Clit suckers make me feel like Goldilocks.

While buzzing vibrators provide direct stimulation to the clit, suckers — also known as suction vibrators — use indirect stimulation through air pressure as if the toy is actually “sucking.”

To use one, you typically place the sucker’s mouth on your clit and let it go to town. Some people, like my Mashable colleague Jess Joho, praise clit suckers for inducing intense orgasms.

Most of the time, though, these toys make me feel either nothing or way, way too much. None of them feel, as Goldilocks pursues, just right — and certainly not like receiving oral sex, as excited users proclaim.

This is why sex toy brand Smile Makers’ new sucker, The Poet, enticed me. The Poet comes with three interchangeable “mouths” for the user to try. The result is a more customizable experience than using other suction vibes like the famous budget pick, the Satisfyer Pro 2.

The Poet retails for $129.99, a much higher price point than Satisfyer’s $50 price tag. Is it worth it?

The nitty gritty of The Poet

The Poet is a waterproof toy (meaning you can easily wash all parts in water) made of body-safe silicone. Its plum body is round with a pointed edge, like a flower bud. There’s a single button to turn the toy on or off and to change the pulsation modes, and a slot for the charger on the other side.

The one button makes maneuvering the toy pretty easy. Press it once to turn on the toy, and hold and press until the toy turns off. There are finger pad-sized indents on either side, which can increase vibration or pulse speed.

The three detachable mouths are 10 millimeters long, 18 millimeters long, and 25 millimeters long. You can easily swap them out and find the best fit for you.

Via Giphy

The Poet package comes with a USB charger, satin pouch, a product manual, and a “poetry book” that explains how to use the toy (and includes a poem, of course).

A blinking light indicates the toy has a low battery. Once plugged in the USB charger, the light will be steady until there’s a full charge, which lasts 90 minutes, in which case the light will turn off. For me, The Poet arrived fully charged.

The Poet has a steady vibration when you first turn it on. Press the button once to cycle through the different types of sensations. Beyond the steady vibes, the sucker has five sensation modes:

• Quiver, a light undulating wave motion

• Climax, a more intense wave

• Spiral, a quick rev up and slow-down

• Heartbeat, two pulses then a pause

• Cha-cha-cha, three pulses then a pause

This toy also has a “sensor mode” to easily change the intensity of all these modes: squeeze the indented sensors at either side of the toy. To lock and unlock an intensity, press either sensor and the button.

Goldilocks and the three mouths

As with all sex toys, clean them before and after each use. The Poet’s product manual advises to wash the detachments separately from the body, and to make sure the toy is off while doing so. While this sucker is waterproof, avoid submerging it in water as it may cause damage; that means that, alas, it’s not a good idea to use this in the bath.

The mouth of The Poet goes around the clit. Smile Makers put this helpful video on its website to demonstrate:

I found it easiest to take a mirror down there and adjust the toy based on how it looked and felt. This is typically how I use suction vibrators anyway. For me, suckers require more experimentation, and The Poet even more so.

Taking a mirror to my vulva when masturbating isn’t my favorite activity. Usually, I just want to turn a toy on and enjoy myself. But given that The Poet is all about trial and error, I found myself less annoyed at this process than I was using other clit suckers.

There’s no rule that you have to use a mirror. Due to the learning curve for clit suckers and the potential for disaster if you use it blindly (as Mashable’s Joho put it, when a toy “sucks your soul out pussy-first”), however, I recommend doing so for at least the first use.

With my mirror in place, I tried out the different mouths to see which one fit best (you don’t even need to turn off the toy while you swap them).

Ultimately, the 18 millimeter head worked the best for me. As it was the “middle” size, I couldn’t help but revel in the Goldilocks moment.

Considering that all bodies are different, I wonder why it took this long for a sex toy brand to step up and make such a personalized clit sucker. The three mouths are revolutionary.

The bulb shape is comfortable to hold, and modes are easy and fun to cycle through. Sensor mode made it seamless to increase or decrease the intensity, as well.

With The Poet, you can have as fast or slow a self-love session as you want. The sensations range from a subtle hum to strong throbs, depending on what you’re in the mood for.

