IT General

The Raspberry Pi 5 is a big step up in processing power, but it lacked support for the interlaced video output mode present on earlier models. Thankfully, that has now been fixed.

SAVE 25%: As of March 5, you can get the PuroAir HEPA Air Purifier for $149.99, down from $199, at Amazon. That's a savings of $49.01 and the lowest price we've seen on this model yet.

Opens in a new window Credit: PuroAir PuroAir HEPA Air Purifier $149.99 at Amazon
$199 Save $49.01 Get Deal

Although spring is a beautiful time of year, those colorful blooms can trigger everything from sneezing and itchy eyes to headaches and fatigue. One thing that might be able to save you from seasonal allergy misery is a high-quality HEPA air purifier.

Right now, you can get the PuroAir HEPA Air Purifier for $149.99 at Amazon. That’s a 25% discount and the cheapest price we’ve seen this model go for yet.

SEE ALSO: The best air purifiers for pet owners

The PuroAir can cover up to 1,000 square feet and filters up to 99.99% of pollutants, smoke, pollen, and dust. Its auto-detect function monitors indoor air quality and adjusts the fan to keep your home allergen-free. Reviewers also say it’s super quiet, which is good news for light sleepers.

The only caveat is that you’ll need to change the filter every three months or 90 days, but an indicator light reminds you when to swap it out.

The Mac Studio is Apple’s mid-range desktop Mac computer, between the entry-level Mac Mini and the high-power Mac Pro. Now, Apple has revealed new Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, paired with Thunderbolt 5.

SAVE $25: As of March 5, you can get a 16-inch Canupdog digital photo frame for $104.99 at Amazon, down from $129.99. That's a savings of $25.

Opens in a new window Credit: Canupdog 16-inch Canupdog Digital Photo Frame $104.99 at Amazon
$129.99 Save $25.00 with on-screen coupon Get Deal

If you live in a smaller apartment and lack the physical space to create a gallery wall or show off your camera roll in frames, a digital photo frame is one way to put your memories on display. (It’s also a great way to make sure there aren’t any deductions on your security deposit when you move out.)

As of March 5, you can get the 16-inch Canupdog Digital Photo Frame for just $104.99 at Amazon. That’s a savings of $25. If you want a smaller frame, the 10-inch version is $71.99, or $28 off.

SEE ALSO: Grab a new Breville espresso maker for $200 off and make your perfect brew at home

The Canupdog 16-inch digital photo frame has a 1080p resolution, 32GB of storage capacity (that’s 100,000 photos’ worth of space), and comes with a two-year warranty, just in case. But the coolest thing about this frame is that you can instantly share photos and videos via the Uhale app. This makes it a great gift for grandparents or other family members because you can send them life updates in real-time.

The iPhone looks great in the dark mode, especially those with an OLED screen. However, for some reason, iOS doesn't consistently apply the dark theme to every visual element. Thankfully, you can fix that.

Check out the best Amazon deals of the day as of March 5: OUR TOP PICK Shark SpeedStyle hair dryer $159.99 (save $40 + get $8 Amazon credit) Get Deal BEST CAMERA DEAL DJI Osmo Action 4 $209.99 (save $79.01) Get Deal BEST HEADPHONES DEAL Soundcore Space Q45 headphones $99.99 (save $50) Get Deal BEST POWER BANK DEAL Anker Zolo Power Bank $12.94 (save $13.05) Get Deal BEST STREAMING DEVICE DEAL Amazon Fire TV Cube $109.99 (save $30) Get Deal

Celebrate being halfway to the weekend with another handpicked set of deals at Amazon. Whether you're an Amazon device admirer, love a good Dyson dupe, or are just looking to score some savings on top tech in general, we've got a deal for you. Happy hump day.

Here are our picks for the best Amazon deals of the day on March 5. If none of these are your cup of tea, be sure to check out our picks from March 3 and 4. Many of those are still live, including a Google Pixel 9 and Apple M4 iPad Pro at its best price ever.

