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Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for September 12s Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 12 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Gonna come back to this
Green: In service of
Blue: Icons of the NBA
Purple: Maybe food, maybe the greek alphabet
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Mark Online for Later
Green: Behalf
Blue: NBA Legends, Familiarly
Purple: Ending with Greek Letters
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #459 is...
What is the answer to Connections todayMark Online for Later: BOOKMARK, FAVORITE, LIKE, SAVE
Behalf: ADVANTAGE, BENEFIT, INTEREST, SAKE
NBA Legends, Familiarly: BIRD, CURRY, KOBE, MAGIC
Ending with Greek Letters: BIOTA, FETA, MOCHI, PEPSI
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
Bluesky has launched the one major feature that was missing from the platform, keeping it from being a total replacement for Elon Musk's X for social media users.
On Wednesday, Bluesky announced that it has finally added native video to the site. Bluesky users can now upload videos directly to the platform to embed in their posts.
"Bluesky now has video!" the platform's official account posted. "Update your app to version 1.91 or refresh on desktop! We’ve begun gradually rolling out the ability to post video. Thanks for your patience!"
Bluesky now has video! Update your app to version 1.91 or refresh on desktop!
We’ve begun gradually rolling out the ability to post video. Thanks for your patience!
Estamos gradualmente implementando a capacidade de postar vídeos. Obrigado pela sua paciência!
[image or embed]
Bluesky had promised that the long-requested feature was on the way in an update last month. On Tuesday, the official Bluesky account warned users that they might see video posts show up on their feed as they tested native video and put the "final touches" on the feature.
Just one day later, Bluesky's video feature is now live across the platform for all users.
Bluesky's video feature detailsAs a brand new feature, there are some limitations to video uploads on Bluesky as further detailed in a post by the company.
According to Bluesky, each video can be up to 60 seconds long, and posts can only contain one video. Users can currently upload 25 videos or 10GB of video per day. Bluesky says it may tweak those limits in the future. Video uploads support .mp4, .mpeg, .webm, and .mov file types.
Bluesky says users can add subtitles to their videos as well as labels, such as ones that denote adult content. Videos will also auto-play by default, although Bluesky says auto-play can be turned off in Settings.
Users will be required to verify their email address before uploading videos if they haven't already. The platform also shared content moderation details and noted that each video will be scanned for content that requires a warning, or illegal content that needs to be removed completely, such as child sex abuse material.
Bluesky takes on Elon Musk's XSince acquiring X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk has pushed hard for a pivot to video on the platform.
Some users looking for an X replacement due to Musk's leadership found a new home in Bluesky. However, the lack of native video on the platform was a common frustration among new Bluesky users.
By launching video features, Bluesky has solved this problem. And it couldn't have come at a better time. Last week, Bluesky shared that it had gained 3 million new users in just one week as a result of Musk's feud with Brazil's Supreme Court and X's subsequent ban in the country.
Cheers to Robbie Williams. The English singer-songwriter who made the leap from boy band to tabloid target to record-breaking solo artist has delivered once again. Better Man is a biopic that folds in hits from across his career — including "Angels," "She's the One," and "Rock DJ" — to bolster the artist’s highs and lows. But Williams — in collaboration with writer/director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) — has done something daring in the space of the music biopic, which has too often proved achingly clichéd, pandering, or downright dull. He's turned himself into a literal dancing monkey.
Better Man unfurls a tale of Williams' hardscrabble youth in Stoke-on-Trent, his bad-boy years in the British group Take That, his substance abuse issues, rocky romance with a fellow pop star, celebrity feuds, and family dramas, all while portraying the singer as a CGI chimpanzee in the vein of the Planet of the Apes reboots. At first, it might seem a cheeky gimmick (or cheeky monkey) meant to hook audiences with the sheer oddness of the choice. But Gracey nurtures this concept, weaving together a collaborative performance with actors and the legendary VFX studio Wētā FX to create a uniquely moving portrait of an artist at war with himself.
While the cadences of Williams' story fall into a familiar pattern, allowing himself to be presented as a literal animal brings a fresh perspective and an enthralling blend of humor and vulnerability. This results in the best music biopic since the rousing splendor of Elton John's Rocketman (which Gracey notably executive produced).
Who plays Robbie Williams in Better Man? Michael Gracey, Robbie Williams, and Jonno Davies attend the "Better Man" Canadian Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Credit: Monica Schipper / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images for Paramount PicturesThis is a complicated question. Williams lends his voice to the narration, the words of which were penned by Gracey, Oliver Cole, and Simon Gleeson from interviews with the sensational singer. However, in the flesh, English actor Jonno Davies (Hunters) shoulders the role, blending a physicality that is part hulking chimpanzee and part swaggering sex symbol. While everyone around him on set is in period costume, Davies wore a motion-capture suit with a small camera perched above his face to track his expressions. From there, Wētā built chimp Robbie using Williams' own eyes (and various hairstyles) as inspiration. And the final touch: a voice that mixes Davies' and Williams' performances. All this blends seamlessly into a powerful performance that is one of the most surprising yet riveting of the year.
In the narration, Williams introduces himself with a smirking tone and a slew of insults that have been lobbed against him. Davies picks up that rough exterior with macho posturing, but complicates it with goofball bravado in churlish outbursts, juvenile gestures, and a self-pleasuring bit that's lewdly hilarious. But more than funny, Better Man is riveting because it embraces a warts-and-all approach that doesn't shy away from Williams' darkest moments.