Did The Poet feel like someone was going down on me? No, but I never expect a toy to imitate a human being.

It’s possible to feel not-enough or way-too-much, a problem that’s plagued the experience of other suction vibes. Thanks to the different attachments and my handy mirror, though, I was able to avoid that.

Did The Poet feel like someone was going down on me? No, but I never expect a toy to imitate a human being. Regardless, it did feel good, and climaxing was pretty easy.

A “poetic” clit sucker experience

As someone who’s not the biggest fan of clit suckers, I’d say I’m a moderate fan of The Poet. Is it the best toy I’ve ever tried? No, because rumbling and buzzy vibrations get me going the most. I will say, however, that The Poet is my favorite sucker I’ve tried. This is no doubt due to the mouth choice, and also because of the pulsation modes.

While I used The Poet solo, the different sizes also make this toy perfect for partner play if both partners have clits (and you’re comfortable sharing toys without protection). Experiment and swap out heads to find the perfect fit for each other.

You can also use The Poet during penetrative sex. Smile Makers’ website recommends the penetrating partner stand behind The Poet user.

While The Poet costs twice as much as the Satisfyer Pro 2, it’s less expensive than fellow clit suckers Womanizer ($199) and the Lelo Sila ($169).

If The Poet is out of your budget, then go with Satisfyer. If you can afford to spend more than $100 on a clit sucker, however, I’d say go with The Poet for the mouth choice — especially if this is your first clit-sucking rodeo.

Ultimately, though, choose which toy you believe will be “just right” for you.

Read more sex toy reviews

• We tried the internet’s top 10 favorite vibrators

• Wild Flower’s Enby 2 is a fun, versatile sex toy for all genders

• Finally, an ideal clit sucker for those new to the wonders of suction sex toys

• The updated Lelo Ina Wave 2 is the best that rabbit vibrators have to offer

TikTok just removed a fake account pretending to be God’s very own Dolly Parton.

It’s the end of a saga that began on Monday when an account pretending to be Parton took a video from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, an organization that provides free books to children, edited the video, and posted it onto TikTok. The original video — which was posted on the @imaginationlibrary’s TikTok account in early 2020 — features Parton in a bright yellow shirt sharing joy during the first few weeks of the pandemic.

“Woohoo! Well hello, I guess I’m on TikTok,” she said. “I just dropped in to say everything’s gonna be OK. You keep the faith.”

The faux Parto account, @itsdollyparton, took that video, removed the watermarks, and reposted it, Insider reported. Other than that bit of doctoring, the videos are the exact same, and it had more than 1 million likes before it was removed, according to Today. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable, but did confirm to Insider that they removed the account for “violating the platform’s guidelines regarding impersonation.”

But it was exciting for the short while that we thought it was real! The queen of country had already made a fairly huge impact on the app, from a trend based on her song “9 to 5” to over 17,000 videos under the “Jolene” audio.

If we’re lucky, Parton might eventually make her way to the app in her own time. After all, in the past few months, we’ve seen Cher, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and ABBA come to TikTok.

In the meantime, fake Dolly might want to heed advice from one of Parton’s most famous quotes: “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

If you’re looking to watch internet videos offline, the best way to do so is to download them to your computer.

By far the most popular online destination for video content is YouTube and Mashable has previously walked you through how to download videos from that platform. However, YouTube’s not the only place for great video content. Vimeo is a very popular platform, especially amongst filmmakers and other creatives.

There’s a lot of great content, such as Longform movies, visual art, and instructional videos on Vimeo. Usually the content tends to be of extremely high quality and production value as well.

So, what if you’re looking to download some content from Vimeo to watch offline? Look no further on how to do so, we’ve got you covered.

Download direct from Vimeo

If you’re a regular YouTube viewer, you know that you need to pay for a YouTube Premium subscription or go through third-party video download services to rip content to your hard drive.

With Vimeo, there’s a download video option built right in…no subscription required.

If you see the download button on a Vimeo video, you can just click to save the clip locally.
Credit: mashable screenshot

Simply go to the Vimeo video of your choice. Right below the video player and the video title is a “Download” button on the right hand side of your screen.