Our top pick: Shark SpeedStyle Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark SpeedStyle hair dryer for straight and wavy hair $159.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $40 get $8 Amazon credit Get Deal

If you've had your eye on the Dyson Supersonic, but can't fathom spending over $400 on a hair dryer, check out the Shark SpeedStyle. The Shark dryer is also designed to give you salon-quality blowouts without the heat damage. It offers four heat and three airflow settings, includes a handful of attachments for customization, is light as a feather, and regulates temperature 1,000 times per second. This particular model is built for straight and wavy hair, so it includes the QuickSmooth Brush, RapidGloss Finisher, and Turbo Concentrator attachments. As of March 5, it's on sale for just $159.99 at Amazon. That's 20% off its usual cost and the lowest price in over a month. Plus, for a limited time, you'll get an $8 Amazon credit automatically added to your account after purchase.

DJI Osmo Action 4 Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Osmo Action 4 $209.99 at Amazon
$289 Save $79.01 Get Deal

"The DJI Osmo Action 4 makes a good argument for buying an action camera that's not a GoPro," our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) write in their review. It's built to withstand the elements (freeze resistant, waterproof up to 159ft), has a clean interface, lasts up to 2.5 hours on a charge, and has excellent low-light performance and digital stabilization. It would suit content creation and vlogging better than action sports, but is still solid for all sorts of adventures. It's usually $289, but as of March 5, it's on sale for just $209.99 — that's 27% in savings and its lowest price on record.

Soundcore Space Q45 Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Soundcore Space Q45 $99.99 at Amazon
$149.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

Anker's Soundcore Space Q45 noise-cancelling headphones may not be the fanciest on the market, but they're a worthy option that won't cost a small fortune. Our sister site PCMag called them a "budget-friendly Bose competitor" and credited their solid audio quality, decent noise cancellation, and reasonable price for their rating. The adaptive noise-cancelling feature is customizable with five unique levels and the battery delivers up to 50 hours of audio with ANC turned on. Usually $149.99, you can snag a pair at Amazon for only $99.99 as of March 5. That's 33% in savings.

Anker Zolo Power Bank Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Zolo power bank $12.94 at Amazon
$25.99 Save $13.05 Get Deal

The Anker Zolo power bank is a fabulous companion for any type of trip. It packs a built-in USB-C cable to juice up newer phones and devices, as well as USB-C and USB-A ports to plug in charging cables for other devices. And thanks to 30W two-way fast-charging, it won't take a million years to bring your device back to life like other power banks. While it's usually pretty affordable at $25.99, it's a total steal as of March 5 at just $12.94. That's 50% in savings.

Amazon Fire TV Cube Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire TV Cube $109.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal

Part speedy streaming device, part Alexa-enabled speaker, the Amazon Fire TV Cube is one of the most feature-packed media streamers on the market. You can use it as you would a smart speaker — check the weather, control your smart home devices, set timers, etc. — as well as navigating all of your favorite streaming apps in one place. It's the only Fire TV streaming device to offer hands-free voice commands. It's also equipped with WiFi 6E, HDMI pass-through, a speedy 2.0Ghz processor, and 4K and Dolby Atmos support. It's usually $139.99, but you can save 21% at Amazon as of March 5 and grab it for $109.99.

None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon's daily deals for even more savings.

UPDATE: Mar. 5, 2025, 11:25 a.m. EST This story has been updated with additional spec details.

Everywhere you can preorder the new Apple Mac Studio: The Apple Store Apple Mac Studio (M4 Max) Starting at $1,999 Pre-Order Here The Apple Store Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) Starting at $3,999 Pre-Order Here

Apple surprise-announced a new Mac Studio featuring the M4 Max and all-new M3 Ultra chips in the middle of its "Air" week Wednesday. Set for release on March 12, the refreshed compact desktop is now available for preorder in the Apple Store starting at $1,999 for the M4 Max version and $3,999 for the M3 Ultra variant.

Billed as "the most powerful Mac ever" in Apple's press release, the new Mac Studio will supposedly deliver "a big boost in performance compared to the previous generation, and a massive leap for users coming from older Macs."

The M4 Max model has up to a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, making it up to 3.5 times faster than the M1 Max-powered Mac Studio from late 2021 and up to 6.1 times faster than a 27-inch Intel iMac from 2020. Its 16-core Neural Engine is supposedly three times faster than its M1 Max counterpart. It comes with 32GB to 128GB of RAM and 512GB to 8TB of SSD storage, maxing out at $5,899, and it supports up to five displays. Apple recommends it for creative professionals, developers, and engineers with heavy workflows involving visuals and AI tasks.

