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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

To nibble.

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

MUNCH

Hurdle Word 2 hint

After.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 8, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

SINCE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Assertive.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 8 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 8, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

BRASH

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A faction.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for January 8 Hurdle Word 4 answer

JUNTA

Final Hurdle hint

A classic card game.

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

POKER

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

The Moon looks a little different each night as it moves through its cycle. Tonight, it’s in the waning gibbous phase, meaning it's more than half lit up, so there’s plenty to see in the sky.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Thursday, Jan. 8, the Moon phase is Waning Gibbous. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 71% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

If you don't have any visual aids, not to worry, there's still lots to see tonight, including the you'll be able to spot the Mares Serenitatis and Vaporum as well as the Tycho 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 Caucasus Mountains, 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?

NASA explains that the Moon takes about 29.5 days to complete a full orbit, a period known as the lunar cycle. As it moves around Earth, the Moon goes through a series of distinct phases. While the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the sunlight hitting it changes depending on its position in orbit. This is why the Moon can appear fully lit, partially lit, or completely dark at different times. The lunar cycle includes eight main 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.

Sony Honda Mobility showed off the AFEELA 1 electric vehicle again at CES this year. If, like me, you saw it last year, the experience will feel very familiar. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The AFEELA 1 still looks polished, still leans hard into its identity as a rolling entertainment hub, and still feels more like a Sony product than a traditional car. What’s different is that this year is less about flashy new features and more about refinement.

SEE ALSO: Best of CES 2026 awards announced: See all the winners and nominees

Sony Honda Mobility used its CES keynote to reiterate its vision of "mobility as a creative entertainment space," positioning AFEELA 1 as a car built around time spent inside it, not just getting from point A to point B. Sitting inside the EV again, that philosophy is obvious. The panoramic dashboard display remains the centerpiece, spanning the entire cabin and serving as the primary interface for navigation, media, and apps.

Alongside the AFEELA 1, Sony Honda Mobility also showed off a SUV-style prototype, dubbed AFEELA Prototype 2026. Despite its name, the company says this prototype will likely reach production in 2028 at the earliest. It appeared to be essentially the same as the AFEELA 1, only in SUV form, though Sony Honda Mobility is remaining tight-lipped on further details at this stage. We'll just have to wait to find out more information on AFEELA 1's younger sibling as it gets closer to production.

Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable

In the meantime, the AFEELA 1 has plenty to keep us entertained — literally. One of my personal favorite features of the AFEELA 1 is its PlayStation Remote Play. If you already own a PS5, you can stream games to the rear seat displays using a DualSense controller. I got to test it for the first time after it was teased last year, and the connection wasn't too bad. Obviously, it was unable to stream in 4K, but there was no noticeable input lag and it held up reliably even in a crowded demo environment. It’s still very much a "you already need to be bought into the PlayStation ecosystem" feature, but it works more consistently now than it did before.

The AI assistant, AFEELA, is also back, and it’s still best described as competent but unremarkable. Sony Honda Mobility frames it as a “personal agent” powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, meant to support natural conversation and personalization over time. In practice, it behaves like a standard in-car assistant. It can open apps, set destinations, adjust settings, and respond to basic contextual prompts. It complemented my shirt using the cameras in the car, so that was nice.

Where the AFEELA 1 does feel improved is in the fundamentals. The interior runs more smoothly overall, with faster screen responses and fewer hiccups when switching between apps. The cabin feels quieter and more composed, and it's clear Sony Honda Mobility is prioritizing comfort and stability over experimental features.

That sense of polish also extends to how Sony Honda Mobility is positioning the AFEELA 1 as a productivity space. Beyond entertainment, the car supports apps like Zoom, letting you take video calls from inside the cabin. The camera angle is a bit off, so be aware that you may not look your best when it's on. They demoed it for us, and the camera was wide enough to capture the entirety of the car, rather than framing you like a laptop webcam.

All of this refinement comes at a premium. The AFEELA 1 is priced starting at $89,900, with higher trims exceeding $100,000, firmly placing it in the luxury EV territory. At that price, one's expectation should be higher than just being able to function properly. However, this year’s demo suggests Sony Honda Mobility is focusing on getting the fundamentals right before hitting California's roads later this year.

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.

SAVE $80: The TheraGun Prime massage gun is on sale at Amazon for $249.99, down from the list price of $329.99. That's a 24% discount that matches the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: TheraGun TheraGun Prime (6th Gen) $249.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $80   Get Deal

Now that we're a week into 2026, you might be dealing with muscle soreness if you've been working on a fitness resolution. Instead of waiting to get a massage appointment, it might be worth adding a massage gun to your at-home arsenal of workout gear. Check out this nice deal at Amazon that'll help ease soreness.

As of Jan. 7, the TheraGun Prime massage gun is on sale for $249.99 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $329.99. That works out to a savings of $80 thanks to a 24% discount. Today's sale price matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

Back in the day, we all had to either schedule a massage appointment or enlist the help of a friend to work out muscle knots. These days, we have percussive massage in a compact gadget that can be a huge relief. TheraGun makes some of the most advanced models, and the sixth generation of the TheraGun Prime is the brand's most durable massage gun yet, being built to withstand drops of up to 10 feet.