After clicking download, you’ll be presented with video quality options. Just click the Download button next to the video resolution of your choice and it will save right to your computer.

Vimeo provides users with a number of download options for videos.
Credit: mashable screenshot

It’s that simple. The download feature is built directly into Vimeo, no paid subscriptions required.

There is one problem that might arise though. Vimeo does offer paid subscriptions for content creators, which provide them more control over their video content on the platform. A video creator with a paid Vimeo subscription can choose to turn the downloading options off on their video content.

That’s where the third-party downloader websites come in.

Unofficial Vimeo downloader websites

Sometimes you’ll need to go the “unauthorized” route to save your favorite Vimeo videos on your computer for offline viewing.

Just search “download Vimeo” on Google and you’ll be presented with a few options. The most popular are SaveTheVideo and Vimeo Downloader.

SaveTheVideo’s Vimeo downloader homepage.
Credit: mashable Screenshot

All of these websites work pretty much the same way: Copy the link to the Vimeo video you’d like to download. Paste that link into the input field on the downloader’s website and click Submit. The user will be presented with different video quality and resolution options. Hover over the version you want to download, right click and hit “Save link as.”

Please note that because these types of video downloader websites are free-to-use, they can often be riddled with advertisements, adware, or other nefarious downloads. Sometimes, they’ll even try to trick you into clicking an ad that looks like a download button or link. So be cautious when using them. Also, be a good person on the internet and don’t rehost a video you downloaded to watch offline.

Desktop software

There are a few downloadable apps that will rip videos off of platforms like Vimeo. I’ve mentioned a few of them before, but the one I always use and recommend is Softorino YouTube Converter.

Yes, there’s a one-time $40 purchase involved here. But, Softorino YouTube Converter is constantly updated and dead simple to use.

Softorino Video Converter for Mac
Credit: mashable screenshot

Just download and open the app on your computer, copy the Vimeo video link, and it’s automatically loaded into the app. You don’t even have to click paste.

Head back over to the Softorino Video Converter app and choose the video quality of your choice and select Convert. What makes this app even better than some of the other options is that it will automatically convert the video and transfer it to the device of your choice, such as your iPhone.

Downloading videos from Vimeo is that simple. Now, you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite content wherever you are, even without an internet connection.

Students from the Eindhoven University of Technology designed a solar-powered camper that can travel up to 454 miles.

Welcome to Fat Bear Week 2021! Katmai National Park and Preserve’s brown bears spent the summer gorging on 4,500-calorie salmon, and they’ve transformed into rotund giants, some over 1,000 pounds. The Alaskan park is holding its annual playoff-like competition for the fattest of the fat bears (you can vote online between Sept. 29 through Oct. 5). Mashable will be following all the ursine activity.

In a glorious celebration of wilderness, conservation, and animal success, Fat Bear Week has arrived in 2021.

Katmai National Park and Preserve announced on Monday the 12 filled-out brown bears participating in the online, playoff-style tournament this year. While all these fattened bears are true champions in their harsh natural realm, the contest has proven a brilliant way for people globally to appreciate the wonders of the wild — and the myriad benefits of conservation.

Katmai’s bears, livestreamed on the explore.org webcams, exploited rich runs of sockeye salmon swimming up the park’s Brooks River in 2021. The proof is in the pudding.

“They are pretty massive,” Naomi Boak, the media ranger at Katmai National Park and Preserve who spent the summer observing the bears, told Mashable. “They are looking heavy.”

“They are pretty massive.”

The Fat Bear Week contest is particularly intriguing because many of the bears, having found repeated success in Katmai’s salmon-rich rivers, return each summer. Park biologists and park bear experts learn the unique life stories of these bears. We know which fat bears are the most dominant, which mothers successfully raised many cubs, and which bears overcame life-threatening challenges to succeed.

For example, one of the veteran fat bear contenders, bear 480 “Otis,” is a strong contender this year. At around a quarter-century in age and missing many teeth, he’s perhaps the oldest bear of the river (and might be the most well-known bear on Earth for his steadfast salmon fishing on the explore.org cameras). Yet Otis made an unusually late July appearance at the river this year, leading some to worry if the old bear might not return at all.

