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For more than a century, Betelgeuse has looked like a star with a secret.

It swells and fades on a six-year rhythm that never quite made sense. The star, about 650 light-years away in space, is old, bloated, and unstable, but not unstable enough to explain its slow pulse. 

The answer might be simpler than expected. Betelgeuse, pronounced "Beetlejuice" just like the Tim Burton film, appears to have company, traveling within its own atmosphere.

Astronomers have previously speculated that the red supergiant, once thought to be on the brink of supernova, has a companion. Another star circling it could explain its strange changes in brightness. 

Though researchers continue to seek a direct detection of the star that will prove its existence beyond a shadow of a doubt, scientists are celebrating new evidence from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. A team led by Andrea Dupree, a Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics scientist, observed ripples in Betelgeuse’s atmosphere, like the wake from a speed boat, caused by a passing star.

SEE ALSO: Astronomers have just found one of the universe's earliest mistakes

If this new finding, soon to be published in The Astrophysical Journal, holds up to further scrutiny, it would change how astronomers understand one of the sky’s most famous stars. Betelgeuse would no longer be thought of as a solitary giant drifting toward its final collapse. It would be part of a binary system — a Goliath with its own David: a star smaller than the sun is having an outsize impact on the giant. 

The companion star, recently dubbed Siwarha, solves a major problem for scientists, said Dupree, who presented the research at the 247th American Astronomical Society meeting in Phoenix this week. 

"Betelgeuse is spinning too rapidly for a supergiant. It should slow down as it becomes large, but it has a fast rotation," she told Mashable in an email. "The companion is believed to have sped up Betelgeuse by transferring angular momentum to the big star."

Angular momentum is the measure of an object's spinning power, which remains steady unless something pushes or pulls on it. 

On its own, Siwarha is nothing too dramatic. Perhaps it's a red dwarf, dim and diminutive compared to Betelgeuse. 

"The companion is thought to be a low-mass star," said Dupree, estimating its mass as somewhere between half and 1 ½ times that of the sun. "There are no X-rays detected, so it is not a black hole or neutron star or accreting young star. By the way stars evolve, it is not thought to be a white dwarf, either."

A NASA-led team announced it got a picture of the companion with the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, but the complicated imaging technique the researchers used left room for doubt, Dupree said. 

A separate team of researchers used a complicated technique to image a companion star around Betelgeuse, but some astronomers say those results were uncertain. Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / M. Zamani

What makes the star remarkable is its location. Siwarha appears to orbit so close that it never leaves Betelgeuse’s atmosphere. It sails through a turbulent sea of hot gas that extends far beyond the star’s visible surface.

As it moves, the companion leaves a trail. Gas piles up behind it, thickens, heats, and slowly expands across Betelgeuse’s face. From Earth, that wake obscures the star, reducing the light it sends out. Halfway through the orbit, when the wake has peaked, Betelgeuse is at its faintest point. Then the gas thins out, the star brightens again, and the cycle continues.

The entire star seems to react to the pattern. The surface, the atmosphere, and the surrounding gas all change on the same six-year schedule. That kind of coordination is hard to explain with solar storms alone. A companion provides a single, consistent source.

The team detected Siwarha’s wake by tracking changes in Betelgeuse's starlight over eight years.

The significance goes beyond Betelgeuse itself. If confirmed, this would be one of the clearest examples of catching a star as it spirals into its companion. Astronomers think many stars die this way, but the brief phase is easy to miss. 

The companion is currently hidden behind Betelgeuse, lost in the glare. But astronomers expect it to reappear in 2027 as its orbit carries it back into view. 

Tensor Auto is very confident about its Robocar. It's the most succinct way I can describe how I felt after getting a look under the hood at this very luxurious electric vehicle at CES 2026, just a day before the show opened.

Here is Tensor's pitch: a personal, privately owned autonomous vehicle designed from the ground up for Level 4 driving, not retrofitted after the fact (like how Waymo uses Jaguar vehicles). According to Amy Luca, Tensor's chief marketing officer, that distinction matters.

"This wasn't built by taking an existing car and adding autonomy," she told me. "It was designed as an autonomous vehicle first, and then designed to be something you’d actually want to own."

