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As colleges and high schools try to figure out how to integrate AI into the classroom responsibly, students aren’t waiting for permission. Young people often lead the way in adopting new technology, and students may actually know more about AI than their teachers. And for these young people, AI is just a few button presses away at all times. 

As the technology proliferates more in day-to-day life, many higher learning institutions have taken it upon themselves to include AI in the learning process to prepare students to use it correctly once they graduate. 

There isn’t a standard for how AI should be used in colleges, at least not yet, and with approximately 4,000 degree-granting higher learning institutions in the U.S. alone, colleges are tackling AI in some interesting ways. 

Middle and high school is where it starts for most kids

AI education starts in middle and high school these days. There are more than 14,000 middle schools and 23,000 high schools in the United States, and the U.S. lacks a cohesive, nationwide approach to AI eduction like you'd find in China.

Generally speaking, AI policy starts at the state level, where governments pass laws to require schools to come up with some sort of AI policy. As an example, Ohio mandated that the state’s Department of Education come up with AI rules no later than Dec. 31, 2025. 

SEE ALSO: What is Alpha, the AI-only school of the future?

This is still ongoing as of this writing, but schools are starting to come around. Per a study by Bowdoin College, 31 percent of high schools have an AI policy in place as of August 2025. Sometimes, these policies are more about what students should not do with AI rather than teaching them how to use it. For instance, some high schools with AI policies largely prohibit students from passing off AI-generated work as their own and require students to cite when they use AI for school projects. Students also typically need permission from teachers to use AI in the first place. 

Meanwhile, some public and private school districts are taking it upon themselves to train students for an AI-first future. MIT recently published an open-source AI ethics curriculum that middle schools can use to introduce students to AI and teach them how to use it responsibly. Lessons focus on basic AI literacy, ethics, and data training basics.

At the college level

Colleges are swiftly putting general rules for AI use into place to guide students toward ethical AI use. Some schools, like the University of Georgia, have relaxed rules when it comes to AI, allowing students to use it as long as the instructor says it’s OK. UGA’s example is pretty close to what most colleges do. Students are generally allowed to use AI for basic tasks like correcting grammar or basic research, but AI is typically not allowed to complete assignments for the student. 

This seems to be the pattern that colleges are starting to follow, with some variation on how strict the rules are. For example, Vanderbilt lets faculty decide how students can use AI in their classes, but the college requires all students to disclose when they use AI for their coursework. Rice, by contrast, considers using any idea generated by AI to be plagiarism. These policies often extend to college admissions, with most colleges having rules against using AI to write any part of an application essay. 

However, rules and college AI policies are not the only way colleges are preparing students for AI. 

Adding AI to the curriculum

There are few better ways to prepare students for a life in the AI age than actual classes on the topic. This is also becoming increasingly common in universities. Big-name schools such as Cornell and Harvard have taken this approach, as have many smaller liberal-arts colleges. Students studying diverse subjects such as biology, computer science, and engineering can now take classes on applying AI to these fields.

In fact, some schools are even baking an education about AI into undergraduate studies. One famous example is Ohio State University’s AI Fluency program, which embeds AI fluency directly into the curriculum, making it mandatory for students to learn about AI as they progress through their studies. The University of Florida is doing the same, as are several others. 

It’s likely that more courses and mandatory curriculum inclusion are coming over the next five to 10 years as colleges figure things out, but the march to teach this technology has already begun. 

Full-blown majors

The next extension of teaching AI to students is allowing them to make a career out of it, and some colleges are already preparing students for that life. Multiple large colleges have opened up new AI degrees, allowing students to get a Bachelor of Science in the study of AI. This is relatively new and still ongoing, but colleges are jumping on the train in increasing numbers. 

The first such university to do so was Ohio University. It launched its program in 2024. More colleges have added similar degrees to the ranks, with LSU, Kennesaw State, and Northwestern being some of the most recent additions to the list. All three colleges announced their programs in March 2026, and they’re either available now or will be in the fall semester. 

AI has already been shown to be a viable career path. Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon are aggressively hiring AI professionals, along with companies like Lockheed Martin, AMD, and the AI companies themselves, like OpenAI. Goldman Sachs predicts that the market for AI jobs will increase over the next decade, so colleges preparing students for that reality is no surprise. 

A long way to go

While AI literacy programs are still in their infancy at the middle and high school level, expect to see a lot more AI integrated into K-12 education in the years ahead. Already, many teachers are using AI to help them with lesson plans, while students are using AI to help study and complete assignments.

At the college level, educators are still learning how to navigate a world with an increasing amount of AI, and some are doing it faster than others. However, the patterns are pretty clear. More colleges have rules on ethical AI use to teach students how not to use generative AI (and avoid cheating accusations in the process), along with classes to help them better understand this burgeoning technology, and entire fields of study for those who want to make AI their career. These initiatives aren’t present at every college, but they’re getting there, and quickly. 

Applying to college can be extremely stressful for students and their parents alike. To help make the process a little easier, some of them are turning to artificial intelligence for help. And even though generative AI is still a relatively new technology, it has already changed the college applications process in surprising ways.

So, before you complete your next application, learn how the admissions process is evolving to incorporate AI.

College essays are becoming less important

The first domino to fall was the time-honored college essay. These essays are meant to give students a chance to show off their personality, writing voice, and writing competence. However, some teenagers are turning to AI to help speed up the essay-writing process, and colleges know it.

Unfortunately, there's no sure-fire way to identify AI writing. As a result, many colleges are placing less emphasis on these essays altogether.

How many students are using AI to write college essays? It's impossible to know for sure. Scholarships360, a website that helps students find scholarships, ran 1,000 student essays through an AI detection tool, which flagged 42 percent of them. And although AI detection tools are known to be unreliable, surveys show that more than half of Gen Z uses AI on a weekly basis, including for help with college applications.

Scholarship360 CEO Will Geiger told The Hechinger Report that he began noticing student essays using similar language to one another, and how each essay felt sterile and spiked with words that teenagers didn’t typically use. The formatting and length were also dead giveaways, per Geiger. 

Duke University has famously stopped giving numerical ratings to students’ application essays or even taking them into consideration at all, with AI being one of the major reasons. “Essays are very much part of our understanding of the applicant; we’re just no longer assuming that the essay is an accurate reflection of the student's actual writing ability,” said Christoph Guttentag, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Duke University, to the Duke Chronicle.

