IT General

Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday that Meta Superintelligence Labs has reached its first major milestone: a new family of AI models called Muse, with the debut model, Spark, available now. In a Facebook post, Zuckerberg said that Muse Spark now powers an updated version of Meta AI, which users can access online at meta.ai or in the Meta AI app.

"Muse Spark is the first step on our scaling ladder and the first product of a ground-up overhaul of our AI efforts," a Meta announcement stated.

Spark is designed to be particularly capable in areas tied to everyday personal use — tasks like visual understanding, health, shopping, and social content. Looking ahead, Zuckerberg said Meta is building products that go beyond answering questions, toward AI that acts as agents "that do things for you."

Future AI models in the Muse lineup will also include new open-source releases.

Muse Spark is the first big product from Meta Superintelligence Labs

The announcement marks the public debut of work that has been underway — and at times turbulent — since last summer. When Zuckerberg first laid out his vision for "personal superintelligence" in a July 2025 manifesto, the ambition was an AI that helps people pursue their own goals rather than one controlled from the top down.

To build it, Meta went on one of the most aggressive hiring sprees in recent memory, personally recruiting more than 50 researchers from rivals including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, and bringing in former Scale AI chief Alexandr Wang to lead its new superintelligence research group.

Then, just as quickly, Meta froze hiring altogether — citing routine budget planning — and restructured the team into four smaller units focused on research, superintelligence development, products, and infrastructure. Zuckerberg explained the pivot by saying he believes breakthrough AI work is best done by compact teams who can hold the full picture in their heads, rather than sprawling organizations.

The whiplash raised eyebrows amid broader market jitters about whether the AI boom is sustainable. An MIT study circulating at the time found the vast majority of companies deploying AI were seeing no financial return.

In his original manifesto, Zuckerberg drew a sharp philosophical line between Meta and its competitors, arguing that some AI labs want to concentrate superintelligence and pipe its output to humanity like a utility. Meta sees it differently, he said.

In Wednesday's Muse Spark announcement post, he once again framed the lab's founding goal as "putting personal superintelligence in everyone's hands" — with the underlying belief that empowering individuals, not centralizing intelligence, is how humanity moves forward.

Wednesday's Muse announcement will be the first concrete product to emerge from these multi-billion-dollar investments. (Meta allocated $72 billion in AI development in 2025 and is expected to spend up to $135 billion in 2026.)

Muse Spark: Benchmark performance

So far, Meta's Llama family of AI models has lagged far behind its rivals on AI leaderboards. Whether Spark lives up to the superintelligence branding remains to be seen, but after months of hiring drama, restructuring, and big-picture theorizing, Meta has finally put something on the table.

As Zuckerberg put it: "I'm looking forward to sharing more soon."

As part of its Muse Spark announcement, Meta Superintelligence Labs released its scores on popular AI benchmark tests such as Humanity's Last Exam (HLE), ARC AGI 2, and GPQA Diamond. These scores could not be independently verified at this time, but Meta did release information on its testing methodology for Muse Spark.

Overall, Meta reported mixed results when comparing Muse Spark to frontier models such as Claude Opus 4.6 Max, Gemini 3.1 Pro High, GPT 5.4 Xhigh, and Grok 4.2, with Muse Spark outperforming on some benchmarks and underperforming on others.

Meta released a table comparing benchmark performance for Muse Spark.

Meta released this benchmark comparison table. Credit: Meta How to try Muse Spark from Meta

Muse Spark is available online now. Desktop users can access the new AI model online at meta.ai. Mobile users can also try Muse Spark in the Meta AI app. Additionally, Meta said that select users will be able to access a private API preview.

To compete with reasoning models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, Meta is also releasing a "Contemplating" mode for Muse Spark, "which orchestrates multiple agents that reason in parallel."

"This allows Muse Spark to compete with the extreme reasoning modes of frontier models such as Gemini Deep Think and GPT Pro. Contemplating mode provides significant capability improvements in challenging tasks, achieving 58% in Humanity’s Last Exam and 38% in FrontierScience Research."