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: See the latest news, surprises, and strange tech from LG, Samsung, Lego, and new startups

Tensor positions the Robocar as an agentic vehicle that communicates with its owner. In theory, the car can notify you about traffic before you leave, respond to voice commands, and make decisions based on context, not just routes. Luca emphasized that the company’s background in robotaxi development heavily informed the system, but that private ownership was always the end goal.

The Tensor Robocar on display features a sleek, silver sedan-like body with a low, aerodynamic profile and a prominent halo LiDAR unit mounted on the roof. Camera-based side mirrors, flush lighting, and subtle black accents give it a futuristic but restrained look.

Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

Under the hood, and on the roof, that intent is obvious. The Robocar is equipped with numerous sensors, including five LiDAR units, the aforementioned halo-style sensor mounted on top, more than a dozen cameras, radar, and over 100 sensors in total. All of that data is processed onboard using an Nvidia GPU, with Tensor opting for an internal hard drive rather than relying entirely on the cloud — a choice Luca framed as a privacy decision as much as a technical one.

Tensor's foldable steering wheel. Credit: Joseph Maldonado / Mashable

The interior reinforces the car's dual nature. It supports both manual driving and fully autonomous operation, thanks in part to a foldable steering wheel developed in partnership with Autoliv. The company boasts that it has the world's first folding steering wheel. In autonomous mode, the wheel retracts entirely, opening up the front cabin and shifting safety systems accordingly. In manual mode, it functions like a conventional wheel. "People still want the option to drive," Luca said. "We didn't want autonomy to mean giving that up."

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The Robocar also leans unapologetically into luxury. The massage seats, Dolby Atmos sound system, large displays, and spacious cabin layout create a lounge-like atmosphere that feels more relaxed than cockpit-focused. Tensor isn't disclosing pricing yet, but Luca acknowledged it will land at the high end of the market, reflecting both the hardware and the long-term autonomy roadmap. Production is expected to ramp up in the second half of 2026.

Walking away, what stood out wasn't any single feature, but how finished the whole thing felt.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

TL;DR: Get Pok Pok for life for just $39.97 with code PLAY20 — a Montessori-style app for calm, creative play.

Opens in a new window Credit: Pok Pok Pok Pok: Lifetime Subscription $39.97
$250 Save $210.03   Get Deal

If screen time ever feels like a battle, Pok Pok is the exception you’ll actually feel good about. This app swaps loud, mindless gameplay for gentle, open-ended activities based on Montessori learning for ages 2 to 8. And from now until Jan. 11, you can score lifetime access for its lowest price ever at just $39.97 (reg. $250) with code PLAY20.

Pok Pok was built by parents who were tired of overstimulating kids’ games and wanted something that wouldn’t leave toddlers melting down or begging to buy add-ons. Everything is ad-free, offline-ready, and designed to be intuitive enough for even a two-year-old to explore without help (though they might still want to show you what they built).

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Inside the app, kids can explore playful digital toys — like a dinosaur world, radio station, puzzle board, number games, and dress-up closet — with no goals, levels, or loud nonsense. It’s all about gentle discovery, tapping into curiosity instead of competition. And with new content added regularly, the fun keeps evolving as your child grows.

The handcrafted visuals and sound design are intentionally mellow, and it’s COPPA-certified so there’s no sneaky data collection or shady ads. It works on up to 10 devices, so you can pass the time peacefully on a road trip, plane ride, or that long grocery line where snacks have already failed.

For $39.97 with promo code PLAY20 through Jan. 11, you’ll get a lifetime subscription to Pok Pok, plus a surprise bonus gift shipped to your door.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: The Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box is available to pre-order for under $150 on Amazon. Pre-order now to secure Amazon's pre-order price guarantee.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box $147.26 at Amazon
$164.70 Save $17.44   Get Deal

Interest in Magic: The Gathering continues to climb. Has it reached Pokémania levels yet? Probably not, but we're getting there slowly.

With interest spiking, you can expect new products to sell quickly. That's why it can pay to pre-order a product before release and a potential jump in price as stock vanishes from shelves. The Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box is a prime example. This set is going to be released on Jan. 23. Sure, you could wait for the release to buy. But with Amazon's pre-order price guarantee, you might as well lock in the best price.

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Whenever you pre-order a product with Amazon's pre-order price guarantee, the price Amazon charges when it ships to you will be the lowest price offered between the time you placed your order and the end of the day on the release date. Everyone knows that feeling when you see a lower price after you've already bought something. There's no chance of that here.

The Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box is available to pre-order for under $150 on Amazon. That's around market value compared to the listing on TCGplayer, which is somewhat rare for Amazon.

Secure Amazon's best price on the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed Play Booster Box before its Jan. 23 launch.

SAVE $400: As of Jan. 7, the Shark Matrix Plus robot vacuum is on sale for $299.99 at Amazon. That's a 57% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Shark Shark Matrix Plus Robot Vacuum $299.22 at Amazon
$699.99 Save $400.77   Get Deal

Robot vacuums are growing in popularity, and it’s no surprise why; anything that can reduce your cleaning list is a big plus in our book. If you’ve been toying with the idea of purchasing one for a while, let this deal on the Shark Matrix Plus be your sign that 2026 is the year of the robot vacuum.

As of Jan. 7, this model has a whopping $400 off the list price, bringing it down from $699.99 to $299.99 — that’s more than half off. And, according to camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest price for this model (give or take two cents), so it really is a great deal.

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It’s a 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop that can handle whole-home cleaning with minimal effort. It has both a strong suction and sonic mopping so it can vacuum debris and scrub hard floors at the same time, with no effort required from you. It uses matrix-style cleaning patterns to make multiple passes over floors, targets edges and corners more effectively, and maps your home with LiDAR navigation, so it can clean methodically while avoiding obstacles like furniture or stray cables. 

And the impressive stats don’t end there. This model also has a self-emptying base that holds up to 60 days of dirt and uses HEPA filtration to trap dust and allergens. And when the robot runs out of battery, it automatically recharges and resumes cleaning when needed. 

This is a limited-time deal at Amazon, so don’t miss out.

SAVE $160: As of Jan. 7, the 55-inch Fire TV 4-Series is on sale for $299.99 at Amazon. That's a 35% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon 55-inch Fire TV 4 Series $299.99 at Amazon
$459.99 Save $160   Get Deal

If 2026 means time for a new TV, this Amazon deal on the 55-inch Fire TV 4-Series has come around at the right time. As of Jan. 7, the 2024 release of this TV is now down to its best-ever price. Normally $459.99, you can now make it yours for just $299.99, a saving of $160.

It's a great TV, perfect for everyday streaming. It has an ultra-slim bezel and support for 4K Ultra HD, HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Digital Plus, so everything you watch, from the latest blockbuster releases to kids' cartoons, will be vivid and high quality.

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As you'd expect from an Amazon device, it comes with built-in Fire TV and Alexa. Alexa makes it easy to search for shows, check the weather, or control smart home features, while the Fire TV OS makes navigating and general use easy. Fire OS also means you can stream from major services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+, watch live and free TV, play games, or listen to music, all from the TV's home screen.

This deal is available at Amazon, get it now before the deal runs out.

SAVE $200: As of Jan. 7, the 2025 Apple MacBook Air is on sale for $799 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple 2025 Apple MacBook Air M4 $799 at Amazon
$999 Save $200   Get Deal

Amazon has kicked off the new year with another discount on the 2025 Apple MacBook Air. As of Jan. 7, you can save $200 on the 13-inch model, which is now down to $799. This is for the 16GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD Storage option, and is available in all colors.

The 2025 MacBook Air is seriously impressive (its 15-inch counterpart was even our best laptop of 2025), created to make both life and work easier. No matter what you're using it for — video editing, writing, long hours with data — it gives a smooth performance that doesn't give up, even when you're jumping between multiple apps. It also supports Apple Intelligence, with built-in features for writing, organization, and productivity.

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The battery life is great, lasting up to 18 hours. And your eyes won't tire either, thanks to the 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display which is sharp, colorful, and comfortable for long sessions. It also includes a 12MP Center Stage camera, a multi-mic and speaker setup with Spatial Audio, so video calls will look and sound clear and professional.

You can find this MacBook deal at Amazon right now.

SAVE $290: As of Jan. 7, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is on sale for $1,129.99 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra $1,129.99 at Amazon
$1,419.99 Save $290   Get Deal

Ready to kick off the new year with a new phone? Well you're in luck, because Amazon has a great discount on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. As of Jan. 7, this smartphone is down to $1,129.99, that's almost a $300 saving on the list price ($290 to be exact). This price is specific to the titanium whitesilver model, but you can find all color options reduced.

