IT General

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watched 2000s basketball.

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: World Cup entrants

• Green: Stars of the past

• Blue: Luka

• Purple: Some strings on these

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: First-Timers in 2026 in World Cup

• Green: Nicknames of 2000s Basketball Stars

• Blue: Associated with Luka Doncic

• Purple: Things That Have Strings

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 #662 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• First-Timers in 2026 in World Cup: CAPE VERDE, CURACAO, JORDAN, UZBEKISTAN

• Nicknames of 2000s Basketball Stars: AI, BIG TICKET, STARBURY, T-MAC

• Associated with Luka Doncic: 77, LAKERS, MAVERICKS, SLOVENIA

• Things That Have Strings: BOW, DEPTH CHART, LACROSSE STICK, TENNIS RACKET

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.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 17, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for July 17, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 17 Pips

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically; 1-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically; 5-6, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 17 Pips

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally.

Less Than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 17 Pips

Number (7): Everything in this space must add up to 7. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 1-6, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically; 4-6, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically; 0-3, placed vertically.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 2-3, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally.

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

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.

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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

Tapered.

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

CONIC

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Unfasten.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 17, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

UNZIP

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Hurdle Word 3 hint

Beamed.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 17 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 17, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

SHONE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Proverb.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ADAGE

Final Hurdle hint

Assortment.

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

ARRAY

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

We're not onto day three of the new lunar cycle, which means the Moon is starting to properly come into view. Over the next few nights it'll become even more visible, and moon gazing will return.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Friday, July 17, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waxing Crescent phase, with just 11% of its surface visible.

Even with binoculars or telescopes, there is simply not enough reflected light tonight to make out any craters, mountains, or any other features on the Moon's surface.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on July 29.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon completes one full cycle around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight different phases along the way, NASA explains. Although the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of sunlight reflecting off its surface changes as it travels around Earth. This changing angle of illumination is what makes the Moon appear to transform throughout the month, from a thin crescent to a half-lit Moon and eventually a fully illuminated Full Moon, before starting the cycle again.

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a mechanic.

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 July 17, 2026 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: The last hoorah

• Green: Fun and games

• Blue: Quartet

• Purple: Auto pieces

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Grand finale

• Green: Seen in an arcade

• Blue: Four groups of four

• Purple: Ending in parts of a car

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 #1132 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Grand finale: EPILOGUE, FAREWELL, LAST DANCE, SWAN SONG

• Seen in an arcade: CRANE GAME, PINBALL, TICKETS, TOKENS

• Four groups of four: CARDINAL DIRECTIONS, CLASSICAL ELEMENTS, SEASONS, SUITS

• Ending in parts of a car: PLOT SPOILER, ROBIN HOOD, SATIRES, TREE TRUNK

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 17, 2026

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 love game night.

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 July 17, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Categorically speaking

The words are related to quizzes.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a popular board game.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Trivial Pursuit.

NYT Strands word list for July 17

• Entertainment

• Geography

• Trivial Pursuit

• Sports

• Nature

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 a law-abiding citizen.

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 July 17, 2026 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 July 17, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Lawful.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter L appears twice.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter L.

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...

LEGAL

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.

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.

In the summer of 2023, an eerie and lingering haze blanked skies all across the East Coast following a record wildfire season in Quebec. New York City's Air Quality Index reached a hazardous level of 465 as the smoke eventually drifted into cities like Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. More than 350 million people were exposed to record levels of unhealthy air before it finally cleared.

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AI Invoice Maker uses AI to create professional invoices in seconds, with no manual formatting required on your end. It can auto-number them to keep your records organized, and even offers nine different templates so you can best match your personal brand.

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Roblox has a whopping 132 million daily active users. But, while Roblox is massively popular among gamers, it's also quite popular among game creators as well. There are millions of user-generated games or experiences on Roblox.

However, it seems like those millions of games and experiences aren't enough.

Roblox has just announced Build, a brand new set of AI tools focused on user game or experience creation.

"Somewhere right now, someone has an idea for a game," Roblox said in its statement announcing Build. "They know exactly what it would feel like to play. They just don’t know how to build it. Today, that changes."

Roblox's Build will launch a test phase on July 28 which will bring a new mobile-first Build tab into the Roblox Studio within Roblox's app. Roblox Studio is well-known among game developers as that's where they currently create Roblox experiences. Build is going to bring new AI tools into the Roblox Studio. These AI tools will be powered by a "broad set" of AI models including Roblox's own proprietary AI models.

Using Build, users will be able to generate environments, characters, visual styles, gameplay mechanics, sound, and more without leaving the Roblox app and without needing to know the technical elements of game development.