Contemplating mode is not yet available; Meta said it will be released gradually at meta.ai, but did not provide a timeline for its release.

We’re living in an exciting time for cars. Even entry-level models now pack tech and features that used to be luxury-only.

SAVE $80: The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset is on sale at Amazon for $299.99, down from the list price of $379.99. That's a 21% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: SteelSeries SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset $299.99 at Amazon
$379.99 Save $80   Get Deal

A great gaming monitor can change your experience but there's something espeically immersive about a great gaming headset. If you could use an upgrade, check out this nice deal at Amazon on a splurge-worthy pair.

As of April 8, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset is on sale at Amazon for $299.99, marked down from the standard price of $379.99. That's a 21% discount that takes $80 off the normal price.

If you're looking for a "treat yourself" moment when it comes to gaming, it might not get much better than upgrading to the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro headset. Contributor Ben Williams reviewed the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro and wrote, "Its price is still rather high, even when discounted. That said, the experience is well and truly worth the cost — especially if you want the absolute best level of gaming audio you can get on any platform at home and beyond."

SEE ALSO: This curved 27-inch ASUS TUF gaming monitor is now at its best-ever price on Amazon — save $70

Williams also commended the SteelSeries for "brilliant audio performance and connectivity," in addition to mentioning the headset's comfort. Another nice feature is the headset's noise cancellation. While it's not gonna get Sony XM6 levels of impressive, it should do just fine for keeping distractions away from your gaming sessions.

SteelSeries also uses a dual battery system on the Arctis Nova Pro headset. While one battery is keeping the headset powered on for up to 20 hours, the other battery can be charging on the base station. When one battery dies, swap it out for the other fully-charged battery to get another 20 hours of gaming.

Before this sale price disappears, up your gaming sessions with the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Multi-System Gaming Headset. You'll be equipped with a pro-level gaming headset for under $300.

Spring cleaning your phone goes beyond just wiping down the screen. Iyaz walks through how to safely clean and disinfect your phone and earbuds to remove built-up grime and bacteria, while also showing how to clean inside your device by clearing unused apps and using built-in Android and iOS tools to free up space and improve performance.

One aspect of mobile gaming that has consistently lagged behind is controller support that actually works the way you want it to. It’s a maddening experience to find out that jump is on X, dodge is mapped to the wrong trigger, or when the game doesn’t let you change any of it. Fortunately, Google is finally addressing this pain point in Android 17 Beta 2, and it works exactly the way mobile gamers have wanted it.

London's cybercrime unit is investigating a former Meta employee who allegedly downloaded more than 30,000 private user images from personal Facebook pages.

Police say the employee, a company engineer, allegedly designed a script that allowed his activity to go undetected by internal security systems, according to court documents reviewed by The Guardian.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic limits access to AI that finds security flaws, realizing hackers may use it for exactly that

The incident was discovered by the company over a year ago, Meta explained in a statement to the BBC. In addition to terminating the employee, Meta notified affected Facebook users and updated its security protocols. Meta then referred the case to the UK police, and authorities arrested the man in November.

"After discovering improper access by an employee over a year ago, we immediately terminated the individual, notified users, referred the matter to law enforcement and enhanced our security measures," the company said to the press. "We are co-operating with the ongoing investigation."

Meta has previously been accused of failing to appropriately notify users of privacy policies and how their data is accessed by the company, including recent concerns about Meta AI chatbot prompts being made visible to the public.

Last month, an investigation found that offshore Meta workers in Kenya were being forced to review personal recordings taken by Meta Ray-Ban glasses wearers — videos that were being shared unbeknownst to users to train the company's AI. In January, a group of international plaintiffs and whistleblowers filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging that private WhatsApp conversations, which are end-to-end encrypted, were being accessed and analyzed by Meta employees. The company has denied the allegation.

