supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos audio, too. There's no installation hassle either: You just slide it into the HDMI port, and you're rolling.

The 4k Fire Stick provides a lot of entertainment for $38. Obviously, you can stream thousands of movies and TV shows across all major streaming services, but you can also use it for gaming. Hook up a controller and your Luna or Xbox Game Pass, and you can play hundreds of games, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Hogwarts Legacy, without a console. The Fire Stick is fully Alexa-ed up, too. Just hit the voice remote button and talk to the digital assistant to get show recommendations, ask questions like "Wasn't that guy in that other show?" or just have a little conversation about any topic at all. You can even manage your smart home from your remote control.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now
Deals are selected by our commerce team

This Lightweight Titanium Hammer Is 20% Off for October Prime Day

6 October 2026 at 22:07

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

I've been poring over Lifehacker's round-ups of tools all day, and I've concluded I need a new drill and I need a new hammer. Specifically, I need Vanquish's 11oz Titanium Framing Hammer. I already have a hammer, but it's made of steel and weighs nearly a pound and a halfβ€”this hammer is Titanium and carbon steel and only weighs 11 ounces. That's about half the weight, as much as two baseballs or a can of soda.

The core shaft and neck are forged from a single piece of heat-treated carbon steel, and Vanquish promises that its hammer delivers 50% more force than a standard steel hammer. The anti-slip grip promises to deaden vibrations, and the overall design results in 30% less recoil. In other words, this is a solid hammer that will terrify all nails.

For Amazon's October Prime Day, Vanquish's hammer is at the lowest price it's sold for all year, $68.79, which is 20% less than the list price of $85.99.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now
Deals are selected by our commerce team

This DeWalt Drill and Driver Combo Is on Sale for $138 During October Prime Day

6 October 2026 at 21:15

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

We love us some home power tools at Lifehacker: Check out these roundups of the best cordless power tools at Amazon and Home Depot on sale during October Prime Day to see what I mean. I've been perusing tool deals all morning, and the one I'm definitely buying is this Dewalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill and Impact Driver.

I'm tired of my drill with a damn power cord. It made sense when I bought it 15 years ago, but batteries have gotten so much more compact and powerful since then that you're not giving up the light weight of a corded drill just because you're using batteries. Both the drill and impact driver in this Dewalt set are powered by 20Volt Li-ion batteries that weigh around 12 ounces and are about the size of a deck of playing cards. The result is small, maneuverable tools (the drill weighs 3.6 pounds and the impact driver 2.8) that can fix that bookcase without you worrying about where an outlet is.

Some other improvements over my 15-years-ago-drill: an LED worklight, a simple upgrade that makes a huge difference, and one-handed loading of bit tips. The price is pretty sweet too: $138.99, which is 42% off the list price.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now
Deals are selected by our commerce team

This Battery-Powered Blink Video Doorbell Is 55% Off for October Prime Day

6 October 2026 at 20:00

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Lifehacker has shared a round-up of the best October Prime Day deals on home security gear, but I wanted to call special attention to my own top choice for cheap home security: The Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+ video doorbell. It works great, and it's at an even better price right now, marked down 55% to $35.99.

Like the name says, the Battery Doorbell is battery-powered, so it installs in minutes, with no need to rewire anything. It sends your phone a crisp, 2K, head-to-toe view of anyone who stops by, even in very low light. The audio is also clear, so you can hear them when they announce, "It's DoorDash."

This doorbell includes a Blink Sync Module, a home automation hub that supports up to 10 devices at once and works with Alexa. You'll also get a free month of Blink's subscription service for Cloud-based storage, AI text description of motion events, and more. You can still use the device without the subscription, though.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now
Deals are selected by our commerce team

All of These RayNeo Smart Glasses Are on Sale for October Prime Day

6 October 2026 at 13:30

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, better known as October Prime Day, is underway from Oct. 6 through Oct. 7, and smart-glasses maker RayNeo has put three pairs of its GT and Air smart glasses up for sale at sizable discounts. That includes the brand-new GT series of AR glasses, just released a month ago. If you want to get an early look at the next wave of smart glasses, here's what RayNeo has discounted:

GT Max on sale for $364.65, 15% off the list price

RayNeo boasts that its premium GT glasses, GT Max, have an industry-leading 59Β° field-of-view that delivers a virtual screen equivalent to a 267-inch display. For Prime Day, they're on sale for $364.65, a 15% discount off the list price of $429, and the lowest price these glasses have ever had.

RayNeo's Air Series AR Glasses

If you don't need the absolute latest in wearable displays from RayNeo, the Air series is also discounted. These are excellent display glasses for solid prices. First, there's the Air 4 Pro: I wrote an in-depth review of the Air 4 Pro, concluding they are excellent display-in-glasses. They feature HDR10 video, on-the-fly 2D to 3D conversion, and sound designed by Bang & Olufsen. The virtual screen is equivalent to a 201-inch display, and they're marked down to $239.20 for Big Deal Days, a 20% discount on the list price.

The Air 3s Pro are another excellent pair of display glasses (read my full review here): These glasses feature distortion reduction and improved edge clarity, and they come in at $219, 27% less than the $299 list price.

Amazon October Prime Day FAQ

How long is Prime Day?

October Prime Day is a two-day event that starts Oct. 6 and ends on Oct. 7.

What time does Prime Day start?

October Prime Day starts Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. PT / 3:00 a.m. ET.

Which devices are compatible with RayNeo smart glasses?

RayNeo glasses work via USB-C with any device that supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode (DP Alt Mode). That includes iPhones from 15-17, newer Android phones, Steam Deck, PS5, and more.

Do RayNeo glasses require a battery or separate charging?

They do not. They draw power from the devices they are tethered to.

Can I use prescription lenses with RayNeo smart glasses?

Yes. RayNeo glasses include insertable prescription frame templates. You can take these to a local optician or order custom prescription lenses online.

Deals are selected by our commerce team
Before yesterdayMain stream

The Top 10 TV Series Right Now, According to Streaming Data

2 October 2026 at 22:00

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Streaming in September was eclectic. The top 10 most popular TV shows of the month, according to data from JustWatch, include opposite takes on international espionageβ€”Lioness's "everything is at stake" blockbuster vibe versus Slow Horses' darkly funny, morally ambiguous style.

Other series burning up the charts: spy-adjacent action show Reacher, a couple of sports comedies named after their main characters (Ted Lasso and Chad Powers), a dystopian sci-fi drama (Silo), a superhero show (Lanterns), and stories of criminals and cops (Furious and The Gentlemen). There's even a horror comedy (Widow's Bay). You could say there's something for everyone.

Lanterns

Topping the streaming charts this month is DC's TV revamp of Green Lantern, in which experienced Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) trains the new guy, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), on how to wield the mysterious and powerful Green Lantern Ring. It's a reserved, neo-noir style take on the comic mythos, as the heroes investigate a series of murders tied to an extraterrestrial threat. Lanterns is pulling in a 92% fresh ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, so it's definitely worth a stream. Stream Lanterns on HBO Max.

Ted Lasso

Season four of Ted Lasso sees the title character, played by Jason Sudeikis, returning to the UK to take on a new challenge: coaching the Lady Greyhounds, AFC Richmond's second-division women's football team. This multiple Emmy Award-winning series still has all the heart, humor, and positivity of the original run. Stream Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.

Reacher

Reacher actor Alan Ritchson is a great action star. Dude's the size of a house, but he uses his brains as much as his fists, and his "independent ass-kicker" lifestyle makes for great TV. Season four sees our morally uncompromising, giant-sized hero witnessing a supposed suicide, then finding out it's tied to a conspiracy so huge that world governments are involved. If you like your TV action-packed, you're probably already watching Reacher, but if you're not, get on it! Stream Reacher on Prime Video.

Lioness

If you like action, international espionage, and incredible performances, Lioness mashes them all up into a must-watch series. This cast is without lightweights, including Oscar winner Zoe SaldaΓ±a, Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, Emmy nominee Michael Kelly, and executive producer and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. Season 3 dives into a hidden network of dangerous foreign operatives, personal betrayals, and a high-stakes war that could define everyone's lives. Stream Lioness on Paramount+.

Slow Horses

Apple TV's Slow Horses delivers a more realistic, nuanced take on espionage by detailing the lives of the losers of British Intelligence. Instead of chiseled good guys and gals saving the world, the agents of Slough House are a team of dysfunctional, troubled souls trying to do the right thing (usually) in a morally gray world. Just like real agents. Their leader, gruff, obnoxious Jackson Lamb, is played to perfection by Gary Oldman. Slow Horses has an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes score over its first five seasons, and season 6 is setting new records. Stream Slow Horses on Apple TV+.

Furious

In Furious, Emmy Rossum plays Alice Black, an FBI agent and former NYPD homicide detective investigating a series of murders that point to a female serial killer bent on offing the wealthy assholes who victimized her when she was a sex trafficked. If that's not a killer premise for a TV show, I don't know what is. Critics agree: Furious has a 99% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream Furious on Hulu.

The Gentlemen

Director Guy Ritchie's series is set at the point where the remnants of the British aristocracy meet the nation's gangsters and lowlifes. Theo James plays Eddie Horniman, aka the Duke, whose inherited family estate is barely paid for by profits from a drug-dealing operation. If you like hard-edged action, British wit, and a stylish gangster vibe, this is the show for you. Stream The Gentlemen on Netflix.

Widow's Bay

This series from Apple TV has won unanimous praise from both critics and audiences. It's a rare horror-comedy that manages to be genuinely scary and really funny. In the island town of Widow's Bay, literally everything seems to be haunted, cursed, or otherwise beset with unspeakable evil, but Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) wants to bring tourism to the island anyway, so he ignores the sea hags, fog monsters, and serial killer ghosts surrounding him in an effort to drum up new business. The great Stephen Root plays Wyck, an old-timer who's always there to remind everyone that time is short and everyone is doomed. Stream Widow's Bay on Apple TV+.

Chad Powers

Chad Powers is a sports comedy that's actually funny. Glen Powell stars as Russ Holliday, a former college football phenom who nuked his own career before he even got to the NFL. Instead of giving up, he dons a disguise, adopts the name "Chad Powers, and tries out for a failing college team. It works, but leads to outrageous complications as the jock tries to hide his deceit. Stream Chad Powers on Hulu.

Silo

Apple TV's Silo continues to track the downward spiral of the dregs of humanity, who are all living together underground in a cavernous edifice that goes all the way down. If you've been wondering how things got so bad, this season goes back in time to reveal the source of humanity's near-demise. (Unsurprisingly, humans are to blame.) You can stream Silo on Apple TV.

