Technology

Mattel has launched its first ever autistic Barbie, the latest addition to its diverse Barbie Fashionistas collection.

Designed in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the new Barbie is intended to reflect real autistic people's experiences, with Mattel stating that it "invites more children to see themselves represented" in the doll.

"Barbie has always strived to reflect the world kids see and the possibilities they imagine, and we’re proud to introduce our first autistic Barbie as part of that ongoing work," said Mattel's global head of dolls Jamie Cygielman.

As such, the autistic Barbie comes wearing a loose fitting lavender and white striped dress, flat-soled shoes, and pink noise-cancelling headphones — clothing informed by the sartorial choices people may make when managing sensory processing issues. As fitting her focus on fashion, Barbie's headphones are colour coordinated with her tablet (which shows symbol-based apps designed to enable communication without speaking) and her fidget spinner (which actually spins).

Credit: Mattel

Barbie's body also features articulated elbow and wrist joints so she can stim, while her gaze is deliberately shifted slightly off-centre. Mattel states that this design choice "reflects how some members of the autistic community may avoid direct eye contact." Her hair is also worn loose, "as autism can impact fine motor skills."

"It is so important for young autistic people to see authentic, joyful representations of themselves, and that’s exactly what this doll is," said ASAN executive director Colin Killick. "We're honored to see this milestone come to life, and we will keep pushing for more representation like this that supports our community in dreaming big and living proud."

Mattel has further announced it will donate over 1000 autistic Barbie dolls to various U.S. children's hospitals that provide special services for autistic children.

This autistic Barbie isn't the first doll in the Barbie Fashionistas collection with a disability. The company previously released a Barbie with Down syndrome in 2023, as well as both a blind doll and one with type 1 diabetes last year. The Barbie Fashionistas collection includes over 175 dolls, spanning across different skin tones, body types, and disabilities.

Autistic Barbie is available now for $10.99 at Amazon and Target, and $10.97 at Walmart.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

It has a spiral shell.

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

CONCH

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A Kansas City footballer.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 13, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

CHIEF

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Competently.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 13 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 13, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

APTLY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A style of pants.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

SLACK

Final Hurdle hint

To mirror.

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

MIMIC

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

TL;DR: Live stream Newcastle United vs. Manchester City in the EFL Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There are a lot of trophies up for grabs in the domestic football season. The EFL Cup doesn't have the same history or prestige as the FA Cup or Premier League, but at this late stage, you can expect all the remaining teams to give everything to win it. Newcastle United take on Manchester City in the first semi final matchup. You can watch the first leg of this contest without spending anything.

If you want to watch Newcastle United vs. Manchester City in the EFL Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Newcastle United vs. Manchester City?

Newcastle United vs. Manchester City in the EFL Cup kicks off at 8 p.m. GMT on Jan. 13. This fixture takes place at St. James' Park.

How to watch Newcastle United vs. Manchester City for free

Newcastle United vs. Manchester City in the EFL Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.

ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Newcastle United vs. Manchester City in the EFL Cup for free by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit ITVX

5. Watch Newcastle United vs. Manchester City for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the EFL Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Newcastle United vs. Manchester City in the EFL Cup before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Newcastle United vs. Manchester City in the EFL Cup for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: The Lego Pokémon Kanto Region Badge Collection comes as a free gift with preorders of the new Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set.

Opens in a new window Credit: Lego Lego Pokémon Kanto Region Badge Collection Free when you buy the Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set (while supplies last) Get Deal

We spend a lot of time sourcing the best deals on just about everything, so we know what sells. And you know what really gets the people going? Lego and Pokémon.

Any sort of shopping opportunity on Lego or Pokémon sends the world into a spin. There really isn't any comparison, so now that the two juggernauts have come together in the form of three sets launching in February, you best believe that we're hunting for every single opportunity to save.

Lego Pokémon sets are now available to pre-order. The Pikachu and Poké Ball is listed for $199.99, Eevee is $59.99, and the Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set is $649.99. These sets will release on Feb. 27. At this early stage, you're not going to find discounts on these preorders. Instead, you should be seeking out free gifts that sweeten the deal.

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If you purchase the Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set before March 3, you'll get the Kanto Region Badge Collection as a free gift with purchase (while supplies last). Coming in at 312 pieces and recommended for ages 18 and up, this buildable case houses all eight Pokémon Kanto region badges from the first generation of games.

It's a seriously cool set. Will it pursuade shoppers to drop over $600 on the Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise set? We're not sure. But if you were already lining up the biggest and most expensive set from this new Pokémon Lego launch, you should note the deadline and the fact that supply is limited.