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GET A FREE COLLECTIBLE GAME CASE: As of April 8, you can pick up a slick Super Mario Bros. 40th anniversary collectible game case for free at Best Buy when you purchase two select Mario titles for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Super Mario Bros. 40th anniversary collectible game case free when you buy any 2 Mario titles at Best Buy Get Deal

There's a lot of Mario talk lately between The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the Super Mario Bros. Wonder Switch 2 Edition release, and the 40th anniversary of the nostalgic Nintendo mascot. And Best Buy wants in on the conversation. For a limited time, the retailer is giving away free Super Mario Bros. 40th anniversary collectible game cases. Here's how you can claim yours.

There's limited quantities of these slick collectible cases, so you'll want to act semi-quickly if you want to ensure you get one. All you have to do to qualify is purchase two select Mario titles for Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 at Best Buy. Once you add two to your cart, you'll see the game case added automatically for $0 (a $20 value). It can hold 24 games and showcases photos of Mario himself over the years.

There's plenty of excellent games included in the list, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park, Mario Kart World for Nintendo Switch 2, Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Nintendo Switch, and Mario Party Superstars for Nintendo Switch. Most of them are at full price, which is kind of a bummer, but we do think the majority of them are worth the money.

Regardless, this is your chance to celebrate four decades of Mario and get some sick merch to go along with it. And a free gift is a free gift!

After 10 days circling the Earth, the moon, and breaking records in deep space, the Artemis II crew is about to make one final, fiery plunge back to Earth.

This four-person crew made history on April 6, when Orion reached 248,655 miles from Earth, the farthest any human has ever traveled in space, surpassing Apollo 13's record. Now, U.S. Navy teams stationed near San Diego are ready to bring them safely home.

If you don't want to miss the Artemis II return, then tune in to the NASA livestream on Friday. That's when Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at approximately 5:07 p.m. PT (7:07 p.m. CT).

When to start watching

NASA+ coverage kicks off at 3:30 p.m. PT, about 90 minutes before splashdown. But the action really heats up, literally, around 4:53 p.m. PT, when the Orion spacecraft hits entry interface, and the capsule begins its scorching journey through Earth's atmosphere, where it will reach roughly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

After the Artemis II recovery, NASA will hold a post-splashdown news conference at 7:30 p.m. PT at Johnson Space Center.

Where to watch Artemis II reentry

Stream the Artemis II return free on NASA+ at plus.nasa.gov or on NASA's YouTube channel.

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If you've been holding on to an old Kindle device for over a decade, it's likely time to move on. An Amazon spokesperson has confirmed to The Verge that Kindle eReaders and Kindle Fire tablets released in 2012 and earlier will no longer have Kindle Store access to buy, borrow, or download books after May 20th, 2026.

With spring blooming, it's time for your Netflix watch list to get a well-deserved refresh. This April, the streaming platform is bringing a string of documentaries and docuseries that you can tune into.

On April 7, some Kindle users received an alarming email from Amazon. The email alerted users that, as of May 20, 2026, their Kindle devices will no longer be supported. Immediate reactions on social media devolved into panic, fearing that this meant beloved Kindles were no longer functional. Yet, I'm more impressed that 14-year-old Kindles are still going strong.

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Before you run out to buy a new Kindle, you don't have to fear — you can still use your Kindle. The news does not mean these Kindle devices are being deactivated; however, they're no longer receiving software updates, nor will you have access to web services. And, yes, for Libby users, this means you'll no longer be able to borrow books on your device since you need WiFi.

Here's everything you need to know, including which devices are affected and what that means for you.

Which Kindle devices are affected?