Students aren't the only ones using AI

According to a study by Foundry10, nearly 30 percent of students and teachers now use AI consistently for college applications. As mentioned previously, students are primarily using it to help write admission and scholarship essays, while teachers are using AI to help write recommendation letters, which are often included in college applications. 

This has been a double-edged sword. AI has certainly made it easier for teachers and students to produce these essays and letters, but if their writing sounds like it was generated by AI — even if it wasn’t — that could hurt a student’s application.

In addition, Foundry10’s study shows that letters and essays written with AI are generally regarded as less authentic and competent than those written manually.

Colleges often use AI during admissions, too

Despite a general distrust of AI-generated college essays, many colleges still trust the technology to read and summarize those same student essays. Virginia Tech became one of the first major U.S. public colleges to publicly employ such a system by using AI to review student essays for admissions, a system that rolled out for the 2025-26 school year. Colleges like UNC-Chapel Hill are also using AI to analyze applicants' essays.

On the other end of the spectrum, several colleges also use AI to check for AI writing. Brigham Young University uses software to check for AI-generated content and plagiarism, for instance. Caltech also uses AI to analyze research projects from applicants, and even to assist with early interviews. 

Per GradPilot, roughly 50 percent of admissions offices in the U.S. now use at least some form of AI, whether it’s to read essays, check for plagiarism, summarize recommendation letters, or process transcripts. The true number is unknown, as it’s estimated that many colleges use AI without saying so to avoid media scrutiny.

Students applying for college should expect that the college will use AI to some extent. 

Some colleges have outright banned the use of AI

Whether or not using AI will get your application flagged depends heavily on which college you apply to. The University of Georgia is perfectly OK with students using AI, albeit responsibly, and even has a pilot program in 2026 that gives some students licenses to use ChatGPT. So, using generative AI to apply to Georgia is probably perfectly alright, as long as most of the work is still done by the student. 

Other colleges have taken a much harder-nosed approach, outright banning the use of AI and promising punishment to students who use it. Brown University is one such example where students are forbidden from using AI for anything other than “basic proofreading.” Other colleges with similar restrictions include Georgetown, Yale, and Duke. 

Thus, part of any student’s application process in 2026 and beyond should be to double-check the AI policy for any college they apply to. Using AI the wrong way, or while applying to the wrong college, may cause an automatic rejection. 

New AI tools for college admissions

Students and parents now have a ton of new tools available to help them prep for and apply to college. This includes the tools young people might be using every day, like ChatGPT and Grammarly, plus purpose-built tools to track admissions. Tools like Kollegio, ESAI, and KapAdvisor can help young people streamline the application process or even find schools to apply to.

There are also a ton of AI study tools for high schoolers who need help with homework, SAT/ACT prep, and any other assignments.

SEE ALSO: 7 AI tools you can use to enhance your work life

Finally, some students are using AI as a general-purpose admissions counselor, the New York Times recently reported. While ChatGPT can help students find colleges to apply to or simply act as a sounding board, students should also know that AI chatbots still hallucinate and make mistakes.

AI will continue to change the admissions process

AI will keep changing the college admissions process in the same way digitization did nearly 30 years ago. Back in the old days, applicants had to do everything with physical paper until the internet revolutionized the process, allowing students to apply faster and to more colleges with less effort. 

AI’s ability to automate a lot of the processes has that same potential, and in some cases, has already helped students and admissions officers. The rules are still being written in real-time as colleges navigate the AI landscape and students find new ways to use AI.

For the time being, the best practice is not to rely on AI for personal essays, and to check colleges' AI policies before applying.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Chatbots are changing the way we access information and what we gain from it. It's happening online, in workplaces, and, over the last few years, in schools themselves. 

In the wake of early mass adoption of ChatGPT — years before its parent company OpenAI added age-specific tools and restrictions — schools, including in Los Angeles and New York City, banned chatbots in the classroom outright. Many school officials feared generative AI tools would be used primarily to cheat, and there are still concerns that AI can hamper learning or exacerbate mental health concerns, including child exploitation. 

But in the years since launch, some K-12 systems have partially reversed course and embraced AI. Sentiment among teachers has shifted, and students are using AI more routinely. The move may also be influenced by an intentional investment by AI developers hoping to get their products in the hands of teachers and students alike. Thousands of colleges, for example, have deals with AI developers, including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic — the three companies have also launched "tutor" versions of their products to general users. 

On the K-12 level, these AI giants, and others like Canva and Microsoft, have designed tools specifically for teachers and introduced gated AI agents to students themselves. Many schools are in the midst of renegotiating existing educational contracts with such companies to account for free AI products — technology that didn't exist when some institutions agreed to add digital product suites to student and faculty computers.  

AI tech is evolving rapidly, and many questions remain. Here's how the nation's three largest school districts approach artificial intelligence:

NYC Public Schools

New York City's public school system serves more than 900,000 students across 1,597 public schools and nearly 300 charter schools. The Education Department is the city's largest agency, with plans to expand services to a new pre-K program, as well. It was also one of the first to ban ChatGPT, and then unblock it. 

New York City Public Schools recently announced a new set of AI guidelines for students, teachers, and families created by its AI Task Force. Previously, individual schools took on the responsibility of designing their own policies to address urgent concerns about AI. NYC's rulebook is one of the most user-friendly Mashable has seen so far, but many specifics about AI student use are still unclear.  

How should NYC teachers approach AI?

NYC Public Schools mandates all AI tools go under what is known as the ERMA (Enterprise Review Management Application) process. ERMA oversees privacy and security rules, and now includes parameters for appropriate AI use, including: the need for human oversight and review, a prohibition on inputting personal student information into unapproved AI systems, AI tool-specific age restrictions, and discretion over AI outputs.

The guidelines also explain the school system's "traffic light" approach to AI: every potential AI use case is categorized as green (approved), yellow (careful judgment needed), or red (prohibited).

NYC schools can't use AI to make decisions regarding class placement, graduation, eligibility, or discipline, for example. AI cannot be used to create Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), prohibit a student from choosing a specific path of coursework, or confer grades. AI cannot be used to provide emotional or therapeutic counsel to students, and AI-powered surveillance is prohibited. The use of student data for AI training is banned. 

Yellow light cases include using AI tools to evaluate data sets and translating critical information for students and parents. Educators get the green light to use AI for tasks such as scheduling, generating accessible materials, and refining communications.   

Can NYC students use AI?