Act fast to secure the Kanto Region Badge Collection as a free gift with purchase.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love game night.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 13, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Gifts

• Green: To push

• Blue: Board game character

• Purple: Body parts

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Present go-withs

• Green: Jostle

• Blue: Accessories for Mr. Monopoly

• Purple: Parts of the foot plus starting letter

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 #947 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Present go-withs: BOW, CARD, GIFT WRAP, RIBBON

• Jostle: ELBOW, PRESS, SHOULDER, SHOVE

• Accessories for Mr. Monopoly: BOWTIE, CANE, MONEYBAG, TOPHAT

• Parts of the foot plus starting letter: OTOE, PARCH, RANKLE, WHEEL

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 13, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love a quick meal.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

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

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 13, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 13, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: You need to chill

The words are related to coolness.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe cool eats.

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 Frozen Food.

NYT Strands word list for January 13

• Vegetables

• Waffles

• Frozen Food

• Pizza

• Popsicles

• Sherbet

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love Cajun food.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 13, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 13, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A popular New Orleans dish.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.

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...

GUMBO

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 13, 2026

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

SAVE 37%: As of Jan. 12, you can get the Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Play Booster Box on sale for $132.98 at Amazon. That's a 37% discount off its $209.79 list price and $76.72 in savings.

Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Play Booster Box (30 Packs) $132.98 at Amazon
$209.70 Save $76.72   Get Deal at Amazon Get Deal at Walmart

Bringing the entire Final Fantasy saga to your tabletop usually comes with a pretty steep "collector's tax," but Amazon is currently cutting that price by $76.

As of Jan. 12, you can get the Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Play Booster Box on sale for $132.98 at Amazon. That's a 37% discount off its $209.79 list price and $76.72 in savings. To give you some perspective on why this is a win, the current market value for this display is hovering around $143.80. Grabbing a box for about $11 under the market rate (especially with Prime shipping) is a solid find for a set this popular.

SEE ALSO: The Magic: The Gathering Avatar The Last Airbender Jumpstart Booster Box is close to market value on Amazon

The box contains 30 Play Boosters, which are packs designed to build out your collection and play Limited games like Draft or Sealed with friends. Inside each pack, you’ll find 14 cards, including 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher and a guaranteed traditional foil. If you’re lucky, you might even snag a Foil Borderless Mythic Rare, which only appears in about 1% of boosters.

CES is never subtle, and 2026 was no exception.

The annual tech showcase in Las Vegas offers genuine glimpses of where consumer technology is headed, alongside futuristic concepts that exist solely because someone figured out how to make them.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026: Capture video with the AI-tracking, subscription-free XbotGo Falcon

Over the week, Mashable reporters fanned out across the showroom floor, private demo rooms, and off-site showcases to test what actually mattered. From neurotech headphones that measurably improved reaction times to wildly ambitious hardware concepts from Lenovo, CES 2026 offered no shortage of devices worth paying attention to.

If you weren’t there to wade through the noise, demos, and occasional sensory overload, here are TK highlights that capture the best, weirdest, and wildest moments from CES 2026.

1. Neurable’s brain-sensing headphones Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

Neurable’s EEG-powered gaming headset was one of the rare CES demos where the results felt measurable rather than theoretical. In testing the headphones, I found that my reaction time noticeably improved after using Neurable’s PRIME system, even under less-than-ideal demo conditions.

PRIME functions like a short guided meditation, backed by live brain data, which visualizes focus and cognitive load in real-time. Neurable executives framed it as “training your brain the same way you train muscle memory,” and while it’s not magic, the improvement felt tangible enough to stand out in a show full of empty promises.

2. Lenovo's rollable, extendable laptops

Lenovo’s rollable laptops were less about practicality and more about proving the company can still do things no one else is willing to attempt. As reported in Mashable’s hands-on story, the concepts include displays that physically extend upward or outward at the push of a button, transforming a standard laptop into something closer to a desktop monitor.

Credit: Lily Kartiganer / Mashable

Lenovo reps described them as explorations of “adaptive screen real estate,” but the real appeal was watching the mechanics work smoothly in person. They’re still concepts, but unusually polished ones, the kind that feel closer to shipping than Lenovo is letting on.

3. Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

Samsung’s Galaxy Z TriFold wasn’t the most practical phone at CES, but it was arguably the most audacious. Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth got hands-on with the device and described it as the closest thing yet to sci-fi foldables, unfolding into a tablet-sized display while still managing to fold down into something pocketable.

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

Samsung positioned the TriFold as a glimpse of what’s possible rather than a mass-market product, especially given its rumored $2,500 price. It’s a flex, but a deliberate one.

4. ROG Xreal R1 AR gaming glasses Credit: Xreal / Asus ROG

Xreal’s unreleased ROG Xreal R1 gaming glasses landed in that rare CES sweet spot where a product feels one generation away from normal. They're the world's first AR glasses with a 240 Hz display, and part of a partnership between Xreal and Asus ROG. In Mashable’s demo, the glasses were lighter, sharper, and less gimmicky than earlier wearable displays, offering clearer visuals and fewer compromises in terms of comfort and latency.