Kindle users with an affected device linked to their Amazon account received an email informing them that support for their device is being discontinued. In fact, it's not just Kindles but Fire tablets, too. The devices no longer being supported include:

• Kindle (1st generation)

• Kindle (2nd generation)

• Kindle DX

• Kindle DX Graphite

• Kindle Keyboard

• Kindle 4

• Kindle Touch

• Kindle 5

• Kindle Paperwhite (1st generation)

• Kindle Fire (1st generation)

• Kindle Fire (2nd generation)

• Kindle Fire HD 7

• Kindle Fire HD 8.9

What does the change on May 20 mean?

In the email Amazon sent to users, it stated: "Amazon is discontinuing support for Kindle devices released in 2012 or earlier." But what does discontuning support actually mean? Devices will no longer have web support; therefore, they won't have the Send to Kindle feature, which requires an internet connection. It also means you won't be able to borrow or download books from the Kindle Store, including Libby e-books, since they go through the Kindle Store. In Amazon's email, they also mentioned that if you deregister and factory reset the device, you cannot register it again.

When reached for comment, an Amazon spokesperson provided this statement to Mashable:

Starting May 20, 2026, customers using Kindle and Kindle Fire devices released in 2012 and earlier will no longer be able to purchase, borrow, or download new content via the Kindle Store. These models have been supported for at least 14 years — some as long as 18 years — but technology has come a long way in that time, and these devices will no longer be supported moving forward. We are notifying those still actively using them and offering promotions to help with the transition to newer devices. Their accounts and Kindle Library also remain fully accessible through the free Kindle app and Kindle for Web.

Can you still use your affected Kindle after May 20?

The affected Kindles aren't necessarily being deactivated; service will just be limited. You can still read the books you have already downloaded to your Kindle per usual. Plus, many users recommend jailbreaking the device.

If you connect your Kindle to a computer and use a program like Calibre, you can still easily transfer books to your Kindle. Who's really losing out are Libby users, who have benefited from the Send to Kindle feature.

If the update is a huge deal-breaker, it may be time for a new Kindle, where you can access all the books you've ever purchased in the Kindle Store. For some, this update has left a bad impression and might mean it's time to try out a different e-reader, like a Kobo.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kindle Kindle Paperwhite $159.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Kobo Kobo Libra Colour $229.99 at Kobo
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SAVE $200: As of April 8, get the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for $1,299.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,499.99. That's a discount of 13% and the lowest price we've seen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra $1,299.99 at Amazon
$1,499.99 Save $200   Get Deal

If a spring refresh means you're updating everything in your life, not just cleaning your home, it might be time for a new smartphone. If that's the case for you, you won't want to miss this deal on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra we found at Amazon, which cuts the new smartphone down by a significant amount.

As of April 8, get the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for $1,299.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $1,499.99. That's $200 off and a discount of 13%. It's also the lowest price we've seen.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review: I might be done with iPhones

This unlocked phone comes with a new custom chip in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, 512GB of memory, a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with a 3120x1440 resolution, a 5000 mAh battery, and a 200MP main camera.

Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth proclaimed that "this might be the year I switch to Android" after giving the phone a test drive, awarding it a 4.6 score in his review and praising its "incredible camera array", "gorgeous AMOLED display", and its processor's ability to handle "everything I threw at it".

Though the phone hasn't been out very long on the market, saving $200 on the unlocked version is an extremely great deal, especially if you're also on the fence about switching mobile teams, so to speak. It likely won't last long at this price, so it's a good idea to go ahead and pick it up while it's still in stock.

What if you could reserve part of your PC's RAM for storage, giving you a blazing-fast disk that sweeps the floor with today's fastest SSDs, right where they tend to choke?

"Anyone can reinvent themselves."

These are the words of menacing Euphoria Season 3 newcomer Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). He speaks them to Rue (Zendaya) as she comes to a crossroads on her winding journey to redemption, but he might as well be describing series creator Sam Levinson's thought process coming into Season 3. This time around, reinvention is the name of the game, as Euphoria moves from gritty teen drama to seedy neo-Western.

