IT General

SAVE $170: As of Jan. 28, the Insignia 75-inch F50 4K UHD Smart Fire TV is on sale for $429.99 at Best Buy, saving you $170 off its regular $599.99 price during the 48-hour flash sale.

Opens in a new window Credit: Insignia Insignia 75-inch F50 4K UHD Smart Fire TV $429.99 at Best Buy
$599.99 Save $170.00 Get Deal

When was the last time you upgraded your TV? Because this Insignia F50 Series 75-inch 4K Fire TV deal at Best Buy is calling your name. Right now, it's slashed down to $429.99 from its usual $599.99, and trust me, that's a lot of screen for not a lot of money. At this size, everything from Sunday football games to your favorite Netflix dramas feels like a front-row experience. Plus, it's got 4K Ultra HD resolution, so those stunning visuals will leave you wondering why you waited so long to ditch your old TV.

This deal is even sweeter because it's a complete entertainment hub. With Fire TV built-in, you can immediately stream everything from Prime Video to Disney+. The Alexa voice remote also comes in handy. You can ask her to launch apps, find a specific movie, or even change inputs without lifting more than a finger. And if you're an Apple fan, it supports AirPlay, so sharing photos or videos from your phone is a breeze.

SEE ALSO: Where to preorder Samsung's new Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra smartphones

Now let's talk sound. The DTS Studio Sound technology might not replace your home theater system. Still, for built-in speakers, it delivers some surprisingly immersive audio. And if you've got a soundbar, the TV's HDMI ARC and eARC support make hooking it up hassle-free.

On the tech side, you're getting features that make this more than just a budget TV. The HDR10 support ensures colors pop with vibrant contrast. At the same time, the LED-backlit LCD panel offers sharp clarity for those Netflix binges or gaming marathons. Plus, it has three HDMI ports, so no one's unplugging the PS5 to watch cable.

At just $429.99, this Insignia 75-inch F50 Fire TV is a rare find, especially during Best Buy's 48-hour flash sale. If you're serious about leveling up your home theater without draining your bank account, this deal is one you'll regret passing up.

A decapitated train conductor is said to prowl a section of railroad in Maco Station, North Carolina, illuminating the tracks with a lantern.

But this ghost is far from the only reported rail sighting in the U.S. "There's a recurring theme. There are ghosts reported along railroad tracks holding lanterns," U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough told Mashable.

While investigating the 1886 quake in Charleston, South Carolina — a potent 7.0 temblor that collapsed buildings and killed some 60 people — the legendary haunting of the nearby abandoned Summerville rail captured Hough's attention. As the viral shaking in New York City in 2024 illustrated, earthquakes stoked by shifting faults do rattle the Eastern U.S. from time to time. Perhaps, thought Hough, the Summerville ghost's lantern is actually a radiant earthquake phenomenon reported globally called "earthquake lights," commonly described as balls of light or steady glows.

"Maybe these ghosts are showing us where you have shallow, active faults in these [eastern] areas," said Hough, who recently published a research article on the phenomenon in the journal Seismological Research Letters.

SEE ALSO: Scientists reveal why the mighty Yellowstone isn't ready to blow

While visiting the Charleston area, Hough dug up old book records from the 1950s and 1960s, which documented residents' attempts to spy light from the Summerville ghost (the lantern was supposedly carried by an apparition waiting for her husband to return). One such account reported that, during a Summerville ghost outing, their car shook violently.

"To a seismologist, that screams a shallow earthquake," Hough said.

"There are ghosts reported along railroad tracks holding lanterns."

Hough suggests that many of these sightings can be explained by quaking activity or earthquake faults. Summerville, after all, is thought to be the epicenter of the 1886 quake, and smaller 3.5 to 4.4 temblors hit there in 1959 and 1960. Even milder quakes, too small to be felt, but able to potentially produce earthquake lights, almost certainly affect the region, too.

A locomotive derailed by the Aug. 31, 1886, earthquake in South Carolina. Credit: CORBIS / Getty Images Damage on East Bay Street in Charleston from the 1886 earthquake. Credit: Bettmann / Contributor

If the supernatural isn't responsible for the radiance, how might quakes naturally create such brilliant lights?

