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The 2025 tax season is officially upon us.

The Internal Revenue Service will open access to its Free File preparation service starting Jan. 10, the federal agency announced in a news release.

Free File is a program that allows certain taxpayers to complete their return using guided tax software, free of charge.

SEE ALSO: Watch out for these common tax scams

Taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less in 2024 can use Free File. Those who qualify must start their return by selecting a Free File option from the IRS' website (taxpayers will not find the free service on the website of a tax preparer that has partnered with the IRS to participate in Free File; in 2025, those partners include TaxHawk, TaxSlayer, 1040Now and ezTaxReturn).

Though taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of $84,000 or less can utilize Free File, the IRS noted that each partner has its own eligibility criteria based on age, state residency, and military status, among other factors. Some providers may also offer free preparation of state tax returns.

Once Free File is open for use, taxpayers can prepare their returns and hold them until the official IRS tax season begins later in January.

The IRS' Free File Fillable forms, which are electronic versions of common IRS paper forms, will be accessible to all starting Jan. 27 — taxpayers who don't qualify for Free File can use the fillable forms should they feel comfortable preparing their own taxes independently.

"Over the years, Free File has helped millions of taxpayers, providing a fast and simple way to file their returns," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in the agency's statement.

American Primeval is decently entertaining as an action-drama, though it's quite fascinating in concept. The Netflix mini-series, created by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg, features an accomplished ensemble playing mostly familiar archetypes during a pre-Civil War struggle for the American West. However, it saps anything resembling wistfulness from its Hollywood Western roots, complicating its chances of cornering the post-Yellowstone market (alongside the latter's many spin-offs). What's left is the husk of a beloved genre, told in stark, chaotic hues seldom seen on-screen.  

The show's numerous subplots are connected by grisly happenstance, albeit not much else. It's a violent saga, even though its violence quickly plateaus. This goes for both its physical brutality, as well as the many cruel ideologies in its crosshairs, from white supremacy and religious fundamentalism to a general penchant for war. But that these are so nakedly on display, in a show this unapologetically grim, is a welcome surprise, from a setting and storytelling mode so otherwise steeped in nostalgia. Despite its threads unraveling in haphazard ways, the series is never boring, and never wanting for a good performance.

SEE ALSO: 2025 TV preview: All the TV shows you need to know, and where to stream them What is American Primeval about? Credit: Courtesy of Netflix © 2024

The story of American Primeval, which takes place in the winter of 1857, is based on real locations and events, albeit with necessary dramatizations. With a bounty on her head for an alleged murder, well-to-do mother Sara Rowell (Betty Gilpin) absconds from Philadelphia with her pre-teen son Devin (Preston Mota) to meet up with her husband out west. But upon arriving at Fort Bridger — a real fur trading outpost in Wyoming along the Oregon Trail — she learns that her guide has already left, leading her to desperately search for safe passage wherever she can find it.

The fort is not far from volatile conflicts between numerous factions. The Shoshone Tribe is one of several who have been driven from their native land by constant war. A ruthless Mormon militia patrols the territories near Utah, at the behest of the expansionist, extremist preacher Governor Brigham Young (a terrifying Kim Coates). Meanwhile, the conscientious U.S. Army Captain Edmund Dellinger (Lucas Neff) tries to keep the peace, but he's growing increasingly cynical about the possibility of coexistence (as we're frequently reminded, through his numerous diary entries narrated in voiceover).

The aforementioned groups only account for about half the series' characters, all of whom are set up bit-by-bit through very direct exposition. Additionally, there's the lone gunman from whom Sara seeks help, the lonely and brooding Isaac (Taylor Kitsch), who shares an intimate history with the Shoshone. There are the bounty hunters on her trail, led by Virgil Cutter (Jai Courtney), a leader whose heartlessness clashes with his more empathetic protégé Lucas (Andrew P. Logan).

There are the various militiamen and Mormon leaders, and there are also Mormon civilians just trying to find their way unscathed. Some of the latter end up inadvertently attacked when traveling with a larger caravan, including newlywed Abish Pratt (Saura Lightfoot-Leon) and her husband Jacob (Dane DeHaan), whose increasingly bloody and disheveled appearance each episode is as ludicrously funny as Homer Simpson hitting infinite rocks and tree branches. And of course, there's Jim Bridger himself, the founder of the aforementioned fort, played with smarm and panache by the ever-delightful Shea Whigham.

The show also features a number of Native characters who, although they're seldom allowed to leave the strict confines of plot function — American Primeval is an anti-Western in every way but this — still displays a beating humanity and ethos. There's the young, nonverbal Shoshone girl Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), a runaway who hitches a ride with Sara and Devin, and there's also rogue Shoshone warrior Red Feather (Derek Hinkey), who forms his own tribe intent on trading blood for blood. If the latter sounds a whole lot like a central character in Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, his appearance isn't the only time you'll be making that comparison.

If anything, the show plays like a morbid and cynical answer to Horizon, the film series that Costner left Yellowstone in order to make, and one that wrestles with the violence inherent to America's founding myths while still morosely holding on to a folkloric image of the nation's past. American Primeval has less trouble removing its rose-tinted glasses, even going as far as to deploy rearrangements of Woody Guthrie's famous folk song "This Land Is Your Land" to deeply ironic effect. However, it struggles just as much as Costner's film when it comes to switching between its numerous characters.

American Primeval is propulsive, but uneven. Credit: Matt Kennedy / Netflix

The show's structure and plot might mirror Costner's Western epic, but its closest aesthetic cousins are actually Alejandro González Iñárritu's own violent winter Western The Revenant (which Mark L. Smith also notably penned) and, in terms of frenetic editing, the Star Wars films of J.J. Abrams. That second comparison is, for the most part, complimentary. American Primeval charges forth with reckless abandon, leaving little room to consider the actual time and space between people spread across different parts of the landscape. That's not always a good thing, but it means each new plot development is always just around the corner, with characters always ready to stumble into each other's stories.

On the other hand, the lack of actual travel time or any sort of downtime for the characters, even across six hours, leaves little room for them to unravel and develop. Gilpin and Kitsch, for instance, are suitably austere, resulting in Jane Austen-esque romantic tensions, but who they are as people is established from minute one, and remains frozen in stasis throughout the story. The same is true for most characters except DeHaan's, who has the advantage of being changed by physical injury. No one is really affected or impacted, in human ways, by the show's many goings-on.

That said, those goings on are usually fun to watch, from gritty firefights in unbroken takes to vicious hand-to-hand combat in close quarters. Emmanuel Lubezki's Oscar–winning cinematography for The Revenant was clearly the prototype here, with short-lensed close-ups skewing space and enhancing the impact of everything from blood to spittle, all covered in snow. The first episode is wonderfully chaotic, with its quick cuts and askew Dutch angles throwing everything off-balance as civilians are engulfed by attacks. Unfortunately, this visual approach ends up somewhat indiscriminate across the series, even during mundane conversations.

The show's washed-out palette and permeating muck and grime paint America's infancy as a time of petty squabble without absolution — a counter-narrative to most of the country's mythology about itself. However, the show also builds in a kind of narrative backstop to prevent it from falling into total despair: the American dream is still, in a sense, alive, but it's relegated to the four walls of Fort Bridger.