It's a great phone with a whole lot going for it, and it even made it onto our list of the best smartphones in 2025. Standout features include built-in AI which is used to handle multiple tasks at once, and quicker. Even the camera is AI-powered, using it to improve low-light video and reduce background noise for cleaner clips. Portrait photos are designed to look natural, with tools that balance skin tones and keep textures realistic.

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And if you’re switching from another phone, the Smart Switch feature will make it easy to move your photos, apps, messages, and contacts across in just a few steps.

It has an average battery life of 14 hours, so you'll be set for long days out of the house. And with the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, you're getting Samsung's smoothest performance yet.

Pick up this Samsung deal at Amazon now.

Fallout's second season is full of Easter eggs and references to the post-apocalyptic Bethesda games it's based on, including the enemies you try valiantly to avoid. Cooper (Walton Goggins) and Lucy (Ella Purnell) faced down radscorpions early this season, but in Season 2, episode 4, there's no getting around one of Fallout's mightiest foes.

The Deathclaw is HERE.

SEE ALSO: 'Fallout' Season 2 is full of game details. Here's a handy guide.

At the start of the fourth episode of Prime Video's series, we find ourselves back before the global nuclear holocaust, on the Alaskan Front during the war against the People's Liberation Army of China — the Chinese invasion of America is a major event in the Fallout games. Here, Cooper (Walton Goggins) is on the front line testing out that familiar T-45 power armor for the U.S. Marines. He orders his friend Dallas Goldtooth (Charles Whiteknife) back to base before hearing something in the chaos, an animal sound, as a horned beast emerges from the flames. As enemy troops pin Cooper down, the creature takes them all out, then shows its reptilian face, sharp claws, and long tail while giving Coop a major whiff of that maw.

Fans will probably recognise that face instantly as that of a Deathclaw, one of the apex predators that appear in basically every Fallout game. Not a boss you'd want to stumble across in the Wasteland, they're tough as nails — and extremely hard to beat without the games' signature aim-support V.A.T.S. system (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System).

Featured Video For You What tech would the 'Fallout' cast steal from the show?

Unluckily for our protagonists in the Fallout TV series, they don't have V.A.T.S., and it's not the last we see of the Deathclaws, with Cooper and Lucy unfortunately encountering one of the towering creatures on arrival in New Vegas in the same episode. Outside the Gomorrah Hotel and Casino, a key location from Fallout: New Vegas, the pair find the place strangely devoid of people — and full of irradiated, long-hatched eggs. Oh dear.

Out of the casino's illustrated flames emerges a mighty Deathclaw. This Reddit thread might help our heroes?

Fallout Season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video with a new episode every week.

Stephen Colbert has hit President Donald Trump where it hurts: in the ratings. Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors for the first time late last month, having boldly declared that the event would attract its highest ratings ever. As Colbert gleefully noted, the reality fell far short of that. Trump's hosting gig ultimately attracted just 3 million viewers on CBS — an all-time low. 

"Now, it is beneath me to gloat. But if it weren't beneath me, I'd call him no talent, low-rated Donald Trump," quipped Colbert, echoing Trump's frequently used turns of phrase.

Putting that viewer number into context, Colbert gleefully compared Trump's ratings to his own when he first hosted the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015. The Late Show host had attracted over three times as many viewers as Trump, with around 9.25 million people tuning in at the time.

"Trump's terrible numbers hurt more when you remember that he predicted it would be 'the highest rated show they've ever done,'" said Colbert. "Well, that's about as far off as a prediction could possibly be. Next to Amelia Earhart's famous words, 'One thing's for sure, I ain't getting lost.'"

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

Insane.

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

CRAZY

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Glue.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 7, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

EPOXY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To rescind.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 7, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

QUASH

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A common American last name.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for January 7 Hurdle Word 4 answer

SMITH

Final Hurdle hint

Two on a dice.

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

DEUCE

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

From our view, the Moon is changing every night, shifting through the lunar cycle as different portions of its sunlit side become visible. But what does that mean for tonight's Moon? Keep reading to find out.

What is today’s moon phase?

As of Wednesday, Jan. 7, the moon phase is Waning Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 80% of the moon will be lit up tonight.

There's lots to see tonight when you look up. Without any visual aids you'll be able to spot the Mares Imbrium and Tranquillitatis as well as the Kepler Crater. With binoculars you'll also see the the Gassendi and Alphonsus Craters, and the Mare Nectaris. Add a telescope to your lineup if you want to spot even more, including the as the Apollo 15 landing spot, the Schiller Crater, and the Descartes Highlands.