SEE ALSO: 'Euphoria' Season 3 trailer: Rue's on the run, Jules is a sugar baby, and I'm worried

On the one hand, some form of reinvention is necessary. Euphoria's Season 2 finale aired four years ago. After that hiatus, it would be ridiculous to return to high school as if nothing had changed, especially since, during that time away, cast members like Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, and Sydney Sweeney blossomed into megawatt movie stars through decidedly non-high school roles. On the other hand, the path Levinson chooses for Euphoria Season 3 opens the show up to its worst impulses, marring its technical splendor and strong performances with exploitative storylines that feel primed for internet outrage.

Euphoria Season 3 doesn't feel like the Euphoria you know. Zendaya in "Euphoria." Credit: Patrick Wymore / HBO

A five-year time jump between Euphoria Seasons 2 and 3 shakes the show up in a major way. The show's core cast of characters has scattered to the winds in their new adulthood. Some, like Nate (Elordi) and Cassie (Sweeney), are settling down and getting married. Others, like Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Maddy (Alexa Demie), are hustling for success in Hollywood.

Rue's life has taken a much more dangerous turn. Her debts to drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly) have caught up with her, and she's now a drug mule. The season's exhilarating opening catches her tearing across the Chihuahuan Desert on the way back to the U.S., complete with a tense pit stop at the border wall. Zendaya sinks right back into Rue's live-wire energy, making it feel as if we've never left her.

SEE ALSO: 'Euphoria' has a flashback problem

However, most of the other aspects of Euphoria surrounding her have changed. Gone are the neon-soaked school hallways and city streets, replaced by wide-open Western vistas saturated with stunning color. The layered vocals of Labrinth's score are nowhere to be heard either. Instead, Hans Zimmer takes the reins with a more orchestral sound (that at one point sounds eerily close to his work on Dune). Even the show's title appears in a different font: a blocky yellow that recalls Western film titles. This season accompanies its first title card drop with the screech of a hawk, an extra bit of Western pastiche that hammers home the show's new direction.

All the changes serve Levinson's thesis that these characters' early 20s are the Wild Wests of their lives. (For Rue, caught in a standoff between Laurie and strip club kingpin Alamo, that lawless Western element is a lot more literal.) Yet in making all these changes, Euphoria also loses the parts of its identity that set it apart from its teen drama counterparts in the first place. Now it feels more like a familiar crime drama. A prestige crime drama with an HBO budget, but still a recognizable one.

Euphoria Season 3 is an exercise in humiliation and fetishization. Sydney Sweeney in "Euphoria." Credit: HBO

One element of Euphoria that carries over to Season 3 is its gleeful pushing of the envelope, particularly when it comes to sex. In Season 3, Levinson is focused on sex work, a subject he's already explored in part (but with very little sensitivity) in Kat's (Barbie Ferreira) Season 1 cam girl storyline. This time around, sex work takes center stage in multiple storylines. Rue helps run one of Alamo's strip clubs. Jules (Hunter Schafer) becomes a sugar baby. Cassie makes forays into OnlyFans, all in the hopes of earning enough money so she can pay for her dream flowers at her and Nate's wedding.

Euphoria Season 1 portrayed Kat's cam girl journey as primarily empowering, with very little consideration to the fact that she was underage at the time. Season 3 flips the script, turning a now-adult Cassie's OnlyFans ambitions into an over-sexualized humiliation gauntlet. If you thought Season 2's embarrassment of her was relentless, her Season 3 introduction alone blows that out of the water. Dressed as a dog, she perches atop a mini dog house and laps water from a bowl, desperate for validation online. Between this and "Wuthering Heights," it's a big year for Elordi characters dominating women through pet play. Fitting, as both Emerald Fennell and Levinson thrive on the empty provocation of throwing taboos at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Cassie's sex work has no depth to it, and in her "right-wing suburban bubble," everyone heaps shame on her, from her fiancé to her friends. Euphoria doesn't interrogate these biases or examine the intricacies of sex work further. Instead, it's happy to keep the shame coming, using Cassie's aspirations as a springboard from which it can launch suggestive images designed to stir up the most controversy: Cassie draped in a sopping wet American flag shirt, or posing as a baby. That it's Sweeney — herself a cultural lightning rod — in these tableaus makes Euphoria's desire for outrage even more clear. And while I clearly feel some of that outrage the show is gunning for, what I feel more is exasperation. Exasperation that a show with such incredible potential, and such undeniable talent in front of and behind the camera, keeps opting for lazy shocks.