SEE ALSO: The new Hyrdow Arc Rower offers a great indoor winter workout

After a hard workout or a long day at work, the TherGun Prime can tackle your worst pains from shoulder knots to sore calf muscles. In addition, Therabody says percussive massage can speed up muscle recovery and increase flexibility.

The TheraGun Prime is designed to get up to two hours of use before you'll need to recharge, and the simple controls make it easy to operate. You get two attachments to use on the Prime — a dampener for more sensitive areas like near bones and a standard ball for use across sore muscles of all sizes.

Connect up with the TheraGun app, and you'll be able to follow along with tutorials on how to help with back pain, sciatica pain, or sore legs. The five massage speeds mean you'll be able to adjust the TheraGun to the setting that feels best.

Instead of dealing with sore muscles for days after a big workout, enlist the help of the TheraGun Prime percussive massage gun. It's on sale for the lowest price we've ever seen, and it'll be a great addition to your at-home fitness equipment.

SAVE $80: The TheraGun Prime massage gun is on sale at Amazon for $249.99, down from the list price of $329.99. That's a 24% discount that matches the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: TheraGun TheraGun Prime (6th Gen) $249.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $80   Get Deal

Now that we're a week into 2026, you might be dealing with muscle soreness if you've been working on a fitness resolution. Instead of waiting to get a massage appointment, it might be worth adding a massage gun to your at-home arsenal of workout gear. Check out this nice deal at Amazon that'll help ease soreness.

As of Jan. 7, the TheraGun Prime massage gun is on sale for $249.99 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $329.99. That works out to a savings of $80 thanks to a 24% discount. Today's sale price matches the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

Back in the day, we all had to either schedule a massage appointment or enlist the help of a friend to work out muscle knots. These days, we have percussive massage in a compact gadget that can be a huge relief. TheraGun makes some of the most advanced models, and the sixth generation of the TheraGun Prime is the brand's most durable massage gun yet, being built to withstand drops of up to 10 feet.

SEE ALSO: The new Hyrdow Arc Rower offers a great indoor winter workout

After a hard workout or a long day at work, the TherGun Prime can tackle your worst pains from shoulder knots to sore calf muscles. In addition, Therabody says percussive massage can speed up muscle recovery and increase flexibility.

The TheraGun Prime is designed to get up to two hours of use before you'll need to recharge, and the simple controls make it easy to operate. You get two attachments to use on the Prime — a dampener for more sensitive areas like near bones and a standard ball for use across sore muscles of all sizes.

Connect up with the TheraGun app, and you'll be able to follow along with tutorials on how to help with back pain, sciatica pain, or sore legs. The five massage speeds mean you'll be able to adjust the TheraGun to the setting that feels best.

Instead of dealing with sore muscles for days after a big workout, enlist the help of the TheraGun Prime percussive massage gun. It's on sale for the lowest price we've ever seen, and it'll be a great addition to your at-home fitness equipment.

SAVE $60: As of Jan. 7, get the Anker Prime Docking Station for $239.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $299.99. That's a discount of 20%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Anker Prime Docking Station $239.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $60   Get Deal

If you like to get things done, no doubt you're the type of person who works with multiple displays at your computer desk. And if you aren't just needing more screen real estate, you probably need better cable management. Tackle all those needs at once with this great deal on a docking station from Amazon.

As of Jan. 7, get the Anker Prime Docking Station for $239.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $299.99. That's $60 off and a discount of 20%.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

This docking station boasts 14 connections, including a 140W 10Gbps USB-C port, two 100W 10Gbps USB-C ports, one 100W 5Gbps USB-C port, two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, two 5Gbps USB-A ports, one 480Mbps USB-A port, and a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port. It also has a headphone and mic combo jack for good measure.

In addition to all these ports that you can connect to, you can power three external monitors at once, with one dispalying 8K for a crisp, satisfying picture. Each port can also support charging and data transfer, so you get more than just a place to plug everything in. This docking station can do it all. And you don't have to worry about overloading it, thanks to its built-in fan and Anker's ActiveShield 3.0, which is meant to keep everything running cool.

If you're ready to upgrade your computer space at home and whip some of your wayward cables into shape, this is an excellent (and very easy) way to do it. Get one now while you can still score a significant discount on it.

TL;DR: Office 2024 Home & Business gives you Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook with new AI tools, faster performance, and lifetime access — all for $149.97 (reg. $249.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime License $149.97
$249.99 Save $100.02   Get Deal

Free productivity apps are great until you need the power, polish, and reliability that only Microsoft Office delivers. That’s why Office 2024 Home & Business, available as a lifetime license for $149.97, feels like an upgrade that actually supports how modern professionals live and work.

This version of Office isn’t about bells and whistles — it’s about smarter workflows. You get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, redesigned with a unified interface that feels cleaner, faster, and more intuitive.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

Whether you’re drafting reports, organizing your inbox, building data models, or creating presentations, everything works the way a real professional suite should.

Performance gets a noticeable lift, too. Excel handles large datasets more efficiently, PowerPoint lets you record full presentations with audio and video, and Outlook includes enhanced accessibility tools and improved search. Word introduces Focus Mode and Smart Compose, giving you a writing space that feels distraction-free and intelligently supportive.