Hough thinks that most quake experts accept that earthquake lights do occur, though there's still some skepticism. It's unclear, however, what causes them — but there are compelling seismic ideas. In the case of the "railroad ghosts," the process may begin with gases, like methane or radon, escaping to the surface through underground fractures in a shallow fault zone. Once on the surface, the gases can become trapped in water vapor and pool, igniting when they're exposed to oxygen. Then, the trains come into play. Trains create static electricity on steel tracks; even abandoned lines or heaps of steel rail can create the static spark, ultimately producing the eerie light.

Of course, not every railroad ghost is stoked by fault phenomena, Hough cautions. Sometimes, they're headlight reflections from nearby highways. But many could be caused by faults. And Hough says this could be tested, for example, by purchasing radon kits and placing them where the lights are, or have been, reportedly seen. Scientists could also look for shallow faults in these areas.

Tweet may have been deleted An old illustration of two people ghost-hunting on railroad tracks with a lantern. Credit: PennyLens / Getty Images

The Eastern U.S. certainly doesn't have the robust quaking activity seen on the West Coast — as there are no well-defined faults or major earthquake zones like California's infamous San Andreas Fault. But quakes do happen there, as illustrated by a recent 3.8 magnitude temblor in Maine on Jan. 27. It'd behoove us to understand where these shallow faults are, and to better grasp their risk.

In 2011, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit near Mineral, Virginia, with significant shaking reaching some 80 miles away, to Washington, D.C. The temblor damaged the Washington National Cathedral and Washington Monument. Fortunately, no one was killed.

But what if such a relatively rare quake hit much nearer to the nation's capital?

"If it was closer, it could have had a serious impact," Hough said.

This story has been updated with information about earthquakes in the Eastern U.S.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

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: Lingo Serena Williams would use

• Green: Football team abbreviations

• Blue: Points awarded on a single play in NFL

• Purple: Two

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Tennis lingo

• Green: NFL teams on scoreboards

• Blue: Possible points on a football play

• Purple: No. 2

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 #127 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Tennis lingo - ACE, FAULT, LET, WINNER

• NFL teams on scoreboards - NOR, PIT, SEA, TEN

• Possible points on a football play - ONE, SIX, THREE, TWO

• No. 2 - JETER, PLACE, RUNNER-UP, SILVER MEDAL

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.

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 today's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

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 today: Hints and answers for January 28 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's The Mini crossword answers for January 28, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

High body temperature due to illness.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter E appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

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...

FEVER.

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 January 28

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 today's Wordle.

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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's The Mini crossword answers for January 28 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: Someone who entertains

• Green: Used for strength training

• Blue: Candy bar, singular

• Purple: Associated with "speed"

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Funny Person

• Green: Resistance Training Equipment

• Blue: Candy Bar Minus "S"

• Purple: Speed___

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 #597 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Funny Person: CARD, CHARACTER, JOKER, LAUGH

• Resistance Training Equipment: BAND, BENCH, DUMBBELL, MAT

• Candy Bar Minus "S": AIRHEAD, MAR, MOUND, SNICKER

• Speed___: BUMP, CHESS, DEMON, DIAL

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 January 28

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 today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands 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 January 28 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 28 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Stable supply

These words are things a cowboy might need.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words are related to horses in a stable.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is HorsebackRiding.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for January 28

• Reins

• Harness

• Spurs

• Saddle

• Crop

• Bridle

• HorsebackRiding

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 today's Strands.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Tuesday, January 28, 2025:

AcrossMagic accessory for Gandalf the Grey

• The answer is Staff.

Item often cut with a pocket-sized guillotine cutter

• The answer is Cigar.

Fill with awe

• The answer is Amaze.

Flood stopper

• The answer is Levee.

Word repeated in "Any ___ is good ___"

• The answer is Press.

DownTop of the head

• The answer is Scalp.

Track meet official

• The answer is Timer.

Plant used to make tequila

• The answer is Agave.

Flusters

• The answer is Fazes.

