IT General

Well, if you haven’t gotten your fill of a sappy Christmas on HBO Max by now, you’d better get to it. The end of the month will see a major clear-out of Hallmark-type seasonal content. Additionally, all but the first movie of the Harry Potter franchise are peacing out, as are plenty of classic and popular hits like Taxi Driver and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, as well asHBO documentaries and Max Originals.

TL;DR: Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 is on sale for $49.97 (reg. $219), offering a lifetime license with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $49.97
$219 Save $169.03   Get Deal

Subscriptions have their place, but productivity software doesn’t really need to be one of them — especially when it’s something as familiar and widely used as Microsoft Office. Somewhere along the way, there must have been a glitch in the matrix, because buying software quietly turned into renting it forever. Thankfully, Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 skips that model entirely. Its lifetime license is currently on sale for $49.97 (regularly $219), whether you’re using a Mac or a Windows PC.

There’s no need to explain why an Office license still matters. Most people have been using Microsoft Office long before cloud apps and browser-based alternatives became the norm. With this deal, you can install the full Office suite on a single device for lifetime use — at home or at work — without worrying about monthly renewals, annual price hikes, or surprise charges down the line.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

This license includes all the core apps most people actually rely on: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote. That means drafting documents, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing email, and organizing notes using the full desktop versions of each app. Unlike free alternatives or web-based tools, you get access to the complete feature sets, which makes a difference when you’re working on longer documents, detailed spreadsheets, or presentation-heavy projects.

Once you purchase, your license key and download links are delivered instantly, so there’s no waiting around to get started. Microsoft also includes lifetime customer support, which can be helpful if you ever need assistance with installation or troubleshooting.

Instead of committing to yet another recurring subscription, this one-time purchase lets you snag software you’ll likely keep using for years.

Right now, you can grab Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac or Windows for $49.97 (reg. $219). That’s proof that the matrix occasionally still gets things right.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: AdGuard’s Family Plan is available for $15.97 for lifetime access with code FAMPLAN.

Opens in a new window Credit: AdGuard AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription $15.97
$169.99 Save $154.02   Get Deal

If each of us had a dollar for every ad we saw online, we’d all be swimming in money by now. The average person is exposed to thousands of ads a day, and they’re practically unavoidable — especially if you live online. Pop-ups, autoplay videos, cookie banners, and targeted ads pile up fast, and that clutter multiplies when several people are using multiple devices under one roof. AdGuard’s Family Plan is designed to block much of that noise at the source, and its lifetime license is currently priced at just $15.97.

If it ever feels like the internet knows a little too much about you, you’re not imagining things. Ads that follow you from site to site and trackers quietly collecting data in the background can make browsing feel less like exploration and more like surveillance. AdGuard aims to dial that back by blocking ads and trackers before they even load, helping protect your privacy across everyday browsing.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

Designed to make the web feel cleaner and more peaceful, AdGuard blocks nearly every type of ad imaginable. Beyond that, it hides your activity from trackers and analytics tools that monitor your online behavior. The result is a faster, less cluttered browsing experience — and fewer eerily well-timed ads popping up in your feed.

Security is another part of the package. AdGuard includes built-in malware and phishing protection to help prevent harmful sites from slipping through. For households with kids, parental controls allow you to restrict access to inappropriate content, making the internet a safer place for your little ones.

The Family Plan works across Android and iOS devices, along with computers, making it a flexible option for most households. This plan supports up to nine devices, which should cover phones, tablets, and laptops without much juggling.

Perhaps the biggest draw is the pricing model. Instead of another recurring subscription, this is a one-time purchase. Pay once, and you get lifetime access, including future updates and feature improvements.

Use code FAMPLAN to get an AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription for only $15.97 (reg. $169.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Over the years I've had to buy numerous external SSDs for myself, and my wife, who is a video professional. You'd think that one external SSD is pretty much like the next, but as I've learned the hard way, there's more to it than just picking the fastest or the cheapest drive.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is just a matter of days away, which means it's time to take stock of what to expect from the world's most recognizable tech brands.