Perhaps the biggest win? Offline access and a one-time purchase. Your license is tied to your Microsoft account — not your device — so you get continuous use without subscription fees. You also benefit from Microsoft’s built-in security improvements, including new protections against malicious add-ins.

Whether you’re a small business owner, a freelancer navigating multiple clients, or someone who simply prefers dependable offline tools, Office 2024 Home & Business delivers the streamlined experience free apps can’t match.

A modern suite for modern work — without monthly payments.

Get lifetime access to Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for your Mac or PC while it’s on sale for $149.97 (reg. $249.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has almost become synonymous with YouTube. With almost 460 million subscribers, MrBeast has the largest following on the platform. Last year, he launched his reality competition series, Beast Games, on Prime Video. With the show's second season about to premiere, Donaldson sat down with Mashable's Executive Producer, Mark Stetson, to discuss his rise to stardom, how he built his YouTube empire, and what we can all expect from the new season of Beast Games.

Early in his career, Donaldson saw the value in leaning into YouTube as the main outlet for his content. "Right now, 2 percent of humanity's time is spent on YouTube. When I was 11 years old, I didn't know YouTube would grow this big. Accident? Yes. The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was I fell in love with making YouTube videos. Over the last 16 years, certain mediums have died and YouTube has grown exponentially. I got very lucky that the thing I fell in love with, that I devoted my life to, happens to be growing endlessly."

Donaldson has grown his love of making videos into a major content empire. Not only does he have the most subscribed channel on Youtube, he is also the third most-followed creator on TikTok. Jimmy has launched multiple brands, founded non-profits, and now has his own reality competition series on Prime Video.

The second season of Beast Games premiered on Jan. 7, with a hundred of the world's smartest people versus a hundred of the word's strongest people battling for a $5 million prize. The show set multiple Guinness World Records such as: the largest physical cash prize on set ($5 million) and the most money won in a single episode of a competitive reality TV show ($2.02 million).

One major adjustment Donaldson was passionate about implementing between seasons of Beast Games was to focus more on the emotional drama contestants were facing between challenges. "A lot of people wanted to know the contestants more. In season 2, the first three episodes, there are a lot of shots in the city where it's just them hanging out. It's the contestants being normal. Which is funny because we have all this footage of these big, multi-million dollar sets, doing these crazy things. People aren't asking me to build more giants sets. They are not asking me to do more crazy games. They're actually asking for, in between those, just show the contestants talking."

Donaldson has built his career on creating experiences people have never seen on screen. Even when Donaldson was starting out, at the young age of 11 years old, he wanted to do things no one else has done. "That's always been my goal: to make content you can't find anywhere else. If someone else has done it and you're just slightly making it different than it doesn't feel as special. But if every video we make, you can't find anywhere else in the world, that's stuff people notice. And I think that's why we get the views we get and why people really resonate with the videos." Donaldson feels a responsibility to his audience to deliver on that ethos.

"I feel like I owe it to the audience to try to always mix it up and give them something they've never seen."

The first three episodes of Beast Games Season 2 are currently streaming on Prime Video. The following episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays.

SAVE 36%: As of Jan. 7, you can get the Keurig K-Express Single Serve Coffee Maker for $69.99 at Amazon, down from $109.99. That's a 36% discount.

Keurig K-Express Single Serve Coffee Maker $69.99 at Amazon
$109.99 Save $40   Get Deal at Amazon

If you’re still trying to clear the post-holiday brain fog, you probably need something more effective than just "willpower" to get you through your first week back at work — like, a strong cup of coffee you can actually afford.

As of Jan. 7, the Keurig K-Express Single Serve Coffee Maker (Evergreen) is on sale for $69.99 at Amazon. That's a 36% discount off its $109.99 list price. While this isn't the lowest we've seen this model sell for, $70 is still well below the average $77 price point we’ve tracked over the last few months.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

It features a 42-ounce removable reservoir, which is large enough to get you through about four cups before you have to trek back to the sink for a refill. You can choose between eight, 10, or 12-ounce servings; there's also a "Strong Brew" button if you need a richer, more intense cup to get through a heavy morning of deadlines.

The Keurig K-Express is super easy to use and includes a removable drip tray, making it compatible with travel mugs up to 7.4 inches tall. It also has an auto-off feature that powers the machine down five minutes after your last brew (a must-have for anyone prone to leaving the house and immediately wondering if they left the coffee pot on).

TL;DR: SwiftScan VIP gives you high-quality mobile scanning and document tools for life — all for $39.97 with promo code SCAN until Jan. 11.

Opens in a new window Credit: SwiftScan SwiftScan VIP: Lifetime Subscription $39.97
$199.99 Save $160.02   Get Deal

Keeping your papers organized doesn’t have to feel like a constant struggle. SwiftScan VIP lets you quickly digitize, sort, and store your documents, turning piles of paper into a clean, accessible digital library. It’s an easy way to stay on top of your files and reclaim your workspace.

Whether you’re a student scanning notes, a professional managing files, or a small business owner juggling receipts, this app makes organizing your paperwork simple — and you’ll never need to pay for it again with this lifetime subscription, on sale through Jan. 11 for $39.97 with code SCAN (reg $199.99).