He eventually did, looking gaunt. But he rapidly packed on the pounds.

“He’s certainly made up for lost time,” Mike Fitz, a former Katmai park ranger and currently a resident naturalist for explore.org, told Mashable. “He’s gained an incredible amount of body mass in about seven weeks.”

Below are the fat Katmai bears that will compete with Otis this year. Voting starts on Sept 29. on the explore.org website, and lasts through Oct. 5 (You can vote 12 p.m. to 9  p.m. ET / 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. PT). Also included are some images of these fattened-up bears. You can see and read about each contender on explore.org, too.

The 2021 Fat Bear Week bracket.
Credit: explore.org

Bear 480 “Otis” fattened up impressively since late July.
Credit: N. Boak / C. Spencer / Nps

Bear 128 “Grazer” is a prime contender in the 2021 Fat Bear Week contest.
Credit: L. Law / N. Boak / NPS

These aren’t just really fat bears. They’re almost certainly some of the largest, fattest, most successful brown bears on Earth. For much of their lives, and particularly in the last half-decade, these bears have continually feasted on bountiful salmon runs. Many of these bears hibernate with sufficient stores of fat, and then reemerge in good shape — and again begin feasting on salmon.

“I think we’re seeing large healthy bears as a product of a healthy river for the last five years or so,” explained Boak. “They were born into a river of plenty and they’ve benefited from that.”

In this year’s competition, all the fat bears will again have to reckon with last year’s Fat Bear Week champ, bear 747. A past ranger described him as “more hippopotamus than bear.” “He’s the fattest and largest bear I’ve ever seen,” the naturalist Fitz told Mashable last year. “I feel a special bit of privilege to witness a bear as big as he.”

This year, it appears he’s just as fat.

“747 looked like he was ready to hibernate in July,” noted Boak.

Despite many new additions to the dating app landscape, Bumble continues to be one of the most popular apps with 40 million users as of February 2021. The app, known for its unique feature of only allowing women to message first, remains in close competition with Tinder as a “top” dating app. But how does Bumble work — and is it better than Tinder?

How does Bumble work

To create an account on Bumble, sign up with either your Facebook account or your phone number. From there, you create your profile: add photos, write a bio, share traits like astrology sign and exercise level, and answer prompts like “I’m a great +1 because.”

Before using Bumble, you’ll also want to set your match preferences. You can set “Date Filters” to determine age and location ranges, as well as whether you want to see men, women, or everyone (there’s no specific option for non-binary or trans users).

With a free Bumble account, you can set two out of 11 “Advanced Filters” and sift out users based on other factors like lifestyle (such as drinking or smoking) or what they’re looking for (like something casual or a relationship). You can set as many Advanced Filters as you want with a Premium account.

Here are the in-app prices listed for Bumble Premium subscriptions:

• 1 week at $19.99

• 1 month at $39.99

• 3 months at $76.99

• Lifetime for $229.99

Alternatively, there’s Bumble Boost, which is a bit cheaper. In-app prices are:

• 1 week at $8.99

• 1 month at $16.99

• 3 months at 33.99

• 6 months at $54.99

With Bumble Boost, users can backtrack (reverse a left swipe); extend time on matches for an additional 24 hours; receive unlimited swipes, one Spotlight per week (putting your profile at the top of the swiping “stack”), and five SuperSwipes a week (letting a potential match know beforehand that you want to match).

Premium members receive all those perks, plus unlimited Advanced Filters; the ability to rematch with expired matches; Travel Mode (swipe anywhere you want to); and seeing everyone who’s already liked you (aka your Beeline).

Possible traits to include in a Bumble profile.

Credit: screenshot: bumble

Gender, age, and location preferences on Bumble.

Credit: screenshot: bumble

After completing your profile and preferences, it’s time to swipe. Bumble is similar to Tinder: swipe left to dislike, right to like. Scroll down to view more of a viewer’s profile. Bumble doesn’t give a specific number of swipes free accounts have per day, but if the app notices you’re on a frenzy, they’ll limit your swipes for 24 hours.