The Top 10 Movies Right Now, According to Streaming Data

2 October 2026 at 13:30

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

The most-streamed movies in September, according to JustWatch, include a couple of early Halloween treats: low-budget, high-scare horror flicks Backrooms and Obsession both made the top 10. If you like more gentle supernatural stories, 1990s classic Practical Magic made the charts too. You could also check out best-actor-ever favorites Robert De Niro in The Whisper Man and Dustin Hoffman in Tuner. So there's something for everyone.

Backrooms (2026)

Director Kane Parsons' analog horror breakthrough is proof that atmosphere, mood, and a fascinating story is scarier than CGI monsters every time. Based on the viral YouTube series of the same name, Backrooms tells the story of Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a store owner who discovers a labyrinthian liminal space in his furniture shop's basement. Renate Reinsve plays his therapist, who thinks it's a delusion, until she goes downstairs for a visit. A hit with criticsβ€”Backrooms is sitting at 87% fresh on Rotten Tomatoesβ€”and audiences, Backrooms is a delicious early Halloween treat for horror fans. Stream Backrooms on HBO Max.

Practical Magic (1998)

Released to streaming to coincide with the sequel's release in theaters, Practical Magic is a beloved supernatural rom-com finding a new audience in 2026. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman play Sally and Gilly, sister-witches cursed with losing any man they ever love. Sally's romantic interest appears in the form of Aidan Quinn playing a detective investigating the disappearance of Gilly's abusive boyfriend. Can love, magic, and the power of sisterhood break the family curse? With a little help from '90s nostalgia, you bet they can. Stream Practical Magic on HBO Max.

Obsession (2026)

Director Curry Barker is still in his 20s, but his debut theatrical feature is the kind of horror film that changes the entire genre. Obsession is a classic "be careful what you wish for" story that feels fresh thanks to its talented young cast, unpredictable plot, and careful pace. Michael Johnston plays a young man too scared to tell his crush how he feels, so he wishes she'd fall in love with him instead. The result is a nightmare embodied by Inde Navarrette, whose portrayal of the villain/victim is at once harrowing, terrifying, and heartbreaking. Obsession is the best horror movie I've seen in years. Stream Obsession on Peacock.

Mayday (2026)

Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh play Cold War enemies brought together when Reynolds' plane crashes in the Russian wilderness. Branagh is ex-KGB, but he's always been a secret fan of America, so he helps Reynolds escape the USSR. Like the best bro-coms, Mayday is powered by the charisma of its stars, and you won't find any actors alive with more rizz than these two. If you like 1980s-style buddy action/comedies, Mayday is the right stream for you. Stream Mayday on Apple TV+.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi flick, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Grace is the only person on Earth who might know how to protect the sun from a cosmic infection that threatens all life, but he's definitely not an astronaut and doesn't see himself as a hero either. Will he rise to the occasion and learn something about his inner strength and resilience while saving us all from death? My money is on, "yeah, probably." Stream Project Hail Mary on Prime Video and Fubo.

Supergirl (2026)

You shouldn't mess with a superhero's dog. Milly Alcock plays Kara Zor-el, AKA Supergirl, who traverses the galaxy hunting for Krem of the Yellow Hills (played by Matthias Schoenaerts). He shot Krypto the superdog with a poison dart, and justice must be administered. If you want a grittier take on the super-people of Krypton with some deep-lore DC universe building, look no further than Supergirl. Stream Supergirl on HBO Max.

The Whisper Man (2026)

Based on the novel by Alex North, The Whisper Man stars Robert De Niro as Peter Willis, a retired detective who returns to the game to solve a grisly cold case. A copycat is mimicking the crimes of the notorious Whisper Man, a serial killer Willis captured years before. This intense thriller is built around De Niro's powerful performance and a twisty plot that will keep you on the edge of your couch. Stream The Whisper Man on Netflix.

Tuner (2026)

You wouldn't think the life of a piano tuner would be exciting until you see Tuner. Leo Woodall plays Niki White, whose quiet life is turned to 11 when he learns he can use his ears for cracking safes as easily as tuning Steinways. Desperate for cash, White joins up with hardened criminals, and things go haywire. The excellent cast of this smart, tense thriller includes Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu. If you like suspense in the style of Hitchcock, check out The Tuner. Stream Tuner on Paramount+.

The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)

Directed by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian and Grogu sees Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his adorable baby Yoda pal pitted against Imperial warlords and the Hutt Twins. It's classic Star Wars: a lone hero and his companion doing heroic things while facing impossible odds. Packed with cliff-hanger action and colorful characters, The Mandalorian and Grogu is pure fun in movie form. Stream The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+.

Toy Story 5 (2026)

Pixar is so good at what it does, it can even make the fifth movie in a series about ratty old toys into artβ€”not just art for kids, but art that's palatable for parents, too. In Toy Story 5, Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang face a toy's most terrifying enemy: technology. Toy Story 5 asks if there's a place for action figures and Mr. Potato Head in a world where screens are the only thing kids care about. Stream Toy Story 5 on Disney+.

These Are the Best October Prime Day Deals on Power Banks

6 October 2026 at 16:48

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

It's October Prime Day, and there are some pretty great sales that are live. Flashy TVs and gaming laptops usually hog the Prime Day glory, but don't sleep on tech like power banks and battery chargers. The products listed below will ensure you don't run out of charge halfway through the day or wait too long while your gear charges.

This Belkin 25K power bank is 20% off

This is a solid power bank from Belkin, a well-known company, at a good price, featuring an integrated USB-C cable, 158W output, and enough juice to charge an iPhone 17 Pro 3 times andβ€―a MacBook Pro 14 once. It can charge up to three devices at a time and includes a USB-A port for versatility. It's great for travelingβ€”small enough to slip in your pocket and compliant with TSA safety standards.

This EcoFlow Rapid Pro power bank is 38% off

This EF Ecoflow is so powerful, it's nearly illegal: the 27,650mAh (99.54Wh), is pushing the limits of what the TSA will let you carry onto a commercial flight. EcoFlow's Rapid Pro has a 140W USB-C cable built directly into the unit and a 3.9-inch LCD smart display that pairs with an app to show you real-time telemetry on your wattage and battery life.

This ZZI portable charger power bank is 39% off

This ZZI Power Bank is way cheapβ€”$30, down from $48.99β€”and can charge five devices at once. It juices an iPhone 15 to 60% in 30 minutes, has a display to track power, and weighs only 15.5 oz, so you can take it along to the zoo or wax museum.

This Podoru MagSafe power bank is just $16.99

This Podoru charger has over 12,000 Amazon reviews and a rating of 4.2 stars. It's less than $20 for Prime Day, features a 5000mAh battery, and sticks on the back of your phone with a powerful magnet. Plus, it's slim enough to easily fit in the pocket of your skinniest jeans, and comes in a bunch of different colors.


Power Bank Prime Deals FAQ

What is the difference between MagSafe wireless power banks and standard portable chargers?

MagSafe power banks snap directly onto the back of compatible iPhones and compatible magnetic cases for wireless, cable-free charging. They are generally portable but charge slower (usually 7.5W–15W) and generate more heat. Standard chargers require a cable, but charge a greater variety of devices and generally offer faster charging speeds.

Are these power bank deals likely to sell out?

Power bank deals during shopping events like October Prime Day can sell out quickly, especially items from popular brands with big discounts. Limited-time "lightning deals" can sell out in hours, whereas most standard discounts last through the duration of the sales event. But high-demand items sometimes go on back order if the initial stock sells out before the event ends.

What size power bank is allowed on an airplane?

TSA and FAA guidelines restrict power banks to a maximum capacity of 100Wh. All of the power banks listed here are compatible with TSA and FAA guidelines for commercial flights.

How do October Prime Day deals work?

Prime Day sales, including Prime Big Deal Days, let Prime Members shop online for thousands of products with big discounts. It only lasts two days, so make sure you check out everything we know about the sale.

What goes on sale during October Prime Day?

Since Prime Big Deal Days happens in the fall, you're likely to see more deals on gaming and indoor gym equipment. Amazon has already announced some of the 35 categories that will be on sale, including beauty, tech, kitchen, fashion, and home. Some brands Amazon has already mentioned are: Shark, Princess Polly, Soundcore by Anker, UGG, Nest New York, Sony, Tarte, Adidas, and Barefoot Dreams.

Our Best Editor-Vetted Prime Day Deals Right Now
Deals are selected by our commerce team

β€˜Aura Battle,’ β€˜Tylenol Baby,’ and Other Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang You Might Need Help Decoding

29 September 2026 at 20:53

If constantly being mogged by sigmas has you feeling like a fuhuhluhtoogan, and you have no idea what any of that means, you've come to the right place. This glossary aims to define and explain popular slang words and phrases of Generation Z (usually defined as people born between 1997 and 2012) and Generation A (anyone born between 2012 and now) so you'll know what the hell people are talking about.

A word of warning: If you aren't of those generations, and/or you need an online list to know what slang words mean, you should not say them aloud unless you're trying to be embarrassing.

New entries

Aura battle: Aura is coolness or charisma ("rizz" if you prefer). An "aura battle" is a public contest in which the person with the most aura, as determined by the crowd and/or comment section reaction, wins. (See "Aura")

Cortisol-coded: Describes something that's meant to be relaxing but is actually stressful, like watching a video of the 5 a.m. yoga routine of an influencer surrounded by $400 candles.

Misery girl: A young woman with piercings, a penchant for the darkly dramatic, and highly stylized makeup that makes them appear to have a skinny, pointy nose and huge eyes and lips.

Pheromone maxxing: Trying to influence the behaviors of others through your stink. Supposedly, young men in the "looksmaxxing" community are skipping showers and not washing their clothing in an attempt to make young women like them more. (See "-maxxing").

Quiet on the creek: A fishing-inspired way to say "keep it on the down low" or "be cool."

Side quest: A side quest in a video game is a quest that is not necessary to complete the game's main objective. In slang, a side quest is anything you do in life just for the experience of doing it.

Tylenol baby: After President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a scientifically dubious link between the active ingredient in Tylenol and autism, kids have been calling each other "Tylenol babies."

Viking rap: A musical sub-genre consisting of AI-generated Vikings rapping about longboats, raiding, and other Viking things.


304: Hoe. (Type "304" on a calculator and turn it upside down.)

4+4: Ate. Four plus four is eight, or "ate." (See "ate.")

6-7 (or 67): This piece of Generation Alpha brainrot slang doesn't mean anything. It's just funny to some people to say "6-7," especially in answer to any question involving numbers. Ex: "Q: What time is it? A: six-seveeen."

6-7 weekend: A weekend in which Saturday falls on the 6th day of the month and Sunday on the 7th.

7x7=49: Often refers to a man who is attractive in a self-evident way. Based on the belief that the equation 7x7=49 makes intuitive sense in a way other equations do not.