Saves from jail in Capture the Flag, say

• The answer is Frees.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

One of President Donald Trump's first actions after last week's inauguration was to sign an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, as well as Denali to Mount McKinley. Now Google has announced it will follow Trump's directive, changing how these landmarks are labelled in Google Maps.

While Trump's order alters the U.S. government's official position regarding the Gulf of Mexico and Denali's names, it does not specifically direct companies to follow suit. Even so, Google confirmed that its Maps app will be renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Denali in an X post on Monday.

"We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps," Google wrote (with at least a few of those questions coming from Mashable). "We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources."

SEE ALSO: Google and Apple Maps still list Gulf of Mexico, not America, per Trump's order Tweet may have been deleted

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is the U.S. government's official source for geographic features' names, maintaining records and standardising information across the country. As of Monday, the GNIS has not yet been updated to reflect Trump's executive order, and still lists the sea and mountain in question as the Gulf of Mexico and Denali respectively.

However, Trump's directive included a 30-day deadline for the name changes to be completed and all references to the Gulf of Mexico removed. Google has thus stated that it will wait until the GNIS amends its records before switching over to the new Trump-mandated names.

"When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America," wrote Google.

I never ever under any circumstances install chrome plugins, but I will install one that makes it display Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America on Google maps.

— MC Frontalot (@mc.frontalot.com) January 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM

The tech giant also confirmed that Google Map's name changes won't only be visible to U.S. users. Rather, the "Gulf of America" and "Mount McKinley" labels will be visible to everyone who uses Google Maps regardless of the country they're in. This is due to Google's "longstanding practice" of handling labelling inconsistencies by deferring to a landmark's official name in the country where it's located. 

"When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name," said Google. "Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too."

As such, we can reasonably expect Google Maps to change its label for Denali to Mount McKinley across the globe in the near future, as the mountain is located entirely within U.S. borders.

In contrast, the U.S. does not own the Gulf of Mexico/America, which is also bordered by Mexico and Cuba. It therefore appears likely that while U.S. Google Maps users will see the gulf completely renamed to "Gulf of America," international users may see the new name alongside its internationally recognised label "Gulf of Mexico."

Mashable has reached out to Google for comment.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Readdle Limited PDF Expert Premium Plan: Lifetime Subscription (Mac) £64.21 at the Mashable Shop
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There are lots of reasons to equip your outdoor area with speakers: Maybe you like to dine outside, throw garden parties, or simply kick your feet up and relax when the sun is out. You could always just blast a playlist from your smartphone's speaker, of course, but it never sounds great. If you're serious about music, treat those with the respect they deserve. Invest in a purpose-made outdoor speaker.

You can think beyond your own outdoor space, too. In the Bluetooth-connected world, you can pair your smart device and play music just about anywhere. So, if you're a regular picnicker or traveller, it's good to have a portable Bluetooth speaker that you can use in just about any outdoor space — the park, the beach, the poolside, wherever.

Finding a good pair of speakers is straightforward when you're building a sound system for inside your home, but finding the same kind of high-quality audio for the outdoors can be tricky. You can't use the same speakers for your living room as you do in your garden. Not only can they not withstand the weather, but indoor speakers just aren't built to carry audio in wide-open spaces. Read on for a guide on sweet-sounding outdoor speakers, plus a selection of the best options in 2025.

Are wired or wireless speakers best for outdoors?

Ultimately, it depends how, when, and where you use them. Wireless speakers are great for their portability, which makes them super convenient, but wired outdoor speakers are likely to be more powerful, more dependable, and less susceptible to interference. And with wired speakers, you'll never have to worry about recharging the battery or walking too far out of Bluetooth range. Those are definite perks when you’re throwing an all-day, all-night party and want to mingle with your guests. Outdoor wired speakers also tend to be better at filling large spaces with an even distribution of sound, especially since you can hook up several around the garden.

Wireless speakers — which usually work via Bluetooth — have their plus points, too. Bluetooth speakers can stream audio content from your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other Bluetooth-capable device. Sometimes, these speakers will also allow for hands-free capabilities through voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. The other bonus is that you can take them to the party, so you're not bound by one location. You can also take a portable Bluetooth speaker to the park, the pool, or on holiday.