SEE ALSO: Here's what you need to know about preordering the new M4 Apple MacBook Air

The M3 Ultra model is geared toward users with workloads that are somehow even more demanding. With up to a 32-core CPU (including 24 performance cores), the most CPU cores Apple's even crammed into a Mac, it's up to twice as fast as the M4 Max version in certain tasks and up to 2.6 times faster than the M1 Ultra Mac Studio from 2022. That CPU is joined by up to an 80-core GPU, another record-setter, plus a 32-core Neural Engine for AI tasks and machine learning. It comes with 96GB to 512GB of RAM and 1TB to 16TB of storage, maxing out at an eye-watering $14,099. It supports up to eight 6K displays.

Both configurations' GPUs feature dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading, and a second-generation ray-tracing engine "for more seamless content creation and gaming," according to Apple.

On the outside, the new Mac Studio is the same silver box we've come to know, except it now has Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. There are four Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back of both configurations alongside two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a 10Gb Ethernet port, and a headphone jack. Both models have an SDXC card slot on the front, which the M3 Ultra model pairs with two extra Thunderbolt 5 ports. The M4 Max model swaps them for two USB-C ports.

SAVE $170: The Best Buy Drops deal for March 5 is the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker for $199.99, down from the usual price of $369.99. That works out to a 46% discount when you buy it through the Best Buy app.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninja Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker $199.99 at Best Buy
$369.99 Save $170 via the Best Buy app Get Deal

Cooking outdoors in the summer is one of life's simple pleasures. Fill your plate with grilled ribs, chicken, or steak and don't forget those perfect summer vegetables. If your outdoor cooking setup could use an upgrade before we hit the summer season, Best Buy has a great deal in store.

The Best Buy Drops deals for March 5 is the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker, on sale for just $199.99 instead of the usual price of $369.99. That's a 46% discount that saves you $170. To grab this grill and smoker at the sale price, you'll need to head into the Best Buy app on your smartphone and be logged in to a My Best Buy account, which is free to join.

Keep in mind that Best Buy Drops only last for one day and they tend to sell out, so hop on this deal quickly if you're interested.

The versatile Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker has seven cooking functions in the one unit: grill, smoker, air crisp, bake, roast, broil, and dehydrate. That means you can take your kitchen tasks outside for the summer and perfectly grill steak, roast vegetables, bake cornbread, and air fry wings, all with the same appliance.

SEE ALSO: Snag a refurbished Ninja Slushi machine for $240 and stay cool all summer

The large capacity is great for families or when friends come over. Ninja mentions this model has room to cook two racks of ribs, six steaks, a nine-pound brisket, or 30 hot dogs at once. The nonstick grill grate is perfect for getting those quintessential grill lines.

Since it's designed with premium materials, the Ninja Woodfire is weather-resistant, so there's no harm in leaving it outside for the summer. Since it's significantly smaller than a normal barbecue, this is a great option if your outdoor space is limited to a balcony or a patio. It's also an awesome appliance to pack along on the next RV or camping trip, so long as you'll have electricity.

To get that desirable smoked flavor, the Ninja Woodfire Grill & Smoker uses Ninja Woodfire Pellets, but since it's not the fuel source, you'll only need to use half a cup per smoke. This deal includes two bags of Ninja Woodfire Pellets, with each bag containing enough pellets for up to three cooking sessions.

If you love cooking outdoors but don't love using a full-size barbecue, consider the convenience and versatility of the Ninja Woodfire Grill & Smoker. This model typically costs $369.99, but it's down to just $199.99 today through the Best Buy app. Just let us know what time the barbecue starts, and we'll be right over.

SAVE $200: As of March 5, the Breville Barista Express espresso machine is $549.95 at Amazon. That's a 27% discount and a $200 price cut.

Opens in a new window Credit: Breville Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine $549.95 at Amazon
$749.95 Save $200 Get Deal

Sure, going to your favorite café every morning has major main character energy (even better if you can walk there), but romanticizing your life aside, the costs can really add up.

If you’re an espresso lover looking to save some cash and have more control over what goes into your daily cup of joe, you can get the Breville Barista Express espresso machine for just $549.95 at Amazon right now. That’s 27% off the list price and a $200 discount.

SEE ALSO: Need a robot vacuum that actually works on carpet? These 3 performed the best in my home.

The Breville Barista Express is a high-quality, semi-automatic espresso machine that can go from beans to espresso in under a minute. A built-in, conical burr grinder and simple controls make the entire espresso-making process easy. It also comes with a razor dose trimming tool, a stainless steel portafilter, one- and two-cup single-wall filter baskets, a coffee scoop, an integrated tamper, a stainless steel milk jug, a cleaning disc, and cleaning tablets.