As noted earlier, Bumble has a unique feature that only allows women to message first (unless you’re a man messaging another man). If you’re wondering, “How does Bumble work for women?” it’s simple.

If you’re a woman, you have 24 hours to respond to a match, or else it disappears — barring your one extension per day on a free account. Once you message, it’s in your match’s hands. If they don’t message back within 24 hours, the match expires too. Should both of you message, the match won’t go away unless you manually report or unmatch the other person.

You don’t have to use Bumble to date (“Bumble Date”), however. There’s Bumble BFF, for those looking for platonic relationships, and Bumble Bizz, a networking offshoot. The UX is similar, where you swipe to match with users. Users can only choose one setting at a time, though.

Is Bumble better than Tinder?

Given Tinder’s less than stellar reputation, one may ask whether Bumble is the better option. Their interface is similar, so if you don’t like swiping, neither Tinder nor Bumble is the dating app for you.

If you don’t mind swiping but you do mind men sending appalling first messages, though, give Bumble a shot. Still, Bumble’s 24 hour rule on both sides can be daunting. Sometimes you may not be in the mood to chat right away, or you may be swiping during a work break and forget to check back in. Tinder doesn’t have time restraints.

Tinder also doesn’t have alternative services like Bumble BFF or Bizz. If you’re already in a relationship but looking for a different kind of connection, Bumble is your best bet.

There’s also chatter about the “types” of people you’d find Tinder versus Bumble, like that users on the latter are more serious than those on the former. Given that Tinder has resulted in long-term relationships and marriages — and so has Bumble — I don’t take stock in those assumptions. In 2021, people are on all types of dating apps for all different reasons; the specific app may not matter.

Users on Bumble may be looking for marriage — or something less serious.
Credit: vicky leta / mashable

What are the pros and cons to Bumble?

Pros:

• Bumble is free to use (but some features — like seeing who already liked you — are only available for Premium users)

• Women message first — this can be a pro or con, depending on how you look at it

• Matches must match each other within 24 hours — a pro if you want to avoid flakes

• Bumble has a lot of filter options about lifestyle and interests (though you can only set two unless you’re a Premium user)

• Bumble has fun prompts to answer to get to know your match better

• Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz make it possible to either make friends or add to your professional network on the app

Cons:

• One month of Bumble Boost runs you $16.99 according to in-app price numbers, whereas Tinder has several subscription tiers beginning at $4.99 a month

• Men can’t message first, unless they’re matching with other men

• Matches disappear if both people don’t message within 24 hours, unless free members use their one extension/day or members have Boost or Premium accounts

• Bumble has many gender options in profiles, but only allows search for men, women, or both

• You can only use one mode of Bumble (Date, BFF, or Bizz) at a time

How does Bumble work for men and women? What about queer folks?

For straight people, women must message their matches first.

If you’re not straight, Bumble works a little differently. If you’re a woman looking for another woman, for example, either of you can message first (though the 24 hour limit for both people still applies). The same goes for men looking for other men. If you’re a man looking for both men and women, you’re able to message a man first but not a woman.

If you’re non-binary, Bumble will prompt you to select whether you want to be shown to people looking for women or men. This isn’t the most inclusive, and a downside of the app (though, in fairness, Tinder also only allows search for men and women).

Bumble is a popular dating app that, like any, has its advantages and disadvantages. The only way to see if the “buzz” is worth it is to try it out for yourself.

London, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco are practically glowing in the updated Apple Maps app.

With iOS 15 released earlier this month, those cities got a 3D update with major landmarks digitally reconstructed in vivid, eye-popping detail. Coit Tower, Dodger Stadium, the Statue of Liberty, and Royal Albert Hall are some of the stand-out sites that almost jump out of the screen as you look through each cityscape.

At night those structures (and others) glow on the iPhone screen once it’s dusk IRL. Below, the Statue of Liberty is lit-up against the dark nighttime background.

The Statue of Liberty glows at night on the maps app.
Credit: APPLE

It’s not just famous views with the 3D treatment. Other parts of the cities are shown with similar realistic detail such as city centers, marinas, waterfronts, and everyday office buildings.