These shocks even spill into Rue's storyline, which has usually been Euphoria at its best and most introspective. In Season 3, Rue experiments with religion and surrendering herself to a higher power, a quest that stems from a diner conversation with Ali (Colman Domingo). Euphoria wisely knows that when it sticks Zendaya and Domingo in a booth and lets them play off one another, it gets magic. That's why Rue's special episode, "Trouble Don’t Last Always," is a series highlight. Yet in the first three episodes of Season 3 sent to critics, Rue's journey to fulfillment often falls to the wayside to make more room for what Euphoria knows will get people talking most: mess and controversy. In Rue's case, those manifest in her work at a strip club, which is populated less by fully-formed characters and more by tragic sex worker archetypes.

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But even in non-overtly sexual situations, Euphoria finds a way to ogle its cast. An early sequence sees Rue and her co-conspirator Faye (Chloe Cherry) swallow golf-ball sized bags of drugs to smuggle out of Mexico. The camera lingers on their throats and their spit, while their gulps ring out loud and desperate. It's a needlessly suggestive spectacle, and the same goes for what happens when the drugs need to come out the other end.

Unfortunately, it's scenes like these that linger in the brain and get immortalized thanks to the meme treatment. Euphoria knows this, which is why it's all too happy to keep humiliating Cassie and providing surface-level looks at controversial topics in Season 3.

There's a great show lurking in here somewhere. So much of Rue's journey proves it. Yet Euphoria keeps smothering that greatness with something far grosser, and that's something no amount of reinvention can hide.

Euphoria Season 3 premieres Apr. 12 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Power tools aren't like they used to be, but our ideas about them haven't changed. These old beliefs can detemine which tools you buy, how you use them, and what to expect. But those are just old workshop stories, and now it's time to ditch the misinformation because it's costing you money and time.

SAVE $898.01: The Anker Solix C1000 portable power station with a 200W solar panel is on sale at Amazon for $649.99, down from the normal price of $1,548 at Anker. That's a 58% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Solix Anker Solix C1000 portable power station with 200W solar panel $649.99 at Amazon
$1,548 Save $898.01   Get Deal

It's time to make camping plans for the summer. If you've heard about portable power stations but haven't bought one for yourself, make this the year. Snagging one means you'll have plenty of campsite power to keep phones charged up and brew some morning coffee. If this sounds ideal, check out this nice bundle deal at Amazon.

As of April 8, the Anker Solix C1000 portable power station with a 200W solar panel is on sale at Amazon for $649.99, down from the normal price of $1,548 at Anker. That's a 58% discount that saves you a massive $898.01.

It's no secret Anker Solix makes an incredible lineup of portable power stations. The Solix C1000 is a great all-around model that combines a 1,056Wh battery, plenty of ports, and a lightbar. You get six AC ports, two USB-C, and two USB-A ports on the C1000 and it has quick recharging. Get back to 80% power with just 43 minutes of standard wall charging.

SEE ALSO: Chill out as temps rise with these fans from Shark, Dreame, and Dreo that are already on sale

However, today's deal includes a 200W solar panel, so you'll be able to recharge via the sun at the campground this summer. When testing the Anker Solix C1000, I became a huge fan of the Solix app. It's simple and clean design make it a breeze to use, and it's great for monitoring battery power without standing next to the unit.

Another major benefit of the original C1000 is the built-in lightbar. Brands have been getting away from this design, but I love to have a light source on the power station for illuminating the stairs when carrying it around during a power outage. It's also excellent for creating ambient light while camping.