Game-makers will be able to provide Build with conversational, natural language prompts in order to develop their games and experiences. From there, they will be able to playtest their game creations and refine the output in order to fix issues, add elements, or continue to customize their game before sharing the final product.

According to Roblox, its AI models are trained on a large set of 3D models and gaming data so that they can generate fully functioning 3D models and scenes of their own.

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"For 20 years, Roblox has been on a mission to remove limits on what gaming is – and what it can be," Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki said in a statement posted to his X account. "Today, we're introducing Build – a new way for anyone to create a game on Roblox from their phone. And we’re expanding AI-powered tools for developers of every level." 

"We're doing this for one reason: The world needs more play," he continued.

Some Build features, such as the ability to publish games, will only be available to select users in a public alpha stage at launch. For example, users in New Zealand will be part of the initial test phase for publishing Build-created games. Roblox expects to roll Build to more creators and more regions in the coming months.

Roblox also shared that it will be rolling out new AI agents across both Build and Studio that can bug test games, explain game analytics, and help creators experiment with different options to help drive engagement and monetization.

Build will be available for age-checked users 9 and older and published games that go through safety checks will be available to age-checked users 16 and older. Build games for Roblox Kids or Select catalogs will go through an extended review process that all Roblox games must undergo.

The company plans to provide a free base tier of Build to users with paid options for power users in the future.

Roblox has long-ago established itself as a platform over a traditional gaming experience. Some of the most popular games, such as Steal a Brainrot, have been created by Robox's users. The company clearly believes there are even more potential gems out there from creators who don't necessarily have the skillset or knowledge to create them. Roblox is hoping to remove that barrier to entry.

At the same time, however, Roblox is addressing potential issues that Build could bring about in order to avoid controversies like its age-verification system. In its Build announcement, Roblox assures users that AI slop will continue to be filtered out thanks to how its discovery systems are designed. 

"The quality of games on the homepage isn’t changing: If no one plays it—no one can find it," the company said.

It seemed like Immich came out of nowhere, but suddenly all my colleagues appear to be using it. I'm not as into self-hosting as some of them, so perhaps that's why I'm surprised, but the more I look into it, the more obvious it seems that this photo management solution is turning into a sleeper hit.

We've reached the point in the summer when all anyone can talk about is The Odyssey or Christopher Nolan's best movies. However, the streaming services have been releasing new shows to serve as counterprogramming for Nolan's epic movie. For me, the top show this week is a new Apple TV crime thriller starring Anya Taylor-Joy.

While it's convenient to pay for things with a tap of your phone, there's still a bit of a dance that you have to go through before the actual payment happens. If you use Google Wallet, there are a few tweaks you can make to save a few seconds every time you have to pay. Depending on your spending patterns, that can end up saving you quite a bit of time, and the person in line behind you will certainly appreciate it.

OpenAI now wants a place in your browser, on your desk, in your closet, and, for $70, on your local basketball court.

The company behind ChatGPT is selling a branded basketball through Supply Co., its expanding online shop for clothing, collectibles, desk accessories, and limited-edition hardware.

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On its own, the product is an unusual piece of tech-company merchandise. Alongside OpenAI’s growing catalog, it is easier to understand as part of the company’s effort to build recognizable physical products around ChatGPT, Codex, and its research culture.

The $70 ChatGPT basketball is part of “Pause. Play. Prompt.,” a campaign that argues creativity need not remain on a screen. OpenAI describes the ball as a reminder to step away from technology and suggests that good ideas can arrive between pickup games.

But it's also just a functional basketball. The standard Size 7 ball is made entirely of rubber and contains no artificial intelligence, sensors, an internet connection, or any other technology.

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The question on most people's minds — according to social media, at least — is: why is OpenAI selling this in the first place?

OpenAI is building a lifestyle shop This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The answer begins with Supply Co., which, according to its home page, "documents the visual culture surrounding intelligent systems."

The brand started as a small merchandise operation for OpenAI employees. According to the company, workers became unusually enthusiastic about collectible cards, graphic hoodies, and blue folding chairs. OpenAI says those objects eventually became “material embodiments of company culture.”

Supply Co.'s next phase is described as a mix of “collaborations, experiments, and physical expressions of research energy,” broad language that leaves room for more than just shirts bearing a corporate logo. The online reaction to the product line is mixed.

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The current shop includes a $40 "Good Research" T-shirt, a $50 ChatGPT long-sleeve shirt, a $100 Codex hoodie, a $40 Blossom hat, and matching $15 socks. Customers can also buy a $45 embroidered tote featuring Bloop, one of OpenAI’s cartoon characters, and a $25 Nalgene bottle covered in pixelated graphics.

For anyone hoping to dress like an especially well-funded graduate student, there is the $175 Research Half Zip. The Portuguese cotton fleece sweater has the word “research” embroidered across its chest and a crisp collar that OpenAI says "reminisces on our days in academia." It lands somewhere between university apparel and a startup office uniform.

