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The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you take care of your teeth.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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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: NYT Pips hints, answers for November 20, 2025 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: To attach

• Green: To lightly touch

• Blue: Found in one's mouth

• Purple: Two syllables

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Adhere

• Green: Graze

• Blue: Parts of a tooth

• Purple: Words that sound like two letters

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #893 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Adhere: FIX, PASTE, PLASTER, STICK

• Graze: BRUSH, KISS, SKIM, STROKE

• Parts of a tooth: CROWN, ENAMEL, PULP, ROOT

• Words that sound like two letters: ANY, ARTY, DECAY, ESSAY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 20, 2025

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're always in the know.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 20, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 20, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Busybody buzz

The words are related to stories.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe the word on the street.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Spread the Word.

NYT Strands word list for November 20

• Rumor

• Report

• Gossip

• Hearsay

• Spread the Word

• Scuttlebutt

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're familiar with the dead.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. 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 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 20, 2025 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for November 20, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A burial place.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

GRAVE

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 20, 2025

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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 Wordle.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A particle.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

FLAKE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A sweet crystal.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 20, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

SUGAR

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A clear alcoholic drink.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 20, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

VODKA

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A meteor.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for November 20 Hurdle Word 4 answer

COMET

Final Hurdle hint

Taken out.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

DRAWN

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

Whether you should get a robot vacuum or a stick vacuum boils down to one question: How picky are you about cleaning?

Everyone can probably acknowledge the appeal of not lifting a finger to clean their floors. But to some, that convenience may not be worth the cringe sparked by watching a robot vacuum ignore a crumb or eat a phone charger. Despite notable upgrades in smart mapping and cleaning performance over the past half-decade, even the best robot vacuums of 2025 can't match the precision of the best cordless stick vacuums operated by, you know, an actual human with a brain.

Cordless vacuums also just have the physical advantage in a lot of tricky spots. If you'd like to keep up with couch cushions, car seats, stairs, or the dusty abyss lying behind every door, a stick vacuum that can go handheld (and go outside) is the only option with that flexibility.

SEE ALSO: The best way to make your Dyson stick vacuum last? Clean it regularly.

But to be real, your willingness to do all the cleaning yourself also matters — if you dread vacuuming by hand so much that you'll just put off doing it, your floors might actually be cleaner with a robot vacuum. I personally have both at the ready at all times and can argue for the value and practicality on either side, depending on the situation. And while the convenience of robot wouldn't want to completely live without the convenience robot vacuums provide when I'm frazzled, I haven't been able to shake the reflex to reach for a cordless vacuum in more cases than not.

Not sure if buying both types of vacuums is in your budget? Black Friday could change that. Along with a ton of Black Friday robot vacuum deals, cordless stick vacuums from brands like Dyson, Shark, LG, Roborock, and Tineco are anticipating heavy discounts — this is your chance to save $100 (or several hundred) on your dream vacuum. For Black Friday Dyson deals, your best bet is Walmart or Dyson's own website. For the other top brands, Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy will all have competitive selections.

Other cordless vacuums I've tested

I've tested several other vacuum cleaners that didn't make the most recent cut for this list. Some, like the Shark Detect Pro with auto-empty station and LG All-in-One Cord Zero with auto-empty station, were a top recommendation at one point, but have since been overshadowed by newer, more powerful models that are a better bang for your buck.

There are also a few Dyson vacuums from years past that still garner substantial search interest, but that I no longer think are worth your money compared to what else is out there. The Dyson V8 and (seemingly discontinued) Dyson V10 that my parents have lying around have a tendency to push large debris like cat food and rocks around, and leave behind a layer of pet hair on many dark rugs. While these Dysons may have been powerhouses in the late 2010s, $300 could get you a more powerful option — maybe even automatic emptying, like with the Shark Detect Pro I just mentioned. The only upside would be that Dyson includes the motorized hair screw tool with the V8 and V10.

I also bumped the Dyson V15 Detect Submarine out of the list. The Roborock 2-in-1 cordless mop that took its place just offers a more seamless mopping system all around. The swappable wet roller head that turns the V15 Detect into a "mop" completely cuts off airflow to the dust bin of the vacuum, meaning there's no real wet suction going on. During my testing, this just pushed liquid around instead of soaking up spills, which then led to a soggy manual cleaning process that was super prone to leaks and weird smells. It just required way too much maintenance by hand, compared to the self-cleaning features of the Roborock F25 Ace Combo.

I also test robot vacuums. Are they as powerful?