They’re still niche, but unlike past attempts, these didn’t feel like something you’d only tolerate for five minutes on a show floor.

5. TDM Neo Headphones

TDM’s Neo headphones are classic CES energy in physical form. With a simple twist, the earcups rotate outward and transform the headset into a pair of portable speakers, a feature that exists solely because someone decided it should. Mashable’s coverage framed them as equal parts impractical and delightful, with surprisingly good sound quality for an accessible price.

You don’t need them, but watching the transformation happen is undeniably fun, and sometimes that’s enough.

6. Lego Smart Brick

Lego showing up at CES with something genuinely new wasn’t on my bingo card, but here we are. As Matt Binder and Timothy Beck Werth reported, Lego’s new Smart Play system adds sensors, lights, and sound to what are otherwise normal-looking bricks, reacting to movement, color, and placement in real-time.

In demos, cars revved when pushed, ducks quacked when flipped, and entire builds responded without a screen in sight. Lego calls it the biggest evolution to the brick since the minifigure, which sounds like marketing hype until you see kids racing smart Lego cars to a finish-line trophy that knows who won. “Lego Smart Play is the next exciting chapter in our Lego System in Play,” said Lego CMO Julia Goldin, and for once, that doesn’t feel like an exaggeration.

7. Lollipop Star

CES wouldn’t be CES without a product that makes you stop mid-walk and ask, "Wait, what?" Enter Lollipop Star, a literal lollipop that plays music through bone conduction while you suck on it. Yes, really. As Stan Schroeder explains, the electronics are hidden in the stick, sending vibrations through your jaw straight to your inner ear.

At $8.99 a pop, this isn’t meant to replace your headphones, but it’s also impossible not to respect the commitment to the bit. The company has partnered with pop artists so each flavor comes with its own song, which somehow makes it even more absurd.

8. Lepro's AI soulmate Ami Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

AI companions aren’t new, but Lepro’s Ami stood out by being unapologetically physical and deeply strange. From my experience on the showfloor, Lepro openly markets Ami not just as an AI assistant, but as an AI soulmate for lonely remote workers.

The device itself is a curved OLED cylinder with cameras for eye tracking and depth, designed to make its animated avatar feel "in the room." I remain skeptical of AI companionship as a concept, but watching people linger at Ami’s booth, even without a proper demo due to the noise, made the appeal clear. Unlike chatbots buried in apps, Ami demands space on your desk and your attention. If we’re going to have AI companions at all, this is at least the most honest version of that idea.

9. Jackery Solar Mars Bot

The power station brand Jackery is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and it brought some new inventions to CES 2026, including the Solar Mars Bot. This is essentially an autonomous roving power station, which can seek out the sun and recharge itself when it's low on power.

This bot followed our tech editor around the crowded convention floor, and we were impressed with its retractable solar panels.

TL;DR: Type in total comfort with the Keychron K3 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard, on sale now for $74.99 (reg. $94.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Keychron Keychron K3 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard - RGB Backlight $74.99
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Whether you have a desktop set up at a desk in your home office or you work anywhere on your laptop, what you type on matters. The Keychron K3 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard offers comfort without skimping on productivity, with a slim design that enables seamless typing. Right now, you can bring one home for just $74.99 (reg. $94.99).

Let the Keychron K3 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard help you knock out your to-do list comfortably and efficiently. Type smoothly and precisely on the innovative Keychron Milk POM Low-Profile Mechanical Switches, which are 33% slimmer than standard profiles while still offering great tactile feedback with every touch. The keyboard also offers three adjustable angles for ergonomic wrist support.

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This sleek keyboard is wireless and supports Bluetooth 5.2, allowing seamless connection to up to 3 devices. It also includes wired USB-C connectivity if you prefer to plug in. It’s also ultra-slim and actually one of the thinnest wireless mechanical keyboards on the market. Presets with over 22 RGB backlight settings allow for customizable backlight control.

Open-source QMK firmware powers this keyboard, so you can customize it however you’d like. Just access the Keychron Launcher web app, which works with macOS, Windows, and Linux, to easily customize keys, macros, and shortcuts.

The Keychron K3 works with a wide range of devices. If you like to toggle between Mac and Windows, the Keychron K3 includes keycaps for both layouts so you can switch with the press of a button.