80/20 rule: An axiom in online incel spaces, the 80/20 is the idea that 80% of women only date the "top" 20% of men.

Algo speak: Coded language used to bypass online content moderation. Examples: "regarded" used instead of "retarded" and "unalive" instead of "kill."

Alpha male: Taken from animal ethology, an alpha male is the dominant member of a group of males, or just a male who is in charge. (See "beta male" and "sigma male.")

Alpine divorce: An alpine divorce is when a man takes his wife or girlfriend on a hike, usually in the mountains, and then just leaves her there to fend for herself.

ASAP (or A$AP): When a rapper has ASAP or A$AP in front of their name, it indicates affiliation with the ASAP Mob, a New York hip-hop collective.

Ate/eat: Done very well, often regarding clothing. e.g.: "You ate that outfit." See also: "serving."

Aura: Someone who is mysterious and cool is said to "have aura."

Aura farming: Depending on the context, β€œaura farming” can refer to a person who does something cool without trying or someone who is trying too hard to appear cool.

Baby Boo syndrome: A joking reference to people who are very into the Baby Boo memes popular on TikTok.

Baddie: A bad/wild girl. Meant as a compliment.

Baka: Japanese word meaning β€œcrazy" or β€œfoolish.” Used mainly in the anime community.

Based: Independent in a cool way.

Bed-rotting: Staying in bed all day. You may know it as β€œlazing around.” (See "Hurkle-durkle.")

Beez: Popularized in Nicki Minaj's 2012 track "Beez in the Trap," beez means something like "I am always." So "beez in the trap" means "I am always in the trap." (See "Trap.")

Beta male: A beta male, or just "beta," is a weaker, subservient male. (See "alpha male" and "sigma male.")

Boombayah: A euphemism for having sex. It’s used mostly online, often to defeat censorship algorithms.

Bop: A girl who sleeps around. Also: a great song.

Boy aquarium: TikTok slang that describes hockey games.

Boy kibble: The male response to "girl dinner," boy kibble is food boys eat. It usually consists of rice and ground beef, often served without spices or vegetables.

Boysober: Someone who has sworn off sex, relationships, and/or dating.

Brain-rot: A description of the overuse of stupid slang. See also: β€œSkibidi.” Also used to describe the effects of being overly online.

Brat: The contemporary meaning of "brat" is an adjective describing a person who is edgy, imperfect, and confident. It was coined by pop star Charli XCX who defined it as "that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes. Who feels herself but maybe also has a breakdown."

Bruzz: Bros. Part of the -uzz family of slang words. See "Huzz" and "-uzz."

Bubba truck: A lifted or otherwise modified pick-up truck.

Bussin': Very good or excellent.

Cap: A lie. Often used to say "no cap."

Cake: Butt, especially a nice butt.

Catch a fade: To have a fight. (See "fade.")

Chad: An attractive man; an β€œalpha male.” See "Giga-Chad."

Chat: A reference to streamers addressing their chat windows aloud. Saying β€œchat” in real life is an ironic joke.Β 

Cheesin': The slang word "cheesin'" refers to smiling, particularly a big, goofy smile. It comes from the common exhortation to "say cheese!" before a photo is taken. The word "cheesing," with a "g" at the end, often means the same thing, but it can also refer to the trend of throwing slices of cheese at cars and/or people.

Chopped: Ugly. Chopped is often applied to someone's face or outfit, but anything that isn't aesthetically pleasing could be called "chopped," as could anything that is generally not good, like an awkward situation.

Choppelganger: A portmanteau of "chopped" and "doppelgΓ€nger," a choppelganger is someone who looks like another person, but worse. (See "chopped.")

Chud: A physically unappealing person. Sometimes used for a man who holds right-wing views.

Clanker: A slur aimed at robots and AI agents pretending to be human.

Clock that: "I understand and agree." Not to be confused with older slang, where "clock" meant to see, or even older slang where "clock" meant "to hit or punch."

Coomer: A man who masturbates too often.

Corn: β€œCorn” is algo-speak that means β€œporn.” Used in online spaces where the word might cause your account to be flagged or banned.Β 

Coworker-core: A catch-all description for things that are unfunny or uninteresting in a way that appeals to older people.

Cracked: This slang term has two meanings: to have sex, as in "I got cracked last night," and to be really good at something, like "he’s cracked at Fortnite."

Crashout: To have an intense emotional outburst, usually accompanied by impulsive behavior. Crashing out is often due to being overwhelmed or overly frustrated.

D1 Crashout: An epic, elite level, extreme crashout. (See "crashout.)

Dah Bih Gah: "That bitch good," ie: "I like that thing." Usually used to describe food.

Dah Bih Tah: "That bitch tough," ie: "I like that thing." Usually used to describe food.

Dead: Past tense of having died laughing. If someone responds to a joke with "dead" or a skull emoji, they find it funny.

Deadass: Seriously. Used like, "I am deadass not lying."

Delulu: Delusional.

Deriod: A combination of "dick" and "period," deriod refers to men seeming to experience the mood swings commonly associated with women's menstrual cycles.

Dih: Algo speak for β€œdick.” (See "Algo speak.")

Doi doi doi: This piece of brain-rot slang doesn't mean anything. It's correctly pronounced by putting your hand up to your mouth and saying "doi doi doi" in a way that sounds funny.

Doomer: A person who is overly negative and/or cynical.

Drip: A fashionable or stylish look.

Dwerking: A male-centric variation of twerking. A sexually suggestive dancing characterized by rapid, repeated hip thrusts and shaking of the dick. Other variants include "pwerking" and "bwerking" where the "p" and "b" stand for pussy and boobs.

Edgar: A variation of the Caesar haircut worn especially among Hispanic males. Also refers to the kind of person who wears the haircut.Β 

Fade: A fight. (See "catch a fade.")

Fambushing: A combination of "family" and "ambushing," fambushing refers to young people checking where their parents are on location-sharing apps so they can get free foodβ€”if you see mom at Chipotle, you ask for a burrito.

Fanum tax: The theft of food between friends. Named for streamer Fanum, known for β€œtaxing” his friends by taking bites of their meals or stealing fries.Β 

Fax, no printer: Telling the truth. Since "fax" and "facts" are pronounced the same, this is a colorful way of saying "facts, no cap."

Fent-fold: A description of the bent-over posture of people nodding on heavy drugs.

Fit: Short for "outfit."

Fuhuhluhtoogan: Supposedly from Baltimore slang, this is a nonsense word used so people will ask what it means but never receive an answer. Often paired with "Jittleyang."

Fujoshing: The verb form of the Japanese slang term "fujoshi," fujoshing describes women/girls enjoying media that depicts romantic relationships between men. This word is used almost exclusively in online fandom communities.

Gamer dent: The temporary indentation left on someone’s hair or skin after wearing headphones for too long.

Geeker: Someone who uses a lot of drugs.

Giga-Chad: A Chad among Chads.

Glaze: To overly praise someone, often insincerely, or with the hope of getting something in return.

Gleek: An older slang term that is gaining prominence lately, gleeking describes squirting saliva from under the tongue.

Glizzy: Hot dog. "Glizzy" was originally slang for Glock or gun, but came to mean hot dog based on the hot dog shape of a Glock's magazine.

Green fn: An interjection one might used when someone does something cool or impressive. Often used ironically.Β 

Goonbait: (See "gooning") Goonbait is, essentially, media that exists to inspiring gooning.

Gooner: A man who goons. (See "gooning.")

Goonette: A woman who goons. (See "gooning.")

Gooning: Extended masturbation without orgasm done for the purpose of entering an altered state of consciousness. (See "gooner," "goonette.")

Gyatt or Gyat: Once an interjection used when seeing someone sexy, like β€œgod-DAMN,” β€œgyatt” has come to mean β€œattractive booty.”

Heavy soda: Pop with extra syrup. Some gas station soda machines have settings that control the ratio of syrup to carbonated water. A heavy soda is a soda with the syrup level set very high.

Hewwo: An overly cute way of saying "hello." Usually used online, and often ironically.

HGS: Abbreviation for "home girls" used in comment sections.

Hiplet: Derogatory slang for a woman who has "hip dips," i.e. inward curves on their outer thighs just below the hip bone.

Hozier yell: Named for singer/songwriter Andrew Hozier, a "Hozier yell" refers to the sound one makes when experiencing a peak, climactic, and/or awe-inspiring moment.

HTN: This acronym comes from the online incel community, where fairly good-looking men are described as "high-tier normies" or "HTN." (See "normie.")

Hurkle-durkle: Based on an archaic Scottish word, β€œhurkle-durkle” means to lounge in bed after it is time to get up. See also: β€œbed-rotting."

Huzz: -uzz slang for "hoes." See "bruzz" and "-uzz."

"It's giving": Used to convey that something has a specific vibe. Example: "That dude texts you every 10 minutes; it's giving desperate."

"It's so over": The situation is hopeless. The opposite of "we're so back." See also: "Doomer."

IWEL: This comment-section acronym is short for "I wouldn't even lie." Sometimes written as "IWL."

Jelqing: The use of stretching or weights in an attempt to increase penis size.

Jit: A kid. Used ironically online.

Jittleyang: Supposedly from Baltimore slang, this is a nonsense word used so people will ask what it means but never receive an answer. See also: "Fuhuhluhtoogan."

JOMO: A play on FOMO (fear of missing out) JOMO is an acronym that stands for β€œjoy of missing out.”

Jugg: To grab quickly or to steal.

"Learn Chinese": Sports slang directed at failing players. They are in danger of being sent to play in China, so they should "learn Chinese."

Loaded water: Water enhanced with somethingβ€”a flavor boost, fruit juice, electrolytes, carbonation, and even vitamins or prebiotics. The idea is to increase hydration by making water more palatable.

Looksmaxxing: Maximizing one’s physical attractiveness through personal grooming, working out, and dressing stylishly. See also: β€œ-maxxing.”

πŸͺ« (low battery emoji): The low battery emoji means "I am experiencing emotional depletion, heartbreak, or a general feeling of 'I can't anymore.'"

Lowkenuinely: This mash-up of "low key" and "genuinely" expresses sincerity but in a way that says "let's not make a big deal about it."

Lucky Scoops: Lucky Scoops are a kind of TikTok or Instagram video where buyers purchase a scoop that represents a chance to win merchandise. These videos are very popular with children; critics feel like they are a form of gambling.

Mason (or Mason 6-7 kid): A "Mason 6-7 Kid" or "Mason" is a stereotypical male member of Generation Alpha. Mason kids are known for their love of baseball-inspired fashion (caps and shorts), their "ice cream" haircut, and for repeating brainrot slang like "6-7."

-maxxing: A suffix used with any word to indicate trying to improve. Seeing your friends could be called "friendmaxxing," working out could be called "gymmaxxing," making jokes could be called "jestermaxxing," etc.