I also test a ton of robot vacuums at home. While I think the convenience of robot vacuums is worth for, say, keeping up with the layer of dust and crumbs that accumulate during the work week, I have found that cordless vacuums are consistently tougher on elusive debris like pet hair or fine powders. This is especially when they've been pressed down into rug fibers or have been caked into corners.

Cordless stick vacuums are generally more powerful than robot vacuums. The upright design is optimal for airflow and has the real estate to house larger motors and more complex cyclone systems that create extra force on top of suction power alone. A robot vacuum's motor can't exceed the three or four-inch clearance that the vac needs to scoot its whole body under furniture. The motor of an upright vacuum typically lives completely separately from the vacuum head and roller brush and is thus under fewer constraints.

Physics aside, you could argue that a cordless vacuum is less likely to leave debris behind because a person is actively assessing where the suction needs to be focused. This includes tricky spots that aren't even on a robot vacuum's radar, like staircases or cars.

There are some one-to-one comparisons where a robot vacuum could be as powerful or more powerful than a stick vacuum. For instance, I've tested both the Roborock Saros 10R robot vacuum and Roborock F25 Ace cordless vacuum, and both offer 20,000 Pa suction power. But robot vacuums with that kind of power typically reside in the $1,000+ category, while it's much more affordable to hit that number with a stick vacuum. Even with identical stats on paper, the cordless vacuum would probably have a higher pickup rate over time just because the person operating it can see when more passes are necessary.

Dr. LeCun’s departure follows a shake-up in Meta’s artificial intelligence efforts, as Mark Zuckerberg pushes his company to keep up in the tech race.

TL;DR: A Sam’s Club membership with auto-renewal is available for $25 (reg. $50) for a limited time—great timing for anyone who wants easier holiday shopping, bulk savings, and a one-stop shop for family essentials.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sam's Club 1-Year Sam's Club Membership with Auto-Renew $25
$50 Save $25   Get Deal

If you’ve been debating whether a Sam’s Club membership is worth it, this is a pretty convenient moment to jump in. For a limited time, one-year Sam’s Club Membership with auto-renewal is just $25 (reg. $50), and the timing lines up perfectly with the holiday season — aka the time of year when your grocery list, gift list, and general to-do list all seem to double overnight.

With a Sam’s Club membership, families can find a wide range of groceries, snacks, fresh foods, drinks, cleaning supplies, seasonal décor, electronics, toys, and more, all in one place. It’s especially helpful for holiday hosting, stocking up on the staples that always disappear too fast, or grabbing gifts without making multiple stops.

SEE ALSO: The new iPad Pro M5 is down to its best-ever price ahead of Black Friday — save over $70 at Amazon

For families looking to stretch their budget, buying in bulk can make a noticeable difference. Items like diapers, kids’ snacks, cereal, toiletries, and cleaning supplies often last longer and cost less per unit when purchased in larger quantities. It also makes weekly errands feel a little less overwhelming.

And beyond in-club shopping, members also get access to extra perks — like savings on hotels, car rentals, movie tickets, and live events — which can come in handy whether you’re planning a family outing or planning to travel.

If you’re someone who likes simplifying your life as much as saving a little money where it counts, this offer is a well-timed opportunity.

Between holiday prep, gift-buying, and the general December chaos heading your way, having one place to grab most of what your household needs can make a real difference.

Get a one-year Sam’s Club membership with auto-renewal for just $25 (reg. $50) before the holidays begin.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

That sound you hear isn't the pop of the AI bubble — it's every company that relies on the AI economy breathing a huge sigh of relief.

NVIDIA, the king of fancy GPU chips that power most AI models, just beat market expectations again. During the third quarter of 2025, the company made $57 billion in revenue; this was $2 billion more than most Wall Street analysts expected.

Even better for NVIDIA, and for the whole AI economy, almost all that extra revenue came from the company's data center business — which is where the rubber of AI models meets the road of the internet.

The one NVIDIA division that came in lower than estimates was its gaming chip business — which AI world need not care about.

SEE ALSO: Everything Revealed at Nvidia's 2025 Computex Press Conference in 19 Minutes

"Sales are off the charts," NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said of the company's Blackwell chips, its latest GPU model, in a statement. "Cloud GPUs are sold out." For the fourth quarter of 2025, the company predicts even higher total revenue of $65 billion.

Huang went on to claim that the "AI ecosystem" had "entered a virtuous cycle" and was "scaling fast." The CEO denied as recently as October that we're in an AI bubble; now he seems to be saying this growth can last indefinitely.

Will the AI bubble still burst?