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

SwiftScan transforms your phone into a high-powered scanner that creates crystal-clear, professional-quality scans. From receipts and contracts to IDs and class notes, it handles all kinds of documents effortlessly. Need to tweak the results? The built-in editing tools let you crop, adjust, and clean up your scans so they look sharp and polished every time.

Once scanned, your files are ready to be stored, shared, or sent wherever you need them. SwiftScan integrates seamlessly with popular cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud, keeping your documents organized and accessible across all your devices.

The best part? This one-time payment gives you lifetime access to SwiftScan VIP’s powerful tools — no subscriptions, no hidden fees, just unlimited scanning and organization at your fingertips.

Streamline your workflow, clear the paper clutter, and keep your important documents in check for good with a lifetime subscription to SwiftScan VIP for $39.97 with coupon code SCAN until Jan. 11 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

The first trailer for Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience is here, and as someone who saw this tour four times across four different cities, including the Los Angeles stop at SoFi Stadium, it immediately dropped me back into the controlled chaos that defines a Stray Kids concert.

Speaking from personal experience, the trailer captures what made the world tour such a defining moment for Stray Kids: momentum. These weren't shows that eased you in. They hit hard from the jump, stacking explosive choreography, blistering rap verses, and emotional pivots into a set designed to never let the energy dip. Bang Chan anchoring the chaos, Changbin and Han trading rapid-fire intensity, Hyunjin and Felix commanding the stage with physicality and presence, Lee Know's razor-sharp movement, Seungmin delivering steady vocals while casually instigating chaos, and I.N grounding it all with sincerity — every member played a specific role in keeping that engine running.

And now, fans will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how they brought it all together.

SEE ALSO: Want to match Stray Kids' Hyunjin's floral phone case aesthetic? We found this K-pop idol's fave.

Anchored by footage from the sold-out SoFi Stadium performances in Los Angeles, the film documents a turning point for the K-pop act. Seeing Stray Kids command a venue of that size on their first global stadium tour made clear just how far they've grown not only as performers, but as artists confident enough to trust their own vision on the biggest possible stage.

Directed by Paul Dugdale (Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour) and featuring documentary segments directed by Farah X (The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion), The Dominant Experience is built for scale. The film opens globally on Feb. 6, 2026, screening in IMAX®, SCREENX, 4DX, and ULTRA 4DX where available. (Do I want to be physically pelted in the back every time the bass drops or Changbin spits a verse? Honestly...maybe.)

Tickets are already on sale at STRAYKIDSMOVIE.COM, and if the trailer is any indication, this concert film is a snapshot of Stray Kids at full force.

When I asked Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing what he'd say to AI skeptics at CES 2026, where AI has been a constant topic of conversation, he summed it up simply: "Nobody can avoid it."

Last night, at a live keynote event at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Lenovo leaders announced a personal AI assistant called Qira designed to work across Lenovo and Motorola devices, along with a new line of futuristic AI laptops and devices. Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence has been the dominant theme at CES 2026, with companies like Lenovo and Samsung outlining a vision of a future in which AI is integrated into every aspect of our lives, from sunrise to sunset.

AI wearables, like the concept Project Maxwell AI wearable Lenovo announced at CES, will see and hear everything you see and hear to better assist you. Meanwhile, AI will be integrated across every device. CES has brought us AI smartphones, AI laptops, AI TVs, AI washing machines — AI, essentially, everything.

The morning after the Lenovo Tech World Event at The Sphere, I got the chance to participate in a question-and-answer session with Yang and Lenovo’s Chief Technology Officer, Tolga Kurtoglu. So, I asked them what they would say to AI skeptics. 

What about the consumers who don't want AI to see and hear everything they do? Who don't want an AI washing machine or refrigerator?

"I strongly believe AI will be the trend," Yang said. "Nobody can avoid it. But AI will not replace you; it will only empower you, empower each of us, so that is why we think utilization will help you so that you can do more, be more creative. So that will be the trend that you cannot avoid."

Kurtoglu also had a blunt answer: "I don’t see a world without AI."

Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing and Chief Technology Officer Tolga Kurtoglu speak to the media at CES 2026. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable

However, Kurtoglu also emphasized the importance of responsible AI development in Lenovo’s approach.

“One of the fundamental principles with which we develop AI is our belief in responsible AI. Of course, there are guardrails and very strict processes that we follow as a company as we build our own AI. And then globally and locally, there are regulations and compliance requirements about privacy and security and other things that we follow very strictly,” Kurtoglu said.

Check out the full list of Best of CES 2026 finalists, as selected by CNET Group, here.

Likewise, Lenovo stressed the opt-in nature of Qira and its AI tools repeatedly during its keynote at The Sphere, and Kurtoglu echoed this sentiment to Mashable. "If you want to participate and get the value-add[ed] that AI brings to you, you opt in, and you give your permission, and then you get what the AI enables for you. Otherwise, if you don’t want to participate, of course, it’s all up to you. We’re going to continue to follow our strong belief in responsible AI development.”