When is the next full moon?

The next full moon will be on Feb. 1. The last full moon was on Jan. 3.

What are moon phases?

According to NASA, the Moon completes one full orbit of its phases in around 29.5 days, a period referred to as the lunar cycle. As the Moon travels around the Earth, it passes through a sequence of distinct phases. Although the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, the portion lit by the Sun changes depending on its position in orbit. This variation in sunlight is what causes the Moon to appear fully illuminated, partly lit, or completely dark at different points in the cycle. The lunar cycle is made up of eight phases:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Motorola is taking another swing at foldables. The company announced the Razr Fold at CES 2020's Lenovo Tech World, introducing its newest flagship and a more ambitious take on the Razr formula.

Instead of leaning into nostalgia with the flip-style Razrs, the Razr Fold is marketed as a productivity device. Closed, it looks and feels like a standard smartphone thanks to a large 6.6-inch external display. Open it up, and it unfolds into an 8.1-inch 2K LTPO screen meant for multitasking.

SEE ALSO: Hands on at CES 2026: Lenovo debuts two new rollable concept laptops, including one that grows wider

Motorola is also pushing its on-device AI harder here. Features like Catch Me Up and Next Move are designed to surface reminders, context, and suggested actions without requiring constant switching between apps. It’s all part of Motorola Qira, the company’s new unified AI platform which ties Motorola and Lenovo devices together under one assistant.

Camera specs are predictably stacked: a triple 50MP rear setup, including a periscope telephoto, plus separate internal and external selfie cameras. There’s Dolby Vision video, stabilization, and a Sony LYTIA sensor doing most of the heavy lifting. Motorola also confirmed stylus support, which makes the foldable pitch feel a little more serious.

This wasn’t the only Razr news. Motorola also showcased a FIFA World Cup 2026 Edition Razr, featuring custom branding and software enhancements. Pricing and availability haven’t been detailed yet, but it's clear that Motorola wants the Razr to be not only cool, but useful as well.

Six months after sending the world's first rollable laptop to market, Lenovo is back with two new concept PCs that have expanding screens. The tech giant unveiled the business-oriented ThinkPad Rollable XD Concept and the gaming-ready Legion Pro Rollable Concept at CES 2026 Tuesday, arriving on the heels of extensive leaks. Mashable was among the first to demo Lenovo's new laptops in the company's private showroom.

SEE ALSO: Hands on at CES 2026: Lenovo's voice-controlled twisting laptop arrives

Like last year's ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI, these two Windows laptops were birthed from Lenovo's desire to play around with OLED panels, which are super thin and bendy. Both devices seem quite polished even though they're just prototypes, so I'd imagine getting them market-ready would just involve some further durability and stability testing. (Lenovo mentioned that they were delicate before letting us get our hands on them.)

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Even if that never happens, I think we can already chalk up these rollables as a win for the company's engineering team. They already work as intended and look sick while they're at it.

Lenovo's ThinkPad Rollable XD boasts an extendable double-sided screen Credit: Lily Kartiganer / Mashable

The ThinkPad Rollable XD has an expandable display that can grow from 13.3 to nearly 16 inches tall, bumping its screen real estate by 50 percent in seconds. It looks a lot like the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 when you're facing it straight-on, but it has an extra gimmick. Its OLED display wraps 180 degrees over the top edge of its lid to create a second "world-facing" display on the back.

Lenovo said it developed a transparent glass cover in partnership with Corning to protect the portion of the OLED panel that curves behind its main "user-facing" display. This has an aesthetic bonus: You can see the fiber cables and motors that power its "rolling" mechanism. (This is now housed in the device's lid instead of its base.) It's such a flex on Lenovo's part.

Credit: Lily Kartiganer / Mashable

You can control the height of the ThinkPad Rollable XD's display by pressing a button or by swiping a finger across the edge of its lid — every part of it has touchscreen capabilities. It doesn't respond to voice commands or hand gestures like last year's rollable, but remember: It's just a concept for now. Both control options could wind up on a market-ready model eventually.