For now, students are allowed to use AI for basic "research, exploration, and creative projects," according to NYC Public Schools, but it must be used with educator oversight. The system considers student use of AI in learning a "yellow light" use case, and students aren't encouraged to incorporate AI without their teachers' involvement. 

NYC Public Schools has not yet decided if students are banned from using personal chatbots or the extent to which AI tools can be used to complete homework assignments outside of school. Meanwhile, parent advocates have called for a two year moratorium on the technology outright, citing the district's lack of concern for long-term learning consequences, privacy, and the environment.

"Our students are already encountering AI beyond school walls," the public school system writes on its website. "The question is whether they are equipped with critical thinking, ethical grounding, and creative agency—or left to navigate AI alone."

SEE ALSO: What's your college's AI policy? Find out here. Los Angeles Unified School District 

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), which serves more than 376,000 students, has been trying to rein in unhampered tech use by students. In 2025, the Los Angeles Unified School District joined several other school districts across the country in implementing a bell-to-bell student cellphone ban, prohibiting phone use during school hours. 

In April, the LAUSD school board unanimously approved a new resolution limiting access to technology in classrooms, including instituting screen time restrictions and banning devices for kindergarten and first-grade students.

AI, however, has remained elusive. Following an initial block on ChatGPT, LAUSD introduced its own AI chatbot, "Ed," in 2024. The chatbot was shuttered just three months later, after its developers went out of business, and the district's superintendent has recently been under federal investigation for alleged ties to the company. Months before, an LAUSD AI task force drafted its first usage policies, which are no longer available on the LAUSD website.  

However, updated AI policies were distributed in an April 2024 policy bulletin. Across the board, users are only permitted to use district-approved tools, and educators must obtain consent from parents or legal guardians before using certain apps with students. LAUSD employees and users are not allowed to upload copyrighted materials or "share any confidential, sensitive, privileged or private information when using, prompting, or communicating with any AI tools." They must independently verify AI outputs and be wary of hallucinations and bias.

Can LAUSD students use AI? 

Students under the age of 13 are banned from using any generative AI tools (and social media), according to the Los Angeles Times. Older students are allowed to use AI under specific conditions and with administrator approval.  

As of September, LAUSD also recommended student AI training, including an annual "digital citizenship" course, and distributed a Responsible Use Policy for students and parents to sign.

Students can't upload personal information to district-approved chatbots, illegally download materials, or upload copyrighted materials, and must properly cite all sources. They cannot use AI to generate hateful speech or facilitate bullying. 

The policy doesn't oversee personal chatbot use outside of the district network.

Chicago City Public Schools

Last year, Chicago's public school system (CPS) published a lengthy AI Guidebook, pledging to fully integrate generative AI across CPS during the 2025-2026 school year. The system, serving around 316,000 students at 630 schools, is part of a Gates Foundation-funded case study on implementing AI in K-12 schools. 

In line with other school policies, students and teachers can only use AI tools permitted by the district. Currently, most chatbots, including ChatGPT and Claude, are not approved for use. Teachers, not students, can use Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. 

Educators must follow age restrictions set by AI companies and monitor student use. While CPS allows teachers to use AI detection tools to catch plagiarism, the district warns educators should be cautious of false positives. 

Can Chicago public school students use AI?

Students are encouraged to use administrator-approved AI tools at CPS schools for tasks such as brainstorming, summarizing information, and setting deadlines and schedules. CPS says students can use approved tools to create digital media or generate creative writing prompts. Students are also encouraged to use GenAI as a study partner and consult AI-powered search engines as needed. However, many of these tools (such as Perplexity or Nano Banana) are not on the list of approved products.

Students are required to cite any AI used in their assignments, which must be "fundamentally" generated by the student. AI plagiarism is handled through the existing Student Code of Conduct. Teachers are tasked with monitoring students' appropriate use of AI.

Nationwide AI policies  

Despite an increase in AI use by students and teachers, policies to foster responsible AI use lag across the country. A 2025 survey by government-funded research nonprofit RAND found that 80 percent of students felt their teachers didn't teach them how to use AI for schoolwork. Fewer than half of school principals cited having AI policies, and only around a third of teachers reported having academic integrity policies that addressed AI use. 

Meanwhile, around 34 state-level education departments have issued AI policy recommendations, according to AI literacy organization AI for Education. The federal government, including First Lady Melania Trump, has pushed for greater tech integration in children's education. Miami-Dade County schools, the fourth largest school system in the U.S., recently announced a partnership with Google to pilot new classroom AI tools.

Rise of AI-only K-12

While public schools figure out the best way to approach the new technology at scale, private, tech-backed programs are fully embracing AI. This includes the rise of AI-only schools, including a Department of Education darling known as Alpha schools. In direct opposition to the prevailing advice abided by public school districts — to keep humans in the loop at all times — Alpha replaces human teachers with screens, offering students just two hours of AI-powered instruction facilitated by adult "guides," not education professionals. 

Alpha is backed by private equity investors, including its co-founder and school "principal" Joe Liemandt, who has funneled personal cash into the AI "school of the future." Meanwhile, public school funding has been on the decline. According to estimates for the 2026 school year, public funding for K-12 schools dropped by 11 percent. Districts across the country are facing teacher shortages and educator turnover rates. AI can only do so much. 

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Whether you're skeptical of the AI hype or counting on them to get you through finals, the reality is that AI tools are showing up in classrooms whether you asked for them or not.

The upside: many AI companies are actively courting college students with steep discounts. So, if you're a college student hunting for deals on AI services like Gemini or Copilot, this guide's for you.

In addition to the deals in this guide, your college may also offer access to a variety of AI tools at a reduced or free rate. Here are the AI college discounts available right now.

Google Gemini + NotebookLM

Google's student offer is probably the most generous on this list. Eligible college students 18 and older can get the Google AI Pro plan — normally about $20 a month — completely free for a full year. That gets you access to Gemini 3.1 Pro, NotebookLM, Deep Research, and 5TB of storage, among other perks.

NotebookLM is the quiet standout here. You feed it your source material — lecture recordings, PDFs, textbook chapters — and it organizes, summarizes, and lets you ask questions about it. It can even generate audio study guides. Worth noting: set a calendar reminder before the year is up, because it will start charging you automatically.

Sign up at gemini.google/students.