The focused metaphors in American Primeval almost work. Credit: Matt Kennedy / Netflix

The fort, which appears early on in the series and becomes a frequent respite from the action, very much exists in the vein of cinema's lawless Old West, with its saloons, and shootings, and hangings. But it's also representative of an American ideal. It's the only place in the show where characters from all walks of life, and all backgrounds (white, Native, or otherwise) can congregate, take refuge from religious extremism, and have an actual shot at living.

It's also the center of a beautifully haunting climax that revels in the slow demise of said ideals, which makes for a pitch-perfect conclusion to the show — or would have, had the series chosen to end on this symbolic note. Instead, it returns to one of its many ongoing narratives so that Person A can wander into Story B and conclude Subplot C, most of which jog in place for multiple episodes.

While American Primeval occasionally wields its metaphors with skill, it is, for the most part, a banal and obvious show about the trickle-down effects of the past. For instance, Courtney's Cutter, when addressing Sara, all but turns to the camera in order to deliver the line, "Our current circumstances are a reflection of our past decisions." The problem with this sort of delivery — other than its thuddingly literal nature — is that this theme and every other one is established in the first episode and never transforms dramatically.

American Primeval may be forward-thinking in its premise, with its apparent deconstruction of national history and self-image. However, its execution ends up with little to say, beyond the broad strokes of people's selfishness causing pain and suffering. You learn this from the get-go, so you know exactly the kind of show you're getting into from there on out, but there's little left to learn. So, even its subversions of traditional Hollywood imagery and American mythmaking feel oddly familiar and comfortable by the end.

American Primeval is now streaming on Netflix.

PRE-ORDER AND SAVE $390: Ahead of its Feb. 14 launch, the Dreame X50 Ultra robot vacuum announced at CES can already be pre-ordered. Doing so early also unlocks a $390 coupon, making it yours for $1,309.99 versus the $1,699.99 launch price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame X50 Ultra $1,309.99 at Dreame
$1,699.99 Save $390.00 Pre-Order Here

If you read "climbing robot vacuum" about the Dreame X50 Ultra and assumed that meant it's the first robot vacuum that can straight up go up stairs, you were kind of duped. But this doesn't mean that the Dreame X50 Ultra won't be one of the best robot vacuum values to come out of CES 2025.

Dreame still packed a ton of upgrades into the X50 Ultra that'll make it one of the most autonomous robot vacuums on the market, especially in its price range. Its debut price of $1,699.99 is... fine — the window between $1,399.99 and $1,799.99 is pretty habitual for the flagship robot vacuum from any main brand nowadays.

How to buy the Dreame X50 Ultra

However, the Dreame X50 Ultra becomes a real bang for your buck when you take advantage of its surprising preorder deal: Buying on Dreame's website before its official release on Valentine's Day unlocks a $390 coupon, making the X50 Ultra just $1,309.99. A three-year warranty plus an extra two years for free is also included in the early bird special.

You'll only have to put down $39 to claim yours, rather than coughing up the full amount up front.

SEE ALSO: 13 new gadgets from CES 2025 that you can actually buy right now, plus 1 coming soon

The swiftness of this timeline is extra fun considering that April is the earliest you'll be able to get your hands on Roborock's biggest CES announcement, the Saros Z70.

Is the Dreame X50 Ultra worth it if it can't actually go up stairs?

I'll give a more solid answer to this question after I test the X50 Ultra in my apartment, but in theory, yes.

Though its threshold scaling was a bit of a bust (only due to WiFi issues!) during the live demo at CES, the X50 Ultra's lifting wheels are still pretty groundbreaking (if they work). Dreame's ProLeap system boosts the robot vacuum fully off the ground at an angle, and not just the lift that'd be required to go over a thick carpet or something. The X50 Ultra is said to be able to scale thresholds up to 2.36 inches, including double layer ones (like doorways with sliding doors). This capacity would also be helpful in homes that have, say, a child safety or pet gate in a doorway.

I've personally experienced the benefits of a robot vacuum with hydraulics like this with the Shark PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro 2-in-1. It uses similar legs to boost itself significantly higher over carpets than other robot vacuums I've tried to keep non-hard floors dry or cross from one floor type to another without dragging across the threshold. So I'm picturing that, but even more versatile with the Dreame X50 Ultra — plus significantly more powerful cleaning.

I think that the X50 Ultra's 20,000 Pa of suction power should be advertised just as heavily as the climbing thing. That's more powerful than any of Roborock's most powerful 2024 models, including the $1,599.99 ($1,299.99 on sale) Qrevo Curv. It's also just 2,000 Pa less powerful than the Roborock Saros Z70 also announced at CES, which will apparently cost around $2,000. That tenacious suction should bode well on pet hair in tandem with the duo-roller design underneath — two brushes that spin toward each other are typically much better at digging up and pinching hair than a single roller.

SEE ALSO: As a Dyson stan, I wouldn't tell anyone to buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum

More meticulous mopping is another of the Z70's strong spots. I'm psyched that it can be added to the list of hybrid robot vacs that can actually scrub in corners, thanks to a spinning mopping pad that reaches out past the vac's diameter to scrub along walls or in corners. (The Roborock Qrevo Master was my favorite robot vacuum and mop combo from 2024 because of its ability to wipe up droplets and splatters along the edges of my kitchen floor.)

Of course, the Dreame X50 Ultra also has smart mapping that can clean specific rooms or zones on command, and small obstacle avoidance that keeps it from sucking up things like cords or socks. After cleaning, it empties its own dust bin and washes its own mopping pads — the usual for premium hybrids.

Sold yet? Make your move and pre-order the Dreame X50 Ultra by March 2 to get it for $1,309.99.

Smart rings are great, but they're typically not the finest pieces of jewelry in terms of the quality of metals and flashy designs. That, however, could be changing with the new Ultrahuman Rare line, which coats its current generation of Ring Air models in metals like platinum or 18-karat gold.

SEE ALSO: The best of CES 2025

Are there other differences between the rare line and the standard Ring Air? Apart from weight, no. The rings offer the same sensors and underlying technology, and while they're among some of the better smart rings out there, they're still gadgets that will eventually need to be replaced, unlike an actual 18-karat gold ring. I got to check out the new rings in person at CES 2025.

Bling, bling

At the Ultrahuman booth at CES 2025, I spoke to a representative who mentioned that they had customers asking for more premium rings that could be used in place of something like a wedding band or an engagement ring. It's a bit unclear if those customers were asking so that they could use the ring as an alternative to a wedding band completely or just as something they could use as a wedding band occasionally while keeping their actual wedding band at home.

The platinum version of the Ultrahuman Rare Ring Air. Credit: Christian de Loop

Regardless, the rings certainly look flashy in real life. However, I'm not exactly sure if they look that much flashier than the faux gold or gold-plated smart rings offered by some companies. Its color selection includes a rose gold-like Desert Rose, a platinum Desert Snow, and a gold Dune. In the Dune and Desert Rose variants, you’ll get 18-karat gold, while the Desert Snow version offers PT950 platinum. 

Of course, the use of precious metals dramatically changes the price. While the Ultrahuman Ring Air typically costs $350, the 18-karat gold version costs £1,800 – equivalent to around $2,250, which isn't cheap. Thankfully, they come with a lifetime membership to UltraHuman X, an extended warranty subscription, and access to UltraHuman's PowerPlugs feature, available on the UltraHuman platform. However, those features won't necessarily offset the cost that much. Thankfully, these models also have more premium packaging and a fancier charging dock.