Mid: Average, bland, expected.

Mewing: A facial exercise meant to strengthen the jawline.

Mirror sex: Using a mirror to watch yourself have sex.

Mog: To be more attractive than someone, usually in an intentional or aggressive way. Example: "I was rizzing up this girl, but he walked in and totally mogged me."

"My 90 in a 30": A song played while driving that inspires speeding.

"My steak is too juicy": The phrase "my steak is too juicy" and other variants like "my lobster is too buttery," are online insults that suggest someone is complaining about something they should be grateful for.

Neurospicy: A different way of saying β€œneuro-divergent.”

Normie: A person who is considered normal or average. It's sometimes an insult suggesting someone is boring and witless. (see also, "mid.")

NPC: Non-player character. Originally describing video game characters, NPC is now used on the internet to mean people who don't think for themselves.

Opp: Short for "opposition." Someone who is out to get you. An enemy.

Performative male: An insult for young men whose tastes, hobbies, and lifestyle are seen as a performance aimed at obtaining societal approval, especially the approval of young women.

Phonk: The word phonk can refer to one of two musical sub-genres. It originally referred to throwback '90s hip-hop categorized by slow-tempo "chopped and screwed" production and vintage Memphis rap vocals. It now more commonly describes the heavily distorted, up-tempo EDM used in brainrot videos.

Pink cocaine: Also known as "pink snow," pink cocaine is slang for a powdered drug mixture that usually contains some combination of ketamine, MDMA, meth, opioids, and other substances.

Pole: A gun. See "up pole."

"Press F for respect:" In 2014 video game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfighter, the player attends a funeral and a prompt is given that reads "Press F to pay respects." Now, a singular "F" in a chat window indicates respect. It's usually ironic.

Rawdogging boredom: Rawdogging is "doing something with no safeguards or support," so "rawdogging boredom" is consciously doing nothing.

Regarded: β€œRegarded” is algo-speak for β€œretarded."

RegencyCore: A fashion and design aesthetic that springs from the popularity of the fantasy-regency era look of the Netflix show Bridgerton, RegencyCore combines the opulent style of the British Regency era of the early 1800s with fantasy elements like pastel colors and gold accents.

"Reheating your own nachos:" This slang phrase comes from cultural critics in online fandom communities. It refers to performers and/or artists whose new works are seen as trying to recapture what was good about their previous artistic output. It's not always negative; it's possible to successfully reheat your own nachos.

Rizz: As a noun, "rizz" means charisma. As a verb, "rizz" or "rizz up" means attracting someone with your charisma.

Scientology speedrun: Young people running into a Scientology building and acting foolish until they are ejected.

Scorigami: A slang term among football fans for when the final score of an NFL game has never happened before in the league's history. The most recent scorigami was on September 28, 2025, when the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys tied 40 to 40.

SDIYBT: An acronym for "start digging in your butt, twin," this brainrot phrase doesn't mean anything. Some people just think it's funny to say.

Sendy and β€œLet’s get sendy": Sendy is an adjective based on the older rock-climbing and extreme sports slang phrase "send it." A shortened version of "ascend it," "send it" is said right before one is about to do something challenging. "Sendy" describes a person who is prone to doing bold things. "Let's get sendy" means something like "Let's get wild." It's been adopted by brainrot fans, so it's often repeated with no meaning meant to be attached.

Serve: Wearing a particularly stylish outfit. See also: "ate."

Serve cunt: To act in a powerfully and unapologeticallyΒ feminineΒ way; toΒ slay.

Sharking: Looking for people to hook up with.

Sigma male: An internet-created male classification, a "sigma male" is as dominant as an alpha male, but is outside the male hierarchy, i.e.: a lone wolf. Originally used seriously, the concept was so widely derided it's now almost always used ironically. (See "Alpha male" and "Beta male.")

Skibidi: Named after β€œSkibidi Toilet,” a popular series of YouTube videos, β€œskibidi” itself has no specific meaning, beyond ridiculing the overuse of slang itself. See β€œbrain-rot.”

Skrt: Onomatopoetic word for the sound of tires squealing upon acceleration.

Slopcore: This term describes the countless 100s of millions of cheesy-looking, unsettling, AI-generated images, videos, and songs that have hit the internet since AI was given to the masses a couple of years ago.

Slopper: Insult directed at people who use AI programs too much, people who takes conversations with LLMs too seriously, and people who have basically offloaded their thinking to an algorithm.

Snatched: Very attractive and/or flawlessly styled.Β 

Spawn point: Mother. Based on the spot you start in a video game.

Spoopy: Spooky.

Striker: Stolen/no-title car.

Surf Dracula: A hyper-specific phrase that describes "prestige" television series. The joke is that if there were an older TV show called "Surf Dracula," Dracula would be surfing in every episode, but modern shows would make the whole first season about how Dracula got his surfboard.

Sweat: A person who tries too hard, usually used in reference to video games.Β The adjective form is "sweaty."

SYBAU: An online acronym that stands for β€œshut your bitch ass up.”

That's AI: "I don't believe you" or "I doubt it," even when not connected to artificial intelligence.

TLPUR: This supposed acronym section has no meaning. The joke is to tell people it means something like "True Love Pills Until Rope" or "Too Late for Puberty."

Tradwife: Believer in traditional married gender roles.

Trap: Once used to refer to a house where drugs are sold, trap has come to describe both a form of music and any place where one works or hustles.

Treatler (and Treatlerite): "Treatler" and "Treatlerite" are online insults that combine "treat" and "Hitler" to refer to entitled users of services like Doordash or Uber Eats who regard luxury delivery services as a human right, and don't consider the hardships of the people who do the work that makes "private taxis for burritos" possible.

TS: TS originally was AAVE shorthand for "this shit," but it is often used to just mean "this."

Turnt: Excited or intoxicated, or excitedly intoxicated.

Tweaking: In older slang, "tweaking" referred to the nervous and erratic actions of someone on drugs, specifically, speed. Generations A and Z have expanded the definition to refer to any actions that are erratic, or even just mildly energetic, not necessarily related to drug use.

Twelve: Police.

Twin: Best friend.

Unc: Short for "uncle," used to describe slightly older people. Example: "The class of 2024 are unc-status to the class of 2028." See "yunc."

-uzz: -uzz slang words use "uzz" at the end of any word, so "bros" becomes "bruzz," "hoes" becomes "huzz," "granny" becomes "gruzz," etc.

Up pole: To raise a gun.

"We're so back": Opposite of "it's so over."

Venus tummy: When a woman's belly is a little fat, but not too fat, she is said to have a Venus tummy. Named for ancient Greek statues of Venus and Aphrodite who were a little fleshy.

Wojack: The name of a style of internet drawings used to quickly stereotype someone. See this post for a full explanation of the Wojak universe.

Yapping: Describes a presentational style often seen on online streams of talking a lot and/or quickly while not saying anything worthwhile.

Yeet: To quickly and/or forcibly eject.

You the birthday: A phrase that means "you're awesome" or "you're great" in the way a birthday is great: fun, exciting, extra, etc.

Young ho: "Young ho" is both a reclamation of the word "ho" and an expression of youth-based solidarity. Young women are posting videos of themselves defining what makes them "young hos," noting things like "Getting up at 7:50 to be at work at 8," and air-frying chicken nuggets.

Yunc: Yunc is a variation of "unc." In AAVE, a "yn" is a "young n-word." So "yunc" means something like "young uncle," or a person who may be young but has uncle vibes or unc status.

Zoomer Perm: A curly on top, short on the sides haircut popular among young people.Β 

The Out-of-Touch Adults' Guide to Kid Culture: What Is Viking Rap?

29 September 2026 at 14:30

This week's Out-of-Touch guide takes us from the frozen wastelands of ancient Scandinavia to Alabama courtrooms, with side quests to examine hometown nostalgia and the peculiar love Gen Z has for clowns.

What is "Viking rap"?

The newest trend in music online is videos of Vikings rapping. Clips from fake artists with names like "Viggo Ironside" and "Ragalor" are rapidly proliferating on TikTok and other places where videos are shared. The vibe is aggressive beats and bars about Valhalla, longships, tattered flags, and wolves. The visuals are usually of muscular blonde people with tattoos in a studio doing their thing, like this:

The only other setting these Viking rappers seem to inhabit are concerts, particularly ironic given that no one will ever actually see these "artists" perform live:

The most famous Viking rapper is Draugr Balled, who was the first to really solidify the whole Viking rap genre. Balled's videos regularly earn millions of views, and you can listen to this music on legit streaming services if you want to never hang out with me.

Judging from the hundreds of comments these videos inspire ("Just wasting water," "Reposted by every 45yr old divorced dad," etc.) Kids regard Viking rap as extremely cringe, so it seems like a guilty pleasure, the kind of thing you wouldn't admit that you like, even if you secretly dig it.

For the record: Actual Vikings probably didn't have tattoos, but Viking women were generally less subjugated than women in other civilizations of the time period. Actual Vikings were also into "flyting," verse-based insult battles that seem a lot like freestyle rap battles, so there's a little historical precedent for these videos. Anyway, check out the "vikinghiphop" hashtag if you actually want to listen to more of this kind of thing. Just don't tell anyone you like it.

What is a side quest?

As I'm sure you know, a side quest in a video game is a quest that is not necessary to completing the game's main objective. In slang, a side quest is anything you do just to do it. If going to college is your quest, a side quest might be finding the underground tunnels everyone talks about, or taking an outside-your-major elective like Fencing 101 just because it looks interesting.

TikTok rolls out age restrictions

Big news for kids out of Alabama this week, where a court settlement may change how every kid in the U.S. uses social media. TikTok's parent company ByteDance agreed to pay Alabama over $100 million dollars to end a lawsuit claiming TikTok is designed to keep kids addicted to the platform. TikTok will also implement a two-hour daily usage limit for children, overnight and school-hour restrictions, and ban the use of cosmetic filters on kids' accounts. Underage users will also receive an interruption after 15 minutes of TikTok use, and additional pauses at 60 and 90 minutes.

While these restrictions only apply to Alabama, this is only the first state settlement of what will likely be many. There are 27 similar suits working through the court systems in other states. The likely result will be nationwide guidelines for all social media. Meta, having recently settled a federal suit, has already implemented two-hour daily time limits for young users of Facebook and Instagram and is urging it competitors to do the same. Because navigating a patchwork of state laws is not easy for tech companies, big platforms are likely to adopt the strictest state requirements as a universal standard.

What are "how I feel in my hometown" memes?