That bubble still exists, however. OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, and almost every other business in the space have so far failed to show any revenue growth from all the AI services that rely on NVIDIA chips. But given that almost all the market focus is on the health of NVIDIA's business, these companies effectively just got more runway in which to prove themselves.

As invulnerable as NVIDIA looks now, there was bad news for Jensen Huang in Google's recent announcement of its latest top AI model, Gemini 3. The model "was trained using Google's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs)," the company says — in other words, not NVIDIA GPUs.

If Google, whose CEO has admitted there is a bubble, becomes a major player in the AI chip space, price wars between Google and NVIDIA could result. But that too could lift the players that rely on AI compute, making it significantly cheaper to provide services.

In other words, don't count on the AI bubble popping immediately — but don't count it out, either. At least, not after NVIDIA's next quarterly earnings report, due in January 2026.

A platform that promises "spicy AI chatting" left nearly two million images and videos, many of them showing private citizens, exposed to the public, 404 Media reported.

Secret Desires, an erotic chatbot and AI image generator, left cloud storage containers of photos, women's names, and other personal information like workplaces and universities, vulnerable, according to 404 Media.

This "massive leak" is the latest case of people using generative AI tools to turn innocent photos into nonconsensual explicit deepfakes.

SEE ALSO: Is AI porn the next horizon in self-pleasure — and is it ethical?

Some of the photos and videos were taken from real influencers, public figures, and non-famous women. The latter category includes Snapchat screenshots and at least one yearbook photo. Some of the exposed media included user-generated AI images, such as those created with a now-defunct "faceswap" feature, which Secret Desires removed earlier this year.

Like Character.AI or Replika, Secret Desires allows users to create AI personas and chat with them. While pornographic content isn't allowed on Character.AI (and is only allowed for certain Replika users), Secret Desires says it "provides limitless intimacy and connection" on its Quick Start Guide.

As 404 Media found, the AI-generated media found in the vulnerable storage containers were mostly explicit. Some of the file names included terms like "17-year-old."

The company didn't respond to 404 Media's request for comment, but the files became inaccessible around an hour after the publication reached out.

For years, women and girls have been victims of explicit deepfakes, which are AI-generated content. Many deepfakes are women's likenesses "faceswapped" onto pornographic videos. This applies to celebrities like Taylor Swift as well as women who are not famous. This also happens to girls, creating online child sex abuse material.

This year, Congress passed the Take It Down Act to combat deepfake images. The law proved controversial, as several free speech and advocacy groups claim that it can be weaponized against consensual explicit material or political speech.

The company, which makes the computer chips essential to the artificial intelligence boom, also said revenue in its recent quarter rose to $57 billion.

Once upon a time, Americans lined up in droves outside Walmarts and Targets, still full from Thanksgiving dinner, so they could be first in the door. Thankfully, these frenzied Black Friday free-for-alls are a relic of a bygone era. Now, not only can you order all of the best Black Friday deals online, but for the past few years, retailers have also been launching their Black Friday sales weeks in advance of Thanksgiving.

So, ready or not, Black Friday is already here. You can tell because Mashable is once again working around the clock to bring you live updates on all of the latest sales, standout deals, price drops, and inventory updates. Already, we've spied record discounts on flagship noise-cancelling headphones, Apple laptops and tablets, Dyson appliances, and some of the year's most popular tech gifts.

Check out the top early deals so far, and keep scrolling for the full schedule of events and the latest live updates and news from the Mashable shopping team.

Top Black Friday Deals at a glance: The best headphones deal Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (1st Gen) $299 (save $130) Get Deal Best Earuds Deal Apple AirPods Pro 2 $139 (save $100) Get Deal Best Deal Under $25 Apple AirTag $17.97 (save $11.03) Get Deal Best TV Under $1,000 Samsung 55-inch The Frame LS03F 4K QLED Smart TV $897.99 (save $300) Get Deal Best TV Under $500 Samsung 65-inch QN65 4K QLED Smart TV 2025 $448 (save $151.99) Get Deal Best Amazon Device Deal Amazon Echo Pop $21.99 (save $18) Get Deal Best Apple laptop deal 13-inch Apple MacBook Air (M4) $749 (save $250) Get Deal Best Kitchen Deal Vitamix 5200 Professional-Grade Blender $299.95 (save $250.04) Get Deal Stocking Stuffer Deal Orastone Electric Hand Warmers $17.99 (save $12) Get Deal Best Lego Deal Lego Wicked Welcome to Emerald City Building Set $79.95 (save $20.04) Get Deal

Remember: Black Friday 2025 takes place on Friday, Nov. 28, and is quickly followed by Cyber Week, which starts on Monday, Dec. 1. However, you can already shop plenty of sales at all the major online retailers. If you want to be the first to know when new sales go online, then keep checking back as we provide live updates on the shopping festivities.