You might think that scenes about drug use, infidelity, and self-harm would be undercut by this furry gimmick. But by the end of the first sequence — in which a young Robert (Jack Sherran) has a rough day at the playground — the chimp device makes sense. The animation Wētā created is so emotive, the performance behind it so grounded, that it just works, not only in moments of drama, but also in truly epic musical numbers.
Better Man is stuffed with showstopping song and dance. Michael Gracey directs Raechelle Banno on the set of Paramount Pictures’ "Better Man." Credit: Paramount PicturesAs in Rocketman, Gracey employs songs anachronistically. For instance, Take That's rise to fame is backed by "Rock DJ," which is a hit from Williams' solo career. This is not a glitch but a feature, as both films focus on the feeling of their story over cumbersome facts. This freedom to play Williams' hits as they make sense in the story (versus when they came in his life) allows for electrifying sequences of joy, agony, and romance.
SEE ALSO: 'Kneecap' review: A welcome middle finger to Oscar-bait biopics
In the case of "Rock DJ," the young band celebrates their record deal by dancing together through several locations, from posh shops and double-decker buses to the streets of Piccadilly Circus, collecting more and more revelers along the way until the whole of London appears to share in their reveling. While this is perhaps the most ambitious musical sequence, among the most moving is "She's the One," where chimp Robbie performs a heartfelt duet while dancing a Golden Era ballroom number and dipping his female partner (Raechelle Banno) with eloquence that is utterly swoon-worthy. Yes, even when the leading man is a chimp.
However, not every song is a celebration. And it's in moments of anxiety that Better Man's monkey gambit is most impactful.
Robbie Williams' self-saboteur is made literal. Chimp Robbie Williams performs in "Better Man." Credit: Paramount PicturesEmbracing the visual language of music videos (of which Gracey has directed many), Better Man blends realistic settings with surreal scenarios. So a car crash in the rain results in a nightmare sequence where chimp Robbie is plunged underwater, then swarmed by fans who tear at him for mementos and paparazzi whose blinding cameras make his struggle to the surface all the harder. More traditional moments are in the mix, like a montage of Williams' magazine covers and music videos to chart his rising fame. But what might be a barrage of nostalgic or clichéd concert scenes is given fresh blood through bringing more chimp Robbies into frame.
When he looks out into the crowd roaring in appreciation, among them he sees himself, scowling. At first, it's one or two of his own faces staring back at him. But as Robbie's self-doubt grows, his self-saboteur, who hisses he's a failure, a fraud, unlovable, multiplies and becomes legion. The sharp cuts from the dancing chimp with his performative grin to the snarling doppelgängers, all reminders of an embarrassment or failure, hit like a gasp. Even when the world seems to be at his feet, Robbie is running from himself. And this builds to an internal war made external through a brilliantly vicious battle scene that gives Planet of the Apes a run for its money.
This poignant use of CGI animation is also surrounded by a terrific supporting cast. Whether it’s Steve Pemberton as Williams’ conniving deadbeat dad or Alison Steadman as his devoted grandmother, the actors bring a pulsing authenticity that makes this family, broken as it is, feel achingly real. This is all the more impressive considering they were acting opposite an actor wearing all that mo-cap gear. Together, cast and crew build a glorious complex look into the life a world-class entertainer whose arrogance and vulnerability are on balanced display. The result is a film that feels grandiose, outrageous, deeply personal, and joltingly relatable. It’s Billy Elliot meets Rocketman meets Planet of the Apes. And it’s so much more.
Rich in vibrant emotion, body-rocking musical numbers, daring performances, and a scorching tenderness, Better Man more than rocks. It rules.
Better Man was reviewed out of its Canadian Premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Paramount has acquired distribution rights; a release plan is TBD.
French AI startup Mistral has dropped its first multimodal model, Pixtral 12B, capable of processing both images and text.
The 12-billion-parameter model, built on Mistral’s existing text-based model Nemo 12B, is designed for tasks like captioning images, identifying objects, and answering image-related queries.
SEE ALSO: OpenAI Strawberry might release sooner than expected. Everything we know so far.Weighing in at 24GB, the model is available for free under the Apache 2.0 license, meaning anyone can use, modify, or commercialize it without restrictions. Developers can download it from GitHub and Hugging Face, but functional web demos aren’t live yet.
According to Mistral's head of developer relations, Pixtral 12B will soon be integrated into the company’s chatbot, Le Chat, and API platform, La Platforme.
Tweet may have been deletedMultimodal models like Pixtral 12B could be the next frontier for generative AI, following in the footsteps of tools like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Anthropic’s Claude. However, questions loom over the data sources used to train these models. As noted by Tech Crunch, Mistral, like many AI firms, likely trained Pixtral 12B using vast quantities of publicly available web data — a practice that’s sparked lawsuits from copyright holders challenging the "fair use" argument often made by tech companies.
The release follows Mistral raising $645 million in funding, pushing its valuation to $6 billion. With Microsoft among its backers, Mistral is positioning itself as Europe’s response to OpenAI.
Apple's "Glowtime" event on Sept. 9 came and went, and now we know everything we need to know about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. But what about next year?
If the iPhone 16 announcement didn't do much for you, or you don't need to upgrade for another year, there's always the iPhone 17 to look forward to. Of course, Apple hasn't officially said anything about the iPhone 17 yet. All we have to go on are rumors, leaks, and news reports.
Thankfully, a handful of those are already out there regarding the next iPhone. Let's dig in. Here's what we know so far about iPhone 17.