Perplexity Education Pro

Perplexity's AI-powered search tool offers a dedicated student tier, Education Pro, at $10 a month — half the standard price — after verifying your enrollment through SheerID. Beyond the discount, student accounts get expanded citation counts, file and image uploads, access to a guided learning mode with flashcards and quizzes, and broader access to its Academic and Research features. It's a more source-transparent tool than most, which makes it a reasonable choice if you care about where information is actually coming from.

Sign up at perplexity.ai.

Wolfram Alpha Pro

If your coursework involves a lot of math, physics, or chemistry, Wolfram Alpha Pro has long been a quietly useful tool. The student plan runs $5 a month (billed annually at $60), and it unlocks step-by-step solutions, practice problems, guided calculators for calculus and algebra, and extended computation time. A Premium tier at $8.25 a month adds even more. The free version exists but won't show you how to get to an answer, which is usually the whole point.

Sign up at wolframalpha.com/pro/pricing/students.

Microsoft 365 (with Copilot)

Microsoft actually has two separate offers worth knowing about, and most students don't realize either exists. First, the base Office 365 Education plan — which includes web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams, and Copilot Chat — is completely free for students at eligible institutions, donated directly by Microsoft with no strings attached. If your school qualifies, you may already have access and not know it.

For students who want more than the browser-based versions, Microsoft is currently running a limited-time promotion giving college students 12 full months of Microsoft 365 Premium at no cost, just by signing up with a college email. That tier unlocks the full desktop apps across multiple devices, expanded cloud storage, and deeper Copilot integration baked into the productivity tools you're already using.

The practical advice here: check with your school first. If your institution is already enrolled in Office 365 Education, you have free access to the core tools without doing anything. The premium offer is worth grabbing separately if you need the desktop apps or want more storage.

Sign up at microsoft.com/en-us/education/products/office.

What about ChatGPT?

OpenAI no longer offers a dedicated student discount for ChatGPT, but the good news is that GPT-5.2, one of OpenAI's flagship models, is currently available to all users at no cost. OpenAI also works directly with some universities to provide campus-wide access, so it's worth checking with your school before paying for anything.

A note before you spend anything

Most of these services have free tiers that handle basic tasks reasonably well. Before committing to a paid plan, check whether your college already covers any of these tools — many schools have institutional licenses for Google Workspace, Microsoft, or others. Spending money on software you already have access to is its own kind of homework mistake.

It should also be noted that a discounted subscription doesn't come with a free pass to use these tools however you want. AI policy varies wildly from campus to campus — some professors welcome it as a research aid, others treat AI-assisted work the same as plagiarism, and many fall somewhere in the murky middle.

A few major universities have published approved tool lists, but most haven't yet, so the safest move is to ask before you submit anything. Getting caught submitting AI-generated work as your own isn't just an academic integrity problem — it can follow you. These tools work best when they help you understand the material, not do the thinking for you.

At a glance, the pitch for The Sheep Detectives seems less like an actual movie that exists and more like an unhinged Mad Libs page: From the co-creator of TV's The Last of Us, Craig Mazin, comes a cozy crime comedy in which Hugh Jackman stars as a misanthropic shepherd, whose unexpected death spurs his furry flock into amateur investigating. Lending their voices to these sleuthing sheep are Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Patrick Stewart, Regina Hall, and Bella Ramsey. At the helm sits Kyle Balda, director of Minions: The Rise of Gru. And for good measure, the rest of the human cast includes the likes of Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson. 

Incredibly, The Sheep Detectives is a real movie. Frankly, it could have been a deeply stupid movie with bad CGI animation and a predictable solution, and I still would have been pleased that it even existed at all. I just love a big swing for its bonkers ambition. But props to Balda and his kooky cast, because The Sheep Detectives is so much more than silly fun. It's a smart parody of the detective stories with a cheeky sense of humor, a sensational ensemble, and an ending so poignant that I actually teared up! 

It might sound like sheer hyperbole, but I mean this sincerely: The Sheep Detectives is an utter crowd-pleaser sure to be one of the most entertaining movies of the year. 

If you love Only Murders in the Building or The Thursday Murder Club, you'll adore The Sheep Detectives.  Regina Hall as the voice of Cloud, Chris O’Dowd as the voice of Mopple and Julia-Louis Dreyfus as the voice of Lily in "The Sheep Detectives." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Based on Leonie Swann's 2005 novel Three Bags Full, The Sheep Detectives begins on the farmland of George Hardy (a terrifically game Jackman), a lonely shepherd who dedicates his life to the care of his sheep. Through voiceover, George explains that he doesn't care much for people, but he loves his flock. Then, he introduces each ram, lamb, and ewe by name. There's the fluffy diva Cloud (Regina Hall), the spunky lamb Juno (Ramsey), the sage-like Mopple (O'Dowd), the rambunctious twin rams (both voiced by Brett Goldstein), and his favorites, the tawny-colored Lily (Louis-Dreyfus) and the surly black sheep, Sebastian (Cranston). 

At the end of each day, George settles down with the setting sun and a mystery novel, which he reads aloud to his sheep. He suspects they understand neither hide nor hair of these detective stories, but he treasures the tradition all the same. Little does George know that when speaking amongst themselves, the sheep compare notes each night, hoping to crack the case ahead of the novel's sleuth. It's always Lily who gets it right. So, when one morning they find George dead in their meadow, Lily leads the others in finding his killer. 

With Sebastian and Mopple at her side, she travels to the nearby village to size up the suspects, including a grimacing butcher (Conleth Hill), a rival shepherd (Tosin Cole), the rude bed-and-breakfast proprietor (Chau), and a mysterious stranger (Gordon), whose arrival in town is quite suspicious. 

Of course, while Lily and her flock understand English, they don't speak it. So, they'll need to figure out how to communicate their findings with investigative journalist Elliot Matthews (Galitzine) and the village's only police officer, Tim Derry (Braun). Along the way, they'll not only use what they've learned from George's books, but also face some hard truths about what it means to be a sheep. 

Cozy crime has a new masterpiece in The Sheep Detectives.  Nicholas Braun stars as Officer Tim Derry and Molly Gordon as Rebecca Hampstead in "The Sheep Detectives." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Craig Mazin's script doesn't spoof detective stories. Instead, like Scream did for slashers, The Sheep Detectives draws attention to the tropes of its genre to better subvert them. Lily dedicatedly notes how motive, means, and alibis are all crucial pieces of information. But both she and the cop soon realize that solving a murder isn't as simple as a checking off the boxes in a game of Clue. Humor comes not only from the weird twists the investigation takes, but also from the inventive ways the sheep find to communicate their message to this clown of a cop. 