But — because of where we are with speaker technology technology right now — there are speakers that effectively fill both roles, delivering massive sound more typical of wired speakers while also offering Bluetooth and streaming technology.

Can you mount outdoor speakers?

Mounting wired speakers around your outdoor living area is an ideal choice when you have the space to place them on walls or under decks. Often, these speakers are sold in pairs and have a stereo configuration with left and right inputs to help fill your space with more complex audio. The only downside is that they have a more limited range of projecting sound as they can only be tilted so far without literally hitting a wall.

If your outdoor space is further away from mountable opportunities, however, you could opt to hide your setup in your landscaping with some in-ground speakers instead. It will involve the careful burying of some wires, but it's a great choice for dispersing audio more evenly as many ground-level speakers boast 360° sound. The only caveat? Whichever option you choose for your outdoor listening, you'll want to ensure that they are actually designed to be used outside.

Are outdoor speakers waterproof?

While on your search for outdoors speakers, look out for keywords like "weatherproof" and "water-resistant". Most outdoor speakers will clearly let you know that all the electrical stuff is safely housed inside a weather-resistant shell. This means it can withstand the elements, including rain, snow, and extreme temperatures. 

A high waterproof rating is standard with portable Bluetooth speakers, but less common on mountable wired speakers. That said, it's common for wired outdoor speakers to be labelled as weather-resistant rather than waterproof. If you are concerned about wild weather, you might opt to place your speakers under some sort of cover to offer them more protection.

What is the best outdoor speaker?

We've tried to narrow down your options and compiled a roundup of top speakers for a wide range of people, budgets, and activities. We’re pretty confident you’ll find what you need to enjoy the outdoors without missing a beat. We've tracked down impressive devices from top brands like Bose, JBL, and Sonos. Just pick a favourite.

These are the best outdoor speakers in 2025.

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

Either you've got a Bluetooth speaker and it's time to upgrade, or you haven't got one and you're woefully behind the times. In either case, it's time to splash out on a decent Bluetooth speaker. In this world of synced devices and endless connectivity, it's a must-have device. Particularly if most of your music is streamed from a playlist.

A Bluetooth speaker can integrate perfectly into a smart ecosystem, allowing you to pump up the volume from your phone or speak to Alexa — not to mention offer handy portability for taking on your holidays or even your daily commute.

There are loads of top-quality speakers out there, so you have plenty of choice. The problem with having so many impressive products from top brands is that picking the right device can be tricky. That’s where we come in. Here's a quick guide.

Do Bluetooth speakers sound good?

You’d be surprised at the quality of the audio tech in Bluetooth speakers. But what will you be using your speaker for? Purely music? Podcasts? A bit of both? It will surely factor into what kind of speaker you end up buying — whether that's surround sound, Dolby Atmos, something for the great outdoors, or just plain stereo (which is also great — don't feel pressured to get something super fancy and expensive if you don't really need it). Not all speakers produce the same kind of sound quality, so it's important to know exactly the kind of listening experience you're looking for.

How big are Bluetooth speakers?

Speakers can get pretty big, even portable ones, so take stock of how much useable space you want to dedicate to your audio setup both horizontally and vertically. Not everyone has the room for multiple speakers that work in tandem, so don't overwhelm yourself with something gigantic if it's constantly going to be getting in your way. There are plenty of speakers that can be easily stored or concealed, and some that are small enough to rest on a tabletop or shelf.

How many speakers do you need to buy? 

We always recommend choosing quality over quantity. Having two amazing speakers is always going to get you better results than having five average speakers. Plus, having too many speakers around is just going to take up an unnecessary amount of space. If you have the room, we think two speakers is the perfect number. 

Two speakers are especially ideal if you listen to a lot of music — music is normally recorded for a stereo setting, so having a left and right channel will do you wonders. And if you have a smaller space, even one really good speaker should do you just fine (as long as it sounds great). Many Bluetooth speakers also have easy pairing options with other speakers of the same make, so setting them up should be a breeze.

What are smart speakers?