SEE ALSO: Apple 'Glowtime' event 2024: iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4, and everything else announced A new model?Easily the biggest potential iPhone 17 development that we've heard about so far involves a new addition to the iPhone family. According to multiple sources, including analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and The Information, Apple plans to get rid of the Plus model and put a new, thinner iPhone in its place. Folks have called it "iPhone 17 Slim" or "iPhone 17 Air," though we don't know what its official name will be just yet.
This new slim iPhone would reportedly be much thinner than existing iPhones and feature a display somewhere in the neighborhood of 6.5 or 6.6-inches in size. There's not much else to say about it yet, however, as different sources disagree on what this phone actually is. The Information says it will be the most expensive and high-end phone in the new lineup, while Kuo says that won't be the case.
SEE ALSO: 'Should I upgrade to iPhone 16?’ Only do it if you fall into these 5 categoriesWe'll have to wait for a while to find out more.
ProMotion for allOne thing Apple typically does when there's a new generation of iPhones is add features that used to be exclusive to the Pro models to the new base models. It seems that ProMotion is next.
According to MacRumors, all four iPhone 17 models will feature 120Hz refresh rates thanks to ProMotion display technology. This is a godsend that is not quite on the same level as Apple finally adding USB-C ports to iPhones, but it's not far off, either. Apple's base-level iPhones have been stuck on 60Hz displays for years, while competitors like Google have bumped even their budget handsets up past 90hz or more.
It's one of the main ways in which base model iPhones have felt outdated for a while, so ideally, Apple will fix this soon.
A19 chipsThere isn't much info about this yet, but Apple always includes newer and faster chips in at least its Pro iPhone models every year. The iPhone 16 Pro models feature an A18 Pro chip, for example, which is new for this year.
As such, we can reasonably expect to see some kind of A19 chip in the new iPhones. If precedent matters at all, it might only be in the iPhone 17 Pro models, while the regular iPhone 17 gets a slightly older chip. However, Apple does weird things all the time, so who knows what will happen when it comes to chips next year.
A better selfie cameraWhile selfies taken on iPhones never look bad, necessarily, they could always be better. Rumors indicate the iPhone 17 will help out with that.
According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors), all four new iPhone 17s will have a 24MP front-facing camera, up from 12MP on the iPhone 16 models. Who knows yet how much this will actually improve things, but that's a hefty increase.
Other camera upgradesIn another report by Kuo, the prominent Apple prognosticator said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max (at least) will have a trio of 48MP camera lenses on the rear for the first time. The wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses will all be 48MP next year, in comparison to the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, both of which only have 12MP telephoto lenses.
Hopefully, that means even deeper levels of zoom, too.
Facebook is reportedly taking down important safety information as wildfire season spreads across the western part of the country.
An investigation by The Washington Post found dozens of instances of the tech giant flagging and removing posts since June, in areas that saw a total of 20 active fires. Posts often contained links or screenshots from the fire safety app Watch Duty, for example, a nonprofit resource that provides live alerts of wildfire movements. Daily posts from federal and state agencies, such as Cal Fire, warning residents in fire-prone California towns were also removed — including those made on dedicated fire update pages.
Many of these takedowns affect small town community pages, vital resources for live updates and information sharing. According to the publication, volunteer responders, fire and sheriff departments, news stations, and disaster nonprofit workers have also been targeted with takedowns across multiple states.
SEE ALSO: 5 details Apple didn't tell you at iPhone 16 launch eventFacebook's automatic explanation for the removals implies the posts have been taken down not for spreading misinformation, but for violating community spam guidelines: "It looks like you tried to get likes, follows, shares or video views in a misleading way," the reports told users. The Post found that most of the targeted takedown involved external links, even those to official, government sources. Another problem: None of the users were notified that their posts were removed.
Facebook has long been faced blowback for its role in spreading deceptive information and posts, and now works with third-party experts to combat political and public health misinformation, including spotlighting reputable sources. As the platform's misinformation policy reads: "We remove misinformation where it is likely to directly contribute to the risk of imminent physical harm...We focus on slowing the spread of hoaxes and viral misinformation, and directing users to authoritative information." But its Community Guidelines, under which these posts are removed, are more broad. "We seek to prevent abusive tactics, such as spreading deceptive links to draw unsuspecting users in through misleading functionality or code, or impersonating a trusted domain," the platform writes. "Online spam is a lucrative industry."
Across the site, posts frequently slip through the platform's moderation gates, or are unfairly taken down and then reinstated, but emergency and fire workers told the Post that the problem has escalated in recent months — and in this case it could threaten lives. Facebook spokesperson Erin McPike told the publication that the company is "investigating this issue and working quickly to address it.”
SAVE $108.96: The Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian headphones with two years of AppleCare+ are on sale for $269.99, down from the list price of $378.95. That's a 28% discount.
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian headphones $269.99 at AmazonIf you're an avid music fan, or you're always listening to a podcast, you might spend a decent amount of the day wearing headphones. Instead of opting for a ho-hum pair, you want headphones that are comfortable to wear, offer great sound quality, and come in a range of colors to suit your preferences. Thanks to today's deal at Amazon, a pair that matches all those criteria are over $100 off.
As of Sept. 11, the Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian headphones with two years of AppleCare+ are on sale for $269.99, marked down from the usual price of $378.95 which makes for a savings of $108.96. This sale price is also a better deal than the one we spotted last month that offered the bundle for $299.95.
SEE ALSO: The 7 best noise-cancelling headphones for flying in 2024This collaboration brings special Kim K. colors to the Beats Studio Pro headphones — Moon, Dune, and Earth, which take on the celebrity's favorite neutral tones. But the Beats Studio Pros are more than just looks. With custom 40mm drivers, the headphones are designed for great sound clarity.