Alongside his novels, Joe Hill is paid to write a screenplay each year. But he doesn't do it for the money.

Hill, whose new novel King Sorrow published in October, has also found success in the world of film and TV through adaptations of his work. For example, The Black Phone franchise is based on his 2004 short story, and King Sorrow is currently being developed for TV. While news of adaptations of Hill’s work is frequently reported in the trades, his screenwriting hasn't been widely publicized. Sitting down with Mashable recently to speak about everything from Stephen King references in his new novel to AI, though, he confirmed that it's a big part of his professional life.

"I write a screenplay every single year," Hill told Mashable. "And I do it for the healthcare."

SEE ALSO: Joe Hill breaks down the Stephen King references in his new novel

Hill explained that he gets healthcare for his family through the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which is the union that represents screenwriters. In order to be eligible to receive this, you have to meet annual minimum earning requirements. In 2024, Hill's wife Gillian received a cancer diagnosis that required surgery. Having insurance through the WGA saved the family tens of thousands of dollars.

"There were a whole bunch of tests, you know, and consultations in the lead-up to the operation, but the operation alone was $60,000," Hill said. "Because I have Hollywood healthcare that I get for writing screenplays, I only had to pay 700 bucks. So in a very practical way, it's impossible to put a value, to me personally, on the work I do as a screenwriter, because it's so important to have access to that healthcare insurance."

Hill explained that the screenplay he's working on at the moment is a an adaptation of his own work.

"Right now I'm revising a screenplay that I was paid for for 2025," he said. "The script I'm working on now is an adaptation of an unpublished novella that I'd written that will be published eventually."

Featured Video For You Cooper Hoffman and 'The Long Walk' cast compete for ultimate Stephen King film knowledge

Hill said there was a lapse in his healthcare coverage a while back that led to him going round Hollywood to try and drum up some work — and writer/director Scott Derrickson, who directed The Black Phone, wanted to help out.

"He treated it like we were talking about his family healthcare," said Hill. "He's like, 'We're booking you a gig.' And, you know, we talked about possibilities, and then I sent him this novella I had written that hadn't been published, and a pitch for how I'd adapt it, and he got psyched. And he's like, 'We gotta do this.' And so he got me the gig to write the script. Now I'm revising it for Sony Screen Gems."

"it's so important to have access to that healthcare insurance"

Hill's wife has now made a full recovery, but Hill still thinks of screenplay writing as "the best thing I can do for my family." He's going to keep working on one every year, alongside his plans to write a novel each year in his fifties.

"The next two things I've got lined up are adaptations of other people's words," Hill said, "which I'm really excited about."

The best early Black Friday deals under $25 at a glance: Best Apple deal Apple AirTag $17.97 (save $11.03) Get Deal Best kids deal Hasbro Gaming Candy Land Disney Princess Edition Board Game $11.89 (save $8.10) Get Deal Best Amazon device deal Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select $21.99 (save $18) Get Deal Best Lego deal Lego Botanicals Happy Plants $18.39 (save $4.60) Get Deal

If you're working with a smaller budget this season, there's still plenty of opportunity for you to score some impressive Black Friday deals. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars to pick up a great gift or get yourself a little treat. We've rounded up over 20 deals under $25 that we think are worth grabbing ahead of Black Friday.

We're keeping an eye on all the best deals this Black Friday and Cyber Monday and will update this list with anything worthy of adding to your cart. For now, here are the best early picks for less than $25.

Best early Black Friday deal under $25 Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirTag $17.97 at Amazon
$29 Save $11.03   Get Deal Why we like it

Apple gadgets have really been shining bright in the early Black Friday deals department. The Apple AirTag has dropped to a new record-low price of just $17.97 for the first time, which is nearly 40% off its list price. We see excellent deals on the four-pack of AirTags pretty regularly, but single AirTag deals are rarer. The AirTag is the ring leader of Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users. As long as there's an Apple device nearby with Find My turned on, you'll be able to locate whatever you attach your AirTag to with ease.