While it's on a major 58% discount, upgrade your summer camping experience by snagging the Anker Solix C1000 portable power station with a 200W solar panel. As long as the sun comes out, you'll be in line for unlimited power.

The Home Depot has resurrected its annual Halfway to Halloween sale. The home improvement retailer surprise-released a selection of its popular Halloween decorations on Wednesday, April 8, marking nearly six months until the spooky holiday.

The items went live on the Home Depot's website around 7 a.m. ET and are only available for purchase while supplies last. All of them have a limit of one per order.

The Home Depot's "Lethal Lily" witch animatronic has been upgraded with smart features for 2026. Credit: The Home Depot

This year's Halfway to Halloween drop includes 14 props — some new for 2026, some returning from previous years. Among them are a nine-foot Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton; two undead horses; a menacing bunny animatronic; and a new app-controlled version of "Lethal Lily," a witch animatronic that the Home Depot last sold in 2023 and 2024. Here's the full list:

• 5-foot Grave & Bones Animated LED Hearse ($399), a carriage with a sound-activated skeleton driver and LED lanterns.

• 9-foot Grave & Bones Giant-Sized LED T-Rex ($399) with light-up eyes and a motion-activated roar.

• 7-foot Wicked Woods Animated LED App Controlled Lethal Lily ($299) with a customizable RGB lantern. Users can speak through the animatronic and record messages for it to play via the Decor Pro app.

• 8.5-foot Grave & Bones Giant-Sized Animated LED Knight Frostbane ($399), a light-up headless horseman.

• 6.5-foot Animated LED Maleficent ($279), an officially licensed animatronic of the Sleeping Beauty villain.

• 8.5-foot Grave & Bones Giant-Sized LED Undead Horse ($249), a rearing horse skeleton.

• 7-foot Wicked Woods Animated LED Horrifying Hops ($199), a fanged rabbit zombie that can lunge at trick-or-treaters.

• 4.5-foot Grave & Bones Animated LED Cabernet Casualty ($199), a blonde skeleton that pops up from a wine barrel.

• 4.5-foot Grave & Bones Color Changing LED Groundbreaker ($199), an oversized skeleton torso that's meant to look like it's bursting out of the earth.

• 6.5-foot Wicked Woods Animated LED Snarling Snowman ($199) with a glowing face and moving arms.

• 6-foot Halloween Classics Animated LED Neon Nightmare ($179), a scary clown with motion-activated audio and an outfit that glows under blacklight.

• 6-foot Halloween Classics Animated LED Checkmate Chuckles ($179), another motion-activated clown with a winding jack-in-the-box.

• 6.5-foot Wicked Woods LED Pumpkin Vine Creature ($129), a gnarled scarecrow-like monster with posable arms.

• 5.5-foot Grave & Bones LED Skeleton Pony ($129) with glowing red eyes.

Both of the clowns are at risk of selling out first: Less than 500 of them were available at the time of writing.

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A Home Depot representative told Mashable that all returning items are priced the same as they were originally. The updated Lethal Lily is only $50 more than her non-app-controlled predecessor.

Notably absent from the drop is "Skelly," the viral 12-foot-tall skeleton that the Home Depot has sold every year since 2020. Wannabe owners will just have to be patient: The company's rep confirmed that Skelly will return in stores and online later this year.

The Home Depot's Knight Frostbane animatronic stands 8.5 feet tall. Credit: The Home Depot The nine-foot T. Rex animatronic can roar at trick-or-treaters. Credit: The Home Depot

The Home Depot typically releases its full Halloween collection in mid-July, though last year it arrived in early August. The retailer previewed several new additions to its 2026 lineup on Instagram in mid-March, including a giant mummy, skeleton pirates, a decaying velociraptor, and an app-controlled version of Skelly.