Later this year, the 3D views will expand to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and San Diego. Next year Canada will have its moment with the more detailed map coming to Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

The new look in Maps is available with the iOS 15 update. When using the app for driving directions, road details with the new 3D look are also live.

To properly review the Galaxy Watch 4, first I have to tell you about my ice maker.

Bear with me.

As a New Yorker for the better part of a decade, I’ve never had a fridge with an ice machine, even though I love ice. My two hands have been my ice machine all this time. But filling ice trays sucks, and I’ve done it more than most because I drink an inhuman amount of homemade iced coffee and I love a good cocktail.

A few weeks back, I finally put in an hour of research and spent around $200 on a top-loading ice maker. There were cheaper options but, crucially, this model churned out the Good Ice — you know, the square, crunchable variety you’d find in Starbucks or restaurants. Now as I type, I’m sipping on a tall iced coffee, crunching cubes as I go. The ice maker whirls on.

What I’m saying is: I spent $200 to make my life appreciably better. I see obvious value added.

I just didn’t have any concrete value added from inserting the Galaxy Watch 4 into my life. That’s not to say it isn’t a good product. It is. And I could see others loving it, but that doesn’t mean I’d make it a permanent fixture in my life. To stick with the Good Ice metaphor, some people might really love the biometric fitness data from the Galaxy Watch 4. They might enjoy having their full body composition tracked in all its minutiae and their blood oxygen levels up to the instant. They might need to have every text jump onto their wrist. That could be Good Ice, it just isn’t for me.

Let me break it down.

The basics

Before we get into everything else, here are the bare minimum details about the Galaxy Watch 4.

• Costs $249. For comparison’s sake, Apple Watch Series 7 starts at $399.

• Battery life of 40 hours, which I found to hold true.

• Runs Wear OS

• Comes in black, silver, pink gold, and green with multiple different band options.

Fitness and health

I do a fair bit of fitness coverage here at Mashable, so I was interested in test driving the Galaxy Watch’s fitness features. It has the bells and whistles you’d expect. It tracks steps, active minutes, and calorie output. If you’ve long wanted the experience of “closing your rings” — the daily badge of honor you earn by completing the basic Apple Watch fitness goals — but wanted an Android option, then you’ve got what you need.

Like any good smart tracker, it registers workouts automatically, which is ideal for someone like me. I run every day and I can hardly remember to fire up the Nike Run Club app, let alone start a workout on my watch. After going for a bit, it would give me the option to track the workout manually but, typically speaking, I think the watch did well at keeping tabs on my workouts without my input. It even did a nice job auto-registering particularly brisk, long walks or cycling trips.

You can use the watch for a whole host of other health-related initiatives, including sleep tracking, body composition, and stress levels, which, sorry, feels kind of stressful. Looking down at my wrist to see how stressed I was felt kind of dystopian, but if you want to track all your vitals, all the time, well, you’re able to do that. You’re also able to measure your body composition, track your heart rate, and, outside the U.S., measure your blood pressure.

I did not sleep with the watch on, mostly because I struggle mightily with sleeping already and a wholeass watch isn’t exactly comfy. The watch is pretty slick and not super cumbersome to wear, but it feels like…a relatively heavy watch. There’s a reason watches aren’t traditionally sleepwear. Until recently, watches have never been pitched as 24-hour wearables. They serve a purpose, but aren’t a constant companion.

The watch does a good job of auto-detecting workouts.
Credit: samsung

In truth, that fact hints at why I prefer my super basic Fitbit Inspire 2. It gives me only what I need. While workout trackers, and smartwatches, are getting more and more accurate, they’re far from gospel. So I prefer to use any fitness tracker, or smartwatch, data as a baseline. I compare that data only to itself, instead of thinking it’s 100 percent accurate. I think it’s nice to have a logbook of your workouts, but I find it detrimental to have a minute-by-minute digital tome to obsess over. I don’t want, or frankly need, a constant read on everything my body is doing. I don’t want to see my heart rate elevate then stress about an elevated heart rate then see my stress levels boost on the watch and then…

Samsung’s watch can give you a ton of data and that’s really cool. It might make someone super happy, but similar to why I didn’t love the Whoop Fitness Tracker, the Watch 4 can feel like too much. And I don’t think I’d want to pay the extra cash for a top of the line product in order to feel inundated.