More early Black Friday deals under $25

• Lego Sunflowers — $7.99 $14.99 (save $7)

• Hasbro Gaming Guess Who? Board Game — $11.89 $16.99 (save $5.10)

• Hasbro Gaming Candy Land Disney Princess Edition Board Game — $11.89 $19.99 (save $8.10)

• Amazon Echo Auto — $14.99 $54.99 (save $40)

• Roku Indoor Camera (wired) — $14.99 $34.99 (save $20)

• TP-Link Tapo 1080P Indoor Security Camera — $15.98 $24.99 (save $9.01)

• Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 — $17.80 $29.99 (save $12.19)

• Lego Botanicals Happy Plants — $18.39 $22.99 (save $4.60)

• Roku Streaming Stick HD — $19 $29.99 (save $10.99)

• National Geographic Amazing Chemistry Set — $19.99 $39.99 (save $20)

• Logitech Signature M550 Wireless Mouse — $19.99 $29.99 (save $10)

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select — $21.99 $39.99 (save $18)

• Amazon Echo Pop Kids — $21.99 $49.99 (save $28)

• Amazon Echo Pop — $21.99 $39.99 (save $18)

• Stanley IceFlow Flip Straw Tumbler — $22.50 $30 (save $7.50)

• Lego Super Mario: Mario Kart Donkey Kong — $23.49 $34.99 (save $11.50)

• JBL Tune 510BT Headphones — $24.95 $49.95 (save $25)

• Amazon Fire TV Alexa Voice Remote Pro — $24.99 $34.99 (save $10)

• Blink Mini 2K+ — $24.99 $49.99 (save $25)

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — $24.99 $49.99 (save $25)

• Magic Bullet Blender — $24.99 $44.99 (save $20)

As Congress looks to maybe, potentially, finally release the Epstein files, an email document dump from Jeffrey Epstein's estate released last week by the House Oversight Committee has already delivered some shocking revelations.

And those emails have already led to at least one high-profile resignation at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. 

Economist Larry Summers, a former Treasury secretary under the Clinton administration and a former president of Harvard, has resigned from OpenAI's board, according to statements provided by Summers and the company to Axios. Summers had previously acknowledged he'd be stepping away from all public commitments in light of the Epstein document release.

"In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI," Summers said in a statement provided to Axios. "I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company and look forward to following their progress."

Despite Summers' statements, he plans to continue teaching at Harvard, where he currently works as a Professor of Economics, Axios also reported.

"Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision," OpenAI's board said in its own statement. "We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board."

Summers' ties to Epstein have long been known. During Summers' tenure as President of Harvard, Epstein donated tens of millions of dollars to the university. Epstein was even given his own personal office at the school during this time. Flight records released during the 2021 trial of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell showed that Summers had previously flown on Epstein's private plane, according to the Harvard Crimson.

However, the newly released email documents revealed that Summers' association with Epstein continued well after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. In emails from 2018 and 2019, Summers reached out to Epstein seeking advice on pursuing a relationship outside of his marriage with a woman he described as a "mentee." In the emails, Epstein referred to himself as Summers' "wing man." In addition to the conversations on romantic relationships, Summers also made numerous sexist comments.

Summers' final correspondence with Epstein in the email documents occurred on July 5, 2019 — just one day before Epstein was arrested and federally charged for the sex trafficking of minors.

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

Best early Black Friday drone deals at a glance Best DJI drone deal DJI Mini 4K Drone Combo $309 (save $80) Get Deal Best Holy Stone drone deal Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle $199.99 (save $158) Get Deal

Drones have been all over the news lately, mainly because of DJI. While it's not official yet, it's possible that DJI drones will face a ban come December. Yes, December as in just a few weeks away. That means shopping Black Friday sales could be your last chance to snag a DJI drone, for a while, at least.

Of course, this is 2025, and nothing is unexpected, so the buzz of a DJI ban could get swept off the table in an instant. But to be sure, consider this a great time to buy a new DJI drone, or any drone, for that matter.

Check back here as we continue to update this article throughout the Black Friday sale period. Keep in mind that if you're going with a DJI model, you might have to buy from a third-party seller. We've only included third-party sellers with positive reviews over the last year.

Best early black Friday DJI drone deal Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Mini 4K Drone Combo $309 at Amazon
$389 Save $80   Get Deal Why we like it

Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the DJI Mini 4K Drone is great for both beginners and expert drone fliers. Plus, it weighs less than 249 grams, which is the threshold for not needing a license in most locations to fly the drone. Other nice features of the DJI Mini 4K are the one-touch takeoff and landing function, in addition to the "return-to-home" command. Today's deal on the bundle gives you two batteries for up to 62 minutes of flight time. According to our favorite Amazon price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest Amazon has ever offered for this bundle.