These are speakers that double up as smart devices, which may connect to Alexa or sync with other smart home devices. They’re great in their own right, but they aren't always the best way to listen to music (sorry, Alexa). If you really can't live without having some sort of smart assistant within your speaker setup, we recommend getting something that is Bluetooth-enabled and connecting it to your smartphone. That way, you get the perks of your phone's built-in smart assistant without downgrading. 

Are Bluetooth speakers waterproof?

Many modern speakers have some kind of water resistance. That means you can rock out at the pool or beach. Or, erm, in the shower. Even if you're not planning on taking your speaker on holiday, it's not out of the question that it could be a target for spills no matter where you have it in your home.

What is the best Bluetooth speaker?

There are plenty of Bluetooth speakers out there that are worth considering. We’ve tracked down some of the very best options. We have lined up impressive Bluetooth speakers from all the biggest brands, with something for everyone and every budget.

These are the best Bluetooth speakers in 2025.

A Chinese manufacturer just shocked a larger, complacent U.S. rival with a cheaper product that is significantly more customizable. News at 11.

In many industries, in the 21st century so far, this statement would not in fact be news; it would be such a familiar tale, few would bother mentioning it. But the old tale is noteworthy in this latest instance, thanks to the industry being Artificial Intelligence. Which, ironically, now seems to be an industry that was not very intelligent about obvious developments coming down the pike.

DeepSeek has taken off at a difficult time in the U.S., and not just politically. A divided country was just coming to grips with what AI means for business, for jobs, and whether the promised returns would be worth the investment that has been ploughed into (and by) U.S. companies. One thing few seemed to question was that a U.S. business would always be in the lead. No matter who was in or out, an American leader would emerge victorious in the AI marketplace — be that leader OpenAI's Sam Altman, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Google's Sundar Pichai, or for the true believers, xAI's Elon Musk.

ChatGPT appeared to have a grip on the public imagination, and Altman seemed to be the most media savvy public face of the AI salesmen, so — presuming he could stop having weird feuds over celebrity voices and isn't found liable for allegedly abusing his sister — probably him?

Now here comes Liang Wenfeng, founder and CEO of DeepSeek, with a face so unknown there isn't even, at time of writing, a photo on his Wikipedia entry, nor does the mighty Getty archive contain any picture of him. (He did show up at a Beijing Symposium last week, should you want to know what he looks like.) DeepSeek doesn't swim in the media-facing, market-facing waters of the posturing U.S. AI giants. All it has is a better product — a faster, way cheaper product that fulfills a promise Altman forgot: It's open source.

And in the flattened world of the internet, turns out, that's all you need.

A day in the life of DeepSeek

One day, that's all it took. One day for DeepSeek to vault to the top of the app charts on Apple and Google. One day for Nvidia's Jensen Huang to lose nearly $21 billion of his net worth, thanks to the biggest single-day loss for any stock ever.

Reports that DeepSeek may have been partly trained on sanctions-busting Nvidia chips didn't stop the slide, because DeepSeek's secret sauce is that it simply doesn't need as much computing power as other Large Language Models. DeepSeek isn't just cheaper and more customizable, it is up to 50 times more efficient than the top U.S. models. Which could be good news for the environment, and bad news for Nvidia, let alone any U.S. tech giant which have been gearing up their data center budgets and massively overspending on Nvidia chips (in other words, pretty much all of them — except Apple, which has wisely put Apple Intelligence to work mostly on the device itself.)

"Nvidia has basically been getting rich selling shovels in the midst of a gold rush," AI expert Gary Marcus, one of the deepest skeptics of the U.S. AI approach, wrote as DeepSeek news poured in, "but may suddenly face a world in which people suddenly require far fewer shovels ... building $500 billion worth of power and data centers in the service of those chips isn't looking so sensible either."

Indeed, an increasing number of companies may be able to avoid paying for cloud-based AI services at all. At costs of pennies on the dollar, executives will be able to download an open-source LLM that can be customized to fit their database and data needs. It doesn't need to be the absolute fastest and smartest AI, it just needs to be competitive with the fastest and smartest — which DeepSeek's R1 model apparently is.