Companies like Samsung, LG, and AMD will showcase new products that range from futuristic concepts to more tangible and real-world items you can purchase in the near future. Between foldable phones, fancy new TVs, robots, and computer hardware, there's going to be a lot to talk about in the coming week. Let's dig in.

Here are the biggest tech trends to expect at CES 2026.

SEE ALSO: How to watch CES 2026 live: Streaming schedule, keynotes, events Lots of colorful, big TVs Get ready to hear the letters 'RGB' a lot. Credit: LG

Television sets always take a prominent place at CES, and 2026 appears to be no exception. However, one thing that will be different is the color technology being used in a lot of the TVs on display this year.

Specifically, RGB (which stands for red, green, and blue) TVs are en vogue at CES 2026. A typical TV has backlights that emit white or blue light, depending on what is on screen, but RGB TVs have numerous small red, green, and blue lights that create the picture instead. The idea here is to create greater color accuracy than you'd find on a different kind of display. As a bonus, these screens can achieve higher brightness levels and better contrast as well.

We know for certain that Samsung, LG, and Hisense are all showcasing RGB TVs at CES, but other companies will likely have something on the docket as well. Beyond the RGB of it all, it appears that these same companies are pushing harder on huge displays this year as well. Leaks suggest that Samsung is showcasing a 98-inch version of its Frame TV, while LG's line of RGB sets starts at 75 inches and increases from there. This isn't to say that smaller TVs are going away, but it does mean that huge ones are here to stay.

New laptop chips Intel has some new chips coming. Credit: Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The atmosphere surrounding computer components at CES 2026 is currently a bit muted, given the skyrocketing prices of memory these days. In previous years, we've seen powerful consumer-grade GPUs showcased at CES, but it doesn't seem like that will be the case this year.

Still, that doesn't mean there will be nothing to chew on. For instance, AMD will deliver a keynote address to kick off the show, which it may use to announce its Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU, reportedly designed for incredibly fast PC gaming. Intel, meanwhile, has already pre-announced its Panther Lake chips, which will likely be showcased in powerful laptops and PCs at CES. The same goes for Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite chip. Whether they're entirely new laptops or refreshes of older models, expect to see machines with those chips inside at the show this year.

As always, keep an eye out for innovative new concepts, such as rollable screens and other unconventional form factors. We don't know of any in this specific category just yet, but there's always something like this at CES.

(Hopefully) helpful robots Where are you? Credit: Kim Gedeon/Mashable

Robots consistently make an appearance at CES in some form, and 2026 appears to be no exception.

In fact, we already know about one in advance. Its name is CLOiD, and it comes from LG. The Korean tech company has yet to share any photos, specs, or price info about CLOiD, but we know it will have two limbs with actuated digits at the end, a menagerie of sensors for navigating and interacting with your home, and an AI-powered robot brain that will personalize its responses to its owners over time. At least, it'll do all of that in theory. CLOiD could be one of those far-off concepts I mentioned earlier, something that doesn't launch for quite some time, if ever.

Speaking of which, Samsung has been threatening to unleash Ballie, a spherical robotic helper, since CES 2020. After that initial showcase, Ballie went silent for several years, reappearing at CES 2024. We still haven't gotten any concrete info about when (or if) Ballie will be available to consumers. There's no guarantee Ballie will show up this year, but it definitely warrants a mention until Samsung provides some answers.

At least two new foldable phones Big phone! Credit: Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images

The heavily rumored iPhone Fold is unlikely to appear at CES, but other foldables are expected to be showcased.

For starters, Samsung has just recently launched its anticipated Galaxy Z Tri-Fold in Asia, and we expect it to arrive in the U.S. in early 2026. That doesn't necessarily guarantee it will appear at CES, but given Samsung's substantial presence at the show this year, it would not be surprising at all to see the TriFold make its Western debut at the show. In case you haven't been following along, this is the ultra-big, book-style foldable that has two creases instead of just one. In other words, when it's unfolded, it'll almost be like three smartphone displays attached to each other.