However, as AI gets integrated into virtually all types of hardware, opting out isn’t so simple. Lenovo itself states that AI PCs will account for 70 percent of the global market by 2028. Laptops and smartphones are following a similar trend, although not all consumers share the same enthusiasm for AI as industry leaders. In a recent survey, CNET found that just 11 percent of smartphone users upgrade their devices because they want to take advantage of new AI tools. (Disclosure: CNET and Mashable are both owned by Ziff Davis.)

During the media Q&A, Yang also addressed concerns that we’re approaching an AI bubble, downplaying these concerns.

"We believe AI is not a bubble," Yang said. “The demand will be booming, so everybody will have their personal AI, and every enterprise will need to leverage their data to generate intelligence. So, the demand is just beginning. It’s not a bubble at all."

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.

On Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA announced the nominations for the 32nd Annual Actor Awards (formerly known as the SAG Awards), and there are two frontrunners: One Battle After Another and Sinners.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best movies of 2025, and where to stream them

Fresh off its Critics Choice Award win for Best Picture, One Battle After Another picked up a record-breaking seven nominations, including nods for Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Teyana Taylor, as well as nominations for the entire cast and the stunt ensemble. Following closely on its heels is Sinners, which earned five nominations, for Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Wunmi Mosaku, the entire cast, and the stunt ensemble.

One Battle After Another and Sinners have been the two frontrunners going into the 2026 awards season, and with both films' considerable Actor Awards nominations, that race shows no signs of letting up. Other contenders on the film side include Frankenstein, Hamnet, and Marty Supreme. On the TV side, The Studio leads with five nominations, while The White Lotus and Adolescence each picked up four.

Read on for the full list of nominations for the 2026 Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA.

Film nominationsOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Jesse Plemons, Bugonia

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Miles Caton, Sinners

Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Paul Mescal, Hamnet

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Odessa A’Zion, Marty Supreme

Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

F1

Frankenstein

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

One Battle After Another

Sinners

TV nominationsOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

The Diplomat

Landman

The Pitt

Severance

The White Lotus

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary

The Bear

Hacks

Only Murders in the Building

The Studio

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown, Paradise

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Walton Goggins, The White Lotus

Gary Oldman, Slow Horses

Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Britt Lower, Severance

Parker Posey, The White Lotus

Keri Russell, The Diplomat

Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Ike Barinholtz, The Studio

Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This

Ted Danson, A Man on the Inside

Seth Rogen, The Studio

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Kathryn Hahn, The Studio

Catherine O’Hara, The Studio

Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Jean Smart, Hacks

Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit

Owen Cooper, Adolescence

Stephen Graham, Adolescence

Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series

Claire Danes, The Beast in Me

Erin Doherty, Adolescence

Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Christine Tremarco, Adolescence

Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

Andor

Landman

The Last of Us

Squid Game

Stranger Things

The Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA stream live on Netflix on March 1 at 8 p.m. ET.

If you don't regularly wear glasses, why would you ever wear AI-powered smart glasses? That's the question posed to us by Razer at CES 2026 this year – and it's a good point!

This is why Razer has been working on a new wearable that the company unveiled at CES this week called Project Motoko, an AI-powered headset.

Project Motoko is very much in the prototype stage, without any scheduled release date or price point currently in mind. Razer gave Mashable an up-close look at the Project Motoko during a private demo at CES, and some of you might hope that Razer hurries along with that release after hearing about our experience.

Credit: Mashable A headset that sees the world around you

With Project Motoko, Razer has essentially inserted a full-fledged AI assistant into a pair of headphones. The headset is powered by Snapdragon and features two dual eye-level cameras outfitted in the device for contextual awareness. 

To showcase what these capabilities for Project Motoko mean, Razer provided a fictional scenario where we were traveling in Japan and pulled out a restaurant menu that was written in Japanese. The Project Motoko headset was able to read the menu thanks to its cameras, and translate the menu to us via audio within the headphone set. We were then able to ask Project Motoko questions about the menu such as which flavors were available or if we could afford a certain menu item based on the amount of money we had available to us. Project Motoko answered our questions and even suggested an alternative menu item when informing us that our item of choice was out of our budget.

In another example during the demo, Project Motoko was able to recognize a physical replica of the Rosetta Stone and provide corresponding information about that.

As explained by Razer, Project Motoko is not tied to any specific AI model and can be used with the user's large language model (LLM) of choice.

AI headphones vs smart glasses

Razer thinks there are quite a number of bonuses to having an AI assistant in your headphones rather than your smart glasses. The demo showed off another one: The AI assistant is talking to the user within the headphone set. With smart glasses, it's much easier for people to eavesdrop on what your AI assistant is telling you.

However, as a headset, Project Motoko is missing one central feature that smart glasses can provide: A display. Yes, that seems obvious but it's also important to point out. But, when you consider that not all smart glasses even provide an in-lens display feature, it might not be a dealbreaker.

Razer's inspiration here is clearly that the company believes that more potential customers wear headphones throughout their day than a pair of glasses or even a watch. Plus, users who want AI wearables want ones that feel like products they already utilize. And, in our hands-on with Project Motoko, it just felt like a regular pair of headphones. It seems like Razer is on to something here.

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.

The Pitt fans, rejoice! HBO Max's Emmy–winning medical drama returns Thursday, Jan. 8, meaning your favorite doctors and nurses are almost back and ready to tackle every gruesome injury this new shift throws at them.