SEE ALSO: Here's what DeepSeek AI does better than OpenAI's ChatGPT

So what has ChatGPT, and by extension Altman, got on its side? Why, in this fast-moving tech consumer world, where a competitor is only an app store tap away, would anyone stick with the app they know? Sure, many will for a while, but relying on the inertia of your customer base in the face of close-to-free alternatives is a great way to ... become the next AOL. ChatGPT's fall from grace could arguably happen faster than its ascendency in 2022, which in itself was practically overnight.

Which is not to say that U.S. AI companies are sunk. After all, they have an ongoing cyberattack and a protectionist U.S. government in their corner. Today's Washington is willing to pass the CHIPS act to prevent Chinese companies from accessing the latest U.S. chip technology, which evidently did not work, but it is also willing to ban TikTok, the kind of blunt tool that would work to stunt DeepSeek's scary-fast growth. Suspicions over what China could do with all the U.S. customer data its companies are acquiring are rife, and can always be stoked.

But what are you going to do? Keep banning every Chinese LLM that undercuts a bloated U.S. rival? At a certain point, that's playing whack-a-mole, and it ignores the point. If the market wants a super-cheap, super-efficient open-source AI, then American companies need to be the ones who provide them.

If Altman doesn't release a supposedly superior GPT 5 soon, and if he doesn't want OpenAI to be heading for the kind of long-term decline that has affected so many haughty U.S. tech companies in the past, then he needs to join DeepSeek and Meta in the ranks of AI makers that release open-source products.

And maybe concentrating on the carbon footprint of your AI model — a pretty good proxy for how inefficient it is — isn't such a bad idea after all.

DeepSeek appears to be twisting the knife.

U.S.-based AI stocks took a tumble on Monday following the release of the China-based DeepSeek AI chatbot. The new product from the Chinese tech startup offers a more affordable large language model (LLM), presenting a competitive alternative to OpenAI's options like ChatGPT.

But DeepSeek wasn’t finished. By Monday afternoon, the company unveiled its latest innovation: Janus-Pro-7B, a cutting-edge AI image generation model.

SEE ALSO: DeepSeek AI might be smarter than OpenAI's smartest AI, and you can try it out now

DeepSeek claims its Janus-Pro-7B outperforms existing models such as OpenAI's DALL-E and Stable Diffusion. In a bold move that mirrors its approach with DeepSeek-R1, the company has made Janus-Pro-7B free and open source.

Like DALL-E, a user can input text describing a photo or artwork, and DeepSeek's Janus-Pro will provide the user with an AI-generated image. DeepSeek says that Janus-Pro can both analyze and generate images.

"Janus-Pro is a novel autoregressive framework that unifies multimodal understanding and generation," the company said in a technical report of the model. "It addresses the limitations of previous approaches by decoupling visual encoding into separate pathways while still utilizing a single, unified transformer architecture for processing."

DeepSeek provided AI-generated image examples of the improvements between its prior Janus model, which can be viewed below.

Credit: DeepSeek

Though fairly new to the space, DeepSeek is already positioning itself as a formidable disruptor in the AI race, no doubt leaving industry leaders scrambling to adapt.

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Magic: The Gathering has managed to do pretty well for itself in a world of video games and instant digital gratification. I've been out of the hobby for a long time, so I had no idea how smartly the company had integrated its physical card game with its digital one.

Dragons, fairies, and talking rats descended upon Madison Square Garden on Jan. 24 for Dimension 20's sold-out Gauntlet at the Garden — and the results were nothing short of a blast.

Led by Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan and starring "intrepid heroes" Emily Axford, Ally Beardsley, Brian Murphy, Zac Oyama, Siobhan Thompson, and Lou Wilson, Gauntlet at the Garden transported its thousands of audience members back to D20's New York City-set Unsleeping City campaign. That the cast was battling fierce enemies mere subway stops from MSG added an extra layer of intensity to the actual play show, but that site specificity was only the start of Gauntlet at the Garden's magic.