The tech

As mentioned, the underlying tech of the Ultrahuman Ring Air Rare is the same as that of the standard Ultrahuman Ring Air. That's certainly not a bad thing — the Ultrahuman Ring Air is a high-end smart ring that measures heart rate, skin temperature, variability, sleep, cycle tracking, and more. It also works with a relatively well-designed app and can help you track your stress, which would be useful for me at CES.

One (Ultrahuman normal version) ring to rule them all. Credit: Christian de Loop

The sleep-tracking technology seems relatively helpful overall. It can leverage your heart rate variability and sleep efficiency to recommend ways to improve your sleep throughout the day. It also offers all of these features without a subscription to access the actual tech — the aforementioned Ultrahuman X subscription is for the warranty.

But it's still a gadget that will probably need replacing. Unlike a typical piece of jewelry, like a good old-fashioned ring, a smart ring generally has a life cycle of a few years before the technology gets so much better that you'll want to upgrade or the battery in your current one gets so bad that you'll need to buy a new one. In other words, most should probably avoid spending the cash on an actual gold one and stick to fake gold paint if they want the look.

Jason Statham clocks in for some brutal fights in the action-packed trailer for A Working Man.

SEE ALSO: 2025 movie preview: All the films you'll want to know about

Directed by David Ayer (The Beekeeper, Suicide Squad) and based on Chuck Dixon's book Levon's Trade, A Working Man stars Statham as Levon Cade, a former black ops agent-turned-construction worker. But when the daughter (Arianna Rivas) of his beloved boss (Michael Peña) goes missing, Levon will have to break out his old military skills in order to rescue her from human traffickers and corrupt government officials. Ayer co-wrote A Working Man's screenplay with Sylvester Stallone.

A Working Man's first trailer is full of Statham kicking ass with construction equipment, including walloping some opponents with a pick axe and a bucket. We also get a sneak peek of David Harbour (Stranger Things) as one of Levon's former army friends and his current "weapon sommelier." Cue the gunfights and beatdowns.

A Working Man hits theaters March 28.

Smart lights are cool, but they should be a little more personal. While you can change things like the brightness and color of smart lights, what if you could change them to offer an image completely unique to your preferences? That’s the idea behind Govee’s newest smart lights, which, yes, use AI to create images using LED pixel lights.

The new device is called the Gaming Pixel Light. It consists of a series of LED lights that can be illuminated in different colors, creating pixel art as they do so. The light will even accompany the art with 8-bit music, making for a more retro experience.

SEE ALSO: The best of CES 2025 AI art

So, what's AI about it? Well, the light connects to an app that lets you use natural language to tell the light what image you want displayed. You could tell it to show a picture of a dog, or, in my infinite creativity, I looked at my camera and asked it to make a camera. It's not the most perfect image ever, but it's a neat idea that makes for a customizable experience you can change.

Credit: Christian de Looper

The app worked relatively quickly and seemed to understand my input easily. When I asked it to create an image of a camera, it created the image on the app for my approval before sending it to the device itself. You’ll talk with a chatbot to create the image, prompting it to create what you want.

A light panel design

The design of the Gaming Pixel Light is essentially a light panel similar in size to a picture frame. And, of course, there's only so much actual light you can get from something that size, and it remains to be seen if it's something you would want to use to light up your room. That said, it's a neat way to add more personality to your space. Having seen it in person, I can safely say it gets relatively bright.

Credit: Christian de Looper

It's a bit gimmicky, but that doesn’t make it any less cool. It can also become more versatile than just showing AI art directed by you. It can also show little animations and data from various sources, including the price of Bitcoin.

Coming soon

The Govee Gaming Pixel Light will be available in May or June. It is available in two sizes at two price points: $99.99 and $129.99.

SAVE $400: As of Jan. 9, get the Google Pixel 8 Pro for $599 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $999. That's a discount of 40%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Google Pixel 8 Pro $599.00 at Amazon
$999.00 Save $400.00 Get Deal

Is it finally time to take the plunge and get a new phone? Lay your old cracked, smudged, and misbehaving iPhone or Android device to rest and move on. There are tons of great options out there, and there's one in particular you can scoop up today for a great price. The Google Pixel 8 Pro is on offer at Amazon for a significant discount, which is a good phone to have if you're ready to level up.

As of Jan. 9, you can get the Google Pixel 8 Pro at Amazon for $599. That's $400 off its normal price of $999 and a discount of 40%. This price applies only to the Bay colorway, which is a light blue hue.

The Pixel 8 Pro boasts a 6.7-inch 120Hz display, with a 50MP camera and 12GB of RAM. It's powered by a Google Tensor G2 processor and a 5050mAh battery, so it's down for marathon use. Mashable's Alex Perry praised the crisp display and refresh rate as well as the camera array, "strong performance" and "god battery life". There's a slew of AI features, which you'll appreciate if you take a lot of photos.

Though this is an iterative upgrade from the previous Google Pixel 7 Pro phone, it's still a capable and great smartphone to move on to if you're looking to put some cash down on a new model. And at this price, you're getting it for a significant discount. Grab one before they're all gone.

In a move users are calling "embarrassing" and lacking "courage," Instagram and Threads head Adam Mosseri announced that the platforms will be recommending political content to users once again.

"As per @zuck’s post yesterday about free expression yesterday [sic], starting this week in the US, and rolling out over the coming week to the rest of the world, we're going to be adding political content to recommendations on @Threads and adjusting the political content control to three options: less, standard, the default, and more," Mosseri said on a post on Threads, referring to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's Tuesday announcement that the social media giant is getting rid of its fact-checkers.

SEE ALSO: Fury over Meta's relaxed hate speech policies: "I really think this is a precursor for genocide"

"I’ve maintained very publicly and for a long time that it not our place to show people political content from accounts they don’t follow, but (1) a lot of people have been very clear that they want this content, and (2) it’s proven impractical to draw a red line around what is and is not political content," Mosseri continued. "Our intention is to introduce political recommendations in a responsible and personalized way, which means more for people who want this content and less for those who do not. Our plan is to continue to listen to feedback, learn, and iterate over the next few months. Thank you for your patience."

As Mosseri noted, this comes just two days after Meta, the company that owns Instagram and Threads, announced it is replacing fact-checkers with Community Notes, along with lifting prohibitions against some discriminatory and hateful rhetoric on its platforms. Within these new guidelines, women can be called property, ethnic groups can be called "filth," and gay people can be called "mentally ill," for instance.

Many human rights organizations (and many users) point out that this move suspiciously comes as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to rules the next political administration. Trump has continuously attacked content moderation, insisting it silences conservative voices. Rights groups argue that conservative voices aren't being moderated — hateful voices are. This kind of language fuels real-world violence; Meta cut a line from its policy that acknowledged that connection.

This is a pretty stark reversal from Meta's March 2024 approach to politics on the app: none. At the time, there were mixed reactions at the move away from political content on Threads and Instagram. People saw the reasons Meta might choose to move away from politics: Social media sites have been rife with misinformation and disinformation during past elections, and Meta's response to these egregious mistakes — making political content rarer on its platforms — made sense. But, at the same time, a platform like Threads was seemingly built to replace the once beloved, pre-Elon Twitter — a platform that thrived on political discussion (however annoying they might have been) and real-time news.