SEE ALSO: 'The Pitt' Season 2 review: Big changes ahead for Noah Wyle's stellar medical drama

Since The Pitt is such a buzzy show, and since social media is bound to be crawling with spoilers as soon as it airs, we recommend watching live in order to experience The Pitt's twists and turns to their fullest extent. So what time does Season 2 premiere?

The Pitt's Season 2 premiere kicks off at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max, after which it will be available for streaming. The rest of the season will follow the same schedule: Each new episode premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Thursdays, with the finale airing April 16.

Season 2 of The Pitt picks up months after the end of Season 1, taking viewers into a very eventful July 4th shift. Not only does the Emergency Department have to contend with some gnarly holiday-related injuries — think of all the ways grilling or fireworks can backfire! — but they're also on the brink of massive change. Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch (Emmy winner Noah Wyle) is about to head out on a three-month sabbatical, and his replacement attending, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi (Sepideh Moafi), already has new ideas about how to improve the department.

So what does the future have in store for the ED? Tune into The Pitt Season 2 to find out.

The Pitt Season 2 premieres Jan. 8 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.

CES turns Las Vegas into the epicenter of the tech world every January, bringing together industry giants and scrappy startups alike to debut the ideas that will shape the year ahead. From cutting-edge AI and robotics to TVs, laptops, and some truly weird tech, CES 2026 delivered no shortage of bold claims and ambitious hardware.

Now, the CNET Group is excited to announce our official Best of CES 2026 winners and finalists.

Selected on the ground in Las Vegas, these finalists represent the most compelling, innovative, and forward-thinking products at the show. They were hand-picked by more than 40 expert journalists from CNET, Mashable, PCMag, ZDNET, and Lifehacker, with additional input from Ziff Davis sister sites Everyday Health and IGN.

To qualify, products had to be official CES 2026 exhibitors and stand out by introducing a meaningful new idea, solving a real consumer problem, or raising the bar for performance, design, or quality. The result is a finalist list that spans 22 categories, from AI and robotics to wellness, sustainability, and future tech.

The official Best of CES 2026 winners were announced live today, Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m. PST on the CTA stage at the LVCC Central Hall Grand Lobby. Here are all the finalists and winners of Best of CES 2026.

Best of CES 2026 WinnersBest Age Tech

• Tombot Jennie (WINNER)

  Tombot's Jennie has been capturing hearts at CES for years, but the realistic robot puppy is finally launching in 2026. Designed to comfort seniors with dementia and help combat loneliness, Jennie is packed with sensors and motors, allowing it to move its head to look at you, raise its eyebrows, wag its tail, and bark when you ask if it wants a treat. Seniors at a memory care facility we visited loved Jennie.

• iGuard

  iGuard is a smart stove shutoff that helps older adults age in place. This new version of the device uses radar to tell when a person is in the kitchen, and has a configurable five-minute grace period. It can also report to a caregiver app if your loved one didn’t show up in the kitchen to make breakfast as usual.

Best AI

• Lenovo Motorola Qira (WINNER)

  Qira is Lenovo's answer to Apple Intelligence, a hybrid AI assistant that leverages a mix of on-device processing and cloud-based models for a powerful personalized assistant that's available anywhere, even as you switch from the phone in your pocket to the laptop or tablet in your hand.

• Nvidia Rubin

  Nvidia is once again the talk of CES, and the biggest announcement by the world's most profitable company is the Rubin AI platform. Nvidia’s six new Rubin chips work together to reduce the costs of data processed by AI, known as tokens. That's important for big tech companies, and all of us, as AI models become more compute-intensive.

• Pebble Index 01

  This AI wearable brings it back to basics. Users can jot down quick notes throughout their day that they don't want to forget by clicking on the button and speaking into the ring. Then, an LLM on the app will process what you said for easy access and even take actions for you.

Best Audio

• Samsung Music Studio 5 (WINNER)

  The Samsung Music Studio 5 houses a 4-inch woofer and dual tweeters in one of the most compelling designs we've seen in a home speaker. In addition to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, it supports the Samsung Seamless Codec for compatibility with other Samsung Galaxy ecosystem products.

• xMEMS Sycamore-N loudspeaker chip

  As smartglasses become more mainstream, they require an audio chip that is as advanced as their AI features. The xMEMS Sycamore-N loudspeaker chip enhances the smartglasses audio experience. Based on our listening tests, they provide a high-fidelity listening experience, and at one millimeter thin, directly aid in keeping smartglasses form factors thinner and lighter.

• LG H7 FlexConnect soundbar

  As a part of LG's Sound Suite, the H7 Soundbar extends the usefulness of Flex Connect to any TV with an HDMI input. The soundbar looks good and it sounded great with movies. The only drawback is that you can only add LG branded Flex Connect speakers to the soundbar and not those from other brands.

Best Deep Computing Tech

• Intel Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) (WINNER)

  Intel’s Core Ultra 300 Series “Panther Lake” platform is our winner for delivering bar-raising integrated graphics performance to the mass consumer market. The top chip offers up to 12 new “Xe3” Xe cores for (by far) the best-ever integrated graphics performance from Intel silicon, enabling graphics and gaming workloads for a huge range of portable laptop categories through 2026 and beyond.

• Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Plus

  It's all about the TOPS: the mainstream version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 laptop processor family maintains the 80 trillion operations per second of the higher end X2 Elite chips. Expected in laptops starting around $800, it promises field leading NPU performance at a lower price.

• AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 392, AI Max Plus 388

  AMD’s expanded Ryzen AI Max+ platform democratizes workstation power with the 392 and 388 models, featuring 40 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, 60 TFLOPS of compute, and 192GB unified memory. These chips bring elite local AI and GPU-free performance to thinner, more affordable devices with a superior price-to-performance ratio.

Best Energy Tech

• Willo (WINNER)

  After developing alignment-free wireless power for two years, Willo demonstrated the ability to deliver power over the air for multiple devices simultaneously, regardless of their position or movement. This represents a breakthrough in energy technology, offering wireless charging without the need for a pad, coil, or dock.

• Jackery Solar Mars Bot

  Jackery's solar energy-seeking robot showed an ability to follow you around like a puppy, but its real job is to follow the sun, collecting energy with its retractable 300W solar panels. The idea is that this autonomous bot can always find the sun, and then bring you the power when you need it.

• Superheat

  A water heater that automatically generates bitcoin with daily use. It utilizes the excess heat generated from bitcoin mining to heat running water in a home, offsetting up to 80 percent of electricity and water costs with the earnings from the process. You can control and manage it with an app or web console for ease of use.

Best Future Tech

• Lego Smart Play System (WINNER)

  A single 2-by-8 Lego brick filled with light, sound, and proximity sensors to enable new ways to play. This little block, and the tinier snap-on tab that gives it instructions, can drive anything from lightsaber duels to board games, adding color and sound effects based on what you build and how you play.

• Ixana Wi-R

  Ixana's Wi-R is a chip that sends data through a hyperlocal field generated by your body. This alternative to Bluetooth and WiFi is still a concept, but it has some upsides to conventional data protocols such as less power drain and less potential for clogged signal.

Best Gaming

• Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable Concept (WINNER)

  Rollable OLED displays have been a thing for a couple years, but they’ve been limited to enterprise laptops, if they ever even come out. The Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable concept uses this tech to bring ultrawide gaming to a laptop for the first time. Is the future rollable? We don’t know, but either way it’d be the perfect portable battlestation.

• Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo

  A gaming PC with multiple monitors has become the norm, and while portable monitors have been around for a while, there haven't been many ways to have this experience built-in to a laptop. The Asus Zephyrus Duo takes the multiple-display idea Asus has been playing with since the original Zephyrus Duo and expands it to something actually useful: a full second display.

• Asus ROG Xreal R1

  Xreal’s AR glasses are some of the best, and now PC company ASUS is partnering with Xreal to make them better, especially for gamers. These AR glasses have everything even the pickiest player needs, giving you a virtual 171-inch screen right on your face. That screen is OLED and 1080p, but the real kicker is the 240hz refresh rate. It’s smooth big-screen gaming, on the go.

Best Kitchen Tech

• Ecoldbrew (WINNER)

  The Ecoldbrew combines a portable grinder and brewer into a compact gadget that whips up a batch of cold brew coffee in five minutes. The cleverly designed device slots onto its own thermos, but it's a common size so you can easily attach it to the top of your own thermos if you have one that you love. Slated to launch on Kickstarter soon, it starts at an affordable $99.

• C-200 UltraSonic chef's knife

  Seattle Ultrasonics' C-200 UltraSonic Chef's Knife has a Japanese steel blade that vibrates about 30,000 times per second. Its movement is so subtle that you can't see or hear it move, but you will notice how effortlessly it slices through food without clinging to it. The C-200 retails for $399, a similar price point as other nice knives. The first batch ships this month.

• AISO AI Smart Oven

  We've covered our fair share of smart ovens at CES but Apecoo has boiled it down to the essentials. This compact cooker uses a camera above and scale below to ID food type and size and then deploys a precise cooking program pulled from a deep AI algorithm. Perfectly cooked steak, anyone? This machine can determine the exact thickness of meat or volume of veggies like no oven before it. The oven even recognizes multiple types of food at once and uses appropriate cooking times and temps for each. Best of all, it's about half the size of a typical smart oven.

Best Laptop

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition (WINNER)

  Modular laptop designs for greater serviceability and sustainability are a definite trend at CES 2026, and the latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the best example of it. Lenovo’s flagship business laptop introduces its Space Frame design that lets you access and replace individual parts when something breaks instead of needing to buy a new laptop.

• MSI Stealth 16 AI Plus

  Yes, it's clearly inspired by the MacBook Pro, but MSI's big, redesigned Stealth pours on the special sauce. This thin rig deploys Intel's Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) CPUs and GeForce graphics up to a roaring RTX 5090, alongside amped-up cooling and airflow. Plus, a new, subtler MSI design and a 240Hz Gorilla Glass panel will excite gamers and prosumer creators alike.

• Asus ZenBook Duo (2026)

  Asus' Zenbook Duo is a niche device, but it's the most elegant expression of a dual-screen laptop we've seen yet. The 2026 Zenbook Duo has matured on its design with notable improvements from last year: thinner bezels, a more sturdy kickstand, and a better hinge. Powered with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H CPU, it’s well-equipped for diverse creative workloads.