I love when young people use new tools to express age-old emotions in novel ways. That's what "How I Feel in My Hometown" memes are about. You choose a fictional character, usually from an anime, to represent yourself and place 'em in scenes representing your hometown to capture that unique and melancholic sense of being a stranger in your birthplace, or having outgrown the place and seeing it with a different set of eyes. Here's an example, where Madoka Kaname contrasts with a small town:

and here's an anime character called Marin Kitagawa from My Dress-Up Darling in a Midwest town:

Another layer of irony comes from the song many memers use to accompany the video, That's My Kind of Night by Luke Bryan, an unapologetic pop-country ode to small-town life. You don't even have to know who Megumi Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen is to get how he'd feel about hanging out at Texas Buc-ee's:

Viral video of the week: I accidentally found the origins of the "propeller hat"

YouTuber BouncyClown's examination of the origin of the propeller hat "only" has about 150,000 views, so it isn't the most viral video this week, but it's a really interesting story and it's indicative of a growing trend among young people: They're really into clowns.

Clowncore is a whole thing, whether it's people doing a modern take on the "evil clown" aesthetic pioneered by the Insane Clown Posse in the last generation, kids celebrating happy clowns in general, or folks like BouncyClown who take things in a new direction by combining clown-stuff with the kind of quirky pop-culture history YouTube is known for.

To get speculative for a minute, the popularity of clowns and clowncore among young people seems like a reaction to how stultifying it is to live in a world where everyone is perfect on social media, and "cringe" is the greatest crime. It's rebellion in pancake makeup. Clowncore folks are saying, "Fuck trying to be beautiful. I'm going to make myself look as ridiculous as possible and just have fun." I'm no clown guy, but I stand behind the message 100 percent.

I Tried Snap Specs, and They Could Be the Future of Smart Glasses

25 September 2026 at 15:30

Snap was in the smart glasses game from the jump. The company’s original camera-equipped Spectacles debuted back in 2016, beating Meta to the market by five years. Meta’s Ray-Bans and Oakleys captured massive consumer mindshare anyway, while Snap’s smart eyewear has been less visible.

With Snap Specs, though, the company is aiming to make up for lost time by delivering smart glasses that go beyond a hidden camera and voice-activated AI. At the Snapdragon 2026 Summit, I got my hands (and eyes) on a pair of Snap’s soon-to-be-released spatial-computing glasses that overlay digital graphics onto the physical world.

Specs are heavy on tech but light on your face

Snap Specs
Credit: Stephen Johnson

There's a lot of tech packed into these black polymer frames. They're powered by two Snapdragon processors, with two full-color hi-res cameras facing outward; the tracking system supports 6DOF (six degrees of freedom) hand tracking for gesture controls; and it's all standalone, as there's no tether or wired puck handling the heavy lifting. With all that crammed into the frames, plus the battery to run it, you'd expect them to be heavy. At around 135 grams, they aren’t light, but Specs are surprisingly comfortable. The weight is distributed evenly, mainly across the frames, so for the brief time I used them, they remained ergonomically acceptable. Specs feel more like a pair of sunglasses than a bulky VR helmet. As for battery life, Snap promises four hours of mixed-use on a full charge.

Display quality on Snap Specs

In the interest of not alienating the people around you, Snap chose to make the lenses clear enough that your eyes can still be seen through them, but if you want to close out the world, there’s electrochromic dimming for quick transitions between clear and dark lenses. It both useful and a cool trick. Check it out:

Snap Specs
Credit: Stephen Johnson

The in-glasses display is surprisingly bright. Specs' visuals are powered by a proprietary liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display system, and even when used in a light-filled conference room, I could still clearly see the UI and its various apps. I tested out YouTube under these borderline abusive conditions, and it streamed high-def video in 16 million colors suitably.

The display offers a 51-degree field of view. It feels like having a large floating window hovering in front of you. From there, you can use simple gestures to launch apps, watch movies, play games, and do most other tasks you can’t do from your phone. But it was the context-aware, real-world spatial computing tasks that I wanted to tryβ€”the things you can't do from a phone or PC.

What can you actually do with a pair of Snap Specs?

Snap plans to launch Specs with a full suite of both first-party and third-party apps that will do everything from improving your drawing skills to teaching you music. I tried out a golfing demo, and it made the possibilities of augmented reality glasses immediately clear. Instead of putting blindly toward a distant hole, Specs show you exactly which direction to swing the putter and adds a virtual flag to mark where the hole is. It’s anecdotal evidence, but my personal putting game improved immensely. Is it cheating? Probably, but it works.

Are Specs going to be useful in the real world?

A half-hour or so of testing a prototype isn’t enough time to really say whether these will be useful in a person’s real life, but I can say for sure that they’re very cool, and I’m looking forward to going more in-depth with them in the coming months as their release date approaches.Β Snap Specs are planned for release this fall and will retail for $2,195.Β 

(Thanks to Qualcomm for the trip to check out these glasses at Snapdragon Summit 2026)

The Top 10 TV Series Right Now, According to Streaming Data

5 August 2026 at 16:00

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

As much as Hollywood has been wringing its hands over franchise fatigue, consider this: In July, a Spider-Man movie made $168 million at the box office in one day, and the top streaming series was a Game of Thrones spinoff.

Fortunately, if you are hungering for something original, you can still catch innovative comedy series like The Bear and Widow's Bay, or tense thrillers like FROM and Cape Fear (well, OK, that last one is a remake of a 1990 Martin Scorsese movie that was a remake of a 1962 Gregory Peck movie that was an adaptation of a book, but the point stands). Here are all of July's most-watched series, according to data from streaming information repository JustWatch.


House of the Dragon

Seems we still aren't sick of dragons and incomprehensible political intrigue: The third season of House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel based on a fake history tome by George R.R. Martin, came roaring back to the top of the streaming charts. With the season finale landing this weekend, fantasy fans will have to wait until the arrival of season two of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for their next Westeros fix. You can stream House of the Dragon on HBO Max.

Silo

Another book adaptation returning for a third season, Apple TV's Silo continues to track the downward spiral of the dregs of humanity, living together underground in a cavernous edifice that goes all the way down. If you've been wondering how things got so bad, this season goes back in time to reveal the source of humanity's downfall. (Unsurprisingly, humans are to blame.) You can stream Silo on Apple TV.

The Bear

Across four seasons, we've watched neurotic chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) flame out as an elite chef, return to his humble beginnings in his family's Chicago sandwich shop, try to turn said sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment, experience ups and downs in his business and personal life, and finally, at the end of season four, quit the food industry altogether. Taking place mostly over the course of a single day, the fifth and final season explores the immediate aftermath of that monumental decisionβ€”on Carmy, and the rest of the restaurant's partners and kitchen staff. It's a fitting goodbye for one of the most lauded TV series ever. You can stream the final season of The Bear on Hulu.

Widow's Bay

This series from Apple TV has won nearly unanimous praise from both critics and audiences. It's a rare horror-comedy that manages to be genuinely scary and really funny. In the island town of Widow's Bay, literally everything is haunted, cursed, and otherwise beset with unspeakable evil, but Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) still really wants to bring tourism to the island. Mayor Tom is so married to his vision of Widow's Bay as the next Martha's Vineyard, he ignores the sea hags, fog monsters, and serial-killer ghosts surrounding him. The great Stephen Root plays Wyck, an old-timer who's always there to remind everyone that time is short and everyone is doomed. You can stream Widow's Bay on Apple TV+.

Lucky

Based on the bestselling novel by Marissa Stapley, Apple TV's latest hit stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular con artist. Her name proves to be a tad ironic after her latest job goes wrong and she finds herself the prime target of both the cops and the dangerous crime bossβ€”who also happens to be her mother-in-law. Annette Bening is clearly having a grand time playing the ruthless Priscilla Masterson, who blames Lucky for the loss of $10 million she and Priscilla's son Cary (Drew Masterson) stoleβ€”never mind that Cary eventually ran away with it. With a supporting cast that includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Timothy Olyphant, it's a fast-moving thriller with a sense of humor and an irresistible lead character. You can stream Lucky on Apple TV.

Ride or Die

This London-set series stars the ultimate odd couple. Octavia Spencer plays Debbie, the American wife of a British politician, and Hannah Waddingham plays her good friend Judith, who happens to be a master assassin. After a hit gone wrong, Judith must go on the run to stay ahead of another assassin working against her, and to avoid running afoul of the ruthless agency (literally called The Agency) that employs her. Obviously, Debbie gets pulled along for the ride. It's a fast, tense, and funny thriller series. You can stream Ride or Die on Prime Video.

I Will Find You

Like Max Cady in Cape Fear, the main character in I Will Find You has been imprisoned for a murder he did not commit. But unlike Max Cady, David Burroughs (Sam Worthington) doesn't set out to murder his lawyer. He was accused of killing his own son, and when he sees evidence that the boy is alive, he escapes prison to find his child. It's a modern take on The Fugitive: with the authorities on his trail, David must unravel a twisting conspiracy to clear his name and bring his child home. I Will Find You is a perfect summertime thriller. You can stream I Will Find You on Netflix.

FROM

The residents of the unnamed town at the center of FROM cannot catch a break. If it's not worms crawling around under their skin, it's the mysterious Man in Yellow stealing people's souls. Season four of this mystery-heavy show from the executive producers of Lost sees the survivors pushed to their limits as the veil between the strange town and the real world gets thinner. You can stream FROM on MGM+.

Cape Fear

Executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese,Β Cape FearΒ is a 10-episode reimagining of a classic novel that has previously beenΒ adapted into two celebrated films. In this extended version, Amy Adams plays Anna Bowden, a defense attorney who unsuccessfully defended murder suspect Max Cady 17 years previously. Turns out he wasn't guilty, and Cady has had nearly two decades to plan his revenge against the woman he blames for putting him behind bars. Javier Bardem brings unsettling energy to the role of Cady, previously played by Robert Mitchum, Robert De Niro, and Sideshow Bob. If you like slow-burn suspense that gradually ratchets up tension, you'll like Cape Fear. You can stream Cape Fear on Apple TV+.

The Agency

The spy thriller returns for its second season. Michael Fassbender plays Brandon Colby (code name Martian), a former CIA field agent who now runs operations for London Station, the agency's home office in the U.K. This season, the spy action grows more intricate, as Martian works to clear the name of his lover (Jodie Turner-Smith) while also going head-to-head with a possible double agent within the Agency's own ranks. You can stream The Agency on Paramount+ With Showtime.

The Top 10 Movies Right Now, According to Streaming Data

4 August 2026 at 18:30

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

After years of post-COVID uncertainty, are the movies finally back? Judging by July's box office returns, that certainly seems to be the case: Debuting in theaters within weeks of one another, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day both have experienced record-breaking runs (the latter even claimed the largest opening weekend of all time, banking $360 million in the U.S. alone).