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The current selection is relatively restrained compared with its archive. OpenAI has previously produced a rice cooker, dinner plates, a wooden checkerboard, a tape measure, earplugs, a hair claw, a Raspberry Pi kit, a soccer jersey, active shorts, flying discs, folding chairs, and an earlier basketball featuring its Blossom design.

Codex gets its own physical controller

Elsewhere in the same shop, OpenAI is selling a device that links to its actual software.

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Codex Micro is a $230 desktop controller created with Work Louder, a boutique hardware company known for customizable mechanical keyboards and shortcut devices. OpenAI describes it as a “command center for agentic work.”

The controller is built for people using Codex, OpenAI’s coding agent, to manage several tasks at once. Its illuminated Agent Keys indicate whether an agent is thinking, running, waiting, or finished, while a joystick launches common workflows such as reviewing pull requests, debugging errors, and refactoring code.

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Other controls let users accept or reject changes, start a new chat, record spoken instructions, and adjust the amount of reasoning Codex applies to a task. The device connects through Bluetooth or USB-C, works with Mac and Windows computers, and was offered with either clicky or silent mechanical switches before selling out.

Codex Micro is unlikely to become a mainstream consumer product. It is aimed at people who already use AI agents heavily enough to benefit from dedicated physical controls.

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Still, it provides a more concrete example of how OpenAI wants its software to extend beyond an app.

OpenAI also wants to bring ChatGPT into the home

According to a July 14 Bloomberg report, OpenAI is also developing a portable device that reportedly looks like a smart speaker but has no screen. It could answer questions, play media, respond to messages, and control smart-home devices using ChatGPT.

Cameras and sensors would help it understand what is happening around the user, rather than relying only on spoken commands. That would make it similar to an Amazon Echo, Google Home, or Apple HomePod, but with more awareness of its surroundings.

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OpenAI has spent heavily on the project. In 2025, it acquired Jony Ive's device startup, io, for about $6.5 billion, and Ive’s design studio, LoveFrom, is helping build the product alongside OpenAI researchers, engineers, and former Apple employees.

Those Apple ties are now part of a lawsuit. Apple claims OpenAI used confidential information to speed up its hardware plans, while OpenAI says it has no interest in Apple’s trade secrets. The allegations have not been proven, and the device still has no announced design, price, or release date.

What's clear is that while the company may still live mostly on screens, its products are starting to show up just about everywhere else.

AI promises to make tedious work easier, but I wanted to know whether it could deliver in real Excel projects. Rather than asking Claude for formulas or snippets of code, I tested whether it could handle three types of automation: creating a workbook from scratch, building a reusable reporting system, and developing a tool that analyzes existing spreadsheets. The goal was to see how much of the work Claude could handle and where I would still need to step in.

No one likes a phone that's starting to lag, glitch, or slow down, especially when it's a fancy high-end Samsung Galaxy. No matter which phone you have, the way we use these devices all day, every day, can eventually slow things down. Fortunately, there's one easily overlooked setting that'll keep your Galaxy feeling fast and new.

It's not an overstatement to say that BookTok revolutionized the book industry, including everything from the publishing process to marketing and book sales.

And while a huge part of the online community involves creators and audience members sharing their favorite reads, books aren't the only thing BookTokkers are buying. Yes, there are e-readers, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

SEE ALSO: BookTok made reading cool again — but it also turned authors into content creators

That's why we caught up with BookTok creators and book lovers at VidCon's 2026 BookTok Meetup last month to ask about the products they can't read without. They shared everything from speed-reading apps and e-reader accessories to their favorite places to discover their next great read. Check out the full list of BookTok-approved essentials below.

A place to source their next read

BookTokker Ashley Duke immediately called out GoodReads as her favorite place to get a little more information on potential next reads. "You can look at any type of reviews so that you can become a better buyer and not just like what most of us do, where we absolutely judge a book by its cover," she shared. "We're like, 'It looks cool, I'm going to buy it!' And then it's like, 'That was the worst book I've ever read.'"

SEE ALSO: The 15 most popular books of 2026, determined by Goodreads members

Goodreads isn't the only site for finding reviews and keeping track of your books. Kobo owners, in particular, may want to check out Storygraph, which recently launched an integration with the e-reader brand.

Opens in a new window Credit: Goodreads Goodreads   Learn More An ergonomic Kindle upgrade

E-reader users know that, as convenient as the device can be, it can also be more dangerous than you'd expect. "One time, I really thought I broke my nose by the way that it came down," creator Marijose said, the classic experience of dropping your e-reader while reading in bed.