Braun is a solid fool in the role, bouncing not only off the CGI sheep, which are brought to life with animation that finds a cozy spot between photo-real and cutesy critter. He also plays the foil to smarter figures, like Galitzine's reporter, Gordon's could-be femme fatale, and Emma Thompson's lawyer, whose tongue is as sharp as her attire. 

Emma Thompson stars as Lydia Harbottle in "The Sheep Detectives." Credit: Alex Bailey / Amazon MGM Studios

Mazin shrewdly brings together archetypes from a cozy English village and from film noir to create a thrilling conflict of tone. Reflecting this mash-up, The Sheep Detectives repeatedly leaps from bouncy comedy to tense moments around the murder investigations. And Balda's ensemble manages each leap with grace. Louis-Dreyfus shoulders the lead, making Lily vibrant, determined, and on occasion rattled. Cranston recalls his Isle of Dogs performance, playing a mangy animal whose yearning to belong and fear for self-preservation are at odds. O'Dowd brings a dopey sweetness that matures into a solemn sincerity as The Sheep Detectives grapples less with the mystery than with the grief of George's death. As these sheep butt heads over the case, there's terrific tension because of how the animation and voice work knits together to create characters who feel absolutely real, even in their wacky scenarios. 

Allow me to give my favorite non-spoilery example. In this quaint village, where a festival consists of three small booths arranged in a line behind the bed-and-breakfast, every shop seems to have a neon sign. Not the expected hand-painted wooden sign announcing their shop name. Neon. I first noticed it at the butcher shop, where the grimacing butcher was interviewed under neon pink signs resembling butcher knives. Later, I saw the words "police station" emblazoned in blue neon. And then, during a walk-and-talk where much exposition was being laid down, we see two big green wrenches on the side of a building... in neon, of course. Then, the characters walk past a sign that serves as an explanation and punchline for a joke I didn't even realize was being set up. It read: "Nancy's Neon — huge discounts for locals." 

It's a small, blink-and-you'll-miss-it gag. But it had me cackling. And beyond that, it bolstered The Sheep Detective's genre-mashup by infusing the small English village coziness with the harsh lighting of a neo-noir neon signage. The Sheep Detectives is filled with thoughtful elements like this that reflect the layers Balda, Mazin, and their terrific cast have built in. 

The Sheep Detectives is fun for the whole family.  Laraine Newman as the voice of the Fainting Sheep and Hugh Jackman as George Hardy in "The Sheep Detectives." Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

For grown-ups who love a mystery to solve, The Sheep Detectives offers a murder case that is curious and not easy to crack. The suspects, played by dazzling comedic performers, are colorful, quirky, and even a bit cranky, adding a burst of energy to each interrogation.  

For kids who love animal movies, The Sheep Detectives smartly offers furry, funny heroes who offer life lessons in an easy-to-understand way. Sure, this movie involves death, murder, and grief. But there's no blood and little violence. Plus, death is not taken lightly by man or beast here. Actually, how Lily and her flock learn to face what has happened to George could be a learning moment for kids, as it's explained simply but sensitively. 

The humor here ranges from physical comedy to quips to visual gags and sheep shenanigans. And as such, The Sheep Detectives is a rare thing, a comedy unashamed to be a comedy. Yet with Mazin's eye for detail and Balda's skill for crafting sheer silliness, The Sheep Detectives is more. It's a feel-good movie that's sure to delight all ages. 

The Sheep Detectives opens in theaters May 8. 

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will test your knowledge of multiple American sports.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest 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: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise 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 before the game ends.

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Players 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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Going, going...

• Green: AKA

• Blue: First name

• Purple: One of a kind

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Hard-Hit Baseball

• Green: NBA Teams With Singular Nicknames

• Blue: ____ Johnson

• Purple: What "1" Might Mean

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: Sports Edition #580 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Hard-Hit Baseball — FROZEN ROPE, LASER, LINER, SCREAMER

• NBA Teams With Singular Nicknames — HEAT, JAZZ, MAGIC, THUNDER

• ____ Johnson — FLAU'JAE, GUS, LANE, RANDY

• What "1" Might Mean — FASTBALL, PITCHER, POINT GUARD, TOP RANK

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports 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.

Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest financial partner, will to continue to license the start-up’s technology but will no longer be its exclusive licensee.

TL;DR: Live stream Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Playoffs (Game 5)for free on YouTube. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of exiting the NBA Playoffs. The Minnesota Timberwolves have so far managed to keep Nikola Jokić quiet in their first-round matchup, but can they finish the job at the Ball Arena in Game 5? Rudy Gobert will need to deliver another defensive masterclass.

If you want to watch Nuggets vs. Timberwolves in the NBA Playoffs (Game 5) for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Nuggets vs. Timberwolves?

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Playoffs starts at 10:30 p.m. ET on April 27. This game takes place at the Ball Arena.

How to watch Nuggets vs. Timberwolves for free

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Playoffs is available to live stream for free on YouTube.

This free live stream is geo-restricted to India, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in India, meaning you can access free live streams of the NBA from anywhere in the world.

Stream the NBA for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a VPN (we tested ExpressVPN and it worked great)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in India

4. Visit YouTube

5. Watch the NBA for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Learn More

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer money-back guarantees or free trials. By leveraging these offers, you can watch NBA live streams without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch select games from the NBA before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NBA?

ExpressVPN is the best service for accessing free live streams on platforms like YouTube, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream the NBA for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Amazon has the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box on sale for $94.32, down from its $167.76 list price. That saves you $73.44 on 24 Jumpstart Boosters, each with 20 Avatar-themed Magic cards.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box $94.32 at Amazon
$167.76 Save $73.44 Get Deal

The Avatar: The Last Airbender expansion has been one of the most fun to hit the Magic: The Gathering trading card game in recent times, and it’s thankfully becoming more affordable in steady price cuts.

As of April 27, the Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box is on sale for $94.32 at Amazon, down from its $167.76 list price. That’s a 44% discount, saving you $73.44 on the full box. Since this display includes 24 Jumpstart Boosters, that works out to about $3.93 per pack before tax.

For anyone who’s recently jumped into MTG, Jumpstart boxes are designed to make getting into the game as easy as possible. Instead of drafting, deckbuilding, or sorting through a pile of singles first, you just grab two boosters, shuffle them together, and you’ve got a playable deck ready to go. 