Depending on what you're up to, you can either activate noise cancellation or shift into transparency mode, which'll allow you to hear the sounds around you. Plus, the Beats Studio Pros can get up to 40 hours of listening time before they need to recharge. If you're short on time, a 10-minute charge will give you four hours of listening power.
This deal also includes two years of AppleCare+ support, which offers you both protection and service directly from Apple. It covers unlimited repairs for accidental damage, and you'll have access to help 24/7.
In the box, you'll get the Beats Studio Pro headphones, a carrying case, and a charging cable.
With a range of neutral shades, the Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian headphones could be your next favorite pair. Thanks to Amazon's sale price, the headphones with accident protection are currently an impressive 28% off, which means this is a great time to grab this collab.
Save on this week's best smart home deals, including $50 off the Echo Hub with the code HUB50 at checkout.
Our top picks: Best smart home deal overall Echo Hub $129.99 at Amazon (save $50 ) Get Deal Best smart plug deal Kasa Smart Plugs (4-pack) $33.99 at Amazon (save $16) Get Deal Best smart light bulb deal Kasa Smart Bulbs (4-pack) $24.99 at Amazon (save $15) Get DealIf you’re looking for new ways to make your smart home even smarter, or you’ve decided to take the leap and trust Alexa to help manage your daily routine, there are tons of deals on smart home devices at Amazon right now.
SEE ALSO: Here's why a smart lock should be the first smart home device you ownHere are the best smart home deals we've spotted, from the Echo Hub to gadgets like smart plugs, lightbulbs, and more.
Best smart home deal overall Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Our pick: Echo Hub $129.99 at AmazonThe all-new Echo Hub is exactly what it sounds like: a smart home control panel where you can manage all your connected devices, from lights and plugs to cameras and sensors. It’s for pro-smart-home-owners who want to make their days a little easier.
This eight-inch display panel works with thousands of Alexa-compatible devices, and it’s on sale for $50 off with the code HUB50. You can mount it wherever there’s an outlet or plop it on a shelf (stand sold separately). It also doubles as a home speaker system; connect it to any smart speaker for music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more.
Best smart plug deal Opens in a new window Credit: Kasa Our pick: Kasa Smart Plugs (4-pack) $33.99 at AmazonSmart plugs are one of the easiest, most affordable ways to make your home smarter. I love that my nightstand is connected — all I have to do is ask Alexa to turn the nightlight on, or I can set a schedule for it to turn on and off automatically. These little devices are also ideal for the holidays, so you can turn your Christmas lights on and off at set times.
You can get a four-pack of Kasa Smart Plugs for just $33.99, marked down from $49.99. Setup is easy, and they're compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant, and more.
Best smart light deal Opens in a new window Credit: Kasa Our pick: Kasa Smart Light Bulbs (800 lumens) $24.99 at AmazonSmart lights are another quick and easy way to start automating your home. You can control the brightness, color, and schedules with voice commands or with an app. We like this four-pack of Kasa Smart Light Bulbs (800 lumens) because they’re easy to set up and don’t need a smart hub to use them.
The Kasa light bulbs are on sale for $24.99, down from $39.99.
During a moment where singles are increasingly sick of dating apps and turning to IRL events, the apps themselves are leaning harder into technology to find love, particularly artificial intelligence.
The latest announcement comes from Bumble, the dating app known for "women making the first move." The app plans on expanding its AI features in the coming months, TechCrunch reported. During Goldman Sachs' Communacopia + Technology Conference this week, Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones said that the app is planning to add an "AI photo picker" to help create one's profile, as that's something users have anxiety doing.
SEE ALSO: People are using AI to date youThis comes months after Tinder announced its own AI photo picker tool, Photo Selector. Tinder users provide a selfie for facial recognition, allow Tinder access to their photos, and Photo Selector curates the photos for one's profile. (Mashable found that this photo tool is relatively safe from a privacy perspective, but users should always stay cautious when sharing sensitive data like this.)
During a time where major dating apps are competing against each other — and growing dating app fatigue — these apps have started introducing very similar features and blurring the distinctions between them.
Additionally, Jones said over the fall and winter, there will be a focus on "authenticity" when it comes to product rollouts at Bumble. She mentioned Opening Moves, a prompt women can give on their Bumble profile so men can technically make the first move now. Opening Moves launched in May. Jones also mentioned additional filters, more support for engendering healthy conversations (perhaps AI-generated icebreakers that are already on Bumble for Friends), and continuing to use AI for safety purposes. Earlier this year, Bumble launched Deception Detector to weed out scam and fake profiles.
Jones emphasized that the use of AI at Bumble isn't about replacing users, but wanting users to be themselves. These announcements follow Bumble founder and former CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd describing the future of dating as using an "AI concierge" to date for you. As NBC News reported, people were not impressed. It remains to be seen how users will react to these upcoming AI features.
Ready to track your steps this autumn? You're in luck, because this is a great week to score a new smartwatch from top brands like Apple and Garmin. Here are some deals we're found during the week of Sept. 11:
Best smartwatch deals this week Best overall smartwatch deal Garmin Forerunner 265 $349.99 at REI (save $100.01) Get Deal Best Apple Watch deal Apple Watch SE (2nd gen, 40mm, LTE) $189 at Amazon (save $60) Get Deal Best Samsung smartwatch deal Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm, LTE) $189.99 at Amazon (save $60) Get DealA smartwatch comes in handy for all sorts of reason. For some, it's essential to track a daily workout, while others enjoy getting texts to their wrist instead of having to check your phone. For whatever reason you fancy, a smartwatch can be a great addition to your tech lineup.