Your perfect coffee at home is within reach.

SAVE $60: The Shokz OpenRun Pro bone-conducting headphones (Steel Blue) are on sale at Best Buy for $99.99, down from the standard price of $159.99. That's a 38% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shokz Shokz OpenRun Pro (Steel Blue) $99.99 at Best Buy
$159.99 Save $60.00 Get Deal

Spring weather is here (mostly) which means many of us have gone back outside for our weekly runs. If your running headphones didn't make it through the winter, check out this nice deal at Best Buy.

As of March 5, the Shokz OpenRun Pro bone-conducting headphones are on sale for just $99.99, down from the usual price of $159.99. That's a 38% discount that takes $60 off the price tag. You'll want to snag the Steel Blue colorway to get this discount.

The ideal pair of running headphones are comfortable and have nice sound quality, but also don't completely block out the world around you. After all, you'll still want to keep an ear out for traffic, a neighbor saying "hi," or a cyclist passing. The Shokz OpenRun Pro use bone-conducting technology which sends audio through the cheekbones, leaving your ears open to surrounding sounds. This also means an extra comfortable fit.

SEE ALSO: Take up to 40% off on bicycles at REI and prep for summer rides

The Shokz OpenRun Pro are made with a wraparound titanium frame that weighs just 29 grams. They're also water- and sweat-resistant, which are must-haves for running-worthy headphones.

On a single charge, expect to get about 10 hours of playtime from the OpenRun Pro. If you forget to recharge, a quick five-minute charge adds 1.5 hours of playtime.

Get some extra motivation to head out on that morning run this spring by snagging the Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones. With today's sale price at Best Buy, a pair in the Steel Blue colorway can be all yours for just $99.99.

Apple's new MacBook Air has arrived, and as expected, it has an M4 chip.

Slightly less expected is the lower price point. The M4 MacBook Air starts at $999, which is $100 less than previous models. It also comes in a new sky blue color, joining the other options, midnight, starlight, and silver.

SEE ALSO: Here's what you need to know about preordering the new M4 Apple MacBook Air

Thanks to the M4 chip, Apple says the new MacBook Air is two times faster than the M1 MacBook Air, and "accelerates AI-based tasks," which means, yep, Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT. The new device comes with a new 12MP Center Stage camera, 16GB of RAM, and the traditional sizes: 13-inch and 15-inch display options.

The MacBook Air announcement is the third launch in a recent flurry of activity from Apple. Two weeks ago, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16e, a budget-friendly version of the iPhone series formerly known as SE. The iPhone 16e comes with the same A18 chip as its iPhone 16 siblings, giving it much of the same performance and capabilities.

Yesterday, as hinted by Tim Cook's "there's something in the air" teaser, Apple launched a new iPad Air with an M3 chip. Although it doesn't have the M4, Apple's most advanced chip, it's the same price point as the preview M2 iPad Air. And now we have the MacBook Air — with the powerful M4 chip and 16GB of RAM — for less than $1,000. There's something in the air at Apple, and it seems to be offering powerful performance at more competitive prices.

As previously mentioned, the 13-inch MacBook Air with an M4 chip starts at $999 and the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199. Preorders start today, with availability starting on March 12.

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.

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

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.

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

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: Carried onto the green

• Green: Related to the NCAA basketball tournament

• Blue: Released by the biggest sportswear company

• Purple: Share a second word

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: Golf accessories

• Green: Associated with March Madness

• Blue: Nike shoes

• Purple: ______ time

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 #163 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Golf accessories - BAG, GLOVE, HEADCOVER, RANGEFINDER

• Associated with March Madness - BRACKET, BUBBLE, CINDERELLA, SEED

• Nike shoes - BLAZER, DUNK, PEGASUS, SHOX

• ______ time - FULL, HANG, PRIME, TEE

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.

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 March 5 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 5 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Ahoy!

These words are buoyant.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The words are famous vessels on the water.

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 HistoricShips

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for March 5

• Mayflower

• Titanic

• Bounty

• Beagle

• Victory

• HistoricShips

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.

Smart rings are a cool option for people that want the health/fitness tracking benefits of a smartwatch, without the fluff. They sync to your phone and provide useful insights. Now, the Circular Ring 2 is here, and it's positioning itself to be one of the coolest smart rings we've seen.