Credit: Lily Kartiganer / Mashable Lenovo's Legion Pro Rollable practically has an entire hidden monitor

Lenovo's second new concept laptop at CES, the Legion Pro Rollable, has a 240Hz OLED display that expands from both sides. It can grow from 16 inches in "Focus Mode" (its standard "unrolled" size) to 21.5 inches in "Tactical Mode," and expands a full two feet in "Arena Mode." It's basically producing an external monitor out of nowhere. For those who need more screen real estate, I think it would feel more instinctive than a dual-screen gaming laptop like the Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo.

Credit: Lily Kartiganer / Mashable

I noticed some skid marks on the Legion Pro Rollable's screen when it unfurled (seemingly from an internal mechanism), but they were superficial and wiped off easily. There was some subtle creasing where the OLED panel retreated into its housing. Like I said, any market-readiness polishing will probably entail some build quality improvements. Lenovo states that it's currently rated to last 25,000 roll cycles.

The Legion Pro Rollable will be configured like Lenovo's Legion Pro 7i, a premium 16-inch laptop for competitive PC gamers. Think high-end Intel Core processors, a Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, and a ton of ports.

Credit: Lily Kartiganer / Mashable

Aesthetically, it's decked out with RGB accent lighting: There's an RGB keyboard, a glowy "Legion" logo on its lid, and dynamic rainbow LED strips lining its chunky rear fan vents. It's almost Lisa Frankian in its gaudiness — you can't look away.

Heft and heat are two obvious downsides to making a laptop this flashy. It was blasting out hot air while we demoed it, and we didn't even have a game pulled up.

Credit: Lily Kartiganer / Mashable

While neither prototype is guaranteed to hit shelves, the arrival of the original Lenovo rollable laptop two years after its conceptual debut gives me hope that we'll able to buy them in a couple years. Considering the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 retailed for $3,499.99, I would start saving now.

Lenovo's voice-controlled twisting laptop is officially hitting the market later this year, and Mashable got to go hands-on with it at CES 2026. The PC giant still has one kink to iron out before it lands in consumers' hands this summer, but overall the device is a fun and constructive twist on the 2-in-1 form factor.

Announced Tuesday, the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist is a unique hybrid business PC with a swiveling 14-inch touchscreen that rotates on a motorized hinge. The user can open, close, and reposition its lid manually or by saying "Hey Tiko" followed by a voice command. If necessary, you can switch it between clamshell and tablet modes without lifting a finger. The screen can turn 90 degrees to the right and a full 180 degrees to the left.

Do the twist. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist has some other fun tricks up its sleeve. Its 10MP webcam can follow your face, and if you scoot too far to one side of the frame, the device will automatically adjust the position of its display to make sure it's always facing you. This seems perfect for presentations.

Additionally, the Auto Twist's webcam supports an AI-powered "Desk View" feature that lets it look around and analyze objects near it. A Lenovo rep had it sniff out a spec card that was sitting next to it; the device's lid swiveled around so that the camera could find and scan its contents. It also clocked the dimensions and price point of the spiral-bound notebook I was holding while standing in front of it. (Six-by-eight inches, $5 to $10, college-ruled.)

Hey chat. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Booting up the Auto Twist's "Companion Mode" puts a pair of eyes on its screen that reminded me of a minimalist Nick Jr. "Face." When you chat with it, the screen's position moves as it "thinks" and "emotes." Necessary? No. Cute? Kinda!

I ran into one snag whenever I manually rotated the Auto Twist's screen back up from tablet mode, which would cause its picture to get stuck upside-down. A Lenovo rep was able to re-orient it in the settings menu, but I'm hoping a fix is coming pre-release.

Left: Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable Right: Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist initially debuted as a prototype at the IFA trade show in September 2024. Lenovo says the market-ready version has a faster, quieter, smoother, and more durable hinge with a refined electromotor design. It also got upgraded with a nicer 2.8K OLED display.

The Auto Twist is powered by an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor with integrated Intel Graphics, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 2TB of storage. Its OLED screen has a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. Its Dolby Atmos speakers rotate with the screen so that they're always front-facing, ensuring clear audio quality.

Super sleek. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist hasn't been rated for battery life, but Lenovo notes in a press release that its 75Wh battery "provides long-lasting productivity."

The device is equipped with a decent mix of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack. It measures 0.63 to 0.94 inches thin, and it starts at 3.09 pounds. It comes in a Luna Gray finish, and it's set for release in June with a base cost of $1,649.