But if you ask me, the biggest box office success story of the year was much more unpredictable than seeing a movie from the world's most beloved director (or starring the most popular superhero) make bank: Obsession, a gnarly, R-rated horror flick produced on a budget of less than $1 million, went on to make more than $262 million in ticket salesβ€”a true word-of-mouth phenomenon. On the other hand, with numbers like that, it's no surprise to see Obsession topping the streaming charts now that it is available to watch at home. Here are the other streaming movies that drew eyeballs last month, according to data from JustWatch.

Obsession (2026)

Arriving out of nowhere from first-time director Curry Barker, who got his start making sketch comedy videos on YouTube, Obsession debuted to higher-than-expected box office returns its opening weekend, and then just never stopped making money. It seems horror fans couldn't get enough of the story of a hapless teenager (Michael Johnston) who gets more than he bargains for when he picks up a "One Wish Willow" gag toy and expresses his heart's desire: that his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would fall in love with him. His wish comes true, and then someβ€”with blood-splattering results. Stream Obsession on Peacock.

Project Hail Mary (2026)

In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Grace is the only person on Earth who might know how to protect the sun from a cosmic infection that threatens all life, but he's definitely not an astronaut and doesn't see himself as a hero either. Will he rise to the occasion and learn something about his inner strength and resilience while saving us all from death? My money is on, "yeah, probably." Project Hail Mary is streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2026)

Legendary director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) is back with a satirical, gleefully maximalist science fiction comedy that takes on AI, social media addiction, VR, and the modern world itself. Sam Rockwell plays a man from the future who shows up in an LA diner demanding that customers help him save the future from an artificial intelligence that is about to be born. Being a time traveler, Rockwell has tried this many times before and has always failed, but this time, it's going to be differentβ€”or everyone is going to die again. Part Terminator, part Black Mirror, Don't Die is a throw-everything-at-the-wall movie that goes so far over the top, you'll be forced to submit to its weird logic and style out of sheer exhaustion. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is streaming on Hulu, or you can rent it from Prime Video.

The Sheep Detectives (2026)

A family movie with enough darkness to balance out all the cute sheep, The Sheep Detectives tells the tale of an English farmer played by Hugh Jackman who reads mysteries to his flock of sheep every night. When he's found dead, the authorities attribute it to natural causes, but his sheep know better, and they set out to find the culprit using what they've learned from all those whodunnits. If you like the Babe movies, you'll like The Sheep Detectives, and if you think you're too cynical to get into a movie like this, you're probably wrong: It is charming and fun. The Sheep Detectives is streaming on Prime Video.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

A sleeper hit from 2019, Ready or Not followed a woman (Samara Weaving) who went to meet her fiancΓ©'s parents and wound up being hunted by themβ€”their next target in a game of demonic ritual sacrifice dating back generations. The unlikely sequel picks up mere minutes after the first movie ended, with the other ultra-rich, ultra-powerful families in thrall to the same evil turning up to kick off round two. With a killer cast (including Sarah Michelle-Gellar, Elijah Wood, and director David Cronenberg) and a darkly hilarious skewer-the-rich vibe, it's bloody good fun. You can stream Ready or Not 2 on Hulu.

Troy (2004)

Why is a 22-year-old, vaguely remembered Brad Pitt historical action flick suddenly appearing on the streaming charts? It makes sense when you consider that Troy essentially serves as a prequel to 2026's The Odyssey. This flashy but shallow epic from director Wolfgang Petersen stars Pitt as the legendary warrior Achilles, who sets sail in the service of his king, Agamemnon (Brian Cox), to lay siege against the title city to recover Helen (Diane Kruger), wife of the Spartan King Menaelus (Agamemnon's brother), from her "captors," Hector and Paris, young princes of Troy. If you've studied your myths (or if you've seen Christopher Nolan's new film), you know how it all turns out (it involves a horse). You can stream Troy on Peacock.

Masters of the Universe (2026)

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with He-Manβ€”me and all of the other boys born between 1975 and 1982. I dreamed of seeing the musclebound hero on the big screen, but I was merely nonplussed by the 1987 Dolph Lundgren-starring adaptation, which looked nothing like the toys and cartoons. Turns out I just needed to wait 40 years, because the 2026 version, from Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee director Travis Knight, is, if anything, too faithful to the campier aspects of the franchise, with a tone that walks the line between serious action epic and Barbie-style sendup. As a result (or perhaps just because 40 years is a really long time to expect people to care about a Hercules knock-off), the movie bombed at the box officeβ€”but perhaps it will find its audience of now-middle-aged men on streaming. You can watch Masters of the Universe on Prime Video.

The Long Walk (2025)

This chilling adaptation of one of Stephen King's earliest novels feels ripped from the capitalist hellscape of 2026: In an alternate 1970s U.S., a fascist government has taken over and, as a means of control, stages an annual "contest" known as The Walk, wherein a group of 50 boys is forced to compete in a non-stop, cross-country walking contest. The winner gets one wish granted, while the losers all get a bullet in the head. Two contestants (played by Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson) are competing for their lives, closely watched by the ruthless Major (played by Mark Hamill in full villain mode). Stream The Long Walk on HBO Max.

Pressure (2026)

If you haven't heard of Pressure, ask your dad: This WWII flick, starring a post-Oscar Brendan Fraser as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, is prime Dad Movie material. It focuses on the lead-up to the Normandy invasion and is all about Eisenhower working closely with meteorologist (no, really) James Stagg (Andrew Scott) to determine if the conditions will be right to launch their planned invasion. Though it got good reviews, this one underperformed in theaters, but its modest charms seem right at home on streaming. You can stream Pressure on Peacock.

Independence Day (1996)

It's no mystery why this oversized alien invasion blockbuster hit the streaming charts in July. Even 30 years later, everyone likes to spend their July 4th watching Will Smith throw around one-liners as stuff blows up real good all around him (all capped off with a rousing speech from President Bill Pullman). You can stream Independence Day on Hulu.

10 Hacks Every Even Realities G2 Smart Glasses User Should Know

29 July 2026 at 19:00

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Even Realities G2 glasses are the most hacker-friendly spectacles on the planet, and it's not even close. They're unassuming enough that nobody clocks you as the guy wearing a face-computer, but there's a ton happening behind the silent display. Out of the box, you can translate, navigate, talk to AI, and do other expected smart-glasses stuff, but Even Hub takes it further. Even Realities opened up a real developer platform that lets anyone build whatever they want for their glasses and share it with everyone else. Hackers, rejoice. Here are ten hacks for your G2s, comprising useful and wondrous Even Hub apps, five-minute installs and tweaks, and weekend-long projects that will test your coding skills and capacity for frustration. There's a second brain that remembers what most AI forgets, a sneaky way to make yourself insufferably good at trivia, and even an option for a second career as a magician.

Customize your AI to create a "second brain"

This project really highlights the possibilities of Even Realities glasses. G2's come with Even AI ready to go, but you're not limited to it. Not only can you use the settings in the app to redirect the AI to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or another LLM, you can build a custom AI for your needs. For instance, Constella founder Tejas Sharma was frustrated by Even AI's inability to remember things, so they built a "second brain" by re-routing the AI to a layered version of Constella (an open knowledge base) running on their network.

Running Second Brain instead of Even AI means you can say something like, "Remember to pick up the dry cleaning every Wednesday," and it will be saved to your knowledge base. Later you can ask, "what was I supposed to do on Wednesday?" out loud, and a full AI agent searches your memory (using hybrid vector and keyword search), pulls in your connected tools if relevant, and hands you back a real composed answer formatted to fit cleanly on the lens.

You can also use meeting mode, where your glasses stream your mic and transcribe what's said onto the lens seconds behind the conversation. While you're still talking, the backend quietly digs through your memory, follows relevant connections, checks the web if it's useful, and surfaces a synthesized insightβ€”which is a little like thinking. So if you're in a meeting and a coworker says, "Can we push the squash game until Wednesday?" your glasses cross-reference the statement against your memory in the background and silently surface: "Wednesday is dry cleaning pickup."

Second Brain was uploaded to the G2's Even Hub so you could use it as is, but Sharma's put the whole integration layer on GitHub, so if you're comfortable with some Python, you can see exactly how it talks to the glasses and build a variant on top of your own knowledge base.

Two ways to use G2's for instant two-factor authentication

We all know we should be using two-factor authentication (2FA), but grabbing your phone, unlocking it, and pulling up Messenger every time you want to log into Slack is a pain. There are two ways to make this easier:

  • No software method: Open the Even app on your phone, go to Settings > Notifications, and enable notifications. When an SMS message arrives, you'll be able to read the number floating in front of you. Type it in and you "two-factored" without pulling out your phone.

  • The software solution: A developer in the Even Realities community created a dedicated app for this, 2Factor. Instead of waiting for a ping, you scan your 2FA QR codes into the app during setup. When it's time to log in, you can pull up your constantly updating, time-based OTP (one-time password) tokens directly from the glasses' menu. It is essentially Google Authenticator built straight into your eyeballs.

Turn your glasses into your own coding supervisor

If you use autonomous AI coding agent Claude Code to build software, you know the biggest hassle isn't the AI writing the code, it's "babysitting" it. AI agents constantly pause to request permission before executing commands or editing files, tethering you to your keyboard with the simple job of saying, "yes" or "no." With the G2’s native Terminal Mode, you can mirror your computer’s terminal directly onto your glasses and act as a supervisor while grabbing coffee, pacing the room, or knitting.

  • Install the CLI bridge: On your computer, open your terminal and install the official Even package globally: npm install -g @evenrealities/even-terminal.

  • Launch your session: Start your AI coding agent on your computer, then run even-terminal. A pairing QR code will print directly inside your terminal window.

  • Pair your glasses: Open the Even Realities app on your phone, go to Settings > Terminal Mode, and scan the QR code off your computer screen to link the session.

  • Supervise on the move: Your computer's live terminal logs will now stream straight to your heads-up display in real time. Whenever your AI agent hits a checkpoint or asks for permission to execute a script, the prompt pops up in your line of sightβ€”allowing you to approve the action using voice commands or glasses gestures so the build keeps moving forward.

Learn to bow correctly with Ojigi Coach

If you're panicking because you've been invited to a traditional chakai tea gathering in Kanazawa tomorrow, and you don't know anything about Japanese etiquette, try Ojigi Coach. It's an app from the Even Hub that offers in-depth training and practice for ojigi, Japanese bowing. You'll learn the correct angle for each of the three main bow types, how long to keep your head down, and what situations call for you to bust out an eshaku, a keirei, or a saikeirei.

That would be enough, but it also lets you test your bowing skills by presenting real-life choose-a-bow situations like "you greet your boss in the morning" or "you meet a former teacher after a long time." You bow, then your glasses' accelerometer and inertial measurement unit track your bow's angle and duration and offer you pointers. It's not only a fascinating glimpse into a tiny aspect of another culture, but it's fun: trying to get your bows correct is a blast. Ojigi Coach is representative of many of the most interesting apps on the Even Hub: perhaps not obviously useful to many people, but essential to a few.