Everyday use

One of the obvious selling points of any smartwatch is having an extension of your phone and computer on your wrist.

In that sense, the Galaxy Watch 4 succeeds. It’s effectively the first watch that merges Samsung and Google after the two company’s merged their respective smartwatch operating systems. I paired the watch with an Android phone and, frankly could use it for most tasks. I sent texts, checked work messages, peeked at emails. The whole deal.

A test text conversation from my watch.
Credit: mashable / tim Marcin

I appreciated the Galaxy Watch 4 has a full keyboard to tap out easy texts and a relatively effective dictation option for longer messages. However, if you’re an iPhone user who wants a Galaxy Watch 4, then you’re out of luck. The device will not pair with an iPhone.

The apps on the Galaxy Watch are relatively easy to use and navigate to. Just swipe up and you’re taken to a page of apps that you can rearrange however you prefer. If you use your watch often for directions, you’ll want to put Google Maps in an easy-to-find spot. If you love working out, place your running app prominently. Working the watch is a simple process that’ll feel familiar for Android users and wasn’t too tough to navigate for a longtime iPhone user like your’s truly.

The app page on my watch.
Credit: mashable / tim marcin

If you’re an Android diehard who’s long wanted a smartwatch but has held off, this makes the Galaxy Watch4 a good purchase. It works well and does pretty much everything most people actually use the Apple Watch for.

In short: It’s a good smartwatch. There’s nothing I found to be downright bad.

I think I would’ve liked the watch more in like 2019, when the world was more normal. But I work from home now, I am no longer commuting via the subway, I don’t go out much, my life isn’t all that busy. I do not have much of a need to quickly check texts or emails on my wrist. I have all the time in the world, let alone enough time to glance at my phone.

The tool I used the most? Samsung Pay, which is not new but still, it works great. It really was incredibly simple. Just hold down a button on the side of the watch and, bang, you’re paying. I found myself using it at most of my usual haunts instead of laboring into my pocket for a debit card or a phone checkout.

Looks and feel

The Watch 4 is sharp. Note: I tested the Watch 4, not the Watch 4 Classic, which has nearly identical features but is made of stainless steel and not aluminum. The Watch 4 has a relatively thin, round face with just two physical buttons. I tested an all black model, but it comes in black, silver, pink gold, and green. The Apple Watch might be a tiny bit cleaner looking — and it has some interesting colors — but that’s splitting hairs about matters of taste. At a glance, the Watch 4 looks like a normal watch, and the Apple Watch looks like, well, an Apple Watch.

The watch, actually on my wrist.
Credit: mashable / tim marcin

The Watch 4 strap is comfortable enough — the standard strap offering from Samsung was fine. It’s not too heavy to wear and the watch fit alright on my wrist. At times it felt a tad loose and clunky but I’ve never been a regular watch wearer — so I’d chalk it up to dealing with a new sensation.

You can choose any number of displays on the watch face. I opted for one that focused on fitness stats, since I have a long-running appreciation for my Fitbit.

Different color straps and watches.
Credit: Samsung

Still, if I were choosing something solely for looks and telling time, I’d have a hard time saying it looks better than old fashioned watches.

Conclusion

The Galaxy Watch4 is a good smartwatch. I can’t think of anything that, during my weeks-long test period, made me think it was a bad product. It delivered on most of what it promised.

But I was left wondering what it added to my life. A great piece of tech — or any great purchase like, say, an ice maker — should markedly improve your daily existence. The fitness tracking was good, but I prefer my Fitbit. It made my messages accessible on my wrist, but I don’t need that. It looks fine, but I could find a better looking regular watch. I liked Samsung Pay on my wrist, but not enough to cough up a few hundred bucks. When I make an iced coffee, I look down at my drink and feel so happy I have limitless Good Ice. When I checked a text on the Galaxy Watch 4, I’d think it was neat, then probably pull out my phone anyway.