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Lands are already included, so this is especially useful if you want something that works for quick games, newer players, or friends who like Avatar but haven’t fully fallen into Magic just yet.

This box comes with 480 cards in total, with 20 cards in each of the 24 packs. There are 46 possible Avatar: The Last Airbender-themed pack variants, letting you relive different scenes, characters, and elemental combos from the acclaimed Nickelodeon series. The packs can also be mixed with other Jumpstart boosters, giving you more ways to stretch the format later.

For more from the newest MTG expansion, you can grab the Strixhaven Play Booster Box for around $140. Meanwhile, Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy Play Booster Box is still available for just under $185. 

Workers trying to log in to Microsoft Outlook experienced unexpected problems Monday morning, with some users receiving error messages and unexpected signouts.

On its official Microsoft service status page, the company confirmed that some Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise customers were experiencing a service interruption, directing them to X for more information.

The Microsoft 365 Status page on X stated that some customers were unable to log in to the email software.

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"We've discovered some users may experience intermittent sign‑in failures, including 'too many requests' errors, or unexpected sign‑outs. We're analyzing service telemetry further to identify any potential next steps and mitigation actions."

The platform DownDetector also reported a spike in user error reports beginning around 5 a.m. ET Monday morning, with a majority of users identifying login issues as the problem.

(Disclosure: DownDetector and Mashable are both owned by the same parent company, ZiffDavis.)

Microsoft Outlook also experienced an outage in January.

This is a developing story...

Omegle is in the ground, and Thundr is dancing on its grave. Since Omegle's demise in late 2023, the internet has been introduced to a number of Omegle alternatives, from the tame to the explicit. Thundr is a random video and text chat service that's emulating Omegle the most in 2026. Think of it as Omegle with actual guardrails, offering far more ways to get your exact match through tags, country selection, and AI moderation. Thundr prides itself on being one of the safer random cam connection sites, claiming to instantly block nudity, spam, and hate speech.

SEE ALSO: What happened to Omegle? The rise and fall of the internet's favorite stranger danger

But what is Thundr, and is it really Omegle's best replacement? And is the site as safe as it claims to be?

How does Thundr work?

Like Omegle, Uhmegle, Flingster, DirtyRoulette, and the like, Thundr matches users to random strangers across the globe through video or text chat. Like most alternatives, Thundr has a customizable matching process designed to help users find better matches, faster. Add up to 33 tags, select your preferred countries, and Thundr will do its best to connect you accordingly. Note: Thundr is one of the only cam sites that allow users to choose multiple countries without payment.

While this doesn't affect matching, Thundr also offers a number of color themes for a better visual experience, including Dark, Light, Pink, Brat (neon green, likely inspired by Charli XCX's hit 2024 album), and more.

Thundr requires every user to create an account before connecting with strangers, with options to sign up via Google or Apple. This is a safety measure, which is a breath of fresh air in this space since most similar sites don't bother — but it's very easy to create an anonymous account even without an email, so it's difficult to say how safe this requirement is.

On the home page, Thundr claims to be different from nearly every other cam site out there: "Thundr uses a match-making algorithm that is designed to give you an amazing experience from the first match, and it only gets better with time." In our experience, this is half true. You can add tags and select countries, but the country filter works noticeably better than the tag filter. You'll find someone with a similar tag maybe every 20ish people.

Where it gets interesting is how the algorithm actually learns. It seemingly sorts users based on nudity and sexually explicit conversation more than anything else. Match with hundreds of faces, take your dick out once, and suddenly, everyone Thundr pairs you with is there for the same thing. While that works great for NSFW users, the algorithm will occasionally misfire and place users who did nothing wrong into NSFW matches, pigeonholing people who are otherwise there for connection. Outside of the SFW versus NSFW divide, we haven't seen much evidence that the algorithm is doing anything more sophisticated than that.

Is Thundr free?

Yes, Thundr is free to use, including all the aforementioned filter options. The only form of payment Thundr offers is something called Boosts. A Boost is a one-time purchase that puts you at the front of Thundr's match queue from 10 to 60 minutes, making it more likely you'll be paired with higher-quality users. Thundr doesn't say much about Boosts on the site itself, but when they launched, the creator of Thundr took to Reddit to explain: "All that happens is that when a user is boosted, they are temporarily at the top of the match queue. This means they're more likely to be matched to what the platform thinks is the highest quality users."

When it comes to pricing, here's what you're looking at as of April 2026, according to a Thundr pop-up:

• Small Boost: $3.99 for 10 minutes

• Normal Boost: $7.99 for 30 minutes

• Super Boost: $16.99 for 60 minutes

But, do Boosts on Thundr work? We're unsure. We haven't tested this ourselves, but users on Reddit claim the answer is a big, fat "no".

Is Thundr available on mobile?

Thundr is browser-only and does not currently have a dedicated app, but you can use it on your phone through your mobile browser. It's worth noting that the mobile version works slightly differently from the desktop one. On desktop, the experience mirrors classic Omegle, with a skip button in the corner of your screen near your camera feed to move on to the next person. On mobile, that button still exists, but users can also swipe up to skip. 

Is Thundr NSFW?

Yes, Thundr is NSFW. Although the site prides itself on its AI moderation, nudity and explicit content slip through more often than you'd expect. You must be 18+ to use Thundr.

Is Thundr safe?

A hard question to answer. Thundr claims to have end-to-end encryption (meaning Thundr and other third parties cannot see messages), zero data-sharing, and AI moderation, and seemingly does its best to keep explicitly-minded users in their own corner of the site. But this doesn't always work. You have to actively do something Thundr deems sexual to end up in the NSFW zone, meaning someone can expose an unsuspecting user to explicit content just to trigger the algorithm.

Here's something else we take issue with. In Thundr's FAQ section, the question "How does Thundr's free video chat let me chat with strangers safely?" is answered like this:

"Every live video or text session is end-to-end encrypted and protected by real-time AI that instantly blocks nudity, hate speech, and spam. You can report, skip, or mute any stranger with one tap, so you enjoy free video chat without compromising safety."

This is false. Just because Thundr separates explicit users into their own corner doesn't mean nudity is blocked. It just means that it's pushed elsewhere. When you get to this side of Thundr, you will know by the amount of penises that appear on screen over and over and over again, which wouldn't happen as much prior. That's not blocking nudity, that's just doing something else with it.