More early Black Friday DJI drone deals

• DJI Flip Two Battery Combo — $309 $389 (save $80)

• DJI Flip (RC 2 with Fly More Combo) — $619 $779 (save $160, backordered)

• DJI Avata 2 FPV Drone (Goggles N3 and 3-Battery Fly More Combo) — $789 $929 (save $140, preorder)

• DJI Avata 2 FPV Drone (Goggles 3 and 3-Battery Fly More Combo) — $1,019 $1,199 (save $180)

Best early black Friday Holy Stone drone deal Opens in a new window Credit: Holy Stone Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle $357.99 at Amazon
  Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not in the market for a DJI drone, Holy Stone is one of the biggest competitors. Thanks to this early Black Friday Amazon sale and an on-page coupon, the Holy Stone HS720G Drone Bundle is on sale for just $199.99 instead of the list price of $357.99. The bundle includes two batteries, so you'll be good for a 52-minute flight with a 4K EIS camera. When you're done flying, fold it up and store it in the convenient carrying case.

More early Black Friday drone deals

• Holy Stone Mini Drone — $36 $39.99 (save $3.99 with coupon)

• Holy Stone HS15D Drone — $249.99 $269.99 (save $20)

• HOVERAir X1 Combo — $279.99 $299.99 (save $20)

Google has officially launched Gemini 3, its newest and most advanced AI model — and the company is calling it its "most intelligent" system yet. The model rolled out across Google products on day one, marking the first time a new Gemini release has gone live in Search at launch.

Gemini 3 represents what Google execs describe as the next major step in their push toward more capable, more context-aware AI. In a note sharing the launch, the company stated that the model incorporates deeper reasoning, stronger multimodal understanding, and enhanced awareness of user intent compared to earlier versions.

What’s new in Gemini 3?

The headline upgrade is reasoning. Google says Gemini 3 is built to understand nuance, break down complex problems, and "grasp depth and context" in ways its predecessors couldn’t. In benchmarking tests, Gemini 3 Pro took the top spot on the LMArena leaderboard with a 1501 Elo score, outperforming both Grok and Gemini 2.5 Pro.

SEE ALSO: Google's Gemini 3 is smarter, better at figuring out what you need

The model also demonstrates significant improvements in academic-style reasoning. On Humanity’s Last Exam, Gemini 3 Pro hit 37.5 percent without any external tools, and on GPQA Diamond, it reached 91.9 percent. It also posted state-of-the-art scores across math and multimodal tasks, including video understanding and factual accuracy.

A new enhanced mode called Gemini 3 Deep Think pushes those capabilities even further. Deep Think improves scores on nearly every benchmark, including a jump to 41 percent on Humanity’s Last Exam and 45.1 percent on the ARC-AGI-2 challenge. It’s designed for the most challenging, long-horizon reasoning tasks.

Where can you use Gemini 3?

Gemini 3 is already live across the Google ecosystem. That includes:

• AI Mode in Search, with more dynamic, generative interfaces and complex reasoning support. (Currently available for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.)

• The Gemini app is getting a redesign, including the My Stuff folder and improved shopping experiences.

• Gemini for developers, available now in AI Studio, Vertex AI, Gemini CLI, and Google’s new agentic development platform Antigravity.

• Gemini Agent, an upgraded system that can complete multi-step tasks like inbox organization, appointment management, and more.

How to try Gemini 3 right now

If you want hands-on time with Gemini 3 immediately, there are a few pathways:

• Use AI Mode in Search (Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription required).

• Open the Gemini app, where Gemini 3 is the default model starting today for most users globally.

• Developers can experiment with AI Studio or Vertex AI, gaining full access to Gemini 3 Pro.

• Enterprise customers can deploy it through Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise.

Deep Think, the highest-end version, will be rolled out in the coming weeks following additional safety evaluations.

Microsoft keeps injecting AI into Windows, and now even the company itself is admitting that there are safety risks in doing so.

This week, Microsoft added some new agentic AI features to Windows 11 Insider users, which give AI permission to automate things like sending emails and sorting files. These are turned off by default and need to be opted into, but for those who choose to enable them, Microsoft published a security note on its website warning that there are security risks to giving AI access to all of your files:

SEE ALSO: The 8 best tablets of 2025: I compared iPads, the Microsoft Surface Pro, and Amazon Fire

"As these capabilities are introduced, AI models still face functional limitations in terms of how they behave and occasionally may hallucinate and produce unexpected outputs," Microsoft said. "Additionally, agentic AI applications introduce novel security risks, such as cross-prompt injection (XPIA), where malicious content embedded in UI elements or documents can override agent instructions, leading to unintended actions like data exfiltration or malware installation."