If your old smartwatch or fitness tracker isn't performing its best anymore, we're seeing some nice deals this week for those who need an upgrade. These are some of our top picks if you're looking for a deal during the week of Sept. 11:
Best smartwatch overall deal Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Our pick: Garmin Forerunner 265 $349.99 at REIGarmin is consistently a trusted leader in the fitness tracker industry, which makes this deal on the Garmin Forerunner 265 pretty great for any serious or aspiring athlete. Through Sept. 22, REI is offering the Garmin Forerunner 265 for just $349.99, down from the list price of $450, which works out to a 22% discount.
From the moment you wake up, the Garmin Forerunner 265 is ready. You'll get a morning report that includes metrics about how well you slept, your recovery trajectory, a daily training outlook, and the weather report. The Garmin calculates a "training readiness" score based on your sleep quality, recovery time, training history, and more, which is kinda like having a mini running coach on your wrist.
The Garmin also comes with impressive battery life, getting up to 13 days of life in smartwatch mode and up to 20 hours in GPS mode. Plus, the Garmin is friends with Android and Apple smartphones, so you'll be good to go regardless of which operating system you prefer.
More Garmin smartwatch dealsGarmin Forerunner 55 — $169.99 $200 (save $30.01)
Garmin Venu 2 — $319.93 $400 (save $80.07)
Garmin Forerunner 965 — $499.99 $600 (save $100.01)
The Apple Watch SE is a solid contender when it comes to smartwatches, and thanks to today's sale price, it's an even better option. As of Sept. 11, you can grab the Apple Watch SE at Amazon for just $189, down from the usual price of $249 which means you'll be getting a 24% discount.
The Apple Watch SE comes packed with features for iPhone users like fitness tracking, water resistance, and perfect synching to your other Apple devices. You also get handy features like Apple Pay and fall detection, which can be great for older folks.
Mashable Tech Editor Kimberly Gedeon put the Apple Watch SE in a head-to-head test with the more expensive Apple Watch Series 9 where she found the Apple Watch SE to have very similar battery life to the Series 9.
Best Samsung smartwatch deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Our pick: Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (40mm, LTE) $189.99 at AmazonWhile it's not the newest model of the Samsung Galaxy Watch, the Galaxy Watch 4 is a great option thanks to its sale price of $189.99 at Amazon. You'll get a 24% discount off the standard price of $249.99.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 gets bragging rights as the first smartwatch to come with on-wrist body composition data. It can give you readings on body fat, skeletal muscle, body water, and more. Thanks to the LTE connectivity, you'll still be linked to your phone's calls and texts even if your phone is nowhere near.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 also comes with wellness tracking like sleep metrics, counting steps, and tracking your workouts.
Happy hump day! Celebrate being halfway to the weekend with a handful of deals from brands like Beats, Amazon, Canon, and more. We scoured the lengthy list of daily deals at Amazon and sorted through the noise to curate our own batch of the best deals worth your money.
Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. If none of these speak to you, be sure to take a look back at our top picks from Monday, Sept. 9 and Tuesday, Sept 10. Many of those are still live, including a record-low Apple Watch Ultra 2 and 30% off a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ (also its biggest discount to date).
Our top pick Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet (64GB) $59.99 at AmazonWith a 13-hour battery life (an extra hour compared to the previous version), USB-C charging support, a strengthened aluminosilicate glass display, and hexa-core processor (which is 30% faster than the previous model), the Fire HD 8 tablet is a solid tablet for basic tasks. If you're looking for something to stream shows, read, scroll socials, or consume media in any capacity, it won't let you down. As PCMag noted in its review of the tablet, "It won't wow you, but it doesn't need to." Regularly $129.99, it's on sale at Amazon for only $59.99 as of Sept. 11. That's 54% in savings and its lowest price on record.
Opens in a new window Credit: Anker eufy HomeVac H11 cordless handheld vacuum $35.98 at AmazonWhen you can't get all the crumbs in cracks and crevices, reach for this eufy HomeVac H11. A handy complement to your upright vacuum, the cordless HomeVac H11 is a lightweight handvac ideal for tight spaces. It comes with different attachments for various cleaning tasks, from keyboard crevices to seat cushions, to those sharp angles beneath the seats in your car. And although it's tiny at just 1.2 pounds, it offers 5,500 Pa of suction power. Usually $80, it's on sale for just $35.98 as of Sept. 11. That's 55% off and the lowest price on record.
Opens in a new window Credit: FoodSaver FoodSaver PowerVac vacuum sealer $61.88 at AmazonWith the outrageous price of groceries in 2024, we can't afford to be wasteful. Invest in the FoodSaver PowerVac vacuum sealer and keep your food fresh in the freezer up to five times longer. It's on sale for just $61.88 as of Sept. 11 — that's just $2 away from its all-time low. This particular model is slim and space efficient, making it ideal for smaller kitchens, and seals with 35 percent less bag waste than previous models. It features customized dry and moist settings for different food types and comes with one 11-inch by 8-foot roll, three quart-sized bags, and two gallon-sized bags to get you started.
Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian + 2 years of AppleCare+ $269.99 at AmazonThe Beats Studio Pro collaboration with Kim Kardashian offers three earthy neutral tones opposed to the typical boring black, white, and gray varieties. And this deal gets you a pair plus two years of AppleCare+ for only $269.99 — that's 28% in savings and the lowest price on record for this bundle. Not to mention, it's $80 cheaper than buying the headphones alone. Other than the aesthetic, the Kim K. model isn't any different than the standard Beats Studio Pro headphones. But that's not a bad thing — as Mashable's Alex Perry put it, "It's hard to find a pair of over-ear headphones with a better all-around experience than Beats Studio Pro."