Adding a mandated sign-in requirement is an excellent step, but anyone can have an email without confirming their age (or make an anonymous account without an email and do the same). Children under 18 can access Thundr just as easily as adults, and given what can slip through the moderation, that's a serious problem.

Final thoughts on Thundr

Thundr is doing something many other sites are not doing: requiring users to sign in. Although Thundr does not say it explicitly, this holds people accountable in a way. This will push away a number of bad actors who intend on using Thundr for the wrong reasons, ultimately making Thundr safer than a lot of Omegle alternatives. Like always, when using Thundr or any other cam site that connects users to strangers from around the globe, use caution. The internet has always been a weird place. Thundr is no exception.

Though bloody, Euphoria's "version of the Red Wedding" actually had a very pink colour palette.

Season 3, episode 3 of the HBO series saw combustible lovers Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) getting married in a ceremony that was just as lavish and over-the-top as it was harrowing.

SEE ALSO: 'Euphoria' just did its version of the Red Wedding

The Euphoria wedding was filmed on the south lawn of The Langham, Huntingdon in Pasadena, as well as on a Warner Bros set for the interior reception scenes. From the ceremony to the afterparty, Cassie and Nate's wedding is a cornucopia of pink drapery, Cartier jewels, and $50,000 flower arrangements, including rose aisle arches and a custom C&N logo.

In a behind-the-scenes video from HBO, production designer François Audouy said he talked to Euphoria creator Sam Levinson early in pre-production with his vision: "I told him that I was inspired by a shrimp cocktail."

"I literally sampled the pinks from a shrimp and then that became the color palette for the wedding," Audouy added.

I mean... Credit: HBO / YouTube That feeling of a $50,000 flower budget. Credit: Eddy Chen / HBO Shrimpy pinks abound. Credit: Eddy Chen / HBO

If you watch the episode again, you can see the production team, including set decorator Anthony Carlino, not only took cues from the favoured dish of 1960s dinner parties, but included a ton of prawns within an ice sculpture, emblazoned with Nate and Cassie's initials. The team also wrote a menu, which includes blinis, steak tartare, and smoked salmon and crème fraîche — all the fancypants canapés you'd expect. And you'll notice Cassie's bridesmaids dresses, designed by Euphoria costume designer Natasha Newman-Thomas, are the same shrimpy pink.

🦐 loooool 🦐 Credit: HBO / YouTube

"It's a bit over-the-top, all these incredibly detailed tables, and the flower arrangements, and the food — it's supposed to be very Californian," Audouy said of the Spanish Revival-style interior set the Euphoria team built at Warner Bros. for the reception scenes. The level of detail here is just staggering, from the wedding table to the table setting (with Fujifilm Instaxes) and that horrendous ice sculpture of Cassie and Nate.

🦐 Credit: HBO / YouTube 🦐 Credit: HBO / YouTube 🦐 Credit: HBO / YouTube

If the wedding site looks familiar, The Langham is regularly used for film and TV shoots; the hotel's website lists The Parent Trap, Hacks, Westworld, The Brothers Sun, Modern Family, and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. It's also where Ashley and JP’s wedding was filmed for The Bachelorette in 2012, which feels right for Cassie and Nate.

Wedding planning website The Knot prices The Langham at $34,500 average spend for a wedding, however, that seems hilariously under Cassie and Nate's budget. Mashable has reached out to The Langham for a quote of our own.

With those $50,000 florals, the multi-venue hire, Cassie’s Natasha Newman-Thomas/Jackson Wiederhoeft dress and Cartier jewellery, Nate’s Bottega Veneta tuxedo, the full band, DJ and dance floor, wedding planner, highly opulent food and drink budget, and those lavish table settings, we’re thinking six figures at a minimum. But remember, Nate’s in serious debt and though Cassie’s making that OnlyFans money, they’re not millionaires. Yes, Nate’s financial situation has toe-curling consequences.

New episodes of Euphoria Season 3 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Featured Video For You How TikTok is Changing the Music Industry

"Our main story tonight concerns AI: It saves significant time writing emails, and all it costs us is everything else on Earth."

That's how John Oliver launches his latest Last Week Tonight segment on AI chatbots, taking half an hour to break down the darker side of artificial intelligence apps — from chatbots becoming sexually explicit with young users to the dangerous lack of safeguards in place when people use them to talk about suicide.

Oliver ends by advising parents to speak with their children about what chatbots they're using, and "treat these apps with extreme caution" if you're pre-disposed to mental health issues.

"In general, it is good to remember that however much an app may sound like a friend, what it is is a machine. And behind that machine is a corporation trying to extract a monthly fee from you. And that kind of sums up for me what is so dystopian about all this, because while that guy you saw earlier said that selling AI friends is low risk because they're just entertainment, that's not actually how friends work. Friends can be the most important figures in your life," says Oliver. "True friends know when to listen, when to push back, and when to worry about you."

If you're feeling suicidal or experiencing a mental health crisis, please talk to somebody. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can reach the Trans Lifeline by calling 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. Text "START" to Crisis Text Line at 741-741. Contact the NAMI HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. ET, or email info@nami.org. If you don't like the phone, consider using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Chat. Here is a list of international resources.

SAVE $20: As of April 27, the Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees are on sale for $44.99 at Amazon, a return to their lowest-ever price at the retailer.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees (10373) $44.99 at Amazon
$64.99 Save $20.00   Get Deal

Lego's Botanicals sets are perfect builds for spring and summer, thanks to their bright colors and blooms that are beautiful on display. If you've been searching for a new set to piece together, the Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees (10373) are a terrific little trio. They're even discounted right now at Amazon, so there's no better time to grab them.

As of April 27, the Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees have dropped to $44.99 at Amazon, marking a return to their lowest-ever price. Usually they're listed for $64.99, so this is your chance to save $20. It's currently marked as a limited time deal, so this set may not stay on sale for long.

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The Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees is a delightful display, coming with 709 pieces in total that create three trees: a ginkgo bonsai tree with vibrant yellow leaves, a black pine bonsai tree with green needles, and a wisteria bonsai tree that features lovely lilac flowers.

Since it's a display piece, it's a set that's recommended for adults of ages 18 and over. However, if you know someone younger who wants to tackle this set, just have an adult help them out with the building process.

Again, since it's a limited-time offer, this deal on the Lego Botanicals Mini Bonsai Trees may not be available for long. If you're hoping to have it as part of your Lego collection, now is the time to scoop it up and save.