Create instant subtitles for TV and movies and hear dialogue in a noisy room

The standard G2 Translate app is geared for bilingual conversations, but there's a simple way to turn it into a private subtitle machine for foreign films, anime, and TV shows: open the Translate app, set the language, and start watching a Korean soap opera. But you can make it even better.

  • Switch your mic source: By default, the glasses use their built-in microphones to pick up voices. Open the Translate feature in the Even app and look in the upper right corner. Tap the microphone icon to switch the sound source from the Even G2 to your phone's microphone.

  • Place your phone: Set your phone down near your TV's soundbar or your laptop's speakers so it can capture the cleanest audio.

  • Pro tip: If you want to learn the language of the movie you're watching, give your glasses' touchpad a single tap. This toggles the display from "Half-Screen" (just the translation) to "Full-Screen" (which shows both the original foreign text and your translated text simultaneously).

Not only does this let you understand a foreign language, but you can use the same microphone hack to "hear" a TV in a noisy place. Set Translate to "English to English" (or use Conversate), then set your phone next to a distant TV speaker, and you'll be able to "hear" the TV from anywhere nearby.

Control your computer with your voice

Remember how Spock used to talk to the ship's computer in Star Trek? It's finally real. Even Hub app OcuClaw is a native OpenClaw client built for the G2. If you install one Claw on your glasses and the other on your PC or Mac, you can give your G2's AI the ability to interact directly with your computer's operating system. Once it's set up, you can use the G2's built-in microphone to issue complex commands, like "Computer, open my last downloaded PDF and email it to Sarah," or "Play my lofi playlist on Spotify." The agent on your computer executes the clicks and keystrokes, and you get a real-time status update floating in your heads-up display. It's a hands-free, AI-powered remote control for your desktop, and the possibilities are limitless. Just be warned that installing any agentic AI program on your computer leaves you vulnerable to attack via prompt injection. Try this one only if you understand the risks.

Turn your morning walk into a birdwatching session with Birdie

You don't have to be a birder to want to know what's making that racket in the tree above you. Birdie, a lightweight Even Hub app from a solo developer, listens to bird sounds through your G2's mic and identifies bird species using BirdNETβ€”the same open-source bird-sound recognition model used by "serious" birding tools. Start a listening pass, hold still a few seconds, and when it gets a confident match, the species' common name, scientific name, and a field-guide photo pop up on your HUD. It's not doing anything a bird-identifying phone app like Merlin couldn't do, but it does it better. Since it listens in the background, you don't have to whip out your phone and point it at a branch when you see a grackle; instead, you just get your bird information fed directly into your eyeballs.

Never forget a person with the What's Their Face app

A lot of people are up in arms over facial recognition software being added to Meta glasses, but how about voice recognition? What's Their Face is an app on the Even Hub that uses voice recognition to act as a digital Rolodex for your acquaintances, aiming to solve the dreaded "cocktail party problem" of "what is their name??"

It works like this: You record a five-second clip of a person speaking and attach it to a name and an information card that can contain job titles, email addresses, or anything else you want. A few days later, when you run into that person and you've forgotten their name, your glasses will flash the closest matching voice prints so you can pretend you knew all along. If you have privacy concerns, this is a memory aid, not a privacy invasion tool. All the computation is done on the device, and no information is pulled from online sources and connected to a person you meetβ€”you can only enter what you know about a person. No information is sent anywhere either, so it can't create a universal database of names so you'd "recognize" people you haven't met.

Convince people you're the smartest person alive

When I first got G1 Even Reality glasses, I immediately used them to trick a bartender out of a drink by offering to answer any trivia question, then correctly naming FW Murnau's follow-up film to 1927's Sunrise. (My glasses tell me it's 4 Devils, released in 1928.) This kind of mild flim-flammery is even easier with the second generation, thanks to Conversate, G2's always-listening mode that quietly transcribes conversation and surfaces context in real time. You can use this easily to convince people you are a math wiz, or you know the day of the week they were born based on the date, or that you have memorized the name, number, and position of everyone who has ever played for the Cleveland Browns.

Like most magic tricks, the mechanics are simple: turn on Conversate and let it listen for a question and feed you an answer only you will see, although you might have to repeat the question if Conversate's AI doesn't "pick it up" when it's first said. The hack here is really the performance: being able to repeat a question back and make it sound natural, reading the screen without looking like you're reading the screen, dealing with any "pauses" in the AI by realistically looking like you're thinking, then waiting a beat to make the answer seem natural. If you decide you like jovially deceiving people and you want to make it your career, check out sybil sight, a "mentalism operating system" for Even Realities G2 glasses. It's not cheap, and they don't tell you how it works exactly because a magician's secrets are only unlocked with cash, but I'm picturing a way more elaborate version of the tricks described above.

Sync up your band with G2 glasses

The great thing about G2 glasses is how many very specific problems they solve, like making sure your band knows what chord to play when. Here's how to never have to say, "OK, the next chord is E minor" again so you can just rock out:

  • Get a pair of G2 glasses for everyone in the group. (Yeah, it's a high bar to clear.)

  • Have everyone download QMe Prompter and install it on their phones.

  • Have everyone set the app to stream content directly to G2 glasses.

  • Use the app's "group jam" feature to link everyone over wifi. When the leader pulls up a chord chart, it instantly loads lyrics and chords onto everyone's phones, which beams it to their spectacles.

  • The app has hands-free scrolling that can be set by BPM, a foot pedal, or you can use the voice-follow feature that listens to the singer and scrolls the lyrics in time, so everyone is on the same page.

  • Pro-tip: Your band probably needs the Even Hub's Tuner app too.

How Apple Might Try to Make Its Smart Glasses Less Creepy

27 July 2026 at 19:30

Apple is expected to reveal its smart glasses, codename N50, at WWDC 17 in June 2027, which gives the company nearly a year to wrestle with the thorniest problem facing smart glasses: how do you uphold a commitment to privacy while selling a product that contains a hidden camera?

Like industry leader Meta's line of Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses, Apple's first smart glasses are expected to focus on AI, audio, and onboard cameras (display models are expected at a later date.) But Meta's glasses are at the center of a growing cultural firestorm for the camera feature, with people calling Metas "pervert glasses," creating guerrilla marketing campaigns against them, and banning them from a growing number of locations.

According to a Bloomberg report from Mark Gurman, Apple is considering releasing smart glasses with a full camera system that can't be used to take pictures or record video. The camera system would be used only for feeding visual information to Apple's AI tools, with no way for users to share that information.

Apple's commitment to privacy

Privacy (either respecting or exploiting) is no doubt at the forefront of every smart glass manufacturer's design decisions, but it's a particularly thorny issue for Apple, given its carefully cultivated image as "privacy first" company. Apple has spent years making data security a pillar of its identity, whether by repeatedly publicly proclaiming it as a "fundamental human right" or stressing on-device processing. Releasing a pair of glasses many would regard as spy glasses could effectively undermine Apple's reputation, even if every other privacy option (no sharing content with third parties, as much on-device processing as possible, etc.) is as robust as possible.

This isn't the first time Apple has been here. When it launched AirTags in 2021, the company built in anti-stalking features like unwanted-tracker alerts, audible chirps, and tools to locate a hidden tag, all to prevent the device from being used to secretly monitor people. But within months, the devices were reported in stalking and domestic abuse cases, prompting lawsuits, news investigations, and the general view of AirTags as tools for creeps. The lesson: good intentions and good engineering are no match for people's worst instincts.

According to consumer research, taking quick videos and pictures is one of the primary reasons people are buying smart glasses in the first place: a February 2026 Counterpoint Research report highlights that enhanced video performance and photography are the most frequently praised features of the Gen 2 Meta glasses. If consumers are facing a decision between Meta glasses, soon-to-be-released Samsung/Google smart glasses, and Apple glasses, how many would choose the one that doesn't have a camera?

Other possible privacy solutions for smart glasses

While I have no idea what other possible solutions to the privacy problem Apple is considering, if I had to guess, I'd say they've discussed these ideas:

  • Geofencing: Apple could proactively build geofencing or detection agreements with categories of space like courts, gyms, and schools, or provide some kind of opt-in "fence" for users, like an iPhone setting for "no hidden cameras within my home/business." Given the ban of camera glasses in specific places like New York courts and sections of cruise ships, this seems like a strong contender for where things are headed.

  • Highly visible status light: Some of the backlash Meta has faced for its camera glasses is over the size of its tiny "I'm taping" warning light. What if it was bigger, brighter, and more visible? I could see that satisfying some people that don't wear and don't like smart glasses with cameras, but how many users want to advertise that they're wearing smart glasses?

  • A warning system for non-glasses users: There is already an app that tries to warn users if a pair of Meta glasses is in the vicinity; Apple could take the same idea and make it easy for anyone who cares to see who is wearing a pair of Apple glasses around them. Maybe this would even work as advertising, although again, I doubt glasses wearers would like to be singled out like this.

  • Count on this to blow over: Apple may decide it doesn't care about privacy that much after all; it wouldn't be the first time a company ditched a core value in favor of making a lot of money. Since there's more than a year until Apple glasses are expected to hit shelves, the company might just hope for the best. Public attitudes tend to get less alarmist over time as more people get used to new technology; when camera-equipped cell phones hit the market in the early 2000s, there was widespread panic over photography in gym locker rooms and schools, but that's not something anyone worries as much about these days.

Microsoft and Amazon Are Both Introducing New Cloud Gaming Options

27 July 2026 at 12:30

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Two tech giants, Microsoft and Amazon, took steps last week to move gaming further into the cloud, with each company aiming at a different part of the (gigantic) gaming demographic.

Microsoft testing ad-supported cloud gaming

Microsoft is testing a free (albeit ad-supported) cloud-gaming model for Xbox games. Starting today, gamers who signed up for Microsoft's Xbox Insider Program will be able to play games from their library that are cloud-compatible, without paying for a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. They will, however, have to watch ads at the beginning of the session. Microsoft is currently capping playtime at one hour per session; use up your time and you'll have to watch more ads. There's no word yet on how long the test will be running.

Amazon is embedding games on Fire products

Meanwhile, Amazon announced it is going to embed its Luna cloud gaming service directly into Prime Videoβ€”but only if you have a Fire TV device. Fire TV users will see a dedicated "Games" tab next to "Movies," "TV shows" and "Sports." They will be able to play titles like Hogwarts Legacy, EA Sports FC 26 and Clue for the cost of their Prime membership.