You know you twist so fine. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The Auto Twist marks Lenovo's third crack at a laptop with a twisting display after 2012's ThinkPad Twist and 2023's ThinkPad Plus Twist. The latter was quirkier in that it had an second e-ink touchscreen on the back of its lid, though neither older device supported voice commands, giving the Auto Twist an edge from an accessibility standpoint.

The Auto Twist isn't to be confused with Lenovo's ThinkBook VertiFlex Concept from IFA 2025, which had a screen that rotated from landscape to portrait mode similar to a Samsung Sero TV. Lenovo's communications manager Jeff Witt told me via email that it's still just a concept — for now. "Give us some time," he said.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

For the past couple of years, tech companies have been pushing to make a wearable AI companion that actually breaks into the mainstream. Whether that company ends up being Motorola remains to be seen, but the smartphone maker is clearly angling for a shot. At CES 2026, Motorola debuted a new wearable AI proof of concept for guests and press during its Lenovo World Tour event.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026: JBL's new open earbuds lineup gives listeners 5 unique options

I had the chance to see the device in action a few days earlier at a private media preview, where company spokespeople were careful to stress that this is very much a proof-of-concept device. What they showed us works largely as you’d expect this category of hardware to function right now. Powered by Motorola’s new AI assistant, Qira, the wearable can identify and explain objects in front of you, summarize information, and even navigate to events by launching apps on a paired phone.

Credit: Motorola

The device itself is small and minimalist, resembling a chunky pendant more than a traditional gadget. It’s encased in a glossy, pearl-like shell with softly rounded edges and hangs from a thin necklace chain. A subtle Motorola logo sits near the center, while a small camera lens and sensor array are positioned at one end. Aside from a narrow speaker slit and tiny pinhole microphones, there are no visible buttons or displays.

In practice, it teeters on the edge of being an agentic AI. Rather than just spitting out directions, the device actually opened Google Maps on the demo phone and entered the destination on its own. Some of the demos, however, felt redundant — including one where a spokesperson held up an event flyer, and the device more or less repeated the text verbatim, with only minimal added context about the speakers.

Still, Motorola may have an opening here. The bar for minimalist, wearable AI remains unsurprisingly low. Humane’s AI Pin flamed out almost immediately, criticized for its limited usefulness and high price. The Friend necklace followed, drawing immediate backlash for allegedly borrowing its design from someone else.

Motorola was clear that this wearable is still a long way from any commercial release.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

One of the coolest parts of CES is getting to preview the future of technology. LG’s iRobot-like helper robot and Sony’s XYN headset are two such examples from last year's event. Those are rather large and ambitious tech projects, but Lenovo is tackling a different sort of problem with its Self-Charging Kit Concept, which consists of a solar-powered mouse and keyboard that can charge themselves without natural sunlight

Lenovo says this technology provides "one of the industry's first true no-charging" experiences.

Credit: Lenovo

The tech uses what Lenovo calls “next-level light-harvesting technology,” which charges the mouse and keyboard using indoor light as low as 50 lux. For reference, most grocery stores are somewhere between 200 and 500 lux, so 50 lux would be equivalent to an overcast day, give or take.

These days, virtually every device comes with a throwaway USB-C charging cable, and we love the idea of having a truly wireless gadget with no charging required. Based on product images, it appears that the charging panel is right above the arrow keys on the keyboard and integrated into the mouse’s entire top side. 

Lenovo was a little vague in terms of other features, but based on the concept images, there are three Bluetooth buttons, indicating that the kit will be able to connect to multiple devices with the push of a button, and an eco mode button that will likely reduce functionality to help the battery last longer.

Credit: Lenovo

Lenovo gets points for having such a neat concept, especially one that can charge in such low light. This concept already exists in some products, such as this Logitech solar-powered keyboard, which can hold its charge for up to three months in total darkness. However, Logitech’s documentation says that keyboard needs at least 100 lux to charge, so Lenovo’s concept not only has a cleaner design, but also works in much dimmer lighting. 

Since this is a concept product, there is no release date or price tag. For comparison’s sake, Logitech’s previous solar model sells for $300 when not on sale.

Lenovo has debuted a ton of new concept products and AI laptops for CES 2026, and Mashable got the chance to spend some hands-on time with the products. Check our CES 2026 hub for the latest news and updates as Mashable reports live from the biggest show in tech.