At the time, many of the people frustrated at Meta's pullback relied upon a combination of fact-checkers and community notes to keep the news accurate and helpful. With this new decision, that isn't part of the equation. And with an upcoming administration creating a political minefield around content moderation and misinformation, those missing guardrails will likely leave a significant hole in the way we consume and evaluate the decisions our government makes.

SAVE $11.95: Order the new Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds for $179.95 at Amazon and get a free Shokz protective case, which usually costs $11.95.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shokz Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds with Shokz protective case $179.95 at Amazon
$191.90 Save $11.95 Get Deal

We're in the midst of one of the most exciting weeks in tech — the annual CES. So far this year, we've seen sweet announcements like a robot vacuum with an arm to pick up your socks and stray dog toys. We also have great options on tech we expect to use every day, like the new Lenovo Legion Go S. Plus, there are some great new earbuds for those who head out on active endeavors. Plus, they're already available to buy.

As of Jan. 9, the CES-announced Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds are available at Amazon for $179.95 and come with the benefit of a free Shokz protective case, which ordinarily sells for $11.95. To grab this deal, add the Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds into your Amazon cart and then add the Shokz protective case. You'll see the price of the case get removed once you check out with the two items in your cart.

CES is consistently packed with tech that's worthy of getting excited about. It's especially great if those tech gadgets are already available for the public to buy. That's the case with the freshly CES-announced Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds.

SEE ALSO: 13 new gadgets from CES 2025 that you can actually buy right now, plus 1 coming soon

With upgraded ear hooks, the Shokz OpenFit 2 aim to give a super comfortable experience while offering you reassurance the earbuds won't budge. Shokz typically focuses on earbuds and headphones that are suited for workouts, which means a snug fit is especially important.

The open ear design is preferred by many since it allows you to tune into your music or podcast without totally blocking out the world around you. That comes in handy if you're out on a run and need to hear traffic noise or if you're working from home while keeping an ear out for when the dog asks to go outside.

The Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds come with some incredible battery life, getting up to 48 hours of playtime. Of course, Shokz paid close attention to sound quality when designing the OpenFit 2, using two independent drivers that process low and high-frequency sounds separately, giving you a better sound overall.

Shokz also added physical buttons on the OpenFit 2 earbuds, so you're always in control.

Today's deal includes adding a Shokz protective case to your order for free. This water-resistant case adds durability for when you toss the earbuds into your gym bag. Instead of worrying about the included case getting scratched, you can safely store the earbuds and case in an extra layer of protection.

For those in the market for cutting edge earbuds with a comfortable and snug fit that are great for both the gym and listening to podcasts at home, check out today's deal on the brand new Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds. You'll save $11.95 by scoring the free case.

Apple has affirmed its Siri privacy policies following a lawsuit settlement that revived rumors that the voice assistant was spying on users. 

"Apple has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising, and never sold it to anyone for any purpose," said a statement published on Wednesday.

SEE ALSO: Apple to pay $95 million settlement for Siri listening to your private conversations

The statement was prompted by the settlement of a 2019 class-action lawsuit against Apple that was filed on Dec. 31, 2024. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California, pertained to allegations that Siri was inadvertently activated on Apple devices without the wake word and private conversations were recorded and listened to by third-party contractors.

A 2021 filing from the same lawsuit detailed how plaintiffs reported conversing about specific brands, such as "Air Jordans" and "Olive Garden. " Then, they saw targeted ads for those brands appear in Apple Safari and third-party apps. This led the plaintiffs' lawyers to conclude that Apple must have sold those Siri recordings to advertisers.

However, while Apple acknowledged giving Siri recordings to third-party contractors for quality control testing, the tech giant vehemently denies ever selling Siri data for targeted advertising.

SEE ALSO: Apple may be forced to stop blocking third parties from accessing Siri and more

In the wake of the 2019 investigation and lawsuit, Apple changed its policy for Siri quality control testing, making it opt-in by default and sharing minimal anonymized Siri data only with Apple employees. "Apple does not retain audio recordings of Siri interactions unless users explicitly opt-in to help improve Siri, and even then, the recordings are used solely for that purpose. Users can easily opt-out at any time," said the statement.

While it seems like the logical conclusion that Siri is spying on you for the purpose of serving your targeted ads, there are other explanations. Ads target people in the same network or in close proximity. So, if you were talking about Air Jordans with a friend because they happened to have just purchased a pair, you might get a targeted ad because of granular location tracking data.

The concept of wearable AI devices hasn't exactly taken off. Devices like the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin have been largely criticized for overpromising while under-delivering. Now, a new company, Bee, is taking another stab at the concept with its wrist-worn AI device.

The Bee AI device, called the Bee Pioneer, is essentially designed to listen to you go about your day and use the information it collects to build a personalized knowledge base about your life. It can remember things you did during the day, create to-do lists based on what it hears, and even search through conversations you had. It's also relatively affordable, at only $49.99, unlike the other AI devices.

SEE ALSO: The best of CES 2025

I had a chance to check out the Bee Pioneer, its associated AI service Bee AI, and speak to Bee’s co-founders Ethan Sutin and Maria de Lourdes Zollo for myself at CES 2025.

Scaled-back design

If you saw someone wearing the Bee Pioneer device, you wouldn't necessarily assume it's an AI device. It's a very scaled-back wrist strap that looks much more like a basic fitness tracker than anything else. It's made of black plastic and has one button for multiple purposes. Pressing the button once mutes the microphones, and pressing it again unmutes them.

Alternatively, you can press and hold the button to ask the Bee AI assistant a question. However, this action is customizable, so you could configure it to do something else.

Credit: Christian de Looper for Mashable

When you ask it a question, it will respond through the speakers built into your phone — no speakers are built into the device itself. The main reason is that if you're wearing headphones, you'll want the response to come through headphones instead of through the wristband, where you might not hear it.

The microphones are also meant to be relatively sensitive. According to Bee co-founder Ethan Sutin, if you can hear whoever you're talking to, even in a busy environment, the device should also hear them and you.

SEE ALSO: 8 mind-blowing gadgets at CES 2025 I need in my life

The device doesn't rely on the wristband at all. Instead, the module embedded in the wristband can be removed and attached to other accessories, like a clip, so that it can be worn on your clothes. This is a neat idea, though I’m not sure most people would want to wear it on their clothes instead of as a bracelet.

It’s all about the app

The wristband is just a listening device that sends data to the app, which is where Bee's power comes into play. Through the app, you can see transcripts of conversations, summaries of your location histories, and more. It's essentially a log of your life, including conversations.

I found the app relatively well-designed, even though I didn't play with it for very long. You can ask questions related to conversations you've had, and the AI assistant will use that data to provide personalized responses. The app doesn't store any audio, though it does store full transcripts of all your conversations. When you ask the assistant a question, it responds using a mix of commercial and open-source large language models, including ChatGPT and Gemini.

Credit: Christian de Looper for Mashable

The app allows you to label the people you speak to. It will remember voices for future conversations and accurately label them.

Perhaps more interesting, it will use information around your conversations to create reminders and to-do lists for you. According to the co-founders I spoke to at CES 2025, this is a little more complicated than you might assume. The AI assistant must determine which tasks are essential and which aren't important enough to add to a to-do list. Bee can also connect to services like Gmail and Google Calendar, so you can ask questions about your emails and upcoming events.