Opens in a new window Credit: Canon Canon PowerShot V10 camera $349.00 at AmazonThe Canon PowerShot V10 is a pocket-sized vlogging camera you can comfortably fit in your hand to capture content from anywhere. It includes a kickstand for tabletop recordings, a fixed 19mm wide-angle lens for expansive landscapes or tight interiors, multiple image stabilization modes, and an 8-bit 4K video capture at up to 30 fps or full HD video capture at up to 60 fps. Our pals at PCMag (which is owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis) appreciated its clever design and attractive 4K video, but weren't so enthusiastic about its flexibility. The battery life could also be better, but for the discounted $349 price tag (reg. $429.99), it's still a pretty sweet deal.
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.
We gathered the best air fryer deals as of Sept. 11:
Best Air Fryer Deals Best air fryer deal overall Ninja Air Fryer $89 at Amazon (Save $40.99) Get Deal Best medium air fryer deal Cosori 9-in-1 Compact Air Fryer $89.99 at Amazon (Save $30) Get Deal Best large air fryer deal Instant Pot 7-in-1 Air Fryer $130.42 at Amazon (Save $19.57) Get DealFootball season is here again. If you're planning on having the gang over for some brewskis while you take in the big game, there's one thing you're going to need: snacks. After all, what are sports without munchies to chow down on while you root for your team?
If you're prepping snacks, you obviously need something to cook them with. Sure, you could toss a bunch of wings into the oven and prep them for everyone, but that's going to take a while. And you could get catering, but that's expensive. What's an easy and affordable compromise? An air fryer, of course! Air fryers can help you sling out some serious (and seriously delicious) food in a small amount of time, without the mess.
It's time to bring home an air fryer to prep all the mozzarella sticks and chicken wings you can eat for your next tailgating party. You can save big right now on some of the biggest brands in the space. Below, find our picks for the best deals on air fryers this week and get ready to serve up some crowd-pleasing eats.
Best air fryer deal overall Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Our pick: Ninja Air Fryer $89.00 at AmazonThis Ninja air fryer is a great all-around pick for anyone looking for an all-in-one solution for smaller families. Its 4-quart capacity means you can whip up plenty of snacks for the crew and make a few batches of goodies to take on the go in a short amount of time. It has a simple interface and can handle a variety of cooking tasks beyond air frying as well, including roasting, reheating, and dehydrating. So if you don't need anything complex and just want to prep some tasty goodness without a lot of cleanup at a low price, this is a model you'll love for football season and beyond.
Best medium air fryer deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Our pick: Cosori 9-in-1 Compact Air Fryer $89.99 at AmazonHave more people to feed? This Cosori air fryer has you covered. With its larger 6-quart capacity, it's got plenty of room to swap out batches, but it also has 9 other functions for whatever you need to prep for the day's tailgating festivities. That includes baking, roasting, dehydrating, reheating, and broiling. Plus, despite its larger size, it's compact enough for only a small footprint on your kitchen counter. It also has customizable preheating options that will adjust how long you need to preheat based on the temperature chosen, as well as a five-fan speed airflow system to cook things faster and more evenly.
Best large air fryer deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Our pick: Instant Pot 7-in-1 Air Fryer $130.42 at AmazonYou may know the Instant brand for its pressure cookers, but the company makes a mean air fryer as well. This larger air fryer and toaster oven is super spacious, with a 10-quart capacity that should feed a small legion compared to most other smaller units. It's also quite compact as well, so you don't need much real estate for it. It can broil, roast, dehydrate and all the other functions its competition can perform, but it can also rotisserie with the best of them. That means you can whip up some seriously great tailgating snacks with this bad boy.
TL;DR: Through September 29, get lifetime access to Sticky Password Premium for only $24.99 with promo code TAKE5 and never worry about forgetting a password again.
Opens in a new window Credit: Sticky Password Sticky Password Premium: Lifetime Subscription $24.99If you’re constantly hitting the “Forgot Password” button or struggling to remember which pet’s name you used this time, you’re definitely not alone. Password management can be a headache, especially when you’re trying to keep everything secure without writing it all down on sticky notes — or when it says "new password cannot be old password" and you want to throw your computer against a wall.
Save your walls and your sanity and check out this lifetime deal on Sticky Password Premium for just $24.99 with coupon code TAKE5 through September 29.
This app offers a seamless solution for all your password woes. Designed for people who value both security and convenience, Sticky Password securely stores your passwords, autofills them when you need them, and even generates strong, unique passwords so you don’t have to. No more resetting passwords or panicking about security breaches.
You’ll get unlimited access to this powerful tool, ensuring that your digital life stays organized and secure. Whether you’re managing work accounts, personal logins, or even passwords for your side hustle, Sticky Password Premium keeps it all in one secure vault, accessible whenever you need it.
Say goodbye to the frustration of forgotten passwords and hello to a simpler, more secure way to manage it all. Through September 29, use coupon code TAKE5 at checkout to get a lifetime subscription to Sticky Password Premium for $24.99 (reg. $199).
StackSocial prices subject to change.
We geeks are a passionate bunch. We'll happily spend hours dissecting the latest superhero movie or Star Wars series, but ask us to decode dating signals, and we're lost. Our love language might be quoting obscure anime, and our idea of a perfect date might involve tabletop games and cosplay, but finding someone who gets that? That's a challenge.