Smart glasses are a major trend this year at CES 2026, and though TCL has been in the space for a while, its RayNeo glasses haven't made as many waves as competitors like Meta Ray-Ban and Xreal. That could be about to change. At CES, the brand announced the upcoming launch of the TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro, which boasts an HDR-capable Micro-OLED display and a very competitive price tag.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: See the latest news, surprises, and strange tech from LG, Samsung, Lego, and new startups

The TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro will officially launch on Jan. 25 for $299, significantly less than similar augmented reality smart glasses. Not only that, but TCL says the Air 4 Pro is the world’s first HDR10-enabled AR glasses.

The Air 4 Pro operates like other AR glasses, and they have to be tethered to a connected smartphone or laptop via USB-C. They project a virtual screen in the surrounding environment, letting you bring an extra screen with you wherever you go.

The TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro will be released Jan. 25. Credit: TCL Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

I got the chance to demo the glasses ahead of their official launch, and the display was surprisingly crisp, bright, and colorful. I've been testing the Xreal One Pro AR glasses for a few months now, and the difference in the display quality was immediately noticeable. While the Xreal display can be a bit dim, the new RayNeo AR glasses were almost too bright.

In addition to the impressive Micro-OLED display, the glasses feature Bang & Olufsen speakers and AI 3D video conversion, though I wasn't able to test these capabilities during the demo.

The TCL RayNeo Air 4 Pro glasses have an impressive specs list as well:

• Display: SeeYa 0.6-inch Micro-OLED display

• Processor: Vision 4000 processor

• Brightness: Up to 1,200 nits

• Color accuracy: 98% DCI-P3

• Refresh rate: 60 to 120 Hz

• Weight: 76 grams

In addition to the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, TCL also showed off its RayNeo X3 Pro Project eSIM, a new concept pair of AR glasses with a built-in eSim. TCL says the RayNeo X3 Pro Project eSIM glasses are another world-first, and they have embedded eSIM (4G) connectivity that would let them operate untethered from a smartphone or laptop. Of course, those would likely be very expensive, as the just-launched standard RayNeo X3 Pro without an eSIM is priced at $1,299.

That said, untethered AR glasses have obvious benefits. They also look a lot cooler than some other alternatives, which I think is self-evident in my photos from the demo.

Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable Credit: Timothy Werth / Mashable

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced at CES 2026 in Las Vegas this week that its new superchip platform, dubbed Vera Rubin, was on schedule and set to be released later this year.

The news was one of the key takeaways from the highly anticipated keynote from Huang. Nvidia is the dominant player powering the AI industry, so a new line of chips is obviously a big deal. Here are four things to know as we await Vera Rubin's drop later this year.

1. There are 6 new chips across the Rubin platform

Nvidia introduced six chips on the so-called Rubin platform, one of which is the so-called Vera Rubin superchip that combines one Vera CPU and two Rubin GPUs in a processor.

"Rubin arrives at exactly the right moment, as AI computing demand for both training and inference is going through the roof," Huang said in a statement. "With our annual cadence of delivering a new generation of AI supercomputers — and extreme codesign across six new chips — Rubin takes a giant leap toward the next frontier of AI."

2. The new line of chips is aimed at big companies

Massive AI companies will look to package different parts of this new line of chips together to make massive supercomputers that power their products.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: See the latest news, surprises, and strange tech from LG, Samsung, Lego, and new startups

"These huge systems are what hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and social media giant Meta are spending billions of dollars to get their hands on," wrote Yahoo.

3. We're not exactly sure where production is on the Vera Rubin

Nvidia assured the public the chips were set to be released this year, but when, exactly, remains unclear.

"Typically, production for chips this advanced—which Nvidia is building with its longtime partner TSMC—starts at low volume while the chips go through testing and validation and ramps up at a later stage," wrote Wired.

There had been rumors of delays, so the announcement at CES seems aimed at quelling those fears.

4. The chips should make AI more efficient

Nvidia has promised the Vera Rubin superchips are powerful and more efficient, which should, in turn, make AI products relying on them more efficient. That's why major companies will likely be lining up to purchase the new line of products. Huang said the Rubin chips could generate tokens — the units used to measure output — ten times more efficiently.

We're still waiting to get all the details — and to see when the chips actually hit the market — but the announcement certainly was a major bit of AI news out of CES.

Head to the Mashable CES 2026 hub for the latest news and live updates from the biggest show in tech, where Mashable journalists are reporting live.