The future of personalized AI

Bee has massive plans for the future of its services, though. It's primarily hoping that its AI assistant can perform tasks for you in much more helpful ways. One of the company's CES demos involved the assistant independently completing tasks on the phone. However, those tasks weren't completed on your phone; instead, they were on an emulated Android phone in the cloud, with logged-in sessions for services like WhatsApp.

This was incredibly cool to watch, and it sets the device apart from some competition. While the final iteration of the service won't include a view of the emulated phone, watching it complete a task on the phone, such as sending a WhatsApp message, was like watching a human do it.

Credit: Christian de Looper for Mashable

That said, even when Bee AI can completely control your phone, the co-founders told me that it doesn't necessarily plan on Bee AI becoming the do-it-all AI assistant that replaces everything else. Instead, they think Bee AI can coexist with other AI services and be useful for different purposes. For Bee's part, the service provides a more personalized experience that helps users remember their conversations and what they need to do.

Privacy concerns

Of course, all of this presents numerous questions about privacy. The privacy concerns surrounding having an emulated phone in the cloud are apparent, but given that the feature isn't available yet, it's probably not worth discussing them at length. Bee says that the biggest reason that particular feature is still in beta is that it’s still figuring out how to ensure its privacy and security.

SEE ALSO: The best smart glasses at CES 2025 are inconspicuous

But there are other privacy-related concerns, too. Bee might not store actual audio clips, but it stores full transcripts of your conversations, which is cause for concern. Sure, you can mute the device, but it's hard to remember to proactively do so when you're just living your life and having what you might consider to be private conversations with someone like your spouse.

The company is also proactive about security. It says it will set up a bug bounty program to encourage the search for security-related bugs in its services. The co-founders generally value privacy and security as important aspects of their business. After all, if there were any security issues, the product might not survive long.

Check out the best Amazon deals of the day as of Jan. 9: OUR TOP PICK Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $899 (save $200) Get Deal BEST KITCHEN DEAL Instant Vortex air fryer (6-quart) $79.99 (save $40) Get Deal BEST SPEAKER DEAL Bose SoundLink Flex $111.71 (save $37.29) Get Deal BEST FITNESS DEAL Sunny Health & Fitness Premium Foldable Treadmill $579.99 (save $120) Get Deal

Got the post-holiday blues? A little retail therapy might help. Amazon's daily deals page is a discount shopping haven as long as you know how to navigate it. Hint: not every "deal" is actually a deal. We've sorted out some of the noise and selected a few standout deals from top brands that we think are worth grabbing on Jan. 9, including Apple and Bose.

Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. Nothing sparking your interest? Check out picks from Jan. 7 and Jan. 8. Many of those deals are still live, including a huge 40% discount on the very good Samsung Galaxy Buds FE and a $69 Apple Pencil.

Our top pick: Apple M3 MacBook Air, 13-inch Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $899.00 at Amazon
$1,099.00 Save $200.00 Get Deal

The M3 MacBook Air packs a huge punch and the base model is back down to just $899 at Amazon as of Jan. 9. That's 18% or $200 off its usual cost. Mashable Tech Editor Kim Gedeon was highly impressed with its performance, specifically its zippy M3 chip, satisfying keyboard, vivid webcam, and dual-display support when you close its lid. Aesthetically, it's nearly identical to its predecessor, but internally it shines as our top MacBook pick for most people. It's also only $100 more than the M2 model and you'll get 15% more power, making it a no-brainer.

Read our full review of the M3 MacBook Air.

Instant Vortex air fryer Opens in a new window Credit: Instant Instant Vortex air fryer (6-quart) $79.99 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $40.00 Get Deal

Need to replace your gunked up air fryer? The Instant Vortex has thousands of five-star reviews at Amazon and is on sale for only $79.99 (reg. $119.99). That's 33% in savings. The six-quart basket is ideal for four to six servings and the basket and tray are both dishwasher safe to easy clean up. Its four-in-one design lets you air fry, roast, broil, and reheat with the touch of a button, plus you can save your customizable presets to make whipping up your favorite snacks and meals a breeze every time. And did we mention is won't take up a ton of real estate on your countertop?

Bose SoundLink Flex Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose SoundLink Flex $111.71 at Amazon
$149.00 Save $37.29 Get Deal

Small and mighty, the go-anywhere SoundLink Flex got an upgrade this past fall to enhance its already great features. It still boasts the same rugged texture, waterproof and UV light resistant build, impressively long 12-hour battery life, and bold sound. The latest generation also streamlined the controls and offers customizable EQ in the Bose app, unlocking a better listening experience. It's usually $149, but you can snag it on sale at Amazon for just $111.71 in the Blue Dusk shade. That's 25% in savings and just a dollar away from its best price to date. If you prefer another color, you'll still get a deal, it'll just cost you a few bucks more.

Sunny Health & Fitness Premium Foldable Treadmill Opens in a new window Credit: Sunny Health & Fitness Sunny Health & Fitness Premium Foldable Treadmill $579.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $220.00 Get Deal

A treadmill is a great way to incorporate more movement in your daily life without having to worry about weather, but not everyone can afford the astronomical Peloton Tread. Instead, check out this foldable option from Sunny Health & Fitness, which is on sale for just $579.99 instead of $799.99. That's a savings of 28%. It includes 15 auto incline levels that simulate various terrains, 24 preset workout programs, quick speed and incline buttons for seamless adjustments, and three user modes to share with multiple family members. The free SunnyFit app also unlocks access to over 1,000 trainer-led videos, over 10,000 virtual tours, and more. It comes pre-assembled and sets up in seconds without tools, although you may have to wait a little longer for delivery due to its size and weight.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

We’ve stomped the showroom floors. We’ve scrutinized the booths. We’ve trekked up and down the Las Vegas Strip for hands-on demos. Hundreds of thousands of collective steps and many cups of coffee later, we’re ready to pick the standouts from the biggest show in tech.

As it does every year, CES 2025 has brought big innovations, outrageous concepts and impressive solutions to everyday problems. This time, the CNET Group — made up of sibling sites CNET, ZDNET, PCMag, Mashable and Lifehacker — teamed up with the CTA as the official media partner of the Best of CES Awards. After consulting our staff experts and editors, we've named the top products and services at CES and awarded them with the official distinction of Best of CES. 

To be eligible, a product or service must be an exhibitor at CES 2025 and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Includes a compelling new concept or idea

• Solves a major consumer problem

• Is new or is an update to an existing product that sets a new bar in performance or quality

CNET group has combined forces to name the top products and services found at CES 2025. Credit: CNET Group Staff

Nominees were submitted by CNET Group's editorial staff, with finalists voted on by a panel of editors in attendance at CES 2025.

Without any further ado, here are our Best of CES 2025 winners:

Best AI: Nvidia Cosmos AI model Credit: Nvidia

Cosmos feels like the AI platform that will be fueling CES for years to come — "the ChatGPT moment for robotics," as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang put it. Trained on 20 million hours of video, Cosmos turns digital models of roads, factories, homes, and other IRL spaces into simulations using generative AI, automating the training data needed to help robots better understand the physical world. With less of a reliance on real-world testing, this will streamline the process of developing the robots and autonomous cars of the future. Cosmos will probably run the best on Nvidia's own chips, but props to the company for planning to democratize the code and make it available in open source on Github.