From exploding the smartphone market with the iPhone to single-handedly killing the headphone jack, Apple is one of only a few companies that can instigate immense change. That's why I believe it should make an electric bike.

SAVE $50: As of March 5, AirPods Pro 2 are on sale for $199 at Amazon. That's 20% off their list price of $249.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 2 $199 at Amazon
$249 Save $50 Get Deal

No matter if you spend a lot of time at home or on the go, earbuds are a great investment so you can enjoy your favorite music, audiobooks, and podcasts in your own little audio bubble. If you're looking for something new and happen to be an Apple user, I highly recommend the AirPods Pro 2. Not only do they offer great sound quality, but their noise-canceling features are where they truly shine. While they normally run for $249, you can actually score them on sale right now at Amazon.

The AirPods Pro 2 have dropped down to $199 at Amazon, 20% off their list price. While this price isn't as low as it has hit during some of the big seasonal sale events, it's still a great price to carefully consider.

SEE ALSO: For gym rats and picky audiophiles alike, these are the 7 best headphones of 2025

Sound quality and noise-cancelation are the big stars of the AirPods Pro 2, boasting the H2 chip and Active Noise Cancelation. For those moments when you want to be more aware of your surroundings, like when you're walking around outside or traveling, the Transparency mode also opens things up without breaking up what you're listening to.

These features make them a worthy investment, but these earbuds have even ranked in our list of the best earbuds because "They produce a sound that's rich and well-balanced, they have excellent noise cancellation (that falls just behind the Bose QC Ultras), and they work seamlessly within the Apple ecosystem."

If you're looking for an earbud upgrade, you don't want to miss out on the AirPods Pro 2 at Amazon.

There are a few more earbud deals that are worth checking out right now, too. You can save on the Beats Fit Pro and the Sennheiser Momentum Sport earbuds are discounted at Best Buy.

$5 PRIME VIDEO CREDIT: Amazon is offering a $5 Prime Video credit to those who buy two action movies on Prime Video until March 31.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Buy 2 Action Movies On Prime Video, Get $5 Prime Video Credit Get Deal

If you're looking to build up your digital movie library, Amazon is offering a great deal right now through Prime Video.

Until March 31, you can score a $5 Prime Video credit when you buy two action films from their impressive selection. This deal covers a variety of action films, so you can choose from a selection of classic action films, action comedies, sci-fi action movies, war action movies, and superhero action movies.

SEE ALSO: The best movies on Prime Video right now

There are plenty of great options scattered throughout each category, but we've included just a few of our favorites below that are worth picking up while this offer is live.

• Top Gun — $16.99

• Alien — $4.99 $19.99

• Jurassic Park — $14.99

• Game Night — $14.99

• The Batman — $9.99 $14.99

• 1917 — $14.99

• The Terminator — $4.99 $14.99

• The Nice Guys — $12.99

• John Wick — $7.99 $14.99

• The Fugitive — $12.99

After picking up your films, you'll get an email from Amazon letting you know that your Prime Video $5 credit has been added to your account. You can then use it towards any other films you feel like buying or renting on the service. This credit "expires 30 days after the date issued," according to Prime Video's promotion terms.

If you're looking for even more great deals on Amazon right now, there are plenty in the world of tech that are worth checking out. At the moment, you can save on Kindle bundles — both the standard Kindle essentials bundle and Kindle Scribe essentials bundle are on sale — and for those looking to upgrade their streaming setup, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is also discounted right now.

If an app icon appears on my desktop—ZAP! Gone. I now even hide my taskbar so that nothing greets me but a pristine wallpaper and my open apps. I don't plan to be less vigilant any time soon.

Character chatbots are a prolific online safety threat, according to a new report on the dissemination of sexualized and violent bots via character platforms like the now infamous Character.AI.

Published by Graphika, a social network analysis company, the study documents the creation and proliferation of harmful chatbots across the internet's most popular AI character platforms, finding tens of thousands of potentially dangerous roleplay bots built by niche digital communities that work around popular models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

SEE ALSO: UK watchdog probes TikTok, Reddit over children's data use

Broadly, youth are migrating to companion chatbots in an increasingly disconnected digital world, appealing to the AI conversationalists to role play, explore academic and creative interests, and to have romantic or sexually explicit exchanges, reports Mashable's Rebecca Ruiz. The trend has prompted alarm from child safety watchdogs and parents, heightened by high profile cases of teens who have engaged in extreme, sometimes life-threatening, behavior in the wake of personal interactions with companion chatbots.