Upgrade your typing setup with the Keychron K3 QMK Wireless Mechanical Keyboard for just $74.99 (reg. $94.99) now.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Tackle your taxes early with this H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe and State 2025 for Windows and Mac online code, on sale now for just $49.99 (reg. $59.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: H&R Block H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe + State 2025 for Windows/Mac [Online Code] $49.99
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Want to kick off 2026 feeling super productive? This deal for H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe and State lets you tackle your taxes early, so you have more time to enjoy yourself. Right now, you can save $10 and get this online code that works on both Windows and Mac devices for just $49.99 (reg. $59.99).

If one of your resolutions for the new year is to save money, you might want to consider doing your taxes yourself. The H&R Block Tax Software Deluxe and State 2025 cuts out the middleman and makes the process very straightforward. You’ll be able to file your state and federal returns confidently at home, resting easy knowing you’ll receive the biggest refund possible.

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It may sound intimidating, but H&R Block Tax Software gives you step-by-step guidance to file your state and federal returns. Get help claiming more than 350 credits and deductions, and if questions pop up, you can consult the help center packed with more than 13,000 articles. You’ll also have access to AI Tax Assist if you need further help.

H&R Block Tax Software makes it simple to import your W-2, 1099, 1098, and your prior tax returns. If you have stock options, investments, home sales, or retirement, it’s also straightforward to handle those with income reporting assistance. This code provides one state program, one federal program, and five free federal e-files for your personal return.

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On Monday, Apple announced a huge new deal with Google — the AI version of Siri will be powered by Google Gemini. Not long after, Google achieved something very few other Big Tech companies have.

Specifically, Google's parent company Alphabet became just the fourth company to hit a $4 trillion stock market valuation, following Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft, per CNBC.

The other three companies all reached that threshold less than a year ago, so this is a recent phenomenon in the stock market. It should be noted that Apple and Microsoft are both back below the $4 trillion line, so Google could easily lose this honor at any time, for any reason.

So, how much money is four trillion dollars?

If you were to convert the $4 trillion into one dollar bills and stack them on a football field, the resulting pile would be about half a mile high, roughly equivalent to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. If you were to simply stack one bill on top of the other, the resulting pile would reach past the moon 13 times over.

SEE ALSO: Apple picks Google Gemini over ChatGPT for Siri's AI overhaul

The news comes just hours after Google announced a multi-year collaboration with Apple that will make Google's Gemini AI model the backbone for Apple's future AI efforts. As CNBC noted, Alphabet's shares went up by about 1 percent after the news dropped, so it seems like that was more of a "the fly that broke the camel's back" situation than something monumental that got Alphabet to $4 trillion by itself.

Anyway, between Google's continued search dominance and its growing AI and hardware businesses, it seems like Alphabet is doing just fine.

SSD prices have been rising sharply lately, in part due to global memory shortages and high demand. For many PC users, upgrading storage has become a pricey proposition, which makes now the perfect time to get creative and make the most of the space you already have.

Cheers to Netflix. Hot on the heels of HBO Max's Heated Rivalry making streaming steamy, the service gives us His & Hers, a miniseries with sex, smoking hot stars, and a climax that has audiences screaming. Totally different vibes, though, as this is less a romantic drama with occasional hockey scenes and more a crime thriller where violence is guaranteed along with vengeance. 

Adapted from Alice Feeney's mystery novel into a 6-episode series, His & Hers stars Tessa Thompson and John Bernthal as an estranged married couple who are weirdly brought back together by a homicide in their hometown of Dahlonega, Georgia. Anna Andrews is a news reporter based in Atlanta who's determined to make this murder big news, while he's police detective Jack Harper, tasked with solving the case. As each investigates, they not only get in each other's way, but also unearth each other's dark secrets. Could it mean one of them is the murderer? 

Below, we'll dig into the case's suspects and red herring, and the ending, where the killer was revealed and viewing audiences went wild. Spoilers ahead! 

Do Anna or Jack have a hand in the killings in His & Hers?  Credit: Netflix

Filmmaker William Oldroyd has previously made such critically heralded movies as Lady Macbeth and Eileen, both of which involve deadly women and dangerous partnerships. So, as the secrets begin to spill in this Dahlonega murder case, you may well have had meta reasons to suspect Jack and Anna. After all, that's the kind of story Oldroyd seems to favor. And from the start, the show itself gives you plenty of reasons to suspect either character. But things get tricky as the bodies pile up. 

The first victim in the His & Her murder spree is rich white local Rachel Hopkins (Jamie Tisdale), who has a bad reputation and ties to both Jack and Anna. The brooding cop was the secret lover Rachel met out in the woods, where her corpse was found. So, had her cuckolded husband guessed right, and she said something so nasty during sex that it got her killed? Or, did Anna axe the woman who was not only sleeping with her husband, but also tormented her to a hellish (and frankly criminal) degree when they were friends back in high school?