SAVE $40: As of April 27, the Fitbit Charge 6 is on sale at Amazon for $119.95. This is $40 off its list price of $159.95.

Opens in a new window Credit: Fitbit Fitbit Charge 6 $119.95 at Amazon
$159.95 Save $40.00   Get Deal

If this spring weather has you searching for a fitness tracker to join you outside for workouts and activities, Amazon has dropped the price on quite a few different models, including some top picks from Fitbit. Our favorite mid-range fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 6, is down to just $119.95.

Overall, this is a $40 discount from the Fitbit Charge 6's list price of $159.95. That's a nice standalone offer, but what makes it even better is every available color is on sale at this price. Take your pick from the black band, white band, or even the vibrant red band if you want a pop of color on your wrist.

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If you're on the hunt for a fitness tracker that's not too over-the-top in terms of stats but also not too simple, the Fitbit Charge 6 is worth a look. In our roundup of the best fitness trackers, we said it's "A shining example of what a mid-budget fitness tracker can be. It offers fantastic value for what you pay, and packs in a lot of the features you'd expect from more high-end fitness trackers like a built-in GPS, 40 exercise modes to choose from, and heart rate connectivity with select exercise machines, just to name a few."

On top of that, its battery life can last up to seven days. That gives you plenty of time before it needs to be recharged.

The Fitbit Charge 6 is marked as a limited time deal right now. So if it sounds like the kind of fitness tracker you've been searching for, this is the time to grab it.

TL;DR: Amazon has the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-Core Processor on sale for $573.99, knocking $125.01 off its $699 list price. That's an 18% discount on a 16-core, 32-thread Zen 5 CPU with second-gen AMD 3D V-Cache, up to 5.7GHz max boost, and AM5 support.

Opens in a new window Credit: AMD AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-Core Processor $573.99 at Amazon
$699 Save $125.01 Get Deal

Upgrading your gaming PC is a simple but expensive idea, but Amazon’s new drop on a premium AMD CPU will certainly help take the edge off. 

As of April 27, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-Core Processor is on sale for $573.99 at Amazon, down from its $699 list price. Not only does this save you $125.01, but this is also Amazon’s lowest ever price for this particular CPU, as confirmed using price tracker camelcamelcamel.

Taking you far beyond casual gaming, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is built for more than just a few rounds of Fortnite. It’s been crafted for gamers who love doing a lot at once: playing, streaming, editing, rendering, or switching between heavy workloads — all without having your daily tasks suddenly come to a grinding halt. 

Also packing 32 threads, a 4.3GHz base clock, and up to 5.7GHz max boost, the 9950X3D also uses AMD’s Zen 5 architecture and second-generation 3D V-Cache technology. As a result, you’ll give games and demanding apps more cache to work with. In layman’s terms, it’s built to keep things fast when your PC is being pushed properly, even when you’re playing demanding new gaming titles like Crimson Desert or Pragmata.

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There’s also support for the AM5 platform, DDR5 memory, PCIe 5.0, AMD EXPO memory overclocking, and Precision Boost Overdrive. Overall, that provides a pretty strong upgrade path if you’re building a system that you don’t want to feel outdated in a year.

The one thing to remember is that there’s no cooler included, and AMD recommends a liquid cooler for the best performance. Still, if you’re buying a CPU at this level, that probably isn’t the part of the build where you were planning to cut corners.

To complement your setup with some amazing new visuals, you can also find the 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED monitor for only $499.99 at 44% off. If you’re after something even bigger, the 52-inch LG UltraGear evo (the world's largest 5K2K gaming monitor) is $300 off. 

SNL UK's first ever sketch went so hard on prime minister Keir Starmer that Donald Trump shared it, and it doesn't look like the roasting is going to stop anytime soon.

The show's latest cold open above is a parody of the game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, which sees a nervous Starmer (played by George Fouracres) struggling to answer the question: "Is it ever a good idea to give Peter Mandelson a job?" (The real Starmer has come under increasing scrutiny for giving the U.S. ambassador role to Mandelson, who is currently under criminal investigation over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein).

In the sketch, despite multiple lifelines narrowing down Starmer's options to "Not in a million years", he still decides to pick "Yes".

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

Euphoria Season 3's jaw-dropper of a third episode saw Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) getting hitched — and it was just as over-the-top, lavish, and blood-soaked as you'd expect.

HBO released a behind-the-scenes video for "Euphoria's version of the Red Wedding" for fans wanting to know more about every last detail, from those off-the-runway looks to the fake body parts fit for choppin'.

Filmed on the south lawn of the Huntingdon Langham Hotel in Pasadena (as well as on a Warner Bros set), the wedding sequence is drenched in pinks, a colour palette production designer François Audouy described as "inspired by a shrimp cocktail." The production team details everything from the ice sculpture to Cassie and Nate’s first dance, giving you a sense of the sheer scale of the episode.

Euphoria costume designer Natasha Newman-Thomas unpacks the design for Cassie’s dress, which she co-designed with New York designer Jackson Wiederhoeft — it was paired with eight-inch Jimmy Choo heels and half a million dollars’ worth of Cartier jewellery. You'll also get a look at Nate's Bottega Veneta tuxedo, Maddy’s (Alexa Demie's) “gravity-defying” gown with the dangling rosary, Lexi (Maude Apatow) in Nana Jacqueline, and Jules (Hunter Schafer) in an Acne spring 2023 runway sample.

It was nothing short of a TV wedding to remember.

Microsoft has made it easier, but not entirely easy, to pause forced Windows updates forever.

In a blog post on the company's website, Microsoft described several ways in which it gave Window users more control over updating the software.

SEE ALSO: The 12 best Windows laptops for 2026

Perhaps the most notable among these is the ability to pause forced Windows updates indefinitely. The catch, however, is that you can only pause an update for up to 35 days, after which you'll have to pause again. There are no limits on how many times you can reset the pause end date, Microsoft wrote.

Bug me again in 35 days, please. Credit: Microsoft

The company also introduced the ability to skip updates immediately during device setup.

Also, the company separated power actions from update actions; now, you can choose to "restart" or "shutdown" your computer, "update and restart," or "update and shut down" your computer.

Finally, Microsoft is now providing more detail on driver updates, making it easier to understand what, exactly, are you updating.

All of these updates are rolling out to Windows Insider users in the Dev and Experimental Channels, and will probably trickle out to all users soon.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Jackery Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus $2,148.99 at Amazon
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