The American Psychological Association appealed to the Federal Trade Commission in January, asking the agency to investigate platforms like Character.AI and the prevalence of deceptively-labeled mental health chatbots. Even less explicit AI companions may perpetuate dangerous ideas about identity, body image, and social behavior.

Graphika's report focuses on three categories of companion chatbots within the evolving industry: chatbot personas representing sexualized minors, those advocating eating disorders or self-harm, and those with hateful or violent extremist tendencies. The report analyzed five prominent bot-creation and character card-hosting platforms (Character.AI, Spicy Chat, Chub AI, CrushOn.AI, and JanitorAI), as well as eight related Reddit communities and associated X accounts. The study looked only at bots active as of Jan. 31.

Sexualized companion chatbots are the biggest threat

The majority of unsafe chatbots, according to the new report, are those labeled as "sexualized, minor-presenting personas," or that engage in roleplay featuring sexualized minors or grooming. The company found more than 10,000 chatbots with such labels across the five platforms.

Four of the prominent character chatbot platforms surfaced over 100 instances of sexualized minor personas, or role-play scenarios featuring characters who are minors, that enable sexually explicit conversations with chatbots, Graphika reports. Chub AI hosted the highest numbers, with more than 7,000 chatbots directly labeled as sexualized minor female characters and another 4,000 labeled as "underage" that were capable of engaging in explicit and implied pedophilia scenarios.

Hateful or violent extremist character chatbots make up a much smaller subset of the chatbot community, with platforms hosting, on average, 50 such bots out of tens of thousands of others — these chatbots often glorified known abusers, white supremacy, and public violence like mass shootings. These chatbots have the potential to reinforce harmful social views, including mental health conditions, the report explains. Chatbots flagged as “ana buddy” (“anorexia buddy”), "meanspo coaches," and toxic roleplay scenarios reinforce the behaviors of users with eating disorders or tendencies toward self-harm, according to the report.

Chatbots are spread by niche online communities

Most of these chatbots, Graphika found, are created by established and pre-existing online networks, including "pro-eating disorder/self harm social media accounts and true-crime fandoms," as well as "hubs of so-called not safe for life (NSFL) / NSFW chatbot creators, who have emerged to focus on evading safeguards." True crime communities and serial killer fandoms also factored heavily into the creation of NSL chatbots.

Many such communities already existed on sites like X and Tumblr, using chatbots to reinforce their interests. Extremist and violent chatbots, however, emerged most often out of individual interest, built by users who received advice from online forums like 4chan’s /g/ technology board, Discord servers, and special-focus subreddits, Graphika explains.

None of these communities have clear consensus about user guardrails and boundaries, the study found.

Creative tech loopholes get chatbots online

"In all the analyzed communities," Graphika explains, "there are users displaying highly technical skills that enable them to create character chatbots capable of circumventing moderation limitations, like deploying fine-tuned, locally run open-source models or jailbreaking closed models. Some are able to plug these models into plug-and-play interface platforms, like SillyTavern. By sharing their knowledge, they make their abilities and experiences useful to the rest of the community." These tech savvy users are often incentivized by community competitions to successfully create such characters.

Other tools harnessed by these chatbot creators include API key exchanges, embedded jailbreaks, alternative spellings, external cataloging, obfuscating minor characters’ ages, and borrowing coded language from the anime and manga communities — all of which are able to work around existing AI models' frameworks and safety guardrails.

"[Jailbreak] prompts set LLM parameters for bypassing safeguards by embedding tailored instructions for the models to generate responses that evade moderation," the report explains. As part of this effort, Chatbot creators have found linguistic grey areas that allow bots to remain on character-hosting platforms, including using familial terms (like "daughter") or foreign languages, rather than age ranges or the term explicit phrase "minor."

While online communities continue to find the gaps in AI developers' moderation, federal legislation is attempting to fill them, including a new California bill aimed at tackling so-called "chatbot addictions" among children.

The iPhone 16e enters Apple's lineup as the most affordable new iPhone, yet it exists in a peculiar position as neither a true budget device nor a fully-featured flagship. That makes the iPhone 16e one of Apple's weirdest iPhones to date, as it tries to balance being both accessible and premium.