Interestingly, Samsung is also reportedly working on another new foldable with a wider display than its previous devices. That one may be further off and isn't guaranteed to appear at CES, but it's worth keeping an eye out for.

And while we know less about this than the TriFold, Motorola is apparently going to show off a new foldable of its own at CES. The company sent physical invites to some media outlets that heavily hinted at a new book-style foldable (as opposed to clamshell-style devices Motorola already makes), and it might have a wood finish, giving it a distinct look. Other than that, though, we know next to nothing about this device. That will probably change next week.

Smart glasses Smart glasses are having a comeback. Credit: IAN MAULE/AFP via Getty Images

Between last year's CES showcase and Meta's increasing market saturation with Ray-Ban, smart glasses made a modest comeback in 2025. Do not be surprised to see more of them at CES 2026.

We don't have many firm predictions about which companies will show which glasses at CES, but in general, you should expect to see more glasses with built-in displays than in previous years. Those have been at CES for a while now, but it's starting to feel like a device category that might actually be used by regular consumers in the near future, rather than just a far-off tech fantasy. Well, maybe, anyway. It depends on whether tech companies can figure out how to navigate all the horrifying privacy implications of wearing a camera on your face.

AI will be everywhere

Lastly, as a general prediction, expect the term "AI" to be frequently used in relation to any and all of the above device categories. New laptop chips will be optimized for AI applications. Smart glasses and home robots will be powered by AI. New TVs will probably use AI in some way. And, of course, foldable phones will come with AI features built in, just like non-foldable phones do.

Will any of it be especially new or novel? It's impossible to say. We'll find out together soon.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

Wireless earbuds are the greatest thing since sliced bread. They’re a compact audio solution that lets you listen to music, block outside noise, hold meetings, and so much more. Unfortunately, they have one fatal flaw that makes them fall short for gaming—latency.

Ahead of CES 2026, GE announced the Smart Refrigerator with Kitchen Assistant, which boasts a barcode scanner that can add an item to your grocery shopping list — and syncs directly with Instacart.

With the "Scan-to-List" feature, you can scan a product, and the fridge will add it to a shopping list within GE's SmartHQ app. From there, the list can be shared with others, used in-store, or copied to Instacart for fast delivery. You can also add items to your grocery list using your voice — or even ask for unit conversions or product information.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026: The biggest tech trends to watch out for

If you're unsure about what to cook, you can also utilize the fridge's recipe integrations. More than 50 recipes will be added monthly for you to save or add ingredients to your shopping list.

Another feature is "FridgeFocus," which aims to reduce food waste. It's a camera integrated into an LED bar that can snap real-time shots of crisper drawers, which usually contain perishables. So you can check on how your produce is looking while you're away doing next week's grocery shopping.

GE's latest smart fridge "builds on our legacy of kitchen breakthroughs by delivering solutions that adapt to real lives and solve universal stressors such as meal decision fatigue and grocery shopping," Jason May, executive product director of French-door refrigeration at GE Appliances, stated in the press release.

The new smart fridge will be available for purchase in standard-depth or counter-depth models (allowing it to be flush with your cabinetry) on GE's website and at other retailers in April, with a suggested retail price of around $4,899.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

Are you experiencing hardware issues on your Linux device? Or maybe you're just curious about what information you can gather using terminal commands? You should try these lspci command examples.

There are a ton of USB Type-C hubs that all have similar ports and designs, but Belkin just introduced another one at CES 2026 with a more uncommon feature. It has a one-click privacy button to shut off external monitors, which is handy for shared workspaces or presentations.