Because Facebook can’t earn the public’s trust, it’s trying to buy it.

The company that earlier this month compared its effect on the world to deadly car crashes announced Monday that its next big venture, building the metaverse, will be done “responsibly.” And, in case anyone has any doubts that the juggernaut that automated discrimination could accomplish such a feat, Facebook promised to throw $50 million at the endeavor.

“The metaverse won’t be built overnight by a single company,” reads a Facebook press release from Andrew Bosworth, the vice president of Facebook Reality Labs, and Nick Clegg, the vice president of Facebook Global Affairs. “We’re announcing a $50 million investment in global research and program partners to ensure these products are developed responsibly.”

Those partners, according to the press release, include the Organization of American States, and Women In Immersive Tech, among others.

The metaverse, a proposed virtual space where people can interact in various ill-defined ways, is more dystopian dream than reality at present. Even so, Facebook sees it as the next big thing and wants to get in on the ground floor.

“Just like the internet, the metaverse exists whether Facebook is there or not,” continues the press release. “Through this fund, we’ll collaborate with industry partners, civil rights groups, governments, nonprofits and academic institutions to determine how to build these technologies responsibly.”

This is not the first time Facebook has promised to be more responsible. Perhaps top of mind, in 2020 the company announced what it dubbed an Oversight Board. The follow-through, however, hasn’t exactly inspired confidence.

In 2018, amid numerous privacy-related scandals, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg insisted that while the company “didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsibility,” it still had “a responsibility to keep moving forward.”

And just like in 2018, when Facebook leaked private photos and changed the privacy settings on users’ posts, the company’s latest promise to develop the metaverse responsibly rings a tad hollow.

SEE ALSO: Instagram boss says social media is like cars: People are going to die

No amount on money — certainly not $50 million from a $1 trillion company — is going to change that.

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Cooler days and chilly nights are on the way — yes, fall is finally coming. So, let’s talk about holiday travel. Everyone who couldn’t make it home last year is going to want to go home this year, and things might get hectic. It’s a really good idea to get your ticket now — it’ll be way cheaper — and to load up on these Lenovo tech essentials for more mellow holiday travels.

Forget the key under the doormat

If someone will be feeding your fish while you’re away, this WiFi smart lock is a cinch to mount and lets you unlock and re-lock your door from anywhere using your phone. Give friends a virtual guest key, and they can let themselves in with the app, too.

Pack smart and carry on

Who wants to pay checked-baggage fees? Nobody. This can-do carry-on fits two days of clothing and three pairs of sneakers, with a padded compartment for your 13-inch laptop. It also sails through the airport with its nimble four-wheel setup.

Keep track of your stuff

You’re dashing through the station and it hits you — you left your tablet somewhere. Quell your panic by putting a Bluetooth sticker on all your devices. Use the Tile app to locate them lickety-split and still make your train.

Upgrade to a first-class screen

Crammed into coach? Your entertainment setup can still be VIP. This slick tablet delivers stunning 2K resolution on an 11-inch TDDI IPS display and gets up to 15 hours of play. Use the stand and kick back, or use the keyboard to get some work done.

Tune out the kids in front of you

Sometimes earbuds don’t cut it. These over-the-ear headphones with active noise canceling (ANC) technology are exactly what you need to block out the world and focus on your in-flight movie. Plush silicone leather is super comfy for the long haul.

Binge-watch until touchdown

Running low on juice with no AC outlet in sight? This potent power bank will recharge your phone, so you can keep streaming until the wheels touch the tarmac. The USB-C charges lightning-fast and the built-in stand is a nice perk.

Pack lightly with a powerful laptop

A lightweight laptop can be a lifesaver when you’re schlepping your stuff from terminal to terminal to make that connecting flight. Save yourself (and your back) some pain: the ThinkPad X1 Nano is the lightest ThinkPad ever, but it doesn’t skimp on power.

Take your dual-monitor setup with you

Fret not if you need two screens while on-the-go. This portable monitor is light, adjustable, and travel-friendly. Just plug it into your laptop, and you have an instant second monitor for work — or a 14-inch upgrade for streaming at grandma’s house.