What might have initially seemed a crime of passion or jealousy soon looks like one of vengeance as Rachel's bff Helen Wang (Poppy Liu) turns up murdered in the school where they were once a part of the same friend group — along with Jack's screw-up sister Zoe (Marin Ireland). But when Zoe also turns up dead, Jack's policing partner, Priya Patel (Sunita Mani), begins to suspect the long-lost girl from this toxic circle, Catherine Kelly, could be the sneaking killer. 

Catherine Kelly was a red herring.  Rebecca Rittenhouse as Lexy Jones. Credit: Netflix

In flashbacks over the course of the series, His & Hers reveals that Rachel, Helen, and Zoe weren't just any mean girls. They were downright vicious, luring their friends Anna and Catherine to the woods for a horrible 16th birthday party. Essentially, Helen nonconsensually pimped out Anna and Catherine to three men, who crashed the party to commit sexual assaults on the teen girls. That would definitely give Catherine motive to kill Rachel, Helen, and Zoe, who watched while it happened. But where's Catherine been all these years?

The B-plot for Anna was all about her rivalry with bubbly blonde anchorwoman Lexy Jones, who took Anna's spot at the news desk while she was on bereavement leave. In their professional battle, Anna used some pretty unprofessional mean girl tactics, like asking that Lexy's husband, Richard Jones (Pablo Schreiber), be her cameraman, and then promptly seducing him. But it turns out Richard was more loyal to Lexy than we thought. 

However, Lexy didn't just come to Dahlonega to steal the murder story from Anna. She seemingly did it to wreak some revenge of her own, because Lexy is Catherine Kelly, slimmed down, dyed blonde, renamed, and seething with rage. It seems she and Richard plotted together to get Anna to the Kelly home, remote and private, for a deadly end. Anna calls Jack for help, and ends up facing off with the incensed couple. But before Catherine can kill Anna, Catherine is shot dead by Detective Patel. That happens with nearly a half an hour to go on the show. So what else can there be to reveal? 

Well, for starters Anna finally is able to tell Jack what happened to her when she was 16. From there, Jack and Anna reunite and adopt Zoe's orphaned daughter. A flash-forward shows them back at home in Dahlonega. They are a family again, ready and willing to care for each other, their upcoming baby, and Anna's mother, Alice (Crystal Fox), who's been suffering from dementia. Little do they know, Alice is more than capable of caring for herself. And she's capable of much, much more. 

Who is the serial killer of His & Hers?  Crystal Fox plays Anna's mother Alice in "His & Hers." Credit: Netflix

It's Alice, Anna's seemingly dementia-addled mother, who killed Rachel, Helen, and Zoe. 

In episodes 1 through 5, much of Alice's screentime was her making confused mistakes, like preparing eggs with shells in them or forgetting that Jack and Anna had separated. Anna got reports that her mother would wander at night. Her cognitive issues seemed another element of loss that Anna was eager to avoid, in part because of the guilt she may hold for leaving her family after the pain of her own child's unexpected death. 

However, Anna finds out how intense Alice's love for her is when she comes across a curious letter midway through episode 6. 

Through voiceover, Anna muses on whether anger is a destructive force or a sustaining one as she finds an envelope sitting on her vanity that has her name written on it. "It all comes down to how you use your anger, and who you aim it at," she muses as she unfolds delicately handwritten pages. 

"There are at least two sides to every story," the letter begins, "Yours and mine, ours and theirs. His and hers. Which means someone is always lying."  

Notably, this quote is how Anna's voiceover begins in episode one, after she's gotten home late at night, soaked, and scrambled to clean herself and her apartment. Early on, that made Anna seem suspicious. But later, it's clear she was distraught not because she'd just killed Rachel, but because she'd accidentally caught her husband cheating with her ex-bestie, while she was grieving the loss of their daughter. Who could possibly understand the pain Alice was in at that moment? Her mom. 

Crystal Fox plays Anna's mother Alice in "His & Hers." Credit: Netflix

Like mother like daughter, her mom was in the cemetery too, quietly watching her love. She witnessed Anna witnessing Jack banging Rachel. And while this might have been reason enough to ambush Rachel, Alice had more reasons. 

In a thorough series of flashbacks, episode 6 reveals how Alice got away with murders. Phrases previously played out in the voiceover take on new meaning as her daughter comes to understand what really happened. 

For years, Alice was happy to see her daughter thrive as a news anchor. She was proud of her marriage and motherhood. Then the baby Charlotte died while Alice was watching her. 

Heartbroken, Anna fled her husband, house, hometown, and mother for parts unknown. In her absence, Alice made regular visits to Charlotte's grave, both in mourning and in hopes of seeing Anna there. And as Anna took time off from her news broadcast, Alice turned to a box of Anna's old self-tapes for some way to see her. In seeking Anna, she ended up discovering things about Rachel. 