SEE ALSO: Brennan Lee Mulligan on the joys of 'Dimension 20: Dungeons and Drag Queens' Dimension 20's Gauntlet at the Garden brought the multiverse to Madison Square Garden. Credit: Kristy Puchko

Gauntlet at the Garden kicked off with the return of all of The Unsleeping City's original player characters: Sofia Bicicleta (Axford), Pete Conlan (Beardsley), Kugrash (Murphy), Ricky Matsui (Oyama), Misty Moore (Thompson), and Kingston Brown (Wilson). Due to some multiversal shenanigans, the party learns that three enemies from other D20 campaigns are wreaking havoc in New York City. A Crown of Candy's Sugar Plum Fairy is creating a hellish candy land up near Lincoln Center, while A Starstruck Odyssey's Junkmother causes panic in Staten Island's Freshkills Park. Elsewhere, Fantasy High's Kalvaxus tears up Wall Street in search of — what else? — gold. (In keeping with the site specificity of an MSG show, I personally would have loved a climactic fight there instead of Wall Street, as the New York Stock Exchange served as a battleground in the first season of The Unsleeping City.)

SEE ALSO: Inside 'Game Changer,' the internet's favorite game show

Luckily, our intrepid heroes didn't have to face these fiends alone. In Gauntlet at the Garden's biggest interactive moment, the audience got to roll along virtually on our phones in order to determine which allies from other D20 campaigns would be joining in.

Credit: Screenshot: Dimension 20

The rolling mechanic was one of the many ways Gauntlet at the Garden enlarged the scale of a typical D20 episode in order to match its arena. The circular setup at the center of MSG recreated the feel of D20's usual campaigns, complete with lit-up triangular panels that matched the look of D20's set. Those panels changed colors during combat sequences or especially important Box of Doom rolls, and the whole of MSG followed suit, bathing the audience in red light and making us feel like we were in the D20 Dome. Screens above the set showed closeups of the players — a blessing if you were far from the ground or had a limited sightline on some players — as well as animations introducing PCs, enemies, and allies. Pyrotechnics and an oversized 20-sided die rounded out Gauntlet at the Garden's larger-than-life production, turning the show into a delightful mishmash between Dungeons & Dragons actual play and the theatrics of professional wrestling. (An impromptu wrestling match between Murphy and Wilson sealed the deal.)

Gauntlet at the Garden was a joyous fan experience. Credit: Kristy Puchko

On top of Gauntlet at the Garden's three epic showdowns and the excitement of seeing these characters again, the show proved to be a joyous barrage of fan service. Much of this came down to the multiversal angle, with fans jumping into a frenzy at the arrival of allies like Gilear Faeth and Ayda Agueforth — complete with several "Hoot! Growl!" chants — or booing at the appearance of sinister Lord Calroy Cruller. (True to form, Mulligan embraced the heel role, hitting us with a classic, "I'm all the bad guys.") Inside jokes abounded as well — shout-out to Chronomancy, the greatest magic of all.

But Gauntlet at the Garden wasn't just an incredible experience for the fans — it was an incredible experience because of the fans.

Cosplayers throughout MSG set the tone for Gauntlet at the Garden, with audience members dressed as everything from PCs to Kugrash's Juicy Cockroach and Spicy Pigeon Spirit Totems. In the long, cold line to get into the arena, it was a treat to hear people complimenting one another on their cosplays — sometimes of the same character.

During the show itself, the phone dice rolling mechanic allowed for further bonding and excitement between fans. My seatmates and I compared rolls with glee, high-fiving when someone rolled a Nat 20, then promptly losing our minds when Mulligan revealed MSG had rolled a collective Nat 20. I've watched MLB grand slams and WNBA buzzer-beating threes live, and MSG's eruption at any Nat 20 roll captured that same sense of victorious euphoria as any major sporting event.

Because that's how Gauntlet at the Garden felt: Major. As Dungeons and Dragons continues to explode in popularity, not just as a game but as a form of live performance, Gauntlet at the Garden stands out as a turning point representative of how big actual play can truly get, and what level of spectacle it can achieve.

Dimension 20 is now streaming on Dropout. Gauntlet at the Garden will stream on Dropout at a later date.

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