In other words, it's technically possible for something that's meant to help users to harm them instead. This may very well be a super unlikely hypothetical edge case, but the fact that Microsoft felt compelled to say anything about it at all is a bit alarming. As a possible solution, Microsoft is rolling out an experimental feature called "agent workspace," which limits what the AI agent has access to on the PC. In basic terms, it means the agent can only access things that are available to any user of the machine, while files locked behind specific user profiles are off-limits.

We're still in the relatively early stages of all of this, so it will take some time to see how it shakes out. But just be careful before turning on these features.

Best early Black Friday Dyson deals at a glance Best stick vacuum deal Dyson V12 Detect Slim $399.99 at Walmart (Save $330 at Walmart) Get Deal Best hair tool deal Dyson Supersonic $299.99 (Save $150 at Dyson) Get Deal Best air purifier deal Dyson HushJet $299.99 at Amazon (Save $50 at Amazon) Get Deal

Dyson deals are hit or miss during the two Prime Days of the year (Amazon seems to have a wonky relationship with Dyson vacuums deals, specifically). Black Friday Dyson deals beat those by a long shot, and many of the good ones are already live the week before Thanksgiving. This is your best chance to shave a few hundred dollars off of the brand known for being expensive.

SEE ALSO: iRobot could be facing bankruptcy. But as a vacuum tester, I saw the Roomba flop era coming from a mile away.

Dyson's website has launched its early Black Friday sale, and there are a ton of great hair tool deals and cordless stick vacuum deals in here — the Dyson website itself tends to have several exclusive deals that other retailers don't have. But Walmart's early Black Friday drop does include a stellar deal on Mashable's favorite stick vacuum, and Amazon is in the mix, too.

I've rounded up all of the best early Dyson Black Friday deals, and will add any new and noteworthy ones that pop up throughout Cyber Monday. Still debating opting for a robot vacuum instead? I'm also tracking the best Black Friday robot vacuum deals.

Best Dyson vacuum deal Dyson V12 Detect Slim $399.99 at Walmart
$549 Save $149.01   Get Deal at Walmart Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Best Buy Why we like it

Any time my favorite vacuum ever gets several hundred dollars cheaper, it's going to be the first deal I recommend. The Dyson V12 Detect Slim is currently the most affordable Dyson with the green laser, now less than $400 compared to its usual $729.99. The laser, which illuminates tiny specks and hair that aren't super visible to the naked eye, should be an immediate selling point for any household with pets and a lot of hard floors. You have no idea how dusty your floors get within even 24 hours.

I've used the V12 Detect Slim almost daily for well over three years now, and it's still kicking — as long as you clean it properly, this purchase should last you quite a while. When I'm not using it on the floor in those daily sessions, I'm switching it to handheld mode to clean fur off the couch with the mini motorized attachment or clean out my car with the crevice attachment. It's compact and lightweight enough to comfortably hold with one hand (I can't say the same about the massive Gen5 series Dysons). Though I've tested countless cordless vacuums, the V12 Detect Slim's user-friendliness just can't be beat.

More Dyson vacuum deals

• Dyson V9 Motorbar — $269.99 $599.99 (save $330)

• Dyson V8 Absolute — $299.99 $589.99 (save $290)

• Dyson V11 Extra — $399.99 $659.99 (save $260)

• Dyson Gen5detect Absolute — $799.99 $1,049.99 (save $250)

• Dyson Gen5outsize Absolute — $849.99 $1,049.99 (save $300)

Best Dyson hair tool deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson Supersonic $299.99 at Dyson
$449.99 Save $150   Get Deal Why we like it

The original Dyson Supersonic has dropped to $299.99, which matches the sale price that Amazon has... on the Supersonic Origin — the simplified version that only comes with one attachment. Grabbing this deal at Dyson essentially gets you the diffuser and wide tooth comb attachments for free, on top of the styling concentrator.

While we'd recommend the Shark FlexStyle over the Dyson AirWrap, it's hard to say that there's a better hair dryer out there than the Dyson Supersonic. Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter (and resident hair tool expert) Bethany Allard has tested the Supersonic against a handful of solid Supersonic dupes, and her main gripe with Dyson has steadily been the price — but with this Black Friday deal, the Supersonic is in the same price range as its best budget-friendly alternatives.