While in the cemetery at night, she spotted Rachel meeting up with her fling of the week on the dirt road nearby. Then, after six months of rationing out watching Anna's old tapes, Alice found the video shot on Anna's 16th birthday, where Rachel lured her and Catherine to the woods. 

All these years later, Alice watched her daughter rescue Catherine, only to be abandoned and raped while Rachel, Helen, and Zoe watched and sang "Happy Birthday." (Taking a beat because all that happened and Anna still married Zoe's brother! I'm not sure if that's a testament to true love or deep denial, because how are you going to family events with that woman stumbling in like nothing happened?!)

Anyhow, it was on the anniversary of Charlotte's death that Anna came to the cemetery, and like her mother before her, saw not only the baby's grave but also Rachel having car sex. But this time, it was with Jack.

How Alice got away with murder in His & Hers.  Crystal Fox plays Anna's mother Alice in "His & Hers." Credit: Netflix

"I wanted to shout at you, 'Leave this place. Come home to me now,'" Alice's letter continues, as the flashback shows Anna in the graveyard, drop-jawed in agony. "Your Momma's here now. [Rachel] can't hurt you anymore." The flashback then reveals how Alice came out of the woods after Jack had driven off. "Whoever said two wrongs can't make a right lacked imagination, and a sharp knife," Alice writes as the murder of Rachel plays out onscreen. 

A professional cleaning woman, Alice knew how to clean up after herself. She clipped the fingernails to get rid of her DNA. She stripped off her own clothes, bloodied from Rachel's wounds, and walked naked home, in the rain, in the dark, in the street. No one stopped her. 

She notes all the elements of her identity that urged others to look away from her. "No one expects a woman to be a serial killer," her letter goes on, "Add the sin of age, mistake determination for dementia, there I am, the picture of frailty." While her naked wandering at night drew attention from the authorities, no one expected this habit to be dangerous to anyone but Alice, who faked dementia as a smokescreen. 

Beyond this, flashbacks show how Alice worked as a cleaning woman at the Kelly home. So, she recognized the glowed-up "Lexy" on the news, and Alice still had a key to the family house, just as she did the school, where she killed Helen. "Like back doors and the workers who use them, we're usually forgotten, ignored, invisible," she muses as the Black woman who's long been ignored by folks younger, wealthier, and whiter (or closer in proximity to whiteness) than herself.  

Alice goes on to note not everything went to plan at first. She'd plotted to kill Rachel, Helen, and Zoe for the rape they brought upon Anna. Catherine she planned to frame by leaving evidence in the Kelly home. "I thought prison for abandoning you that night was fair." 

Masterful multitasker she is, Alice also notes that Catherine being the killer would give Anna "a juicy story" and assure Lexy would no longer be a professional rival. And to make sure Anna would find her way to Catherine, it was Alice who canceled Richard and Anna's hotel reservation — not Lexy/Catherine! 

Why does Alice go on a killing spree? Tessa Thompson plays Anna in "His & Hers." Credit: Netflix

It wasn't just revenge. It was Alice's path to restorative justice, vigilante style thought it may be. 

Alice rightly deduced Jack would save Anna — though she admits Patel fatally shooting Catherine was not part of the plan. "But I'd be lying if I said I lost any sleep over it," she writes. 

"Killing Rachel brought you home. Killing Helen kept you here," Alice continues, before delivering maybe the wildest revelation, "And killing Zoe gave you the family you lost." 

Yep. Alice murdered Zoe — who knew her and smiled as she approached her in the tub — not only for revenge, but so Anna could adopt Zoe's neglected daughter as her own. 

Why does Alice confess to Anna?  Crystal Fox plays Anna's mother Alice in"His and Hers." Credit: Netflix

Alice sees this all as a life lesson that Anna can apply to raising her own children. 

"I'm writing this now, baby, because soon you'll be a mother again," she concludes in the letter, "Love my grandbabies as I've loved you. Teach them the value of hard work and planning. Prepare them for a life both ugly and beautiful, unpredictable, always changing — except for one thing. Show them that a mother's love never dims, never weakens." 

All this sounds lovely. It's the kind of speech that could play over a montage of a mom's long commute, scrubbing floors, and hugging her children. However, Alice's montage also includes scenes from the murders she committed for her daughter. Here is Alice puncturing Rachel's tire, so she'd be stranded and defenseless. There Alice is holding Zoe down in the bathtub, as she thrashes helplessly below the bloody water. 

And as Alice signs off with "All my love, my precious girl," she and Anna make eye contact. A tear runs down Anna's cheek, but she smiles at her mom, seemingly in appreciation. And His & Hers ends. 