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With this year's Halfway to Halloween sale, the Home Depot's seasonal programming has returned to its regular schedule. Mashable previously reported that the company canceled the sale last year amid fluctuating tariffs that threw the entire Halloween decor industry into uncertainty. The sale normally features a limited selection of brand-new items from the Home Depot's annual Halloween collection, serving as a teaser to its full summer drop. Its 2025 hiatus disappointed Skelly and friends' zealous fandom.

This year's Halfway to Halloween sale is happening just a little earlier than usual. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, it was scheduled for late April.

SAVE 43%: As of April 8, you can get the Soundcore by Anker Q20i for $39.99, down from $69.99, at Amazon. That's a 43% discount or $30 savings.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore by Anker Soundcore by Anker Q20i $39.99 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $30.00   Get Deal

Dropping $300 on a pair of headphones is just something I won't do. I know a lot of other writers here would disagree, but there's really no reason to when there are budget-friendly options that'll do everything you need them to do for way less. (If you're an audiophile, look away.)

Right now, you can get the Soundcore by Anker Q20i hybrid active noise-cancelling headphones for just $39.99 — that's an insanely good price for a pair of top-notch headphones. (They have +59K reviews!) It's also just a couple of bucks more than its all-time low price of $37.99.

SEE ALSO: The 12 best headphones of 2026 — we tested the top contenders from Sony, Apple, Bose, and Beats

I mean, obviously, I'm not recommending you get headphones from a third-party seller, but Soundcore is one of our favorite budget-friendly brands. Mashable Shopping Reporter, Samantha Mangino, for example, just reviewed the Soundcore Space One and Space One Pro headphones, and she says they're comparable to the Bose QuietComfort lineup and look great on.

"When I first spotted them out in the wild, I thought they were a pair of Beats because they looked like the Studio Pros," she writes. "Turns out, the Soundcore and Beats logos just look remarkably similar."

While the Space One models Mangino tested are definitely solid deals, the Q20i is even cheaper. They also have three times the reviews, with most shoppers saying the battery life is nothing short of "impressive." You'll get up to 40 hours of playtime with active noise cancellation turned on, and just five minutes on the charger will get you an extra four hours of listening time.

You don’t have to spend a ton of money to get fun accessories for your Jeep. 3D printing is a great way to get fully custom gear to mount to your Jeep (or hang on your wall) for just pennies worth of plastic. Here are five fun things that you can 3D print for your Jeep.

GET A FREE CHARGER BLOCK: As of April 8, when you grab the Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds at Amazon for $199.99, you can claim a free Anker Nano USB-C fast-charging block (a $19.99 value). Here's how.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds $199.99
$230.01 Save $30.02 + get a free Anker Nano USB-C fast-charging block Get Deal

Free stuff isn't easy to come by in 2026. Unless, of course, you know where to look. Amazon likes to hide free stuff in plain sight, like this Anker Nano charging block.

As of April 8, when you purchase a pair of Anker Soundcore Sleep A30 Special earbuds at Amazon for $199.99, you can claim a free Anker Nano USB-C fast-charging block. Once you add the Sleep A30 buds to your cart, head to this promotional page or click on "How to claim" underneath the Prime logo where it says "Get 1 free item when you buy 1 select item(s)." Since you've already added the earbuds to your cart, go ahead and tick the box for "Benefit items" on the left side of your screen (in the middle if you're on mobile). Then add the Anker Nano USB-C charger block to your cart. You'll see the savings reflected at checkout.

Obviously, that's a lot of money to spend just to get a free charging block. But if you're already shopping for a premium pair of sleep earbuds, you might as well take advantage of the free gift.

The Sleep A30 Special earbuds are our favorite amongst sleep earbuds. Not only do they offer active noise cancellation, but also decent battery life (8-10 hours with ANC), Calm app integration, and a design that's comfortable for side sleepers. Mashable's tester Bethany Allard writes, "They're certainly the best overall pick for anyone looking for sleep earbuds suited to most any sleep setting."