More Dyson hair tool deals

• Refurbished Dyson Supersonic Nural — $259.99 $419.99 (save $160)

• Refurbished Dyson Airwrap Straight+Wavy (onyx black/gold only) — $269.99 $449.99 (save $180)

• Refurbished Dyson Airwrap Complete Long + Diffuser — $329.99 $499.99 (save $170)

• Dyson Supersonic Nural (strawberry bronze/blush pink or jasper plum only) — $399.99 $549.99 (save $150)

• Dyson Airwrap Origin — $399.99 $549.99 (save $150)

• Dyson Corrale — $439.99 $539.99 (save $100)

• Dyson Supersonic r (vinca blue/topaz only) — $449.99 $649.99 (save $200)

Best Dyson air purifier deal Dyson HushJet $299.99 at Amazon
$349.99 Save $50   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Walmart Get Deal at Best Buy Why we like it

Allergies or not, your body will thank you for running an air purifier all the time. I can confirm that the Dyson HushJet is as "hushed" as the title implies, making it the rare actually-quiet air purifier that you won't mind running 24/7. Within a day of bringing the HushJet home, it took the air quality in my living room from "very poor" to "good," as shown through a particle sensor breakdown in the app. The coolest part? After your initial purchase, you won't have to spend money on new filters every six months. The HushJet's high-tech filter should last for five years.

More air purifier deals

• Dyson Air Purifier Hot and Cool HP1 — $499.99 $699.99 (save $150)

Don't fall for this one Dyson deal

For all of the Dyson deals I recommend, there's one Dyson deal you should avoid: The 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum on sale for $399.99. Though the drop from its MSRP of $999.99 seems killer on its face, the vacuum itself is going to kill your faith in robot vacuums (it would have for me if I didn't test a million others for a living). The 360 Vis Nav's strong suction power can't make up for the fact that it doesn't self-empty, doesn't mop, and doesn't have small obstacle avoidance technology. There are much better robot vacuums on sale for under $500 this Black Friday, and Dyson is releasing a new robot vacuum in 2026, anyway.

OpenAI is making another major investment in AI-powered education, announcing a new teachers-only ChatGPT workspace designed specifically to help educators with their classroom workload.

With the new ChatGPT for Teachers, users get full access to ChatGPT 5.1 Auto with unlimited messages, search, file uploads, connectors, and image generation, as well as educator-specific onboarding, admin controls, and personalized prompts. The features have already rolled out to 150,000 teachers and staff across U.S. school districts, says OpenAI.

SEE ALSO: Want to chat on Roblox? You'll need to verify your age.

Rather than the standard security framework built into ChatGPT, ChatGPT for Teachers is designed with "education-grade privacy, security, and compliance programs," says OpenAI, intended to bring the tech in line with requirements under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Under these guidelines, ChatGPT for Teachers can't retain any student data to be used for model training.

Educators and administrators can also collaborate on projects and custom GPTs within the shared workspace, the company explains, and upload existing files from Google Drive or Microsoft 365 accounts to provide ChatGPT with context for lesson plans, grades, and data analysis.

OpenAI is offering it for free to verified educators and school leaders until June 2027.

According to the AI giant, K-12 teachers are "leading education's AI transformation" and OpenAI has increasingly pushed for its AI tools to enter the early childhood education space as its refashioned EdTech for higher education. "Universities are starting to treat AI as core infrastructure for education, and we also know that students use ChatGPT as a 24/7 learning companion," says Leah Belsky, vice president of education for OpenAI. "In our view, every student today is going to grow up in a world that is shaped by powerful AI and teachers will play a key role and helping both students and parents navigate that change."

OpenAI has placed a huge bet on AI's educational potential, launching a nationwide AI training program with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), signing deals with college systems that give ChatGPT to students for free, and even consulting with the Ministries of Education of foreign governments.

Elon Musk's Tesla Diner — the billionaire's shiny, UFO-shaped restaurant in Los Angeles — may be in the market for a new chef.

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that chef and co-operator Eric Greenspan is leaving the project. The chef said that he was leaving to focus on opening his new spot, a Jewish deli, but the paper also noted he faced stark pushback for joining forces with Musk.

"I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli," Greenspan told the LA Times in a text message. "Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish."

Mashable visited the Tesla Diner back in August, which serves the classics — burgers, fries, shakes, etc. — but with Muskified names. So you get items like "electric sauce," "autopilot avocado toast," a "giga burger," and now-defunct "epic bacon." The food did earn decent reviews from Mashable editor Neal Broverman, even if it felt overpriced for the portion size.

This isn't the first big change at the Tesla Diner. Shortly after the diner's opening, patrons noticed that the menu had been scaled back — thus the goodbye to "epic bacon." The LA Times also reported that the diner was looking to move to a full-service model — for the time being, you order at a tablet and get counter service. And, of course, now the chef has left.

In short: It seems quite unclear what the future holds for Musk's futuristic restaurant.