Runner-up in the category is Gemini for Google TV.

Best transportation/mobility: Honda 0 Series Credit: Honda

Honda's flashy and futuristic new electric vehicles, the Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV, will be available in North America by 2026. They're set for production on the company's new battery platform in Ohio — hypothetically qualifying for the $7,500 federal tax credit, if it hangs around — and their thin battery will supposedly be able to juice up in 10 to 15 minutes. They'll run on a new AI chip and Honda's fresh ASIMO OS after launch, which means they'll be Level 3 self-driving vehicles that can temporarily take full control over driving. The prototypes we saw on the ground in Las Vegas were just prototypes, but Honda said its ultimate designs will be very similar. Keep an eye out for pricing specifics.

Runner-up in the category is the BMW Panoramic iDrive with Operating System X.

Best laptop: Asus Zenbook A14 Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The 14-inch Asus Zenbook A14​ is effectively an Asus Zenbook Air, combining a feathery form factor with a long battery life. At just 2.18 pounds, it's the thinnest and lightest Copilot+ PC ever made. Its chassis is made from a magnesium aluminum alloy the company calls "Ceraluminum," which is highly durable, scratch resistant, and completely recyclable.

It's available in two Qualcomm Snapdragon X series configurations in two modern neutral finishes, which both sport nice-to-haves like an OLED display and tap-and-slide touchpad controls. As for that battery life: The Zenbook A14 is rated at up to 32 hours of video playback per charge, which beats the longest-lasting laptop we've ever tested by about nine hours. A Snapdragon X Elite model will be available on Jan. 13 for $1,099.99, and an $899.99 Snapdragon X variant is coming this March.

Runner-up in the category is the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable.

Best TV/home theater: LG G5 OLED TV Credit: LG

LG's latest G-series OLED TV is easily the best-looking TV we saw at CES this year. Its picture quality is incredible: LG says it's 40 percent brighter and offers better contrast in bright lighting compared to its predecessor, the G4, which was a stunning TV in its own right. LG improved its AI remote, too, but retained its sleek gallery design for an almost all-picture look.

The company also launched a new M5 wireless TV, which has the same image quality as the G5, but it will be a lot more expensive because of that cord-free connection technology — which most buyers don’t need. Pricing and a release date are still TBA.

Runner-up in the category is the Hisense 116UX.

Best smart home/home tech: Roborock Saros Z70

Finally, a robot that can pick up after us. This vacuum-mop hybrid can sense, snatch, and put away your stray socks using its mechanical arm, marking an industry shift from object avoidance technology to object removal technology. Unlike so many grabby robots we've seen at CES over the years, this one is real, successful and actually coming to market, with a release slated for April 2025. At 22,000 Pa of suction, the Saros Z70 will be more powerful than almost any other modern robovac. It'll also be more expensive: Roborock teased a price point around the $2,000 mark, making it undoubtedly a high-end luxury appliance. But we expect it to pave the way for a new (eventually cheaper) generation of robot vacuums that offer do-everything-for-me cleaning.

Runner-up in the category is the BioLite Complete.

Best sustainability: Flint Paper Battery Credit: Flint

A battery made out of... paper? Singaporean startup Flint says it has created a more sustainable, affordable, and scalable alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries. The magic ingredient is cellulose, which acts as a natural medium for ion transfer between the node and cathode. They're fully flexible and can be shrunk down to the size of a coin battery or embedded in a smartwatch strap. Plus, they decompose in a mere six weeks once they're done being used. Flint recently secured $2 million in seed funding to run a pilot project this year, putting us one step closer to a dream of sparing the Earth from the mining and drilling for finite lithium.

Best gaming: Lenovo Legion Go S Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Lenovo Legion Go S stands out because of its its operating system, and because of that operating system's implications for the entire gaming handheld category. While it’ll be available with Windows 11, Lenovo will also offer a model with Valve’s SteamOS, making it the only non-Valve-built portable to officially run SteamOS. That’s big news for anyone looking for a Steam Deck alternative. The Legion Go S lacks the detachable controllers in last year's standard Legion Go, and it has a smaller, lower-resolution screen. But its two top-side USB 4 ports and Hall Effect joysticks (which should never drift) are welcome — as is its expected lower price point. The Go S will start shipping in May 2025, starting at $599.99.

Best wellness/fitness tech: Ozlo Sleepbuds Credit: Ozlo

Designed by ex-Bose engineers, Ozlo Sleepbuds aren’t just comfortable earbuds for sleeping — they can actually help you get a better night’s sleep. They fit flush with your ear, which means you can sleep on your side without feeling them pressing into you. This also prevents them from falling out of your ear. Sleep-enhancing perks include biometric sensors in the earbuds that can track your sleep, sensors in the case that can identify potential sleep interruptions in your room, and an in-ear alarm that won't wake up a sleeping partner. They have a 10-hour battery life, too — no more waking up to a dead battery notification. You can even play sound directly from the Sleepbuds without connecting to another Bluetooth device, which means you won't even have to look at your phone before going to bed. So convenient. They're available now for $299.

Runner-up in the category is the YoctoMat.

Best mobile: HMD OffGrid Credit: HMD

The vast majority of phones are essentially useless without a cell signal. That’s where HMD’s new OffGrid accessory comes in. The $199.99 dongle lets any Android phone or iPhone send text messages and contact emergency services sans signal by connecting to Viasat and Skylo’s network of satellites. A few recent phones like the iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9 come equipped with satellite connectivity, but most consumers only upgrade their phones when their current device breaks or needs replacing, so this accessory gives older phones the ability to constantly stay connected — which could be life-saving in some cases. To use OffGrid, you’ll have to subscribe to HMD’s monthly service, which starts at $79.99 per year.

Runner-up in the category is the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper.

Best privacy and security: Ultraloq Bolt Mission UWB Plus NFC Credit: U-tec

This is the most impressive and secure smart lock we've ever seen. It’s also the first smart lock to come to market with ultra-wideband technology, giving it the capability to sense your location (within inches) and the spatial awareness to know if you're inside or outside your door. It’s truly hands-free unlocking, similar to key fobs on cars. As backups, it also offers NFC for tap-to-unlock entry, a keypad, and a traditional key mechanism. It includes 128-bit AES data encryption, IP65 weather resistance, and BHMA Level 1-certified durability. It supports WiFi, Matter, Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. Perhaps best of all, though, it has a battery life of up to one year.

Runner-up in the category is the Lockly Prestige Duet Series.

Best weirdest/most unexpected: Kirin Electric Salt Spoon

There was no dearth of surprising technological applications at CES 2025, but the booth that got everyone’s attention was hands-down the Kirin Electric Salt Spoon. This rather large spoon sends an electric current to your tongue to make your food taste saltier. The idea is noble: Get food to taste better without adding unnecessary sodium to your diet. The solution is downright unexpected. We only detected a slight difference in our taste test, but from what we heard from others who tried the demo, results varied. This one is already available for sale... in Japan. It costs 19,800 yen (with tax), or about $125.

Best overall: Nvidia Cosmos

Only another Nvidia product could overshadow the new Nvidia RTX 50-series graphics cards at CES 2025.