Her favorite solution? The Strapsicle (it's one of our favorites, too). She called out the crossed straps on the back, saying it's basically impossible to drop your e-reader while your hand is strapped in.

Opens in a new window Credit: Strapsicle Strapsicle $19.99
  Shop Now For speed readers

Patrick Khanna is neither a BookTok creator nor a viewer — he simply loves to read, which is why he stopped by the meetup. It showed with his favorite reading tool: Accelareader. Accelareader is a free online tool that lets users copy and paste text from the site using a feature called "Rapid Serial Visual Presentation." Users can adjust how many words per minute they're aiming to read. Khanna shared that it legitimately helps him read faster.

Opens in a new window Credit: Accelareader Accelareader   Learn More A bookmark with personality

Isaiah, who posts under the handle Zayintune, appreciates a little personality when marking the pages in his books. "Instead of bookmarks, I like to use little crocheted thongs on the book," he said, adding with a laugh, "I only use them for my smut books."

Though you can find these bookmarks on Etsy or Amazon, Isaiah grabs the bookmarks from Downtowne Bookstore in Riverside, California, saying of the store, "They're very POC and LGBT-friendly. They're kind of hidden, as in not a lot of people know about them, so I always like to shout them out."

Opens in a new window Credit: Tifairy Crochet Thong Bookmark $17 at Etsy
  Shop Now Some sort of e-reader

Naturally, e-readers came up when I talked to the group of BookTokkers. Many used Kindle, some shouting out the affordability of the base model, while others preferred the Kindle Paperwhite for its light adjustment and storage (the Paperwhite is also Mashable's favorite Kindle overall). A couple of folks even use the Kindle app on their phone instead of a dedicated e-reader.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Kindle Paperwhite $159.99 at Amazon
  Get Deal A Kindle remote

Marijose made sure I didn't miss out on one of her most-used accessories: a page-turning remote. "I swear by this," she said, deadly serious. The model she showed me costs less than $20, comes in seven different colors, and can even be used with iPhones and iPads. Kobo users: the Mashable team loves the bespoke Kobo Bluetooth remote.

Opens in a new window Credit: HIGHGO HIGHGO Remote page turner $15.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Convenience in a booklight

E-reader accessories get a lot of love on BookTok, but one of the most OG companions for bookish people is a good book light. Isaiah shared his favorite book light with me: it's a clip-on, less than $10, and rechargeable, so you don't have to mess around with batteries. "It's nice, cheap, easy, and it does the job," he said. And at the end of the day, that's all you need — and a good book, of course.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hionxmga Hionxmga Rechargeable Book Light $9.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now

I'm still a novice Linux user, but the more time I spend with it, the more I like it. What started as a way to keep an older PC useful has turned into something I genuinely enjoy using. Linux feels faster, more flexible, and far less intimidating than I expected, especially now that I've found applications that make the desktop experience feel more complete.

Did you have Ninja releasing a whole ass microwave on your 2026 product release bingo card?

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you actually did. Nearly every countertop appliance you could think of has already gotten the Ninja treatment by now — since Ninja has already cemented itself as a household name for air fryers, it feels correct to finally extend those crisping skills to the humble microwave. Released July 16, the Ninja Crispi Microwave combines these two staple time-saving appliances into one 14-in-1 oven.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Crispi Microwave $449.99 at SharkNinja
Comes in silver or black Shop Now

The Ninja Crispi Microwave's FusionCrisp technology aims to solve the texture issues that come with microwaving. Right after regular reheating concludes, automatic air frying kicks in to leave food crispy rather than soggy. With 1700 Watt power and up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit of circulated airflow, Ninja claims that you'll be able to take food from frozen to crispy in 10 minutes. That's up to 60 percent faster than a conventional oven, no agonizing preheating window required.

The inside of the Crispi Microwave is glass, not plastic. Credit: Ninja The included 5.5-quart glass basket can feed up to 10 people. Credit: Ninja

There's little that can't be cooked in the Crispi Microwave. There are eight microwave presets: popcorn, potato, defrost, beverage, soup, frozen dinner, frozen vegetables, and soften butter. The five air fry presets are similar to what you'd see in an air fryer toaster oven: max crisp and normal crisp, air roast, air bake, and air broil.

The Crispi Microwave features a PFAS-free glass cooking cavity with up to 40 percent more usable cooking space than your average turntable microwave. Instead of having to transfer fridge leftovers into an air fryer basket, the flatbed design can hold several containers or bowls. You're even getting a nice new baking dish out of it: a 5.5-quart PFAS-free glass basket that can hold an 8-pound chicken, four slices of pizza, or a 9 x 11 casserole. A stainless steel crisper basket is also included.

The best cars aren't always the ones that wow you in the showroom. They're the ones that still feel like a smart buy years after the excitement has worn off.