For nerdy women, dating means sifting through profiles of guys who think "gamer girl" is a personality (or creeps chasing their Manic Pixie Dream Elf-girl fantasy). For men, it's the struggle to express your love for all things nerdy without scaring off potential partners or, worse, being labeled "that guy."
SEE ALSO: The best dating apps for introverts who prefer books to bars Is there a dating site for geeks?Yes, but you don't need a niche dating site made exclusively for geeks to find your next date.
"For folks looking for a partner that shares their same nerdy interests and passions, the best thing to do is to join a platform with a robust algorithm like eharmony, and include your specific interests in your profile," Kiana Reeves, Somatic Sex Educator, Intimacy Coach, and Chief Education Officer at Foria, tells Mashable. "You can also opt for a platform more frequented by young people, like Bumble, Tinder, and Hinge, and make sure your bio and photos indicate your interests and values — this will help you more easily sift through and attract potential matches who are interested in the same things."
You might notice we no longer recommend geek-specific sites like Soul Geek, Gamer Dating, and Dating for Muggles). Sadly, these platforms haven't kept up with the times and are feeling a bit... well, dated. (You can get the full scoop in our 'How we tested' section below.) So, which apps and dating sites are worth trying? We've got you covered.
The top dating sites and apps for nerds to try Instead of niche dating apps, try mainstream apps with in-depth profiles or matching algorithms. Credit: Ian Moore / MashableWe compared the internet's top dating sites, trendy swiping apps, and geek-specific platforms to pinpoint the ones where you can proudly fly your nerd flag. With the best dating sites for geeks, you might just find that special someone who shares your obscure passions. We're talking about someone who'll happily debate the merits of Pokémon Emerald vs. Scarlet/Violet or create the perfect couples cosplay for the next Comic-Con. The best part? These platforms are all easily accessible via the App Store and Google Play Store.
Just remember this: Even if a potential match doesn't share your specific hobby or interest, they could still be the right partner for you. Don't fall for this common geek relationship fallacy. The most important thing is that they respect your nerdy obsessions, and you respect theirs.
SEE ALSO: Dating predictions for the rest of 2024Here are our top picks for the best dating sites for geeks, nerds, and anyone with a passion for an obscure hobby:
At one point in time, finding love was a much more difficult process. It required you to commit to "putting yourself out there," relying on good old-fashioned luck to find what you were looking for, whether it be true love or a quick fling. But nowadays, the dating scene is easier to get into thanks to the best dating apps.
SEE ALSO: The dating app glossary: The A to Z of terms you need to knowPeople today are meeting their soul mates on dating apps — something that's becoming more and more common as society learns to navigate the ins and outs of online dating. A 2022 survey from the Pew Research Center found that out of nearly 6,000 respondents, one in 10 partnered adults (those who were married, in a long-term relationship, or living together) met through a dating app. For adults under 30 and members of the LGBTQ+ community, 20 to 24 percent found their partner on the apps.
A dating app for every desireWith so many dating apps out there, it's easy to feel confused or overwhelmed by the options. While Match Group (Tinder, Match, Archer, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and The League, among others) continues to dominate the market, you don't have to limit yourself to just one brand when looking for the best dating app.
There's a bit of an abundance of choice when it comes to settling on the best dating app for you, which can make an already tiring process that much harder. While Match Group (Tinder, Match, Archer, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and The League, among others) continues to dominate the online dating market, you don't have to limit yourself to just one brand when looking for the best dating app. We encourage you to expand your horizons while picking one out, and maybe test a few to figure out what you like and don't like (kind of like dating, we guess?).
SEE ALSO: How to stay safe on dating appsFor example, First Round’s On Me (FROME) is a newer app that's gained popularity for its date invitation feature. Choose a drink, date, time, and venue, and the app will send a personalized invitation to your potential match. Once a date is confirmed, it's locked into both users' calendars, and the in-app chat feature is activated 12 hours before the date.
Other apps like Pure cater to people open to ethical, non-monogamous relationships or threesomes. There really is something for everyone, including more traditional dating apps like eharmony, Facebook Dating (think Tinder Lite, for your grandma), and Christian Mingle that swap endless scrolling for compatibility quizzes and faith-based connections.
One alternative app that we did originally recommend but can't anymore, though, is Feeld. The company's Dec. 2023 rebrand brought with it a slew of bugs and, more importantly, some location-related safety concerns. Since then, we've heard additional rumblings about security. Until we have more information, we'd suggest avoiding it for the time being.
The best dating apps of 2024After testing out each of the apps and putting them through their paces, we've narrowed them down to just the best dating apps of 2024. Through hands-on testing, customer reviews, availability (all are available on the App Store or Google Play), privacy, and overall user-friendliness, we feel confident that you'll find your perfect match among these recommendations.
UP TO 50% OFF: Get up to 50% off dorm essentials at Amazon. Shop smart devices, compact coffee makers, and more.
Our top picks: Best smart speaker deal Amazon Echo (4th gen) $64.99 at Amazon (save $35) Get Deal Best coffee maker deal Nespresso Vertuo POP+ by Breville $99 at Amazon (save $26.96 ) Get Deal Best entertainment deal INSIGNIA 32-inch Class F20 Series Smart HD Fire TV (NS-32F201NA23) $79.99 at Amazon (save $50 ) Get Deal Best cleaning supplies deal MRS. MEYER'S CLEAN DAY Kitchen Basics Set $14.48 at Amazon (save $6.72) Get DealCollege can be one of the best experiences of a lifetime — but it'll be even better if you have the right essentials to really make a dorm room feel like home.