MagSafe and magnetic Qi portable batteries can be a great alternative to larger portable batteries, and now Belkin has revealed one at CES 2026. The new UltraCharge Pro can snap onto your phone for a battery boost, while also providing a convenient kickstand and charging your other devices.

For this year's CES, Narwal just announced its Flow 2 robovac and mop, which it calls its "most advanced robotic mop ever."

The Flow 2 boasts two RGB cameras with 1080P resolution, AI that is designed to detect and avoid objects on the floor — such as your cat or lost jewelry — and real-time self-cleaning, according to Narwal's CES page on its website.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026: The biggest tech trends to watch out for

Narwal's Flow 2 also upgrades features of the original Flow, like 30,000Pa of suction (up from 22,000Pa), and 158 degrees Fahrenheit hot water mopping, The Verge reported. The Flow 2 also has two docking stations, one with an automatic refill and draining function and another that's a water tank.

The robovac is expected to be released in April 2026, but pricing and pre-order information aren't yet available. For reference, the Narwal Flow retails for $2,049.98 on the official website.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

Many factors play into how good or bad your internet connection might be, but ultimately, none of it matters if your internet service provider (ISP) is just plain bad. I learned that harsh truth the hard way some time ago.

Samsung is going to have a very busy CES 2026.

The company typically brings new TVs and gaming displays to the show, and that's exactly what's on schedule for CES 2026 as well. But being the consumer tech behemoth that it is, Samsung is firing on all cylinders.

For example, the company pushed out 18 press releases in December alone, many of them pre-announcements of the stuff Samsung is bringing to CES – and that doesn't count the pre-embargoed releases which are scheduled to see the light of day over the next week.

The company has also built an entirely new, massive exhibition space at The Wynn where it can showcase its ambitious AI vision.

Let's take a look at the most interesting stuff we expect to see from Samsung at CES 2026.

Micro RGB TVs Forget about OLEDs (maybe), Micro RGB TVs are coming. Credit: Samsung

Both Samsung and LG have announced a full range of Micro RGB TVs to be launched at CES 2026. For a full explainer what Micro RGB TVs are, go here; the short version is that they're TVs which should come close to OLED picture quality at a lower price.

In particular, Samsung said that in 2026 it would expand its Micro RGB TV lineup with 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 100- and 115-inch models (the company previously launched a massive, 115-inch TV in 2025).

SEE ALSO: The top 6 CES 2026 trends I expect to see at tech's biggest show

It's still early days for Micro RGB TVs, though, and we're eager to see how good these are with our own eyes.

Gaming monitors No glasses needed for 3D on this one. Credit: Samsung

This is another tradition by Samsung: The company almost always unveils new gaming monitors at CES. This year, the company is bringing its 2026 Odyssey gaming monitor lineup, including the world's first 6K glasses-free 3D gaming monitor called the Odyssey 3D.

Other new devices include the Odyssey G6, the world's first 1,040Hz gaming monitor, as well as several new Odyssey G8 models, including a 6K, 5K, and OLED variant.

Folding phones Samsung's first tri-folding phone is coming to America. Credit: Samsung

The company's first tri-folding phone, the Samsung Galaxy TriFold, was officially unveiled in early December, but for many, CES 2026 will offer a first chance to see the device up close.

Samsung is also rumored to be working on yet another foldable phone with a wider aspect ratio, as it (apparently) prepares to meet Apple's first foldable iPhone head on. We don't expect to see that one at CES 2026, but Samsung Display typically offers a glimpse into future devices by showing us the latest displays the company's been working on.

Wireless speakers and soundbars We don't know how it sounds yet, but it looks good. Credit: Samsung

Samsung is bringing new audio gear to CES 2026, including a couple of new Q-series soundbars. But we're particularly interested in two new WiFi speakers called the Music Studio 5 and Music Studio 7. The latter is a 3.1.1. channel speaker system with left, front, right and top-firing speakers, which should create a "natural 3D immersion." It supports hi-res audio as well as Samsung's audio tech such as AI Dynamic Bass Control and Audio Lab Pattern Control.

