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A popular YouTuber tore open the Google Pixel 9a and found a big red flag

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A few weeks ago, I said the Google Pixel 9a is one of the budget phones to buy this year. Now, a popular tech YouTuber is recommending the opposite, and I see his point.

JerryRigEverything, a tech YouTube account with more than 9 million followers, posted a new video this week where the host stress tests the new mid-range Pixel phone and performs a teardown to look at its internal components. The host finds some minor things to dislike about the external materials as well as the water and dust resistance, but for home repair enthusiasts, there's one major, major problem: The battery is nearly impossible to remove.

It seems Google has glued the Pixel 9a's 5,100mAh battery (which performed very well for us in testing) such that home removal is extremely difficult, at best. According to JerryRigEverything, most other major smartphone manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, have stopped doing this, but Google persists.

In general, the Big Tech companies have become much more repair-friendly in the past five or six years, and there are even manufacturers like Framework who make devices with the express purpose of being repair-friendly, so it feels a bit like Google is out of step with the rest of the industry here. Clearly, Google hasn't gotten the Right To Repair memo yet.

Overall, the Pixel 9a has gotten good-to-great reviews for a budget smartphone (including from me).

And let's be honest: This is hardly a dealbreaker for a typical mobile customer. The average person wouldn't even know how to disassemble their phone in the first place. But if you want to maintain the possibility of one day replacing your Pixel's battery, this development is worth knowing about.

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Apple may launch App Intents alongside the upgraded Siri next spring

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We already know that Apple is planning to launch a major AI-infused Siri upgrade next year, but it might be better than we thought.

Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter at Bloomberg contains interesting information about App Intents, an existing feature that Gurman says will get a big upgrade next spring when the new, smarter Siri launches. When this feature is live, users will be able to use their voices to give Siri complex, cross-app commands.

Examples include using your voice to ask Siri to edit and send off a specific photo to a specific person, or to log into an app hands-free.

Of course, this is all still in internal testing at Apple, and Gurman's report said there are still concerns about getting it to work with enough apps to be useful at launch. Its accuracy will also be something to watch, as it is with any AI application. Apple first outlined the big upgrades coming to Siri (which has fallen way behind other competing voice assistants like Gemini) back at WWDC in 2024, but delays have led to a situation where the upgrades still aren't out, and probably won't be out in time for the iPhone 17 launch in September.

Hopefully, this feature finally coming out will prevent more headaches for Apple's legal team.

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A Space Invaders movie is happening and it just got new screenwriters

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One of the most famous video games of all time has had a movie adaptation stuck in development hell for several years, but it might have just escaped.

Deadline reports that Ben Zazove and Evan Turner have been commissioned to write the screenplay for an upcoming adaptation of Space Invaders, a classic Taito arcade game from 1978. Zazove and Turner most recently penned The Out-Laws, an action comedy for Netflix. There's no word on what exactly the Space Invaders movie will look like, who will direct it, who will be in it, or when it will come out yet, of course.

This movie was actually announced more than six years ago with screenwriter Greg Russo (who did the recent Mortal Kombat reboot) attached. That apparently didn't work out, so now we're here with two different screenwriters on the same project, six years later.

Space Invaders, if you aren't aware, doesn't have a lot going on, plot-wise. You play as a little ship shooting alien spacecraft as they encroach upon Earth. The original arcade game doesn't really have much in the way of lore or emotional resonance in its narrative, so Zazove and Turner have some work to do to make it work as a movie.

That is, of course, assuming the movie ever actually gets made. Plenty of video game movies are announced, but comparatively few actually come out. I'm old enough to remember when Asteroids was getting a movie adaptation 15 years ago.

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NYT Mini crossword answers, hints for August 10, 2025

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

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

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday, August 10, 2025:

Across

Try to tag

  • The answer is Chase.

Fictional sports icon with a statue by the Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • The answer is Rocky.

Loosen, as laces

  • The answer is Untie.

Trigger for a werewolf's transformation

  • The answer is Moon.

"It's freezing!"

  • The answer is Brr.

Down

Table tidbit

  • The answer is Crumb.

Pay homage to

  • The answer is Honor.

Driver, Cooper or Butler

  • The answer is Actor.

Poisonous part of a poison dart frog

  • The answer is Skin.

Needle opening

  • The answer is Eye.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

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