SEE ALSO: The best laptops for students: MacBooks, Microsoft Surface, and moreHere are some of the best deals we could find on dorm essentials — from a smart speaker to coffee makers and cleaning supplies — you’ll want to snag at the start of this school year.
Best smart speaker deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Our pick: Amazon Echo (4th gen) $64.99 at AmazonThe Amazon Echo (4th gen) is a dorm room must-have. This smart speaker can play music, set alarms, timers, and reminders, control compatible smart home devices (if you have a smart plug), and even make calls and get news and weather updates — all with just your voice or the Alexa app.
The Echo Dot (5th gen) and Sengled Smart Color Bulb bundle is a great alternative if you're trying to save even more money and space. It’s on sale for $49.99 at Amazon, so it's about 20 bucks less than buying the devices separately.
Best coffee maker deal Opens in a new window Credit: Nespresso Our pick: Nespresso Vertuo POP+ by Breville $99.99 at AmazonThe Nespresso Vertuo POP+ by Breville is compact enough to fit on a dorm room desk, but it has the power to brew both coffee and espresso. It has a 25-ounce water reservoir and brews five cup sizes, including five-, eight-, and 12-ounce coffees and single or double shots of espresso. This little machine could save you at least 15 minutes standing in line at the campus coffee shop every day. (It also comes in a variety of colors and is the same price as a Keurig, but brews better-tasting coffee.)
Best entertainment deal Opens in a new window Credit: INSIGNIA Our pick: INSIGNIA 32-inch Class F20 Series Smart HD Fire TV (NS-32F201NA23) $79.99 at AmazonThe INSIGNIA 32-inch Class F20 Series Smart HD Fire TV (NS-32F201NA23) is big enough to stream and game on from your bed, but small enough to fit on a dorm room desk. (It’s also way better than streaming on your laptop.) At just $79, this Fire TV is a steal and will make your dorm room feel more like home.
If you don't have room for a TV, you might want to consider getting a projector like this mini portable projector by Magcubic. Just hop in bed and use the ceiling as your screen!
Best cleaning supplies deal Opens in a new window Credit: MRS. MEYER'S Our pick: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Kitchen Basics Set $14.48 at AmazonThe Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Kitchen Basics Set includes a multi-surface cleaner, hand soap, and dish soap. This specific bundle features the lavender scent, but you can get it in others like basil or lemon verbena. Mrs. Meyer's is a cleaner option that won’t cost you an arm and a leg — you can also save up to 15% when you subscribe.
If you want something even more eco-friendly, I recommend anything from Cleancult. They’re a little pricier but anti-plastic and have refillable cleaners and hand soaps. (I use Cleancult all the time. They’re the only cleaner I have under the sink besides white vinegar and Windex, and the basil scent smells so good.)
Like an enormous lava lamp, the sun roils with hot bubbles that rise from its belly to the surface, then cool and sink back down into its interior.
This process occurs through convection, distributing heavier elements like carbon and nitrogen throughout the sun. It's also thought to be a driving force behind solar winds — hot, ionized gasses flowing away from the sun — which spread charged particles into space.
Astronomers have now seen and captured pictures of another star bubbling gas on its surface. The star, R Doradus, is a red giant, with a diameter about 350 times larger than the sun's. This puffy star is about 180 light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation Dorado.
The ability to watch this process unfold on another star could help scientists understand how convection changes over time as a star ages. Though R Doradus is much larger than the sun, its mass is almost the same, meaning the star is perhaps what the sun will look and act like in another 5 billion years, when it also becomes a red giant and is near death.
"This is the first time the bubbling surface of a real star can be shown in such a way," said Wouter Vlemmings, lead author of the study, in a statement. "We had never expected the data to be of such high quality that we could see so many details of the convection on the stellar surface."
SEE ALSO: The sun actually pelts itself with colossal 'shooting stars'The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, captured the images, seen in the video above, in July and August 2023. The humongous observatory is based in Chile, co-owned by the U.S. National Science Foundation, European Southern Observatory, and National Institutes of Natural Sciences of Japan.
Convection bubbles have been previously spotted on other stars, but the new ALMA observations track the motion of the bubbles in a detailed way that was not possible before. The findings are published in the journal Nature. What the images reveal are giant, hot bubbles of gas appearing and then disappearing beneath the surface at a rate much faster than predicted.
Antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, or ALMA, in the Chilean Andes point at the night sky. Credit: ESO / C. MalinOn the sun, these bubbles, known as convective granules, are each about the size of France. In the past two years, the new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii has taken extremely detailed images of these bubbles as it studies the origins of "space weather." The telescope is working in conjunction with the Solar Orbiter, a collaborative mission of the European Space Agency and NASA launched in February 2020, and the Parker Solar Probe, a NASA spacecraft sent up two years earlier.
Despite the sun being 93 million miles from Earth, solar storms can have serious consequences on technology, disrupting power grids and telecommunications systems on Earth when their radiation reaches the planet's magnetic field and atmosphere.
Tweet may have been deletedBut if you thought bubbles the size of France were big, on R Doradus, each bubble is a whopping 75 times the size of the sun, the researchers said.
The new paper also marks the first time astronomers have been able to track how fast the convective granules on another star move. On R Doradus, the bubbles appear to move on a one-month cycle, faster than how convection works on the sun. Scientists don't yet understand why.
"It is spectacular that we can now directly image the details on the surface of stars so far away," said Behzad Bojnodi Arbab, a doctoral student at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, who contributed to the study, "and observe physics that until now was mostly only observable in our Sun."
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