The Cosmos platform harnesses AI to remove one of the biggest pain points in the process of developing new robotics, which is the need for tons of real-world data and testing. By doing so, it will change the way technology is able to solve problems and help future generations. (Stay tuned to see how it plays out for Toyota: The world's biggest car manufacturer will be using it to build its next-gen self-driving vehicles.) Simply put, Cosmos is monumental.

SAVE $56: As of Jan. 9, get the Dewalt 142-Piece Tool Kit and Socket Set for $99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $155. That's a discount of 36%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Dewalt 142-Piece Tool Kit and Socket Set $99.00 at Amazon
$155.00 Save $56.00 Get Deal

Everyone needs a set of tools in their home. You never know when they might come in handy, especially if something is broken or out of commission. You don't want to have to rely on someone else to come fix, say, your sink or your toilet, or a squeaky hinge you've had to deal with for days and days. Dewalt has a great selection of tool kits that can help you deal with just about any of those situations, and at a great price, especially the one that's on offer today at Amazon.

As of Jan. 9, the Dewalt 142-Piece Tool Kit and Socket Set is $99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $155. That's a discount of 36% and $56 less than you'd normally pay.

This set comes with a variety of tools you might need for different situations. This comprehensive tool set includes 2 pear head ratchets and a complete socket collection featuring 28 1/4-inch drive 6-point sockets in both SAE (3/16, 7/32, 1/4, 9/32, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2) and metric sizes (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13). The set also contains 29 3/8-inch drive sockets, 2 extensions, 2 universal joints, 2 adaptors, and 1 spark plug socket. For additional versatility, it comes with 22 screwdriving bits, 10 combination wrenches, 28 hex keys in both standard and metric sizes, 1 vinyl grip multi driver, and 15 nut driver bits. All the tools are housed in a durable storage case.

If you happen to need to beef up the tools you have or you're starting to build a reliable kit, this is a sale you won't want to miss out on, especially at this price. It may not be a glamorous or "fun" buy, but you have to start with the basics if you want to make home life easy and frustration-free.

SAVE $7.50: A $50 Instacart gift card is on sale in the Best Buy app for just $42.50. That's a 15% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Instacart $50 Instacart gift card $42.50 at Best Buy
$50.00 Save $7.50 Get Deal

We all agree that shopping for groceries costs more than it did just a few years ago. Sometimes, it actually feels like the price is shockingly different from what it was just last week. If you're looking for some savings on your next grocery shop, act fast to score this gift card deal in the Best Buy app.

As of 11 a.m. ET on Jan. 9, a $50 Instacart gift card is on sale in the Best Buy app for just $42.50. That means you'll be saving $7.50 and score a 15% discount.

The Instacart gift card is part of Best Buy Drops, which sees a new deal a few times a week that's available to purchase only in the Best Buy app and with limited quantities. That means you'll want to act fast to score this Instacart gift card deal.

SEE ALSO: Get a $15 Target gift card just for stocking up on essentials

If you're interested in getting quick access to future Best Buy Drops offers, it's best to already have the Best Buy app downloaded on your smartphone and be sure to log into your free Best Buy account. You can also turn on notifications so you'll get a reminder when as soon as a new deal goes live.

The Instacart gift card is a great way to save on your next grocery purchase, but Instacart has a seriously expansive list of retailers. Place an order at Lowe's to help out with this weekend's home improvement project, buy the dog food that's running low from PetSmart, or gift yourself something nice from Sephora.

Don't delay scooping up this $50 Instacart gift card for just $42.50 in the Best Buy app. We typically see Best Buy Drops disappear quickly, and since we're all looking for ways to save in 2025, this opportunity is not to be missed.

If you are in Los Angeles or have loved ones who are, there is an app you can use to track the progress of the multiple dangerous wildfires burning across and around the city.

Watch Duty, which is available via iOS and Android, as well as in a web browser, is a free app with a clean interface that allows users to check on wildfires anywhere, not just in LA. That said, it's particularly helpful for the LA wildfires thanks to the presence of helpful information about the containment level of each fire (sadly, it's sitting around zero percent for most of them at the time of writing) and which areas have been evacuated.

A look at how the app works. Credit: Screenshot: Watch Duty

A combination of unseasonably dry weather and intense wind storms helped create the inferno currently threatening LA. As of Thursday morning, tens of thousands of acres of land have already burned, with more to come as firefighters struggle to contain the flames. Almost 200,000 area residents are under evacuation orders, with at least five confirmed dead, CBS News reports.

Every CES is a glimpse into the future of technology. Well, for us tech writers and reviewers, it's also a lot of walking around, leaning over throngs of people to take a glimpse of a laptop, and frantically taking photos of gadgets. But this year's CES really made all our collective efforts here at Mashable worthwhile, as it delivered tons of stuff that really does feel like the future. Yes, that includes robotic vacuums with robotic arms.

The list that follows is not a "best of" nor is it complete. It's just a list of the stuff revealed at CES 2025 that made me go: WANT. And, reader, there were quite a few of those this year.

Roborock Saros Z70 Hey Roborock, fetch me the remote. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

We knew about this one beforehand and we knew it'd be a hit, but what we didn't know that there would be two of them.

The Roborock Saros Z70 is a robotic vacuum cleaner that has a protruding robotic arm that can remove items such as socks from your floor. I'm not sure how useful this will be in everyday use, but it's cooler than any other robotic vacuum cleaner I've seen so far.

But wait, there's more. Dreame, a company which also makes robotic vacuum, brought a robot vacuum with a protruding robotic appendage of its own to CES 2025. It's just in prototype stage at the moment, so it'll probably hit the market a little later than Roborock Saros Z70, which should become available in April 2025.

Nvidia Digits That tiny thing on the left? That's a supercomputer. Credit: Nvidia

I don't exactly need this desk-sized supercomputer from Nvidia. I don't build or test artificial intelligence apps. But it is every computer nerd's dream: An extremely powerful computer (think Nvidia GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, 128GB of memory, and up to 4TB of storage) that you can actually afford, put on your desk, and hide behind a book (you won't do that, but you could).

Being able to run large language models up to 200-billion-parameters (roughly the size of ChatGPT 3.5), the Nvidia Digits might singlehandedly revolutionize the development of AI apps when it hits the market in May, and it will do it at a starting price of $3,000.

Anker Solix Solar Beach Umbrella It will be available in time for summer 2025, Anker says. Credit: Anker

You didn't know you needed a solar beach umbrella, did you? But now you know, and yes, you definitely do need it.

Sure, you can cool your drinks in other, less cool ways. You could even buy Anker's electric cooler without the solar umbrella, as it has a battery big enough to last you 52 hours. But the umbrella is what will make you, by far, the coolest geek on the beach.

(We're joking, there is no such title as "coolest geek on the beach.")

If you do opt for the Anker Solix Solar Beach Umbrella, you'll get up to 100W of power for your electric beverage cooler and other gadgets, as well as protection from the rain and the sun. It doesn't get any better than this.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Do I have time for gaming these days? No. Am I still buying this thing? Also no. But will I daydream about it? Every day. Credit: Nvidia

The worst-kept secret ahead of CES 2025 was Nvidia launching new, RTX 50-series graphics cards, and sure enough, the company obliged.

The star of the show is the GeForce RTX 5090, a card that should offer double the performance of its predecessor, the mighty RTX 4090. The details are a little murkier than we'd like, as some of this performance boost is due to Nvidia's DLSS 4 tech, which boosts fps with the help of AI, which is not supported by every game out there.