Will there be a His & Hers Season 2?  Jon Bernthal plays a police detective in "His & Hers." Credit: Netflix.

Well, narratively Oldroyd leaves us on a curious cliffhanger. Anna nows knows the truth. But will she ever tell it? Having finally broken down the lies between her and Jack, will she hide another? Or will she tell him and risk him trying to collar his mother-in-law? Or perhaps the couple could figure out their path forward with this troubling truth while exploring a new case together? 

Well, that currently seems unlikely. Feeney's His & Hers was a standalone novel. So unlike the recent mystery thriller The Housemaid, which is based on a novel that has a follow-up in The Housemaid's secret, Feeney hasn't penned a clear path forward for Anna and John. 

Plus, Netflix released this as a limited series, suggesting one season is all that was intended. So, it is unlikely His & Hers will see a Season 2. 

His & Hers is now streaming on Netflix.

CES 2026 is officially in the books.

There was a lot of news at the big Vegas tech convention, with highlights including everything from new foldable phones to talks on the future of AI to all kinds of smart glasses. And, yes, as is tradition at CES, there were plenty of truly odd gadgets, too.

At 6 p.m. ET, you can join journalists from Mashable, IGN, and CNET for a live recap of our favorite tech trends we saw on the ground at CES. We'll be discussing all the products we expect to hit it big this year. If you miss the live video podcast, you can still watch the livestream on YouTube to catch up on all things CES.

Instagram users had a scare over the weekend after many users were sent mysterious password reset emails that seemed to come directly from Instagram. Some users thought this might be a phishing email, but as Mashable reported earlier today, many of the emails are legitimate.

Instagram said in a weekend statement that it had fixed a bug that allowed an external party to trigger unnecessary password reset emails. The good news: no one’s accounts were actually impacted. The social media giant urged people to simply delete the emails and move on. 

Still, we thought we’d take a close look at the email that was sent to people to see if we could identify any red flags. Phishing emails can almost always be identified with a little patience and know-how, so we put that knowledge to the test to see if there was anything wrong with the email itself. If what Instagram said is accurate (spoiler: it was accurate), then we shouldn’t spot anything untoward. 

In any case, here is one of the emails in question, received by a Mashable editor on Saturday, Jan. 10, with the account information blurred out for privacy reasons. 

One of the password reset emails received by Instagram users. Credit: Mashable

Okay, so let’s go through a checklist of the most common ways to spot a phishing email and see how this one holds up.

First, a phishing email will usually come from an unknown email with no ties to the real company. In this case, the email is from security@mail.instagram.com, which is a real Instagram email address. Please note that scammers will often try to dupe legit email addresses by using variations and alternative domains, such as "instagram.password.net".

Next, I check the footer, which also looks clean. I actually signed out of my own Instagram account and had a password reset link sent to me, and I can verify that the footer is exactly identical to the one in the above email. So, we’re off to a great start. 

Phishing emails can often look legitimate, though, so the next step is to see where this email sends you if you were to click the link. However, instead of clicking the link, hover your mouse over the link to see the URL destination. In this case, hovering over the “Reset password” button does, in fact, show a real Instagram link, as seen in the screenshot below. 

Credit: Mashable

Remember: You should check every link in an email from an uknown sender before clicking. So, I checked the “let us know” link, which also shows an official Instagram URL.

Many phishing emails also contain spelling or grammar errors. However, after a close reading of the email, there aren’t any red flags, and all of the logos are correct. 

The only other thing I could think to check was if this was a user-generated password reset request. So, as I said earlier, I signed out and had one sent to me, and I confirmed the emails are identical.

There is one more step you can take to verify if the email is legitimate, but it actually doesn't work in this particular case.

In your Instagram account settings (go to your account settings, then click "Accounts Center," then "Password and security," then "Recent emails"). Normally, this section would show all recent emails from Instagram. However, for unknown reasons, the weekend's mysterious password reset emails do not show up, even though they appear to be legitimate.

This discrepancy is one reason the emails seemed so suspicious at first, and why some experts determined they were phishing emails.

When you receive a suspicious email, never click the links.

In this case, the best thing you can do is simply ignore the email entirely.

Is the Instagram email a scam?

Kind of, just not in the way you would think. The emails were sent, albeit indirectly, by a third party. However, the email our editor received was real and sent by Instagram. Clicking the links and buttons would not harm the recipient, and the worst thing that could happen is that you'd wind up with a new password.

However, if you did open this mysterious Instagram email, click the link, and change your password without verifying its authenticity, you got lucky this time.

We recommend checking out this guide on identifying phishing scams, just in case. 

Scrolling through used luxury cars, the same names keep popping up. The loud ones, the obvious ones, the brands that’ve spent decades bragging about how premium they are.