The two companies clearly have different targets in mind. Microsoft is catering to the kind of "core" gamers who already own a library of titles but might want to play them on secondary devices like phones and laptops. Amazon is going after more casual gamers, and is trying to put their gaming offerings in front of as many eyeballs as possible. It plans to package its games on the same pages as the movie entries for well-known IP like Harry Potter, so someone might decide to play a little game with their remote before they watch a movie.

How to help test Microsoft's ad-supported cloud gaming

If you have an Xbox, here's how to check out some ad-supported cloud gaming.

  • Download the Xbox Insider Hub app on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, or Windows PC.

  • Enroll in the Xbox Insider Program. It's free.

  • That's it! Now you can stream select cloud-compatible games you own (after you check out some commercials, of course.)

How to check out Amazon's Luna gaming service

If you have Prime, you can already try Luna. The company isn't adding any extra content for Fire TV users; it's just changing the way it presents the games it offers. Here's how to check it out.

  • First, you'll need a n Amazon Fire device. That means Fire TV stick, Fire TV Cube, or a smart TV running the Fire TV operating system.

  • On the main menu, you should see the new "Games" tab.

  • Click it and go to town. Pro tip: Play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle because it is fantastic.

  • You can play Luna games with any Bluetooth controller or use your phone as the controller.

Instagram Is Starting to Crack Down on Creepy Smart Glasses Videos

24 July 2026 at 21:00

In a recent story posted on Instagram, Instagram head Adam Mosseri revealed the social media platform is banning smart glasses videos where people are being harassed and exploited for views.

"If you're posting content that is taking advantage of people and harassing them, like a lot of these pickup line kind of videos that we've heard of and seen, then we're going to take the content down," Mosseri said. "We don't want people to be surreptitiously taking videos of other people and harassing them and then posting them on our platform. So we're trying to fight that every way we can."

Hidden camera prank videos and "pickup" type videos are obviously not new, but the easy availability of camera glasses has led to a spike in this kind of content, with videos of men trying to pick up women, pranking retail workers, and other pranks appearing more frequently across all video-sharing services.

Business Insider reported that Meta recently pulled two accounts with over a million followers for posting "pickup artist" videos, where women who may not have known they were being filmed have their videos posted online, leading to harassment. A Meta spokesperson confirmed that the accounts were nuked in accordance with the company's existing bullying and harassment policy.

How Meta defines harassment

Meta's official policy on bullying states "We remove content that's meant to degrade or shame, including, for example, claims about someone's sexual activity," and lists a number of specific examples like, "severe sexualized commentary" and "calls for, or statements of intent to engage in, bullying and/or harassment." But there's a lot of gray area. Videos featuring vaguely aggressive acts directed at strangers apparently aren't in violation of Meta's standards, for instance. Neither is a video like the one below, but I'd feel pretty harassed if I were that doctor.

There isn't a reliable way to automate harassment detection because so much of what constitutes harassment comes down to intent and context. This leaves enforcement up to users who can flag videos and/or victims, who are often unaware their image is being spread online until it's too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

The complicated ethics of "pervert glasses"

The backlash over camera-equipped smart glasses is definitely growing, whether its apps designed to suss them out in public, condemnation from pop stars, or outright bans on smart glasses in some places.

As a privacy safeguard, Meta's glasses have a front-facing light that comes on when video is being taken or a picture is being snapped, but the light has been an ongoing issue since the glasses launched. Disabling it has turned into an ongoing game of cat-and-mouse: Meta smart glasses' cameras won't work if the light is covered, but hackers found ways to modify the hardware itself, leading Meta to release a mandatory update that will physically disable any glasses if a user tampers with the indicator. Creeps are pretty ingenious, so I expect further workarounds.

Whether they have lights or not, hidden cameras are generally legal to use in public places in the U.S. (with a few exceptions), and it's not necessarily against the law to film yourself trying to pick someone up, then post the footage online so weirdos can comment, either.

How to spot hidden cameras in glasses

Unless you're really eagle-eyed, it's tough to spot someone with a hacked pair of glasses with no recording indicator light, but it's not impossible. Here are a few things to look for:

  • The rivet: Most standard glasses have decoration of some kind to cover the glasses' hinge. On Meta Ray-Bans and most other camera glasses, they're round and slightly oversized with a glass inner circle.

  • Thick frames: While the technology is getting smaller, camera equipped glasses tend to have thicker frames to hide the gear.

  • The tap: There's two ways to trigger an off-the-shelf pair of Meta smart glasses, saying "Hey, Meta, take video" or tapping the side of the glasses.

  • Head movement: Meta glasses have a pretty wide lens, so they don't require a ton of movement to capture a scene, but still, if someone is moving their head when they could just be moving their eyes, they might be trying to keep something in frame.

All that said, despite the growing popularity of the nickname "pervert glasses," camera-equipped smart glasses have a variety of legitimate uses and I assume the vast majority of wearers want a quick way to upload content to Instagram, answer texts, or take a picture without having to pull out their phones, so just spotting the glasses in the wild doesn't mean you've spotted a creeper. Usually.

This App Can Help Detect When Someone Near You Is Wearing Meta Glasses

23 July 2026 at 20:46

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

An app has launched that detects whether the people around you are using Meta and other kinds of smart glasses. Antizuck Smart Glasses Scanner, available for iPhone and designed by Albert Pariente Cohen, detects nearby Bluetooth signals that match Meta glasses, Snap Spectacles, Meta Quest headsets, RayNeo smart glasses, and other devices; then, it lets you know what gadget is nearby and whether it's been detected previously. In keeping with the "privacy" focus, Antizuck doesn't require an account or email address, nor does it send any data outside of your phone. It retails for $2.99 with no subscription.

What devices can the Antizuck app identify?

In my testing, Antizuck successfully identified both my Meta glasses and my Quest 3 headset. It actually called out my Quest 3 (name and distance) while the headset was in sleep mode. The Meta glasses, though, weren't as easily detected. While it did find my glasses, it only "saw" them when I turned them off and on: Antizuck only detects Meta glasses that are charging, powering on, or while they're actively pairing.

The app can also tell you all the other Bluetooth devices advertising around you, and it identifies what they are, if possible. Interestingly, it identified my charging Even Realities G2 smart glasses, but didn't flag them, I assume because they don't have a camera. Still, just seeing how many devices are broadcasting around you is worth the $3 price of admission.

How useful are these glasses at spotting if someone is recording you?

It's clear from the app's "glasses spotted" warning of "Someone may be recording near you" that the point is to let you know if a creep is creeping nearby, but they're only marginally useful for that purpose. They do not let you know which passersby are wearing Meta glasses. They don't show you an alert when a nearby pair of glasses starts recording or takes a picture, nor do they alert you when a nearby pair of Meta glasses is transferring media from the glasses to a phone. If someone turns on their glasses near you or charges them for three minutes or so, you'll get a ping and a record of whether that same pair of glasses has been detected by you in the past. But most people aren't charging their glasses on a street corner or in a bar.

Utility aside, the app is clearly part of the growing backlash against people using camera-forward smart glasses, whether it's New York banning them in court, or singer Lorde calling them "not sexy." I completely understand the concern people, particularly women, have about being recorded by hidden spy glasses, but it's not as one-sided an argument as it may appear at first. People with vision problems use Meta glasses to get verbal help from the AI. Birdwatchers use them to identify birds on the fly. I use my Meta glasses to categorize receipts for tax purposes, listen to Hawkwind, and occasionally take videos on bike rides. I'd rather not have strangers assume I'm a creep, or know that I'm wearing a specific brand of eyeglasses at all. Just as it's legal to take photos in public places, it's legal to scan your surroundings for Bluetooth signatures, but isn't each an invasion of privacy? Like anything, the only thing evil about a tool is how you use it.

Samsung's New Galaxy Smart Glasses Aim for Style and Google Integration

22 July 2026 at 15:30

At its Unpacked event in London this morning, Samsung closed its presentation with a surprise, dropping some details on its soon-to-be-released line of smart glasses. Designed in partnership withΒ Warby Parker, Gentle Monster, and Google, Samsung's "Galaxy Glasses" (if that's what they wind up being called) are audio-, AI-, and camera-focused.

Like Meta's Ray-Ban and Oakley glasses, these glasses will not have a display (although Samsung display glasses are reportedly in development), but they will be integrated into the Google ecosystem. The Galaxy Glasses (or whatever) will launch this fall in a variety of fashion-forward designs from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

Samsung smart glasses
Credit: Samsung-YouTube

What we know about Samsung's line of smart glasses

All models of Samsung's upcoming smart glasses will all feature the same tech under the hood.

  • Operating system: Runs on Google's Android XR platform.

  • AI agent: Integrated with Gemini Live AI.

  • Processor: Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR 1 Gen 1 chip.

  • Controls: Wear OS integration allows control from Galaxy Watches

  • Battery life: Up to nine hours of battery life per charge, plus seven full charges from the carrying case.

  • Camera and audio: Front-facing camera with outward privacy LED indicator and with dual open-ear speakers.

Samsung highlighted several practical use cases for the eyewear during the Unpacked presentation, including looking at a whiteboard to auto-save information into Samsung Notes, making restaurant reservations and coffee orders on the fly, and taking pictures and video by touching the frame.

What we don't know yet about Samsung's smart glasses

Here are some of the "missing pieces" about these glasses.

  • The price: No information has been released about what they'll cost.

  • Release date: While they are scheduled for "this fall," the exact release date has yet to be revealed.

  • Camera features: Megapixel count, resolution, and field-of-view specs have yet to be specified.

  • Offline capability: It's not clear how much AI processing will happen through the onboard Snapdragon chip, and how much will rely on a connection to the cloud/your phone.

How do Samsung's smart glasses differ from Meta's smart glasses?

Samsung's entry into the display-free smart glasses space share a lot of features with Meta's line of smart glassesβ€”both include onboard cameras, open-air speakers, and a heavy focus on AIβ€”but there are some distinct differences as well. Here are some areas where Samsung aims to set itself apart from its primary competitor:

  • The ecosystem: If you're already rocking a Samsung phone and Galaxy Watch, these glasses will lock right into your device setup. But the big selling point may turn out to be their utility with Google: Glasses that fully integrate with Google products means you'll be able to get instant Google Maps navigation, create events in your Google Calendar, use Google's live translation, use Google's Workplace apps, and more.

  • The AI: While Meta's glasses are tied to Meta AI, Samsung's will use Google's Gemini Live. Whether that's a plus or a minus is a matter of personal preference, of course.

  • Design: For most of us, finding a pair of glasses that look good is at least as important as which AI agent they connect to. Samsung partnering with both a "trendy" eyewear company like Gentle Monster and a more everyday company like Warby Parker promises to give you more choices, so you can find a pair that's flattering instead of making do with the clunky default option.

❌