Still, a new king is in town, and it will let you play even the most demanding games around for the eye-watering price of $1,999.

If that sounds like a lot (it is), you could go for the more affordable, $999 RTX 5080, the $799 5070 Ti, or the RTX 5070, which retails for $549. You won't get the flagship performance, but these should all outperform the 40-series cards, and that's a pretty big deal if you're into gaming.

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 So. Tall. Credit: Lenovo

Imagine this: You're sitting down in a cafe, ordering an espresso. You whip out a laptop, open it up...and then the screen gets taller. And taller. And taller, until it unrolls to the size of 16.7 inches and a resolution of 2,000 x 2,350. You are now the king of this cafe. Even the typically disinterested barista is ogling your mighty laptop.

Geeky wet dreams aside, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 is one practical machine. It's pretty much a normal laptop, but it gives you a decent chunk of additional screen real-estate thanks to its rollable OLED display, and I can't think of a reason why you'd say no to that.

OK, there's one reason: This thing will cost $3,499 when it hits the market in June. OK, that's a pretty big reason. Damn you, money, and the fact that you don't rain.

Segway Xyber A 6,000 watt motor paired with a 2,880Wh battery equals fun. Credit: Segway

Segway, the company once known for the two-wheeled transporters that gave way to e-scooters and e-bikes in the late 2010s, brought a bunch of new personal electric vehicles to CES 2025.

The one that caught my eye, however, was the Segway Xyber. It's a sort of a hybrid between a race bike and an rugged e-bicycle, and even though it can go from 0 to 20 mph in just 2.7 seconds, it still has pedals if you want to keep using your own power. The massive, 2,880Wh battery provides 112 miles of range, meaning you can take this one pretty much anywhere.

LG UltraFine 6K 6K never looked this elegant. Credit: LG

Yes, it's the first 32-inch, 6K monitor with Thunderbolt 5 support, meaning it should pair well with M4 Pro MacBook Pros and Mac mini.

And yes, we don't really know all of the specs, including its refresh rate. Or price. Or availability date. (We do know it has a Nano IPS Black panel with a wide color gamut covering 99.5% of Adobe RGB and 98% of DCI-P3, but that's about it).

But just look at the thing. It has nearly no bezels. It's just a beautiful, 6K display on a stand, and the stand is of equally minimalistic design. It would be perfect for my MacBook Pro. In fact, don't tell me the price, LG. Please. Just let me enjoy this moment.

Honda 0 SUV and Honda 0 Saloon If this is what the future of EVs looks like, I don't mind. Credit: Honda

Honda's new 0 Series electric car prototypes aren't entirely new; the company first debuted them last January, during CES 2024. Now, we've seen the next iteration of the Honda 0 Saloon and the Honda 0 SUV, and they look even better than before. If there ever were cars that screamed "the future, but as it was imagined in the 1980ies", these prototypes are it.

Let's just hope the actual mass market versions don't stray too far from this design when they go on sale in 2026, first in the U.S., and then in Japan and Europe.

Wait, you want specs? Sorry about that: Honda didn't really share much. They'll be powered by Honda's ASIMO OS, and should come with Level 3 autonomous driving. We don't know anything about the powertrain or the battery. But they look great, and that'll do for now.

SAVE $10: At CES 2025, Anker debuted two new devices. Get the 140W 4-port charger and 165W power bank for $10 off.

CES 2025: Anker deals Anker 140W 4-port charger $79.99 at Anker (Save $10) Get Deal Anker 165W power bank $89.99 at Anker (Save $10) Get Deal

CES showcases the latest innovations in the tech world with products ranging from useful to uncanny. Out of everything showcased at the conference, a minuscule amount of products are available for purchase. Sometimes you have to wait months for products to hit the market while others are simply prototypes that will never see the light of day. There are some gadgets you can preorder or buy now, including Anker's new charger and power bank.

Anker's 140W charger powers up not one or two devices at a time, but up to four with its three USB-C and one USB-A port. Plus, it simultaneously charges two laptops at a time. It's quick charging too, able to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro or 15-inch MacBook Air up to 50 percent in just 25 to 30 minutes. It's available to order now but the website says it will plan to ship out between Jan. 18 and 20.

Additionally, Anker debuted a new power bank that features two retractable USB-C cords to let you charge both a laptop and phone at the same time. It has a 25,000mAh capacity, and like the charger it's lightning fast, getting devices up to 50 percent in as little as 25 minutes.

Both of these devices are $10 off at launch with the help of an on-page coupon. Normally $89.99, the Anker 140W charger is down to $79.99 while the Anker 165W power bank, which starts at $99.99, is down to $89.99. All you have to do to get this deal is copy the code on the product page.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker 140W 4-port charger $79.99 at Anker
$89.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker 165W power bank $89.99
$99.99 Save $10.00 Get Deal

SAVE 50%: A refurbished Dyson Corrale straightener is just $199.99 at Walmart, down from the usual refurbished price of $399.99. That's a savings of $200, or $300 off the price of a brand-new model.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Refurbished Dyson Corrale straightener $199.99 at Walmart
$399.99 Save $200.00 Get Deal

These days, we have a lot to worry about, and anything that can make our daily lives a bit easier is welcome. If you straighten your hair often and want technology that straightens effectively and protects your hair health, Dyson's got you — and you can get the cult-favorite Dyson Corrale straightener for way less at Walmart today.

As of Jan. 9, a refurbished Dyson Corrale straightener is on sale at Walmart for just $199.99, marked down from the usual refurbished price of $399.99. That means you'll be saving $200 and score a sweet 50% discount. A brand-new Dyson Corrale sells for $499.99, which means this deal shaves an entire $300 off the cost of a new model.

SEE ALSO: Walmart has refurbished Dyson stick vacuums on sale for up to $270 less than a brand-new model

Way back in the day, we used our hair straighteners to get sleek, perfectly straight hairstyles. But these days, we can use these great hair tools for creating waves and curls with fewer flyaways. Unlike most straighteners, the Dyson Corrale uses flexing copper plates. This not only gives you better control of shaping, it styles your locks with less damage. Dyson says the plates helps reduce frizz, too.

Dyson also mentions the Corrale will feel different in your hand compared to traditional straighteners. The team designed the Corrale with a weight balance that allows you to use a looser grip, handing the heavy lifting off to the copper flexing plates.

Another huge benefit of the Dyson Corrale is its cordless design. We've all ended up tangled in the cord of a straightener, fighting to get it out of the way, so the nice team at Dyson went ahead and got rid of it for us. That means you'll use the included travel-friendly charging dock to recharge the straightener when you're done. Expect to get about 30 minutes of styling time with each charge.

This deal also includes a charging cable and a heat-resistant travel pouch.

The refurbished Dyson Corrale comes with a one-year warranty and the reassurance that it's gone through Dyson's rigorous refurbishing process. This includes a thorough inspection, renewal with genuine parts, and hygienic cleaning.

If your plans for 2025 involve prioritizing your wellbeing without spending a fortune, today's deal on a refurbished Dyson Corrale is a great option. You'll be paying a fraction of the price and cutting down on hair damage while doing so. That's basically in the dictionary as the definition of a win-win situation.

The tech industry is fighting new regulations, expected soon, that aim to keep the cutting-edge technology in the United States and allied countries.