I’ve paid for Spotify. I’ve paid for Amazon Music. On top of that, I already pay for YouTube Premium, mostly to get rid of ads and keep YouTube usable. For a long time, YouTube Music was just part of the package. I didn’t really think of it as a serious competitor, and I definitely didn’t expect it to replace a service I’d been paying for on purpose.

Obsidian, the excellent cross-platform notes app, is rolling out another helpful update. Obsidian 1.11 is now available for desktop and mobile platforms, with new widgets and design updates for mobile platforms, and some smaller changes for the desktop app.

On Jan. 7, Rene Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis mother exercising her right as a legal observer to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, was shot and killed by federal agent Jonathan Ross while in her car.

She was the second death at the hands of ICE in the new year, following the killing of Keith Porter Jr. by an off-duty ICE agent. Three days after Good, two more people were shot and injured by border patrol agents attempting an arrest in Portland, Oregon.

Over the last year, at least 32 individuals have died while in ICE custody, the deadliest year on record for the agency. Under direction from the Trump administration, ICE and border patrol agents ramped up aggressive tactics intended to meet elevated deportation demands, including conducting raids of protected areas like school grounds, hospitals, and places of worship.

SEE ALSO: The biggest moments of the 2026 Golden Globes

Many Americans have protested ICE's actions, with some pundits likening the agency's actions to those of a domestic militia.

Last night, the protests finally hit the entertainment industry, as celebrities attending the annual Golden Globe Awards joined a much more subtle declaration of anti-ICE sentiment in the form of small lapel pins emblazoned with the phrase "Be Good" and "ICE Out."

The pins are part of a new #BeGood campaign, launched by a grassroots coalition of civil rights and immigration organizations in an effort to honor the memory of Good, Porter, and others who have faced violence at the hands of ICE agents. The coalition includes ACLU, Working Families Power, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Maremoto, MoveOn, and entertainment industry leaders.

In an interview with NPR, organizers explained that they relied on a network of fellow activists with ties to Hollywood to distribute pins at industry events and get celebrities on board. "There is a longstanding tradition of people who create art taking a stand for justice in moments. We're going to continue that tradition," Nelini Stamp, organizer with Working Families Power, told the publication.

Celebrities use Golden Globes to show support for immigrant communitiesMark Ruffalo

Nominee Ruffalo, a vocal activist who also donned pins calling for ceasefire in the war-torn Gaza strip at last year's Oscars ceremony, told interviewers that he couldn't pretend that the situation was "normal."

"This for [Rene Good]. This is for the people in the United States who are terrorized and scared today. I know I'm one of them," said Ruffalo. "I love this country and what I'm seeing here happening is not America... I don't know how I can be quiet."

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

Smart, who took home an award for her role in Hacks, told interviewers: "I feel like we're kind of at a turning point in our country and I hope people can keep their heads, because I think that's actually going to be the hardest thing, to keep our heads, but that's going to take a lot of courage and a lot of restraint." While accepting the Globe, Smart continued: "There’s so much that could be said tonight. I said my rant on the red carpet, so I won’t do it here. Let’s all do the right thing. I think everybody in their hearts knows what the right thing is to do, so let’s do the right thing."

Credit: Tommaso Boddi / 2026GG / Penske Media via Getty Images Wanda Sykes

"Of course this is for the mother who was murdered by an ICE agent, and it’s really sad," Sykes told reporters. "I know people are out marching and all today, and we need to speak up. We need to be out there and shut this rogue government down, because it’s just awful what they’re doing to people."

Credit: Christopher Polk / 2026GG / Penske Media via Getty Images Natasha Lyonne

Lyonne added the pin to a small clutch toted around the carpet. When asked about the pin, Lyonne said: "I just think it’s important that we don’t normalize what’s going on in this country right now. I love America. I love our communities, free speech, the Trevor Project, and all that. So I think it’s important. Rene Good. Say her name."

Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor / FilmMagic via Getty Images Tessa Thompson

Like Lyonne, Thompson pinned two #BeGood campaign pins to her coordinating bag. The Best Actress nominee also reshared images of the pins to her Instagram account. Earlier this year, Thompson joined Los Angeles protests against mass deportations.

Credit: Michael Buckner / 2026GG / Penske Media via Getty Images Ariana Grande

The Wicked: For Good star didn't appear to wear the pin during the red carpet photo call, but did put an "ICE Out" pin in center focus during the ceremony, along with other stars who waited until the live broadcast started. Grande is also listed by the ACLU as a campaign participant.

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

Ramsey, who has been outspoken about industry inclusivity and joined last year's calls for a ceasefire in Palestine, also donned an "ICE Out" pin once in the Golden Globes ceremony.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. SEE ALSO: The complete list of winners at the 2026 Golden Globes