The Music Studio 5 is a smaller version, with a four-inch woofer and dual tweeters. It also includes the AI Dynamic Bass Control and supports WiFi casting, streaming services, and Bluetooth connectivity.

But the coolest thing about these speakers is how they look. Available in black and white, Samsung says their "dot design" has been created by renowned designer Erwan Bouroullec.

AI everything

In Samsung's official words, the company will take the CES 2026 stage to "present its unified AI approach for its Device eXperience (DX) Division and articulate the company’s overall business direction." More importantly for us, Samsung said its AI vision is so ambitious that it built an "industry-leading, large-scale premium standalone exhibition space at The Wynn," where it can showcase its AI innovation with "no limitations."

While AI announcements can sometimes be hard to digest, the above sounds like Samsung's massive exhibition space at the Wynn will be newsworthy in itself. In a few days, we'll be there live to tell you what it's like.

Samsung also said it would unveil a new lineup of AI-connected home appliances, including the new Bespoke AI Laundry Combo (that's a smart washing machine), the Bespoke Samsung AirDresser (that's a smart clothes freshener), the Bespoke AI WindFree Pro Air Conditioner, and a cleaning bot called the Bespoke AI Jet Bot Steam.

Finally, the company partnered with Google to add Gemini smarts to some of its hone appliances, including the new Bespoke AI Refrigerator Family Hub and the Bespoke AI Wine Cellar. Yes, in the end everything in your house will be smart; time to get used to it.

The phone sold simply as the “iPhone” isn’t the cheapest phone Apple sells. There’s a cheaper model currently known as the iPhone 16e—and while this is described as the most affordable iPhone, that doesn’t actually make it an affordable phone.

Even as a Microsoft Word power user, I'm always stumbling upon different ways to speed up my workflow and make the most of the program's tools. Here are some nifty tricks you should know.

The XReal One Pro AR glasses debuted at CES 2025, and now XReal has announced an upgraded version, 1S, in time for CES 2026. Plus, the XReal 1S is available for $449, which is $50 cheaper than the XReal One on the company's website, and $200 cheaper than the XReal One Pro.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The XReal 1S boasts 3D spatial technology so users can convert 2D games and videos into 3D, and several upgrades compared to other XReal models:

• 500-inch spatial screen, up from 147 inches on the XReal One

• 52 degrees field of view, an increase from 50 degrees on the XReal One (but less than the XReal One Pro's 57 degrees)

• 1200P HD resolution, up from 1080P resolution on both the XReal One and One Pro

• Highest perceived brightness up to 700 nits, more than the One's 600 (but the same as the One Pro)

Like the One and One Pro, the XReal 1S features Native 3DoF (degrees of freedom) spatial anchoring, allowing you to keep the screen in one place. It also features electrochromatic dimming, a USB-C plug-in, and is powered by the X1 chip. The 1S glasses come in a cobalt blue, whereas the other models are black.

The XReal 1S is available for order now on the XReal website or Amazon.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

Podcasts have become a lot more popular as time has gone on. They jumped from being niche to becoming a huge media powerhouse. However, as this medium matured, the platforms that host it seem to have rewarded video content over the audio itself.

If you work with strings in your Python scripts and you're writing obscure logic to process them, then you need to look into regex in Python. It lets you describe patterns instead of writing procedural logic. Let's look into some real-world examples where Python’s re module makes scripts smarter.

Are you interested in building an app with AI? I used to think that AI was worthless and dumb, but 2025 was the year I started to fully embrace AI in many aspects of my life. As 2025 came to a close, I ran into AI programming head-first and was actually pleasantly surprised with just how far AI coding has come. Here are things that really impressed me.

What if you could have a massive portable monitor for your PC, phone, tablet, or gaming handheld anywhere? XREAL did that with its augmented reality glasses, and now the company has announced an updated model and optional external hub at CES 2026.