Best Mobile Tech

• Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold (WINNER)

  The culmination of Samsung's efforts to make a sleeker and more versatile folding phone. It's a true hybrid gadget that's a standard phone when closed and opens up to a sprawling 10-inch display, making this a practical, two-in-one device that fits securely in your pocket.

• Motorola Razr Fold

  The Motorola Razr Fold is a solid entry in the book-style folding phone category thanks to its large screens, clean software, and powerful cameras. Together with stylus support, it's a fine option for those who need a device that's focused on productivity

• OhSnap Mcon

  The OhSnap Mcon is a Bluetooth controller with a slide-out plate to mount your iPhone (via MagSafe) or Android phone (via magnets) for a portable gaming experience. The pocketable accessory can be used in three ways: as a mounted handheld device, a wireless gaming controller, and a docked gaming console when your phone is connected to an external monitor.

Best Parent Tech

• Coro (WINNER)

  Coro feels like a product that should have existed for years. It solves the problem of measuring how much your baby is eating in a simple and meaningful way. I wish it was around when my babies were young.

• Earflo

  Earflo is a medical device designed to look and work like a sippy cup for kids as young as two. When you sip from the cup, a small mask forms a seal on your nose, and with each swallow, air flows through the nose. The pressure on the nasal cavity helps releasing trapped fluid in the ear. In a peer-reviewed study, after four weeks of Earflo use, 90 percent of children did not need ear tube surgery three months later.

• Lego Smart Play System

  Kids and parents already spend quality time building with Lego. Now, in Lego's CES debut, the company is launching its new Smart Bricks as part of its new Smart Play platform, which brings Lego creations and characters to life. Lego Smart Brick includes a tiny chip inside that enables Legos to tell color, direction, distance, sound and more. Now Lego creations can interact with families, enabling more time together.

Best Pet Tech

• Satellai Collar Go (WINNER)

  Satellai's new collar (Satellai Collar Go) and software (Petsense AI) are proactive tools that could flag subtle behavioral shifts in your dog before they become obvious health problems. It can also warn you when your dog has left your yard, and retails for a reasonable $79.

• Pawport

  Pawport launched its smart pet door in late 2025. The pet door uses ultra-wideband technology, which can detect how close your dog is to the door. That lets you customize how close your dog needs to be before the door opens, both coming in and out of the house. It also extends the collar tags’ battery life from 12 to 18 months.

• Petkit Yumshare Daily Feast

  One of the devices debuting is the Yumshare Daily Feast, an automatic wet cat food feeder Petkit describes as its first entry into robotic wet feeding. The unit can dispense scheduled meals over seven days while monitoring consumption through an integrated camera, and can automatically discard spoiled and leftover food.

Best Robot

• Boston Dynamics Atlas (WINNER)

  Of the many humanoid robots to have made their debut at CES 2026, it's Boston Dynamics' Atlas that stands out as the best of the bunch. The prototype version demoed at the show impressed us with its naturalistic walking gait, meanwhile the sleek product version is ready to be deployed into Hyundai manufacturing facilities from this year, where it might just be working on your next car.

• Jackery Solar Mars Bot

  The Solar Mars Bot may never make it to Mars, but it solves several problems with portable generators. It's far easier to move wherever you need and it can chase the sun without intervention.

• Beatbot RoboTurtle

  RoboTurtle is both a perfect study in biomimicry and a robot with a mission. This swimming robot is designed for environmental research and once deployed, will monitor underwater ecosystems with minimal impact on wildlife.

Best Smart Home Tech

• Roborock Saros Rover (WINNER)

  The Roborock Saros Rover can traverse the biggest obstacle for robot vacuums: stairs. It's the first model that can navigate to different floors on its own without the help of a separate attachment. It pulls off this feat thanks to a pair of bendable legs that it controlls independently to avoid obstacles, and it can even clean stairs as it climbs.

• Lockin V7 Max

  The Lockin V7 Max is a new smart lock that doesn't require recharging or replacing its batteries. Instead of using a removable battery, the V7 Max uses Lockin AuraCharge, an external device that you plug in approximately four meters away, sending a light beam to a receiver on the lock. The lock converts the light into energy to charge its battery.

• Robotin R2

  The Robotin R2 is the first robot vacuum that can wash and dry a carpet, just like a carpet cleaner. It comes with a core module and two modular attachments that let it switch from vacuuming and mopping to carpet washing and drying. It takes about one hour to clean a 300-400 square foot room and two hours to dry. There's also an absolutely massive base station with two clean water tanks, a large dustbin and a dirty water tank.

Best Startup

• Allergen Alert (WINNER)

  This might save lives. A French startup has created a $200 portable device to test food samples for allergens. The startup, Allergen Alert, only had mock-up devices at CES, but it's licensing the tech from French biofirm bioMérieux. If the startup can pull off the food testing, the impact could be huge. Expect it to arrive in this year's second half.

• Pebble 2 Duo

  If the name sounds familiar, it's because Pebble was the first company to popularize smartwatches in 2010s. After several company moves, the brand is back as a startup with a new lineup of affordable watches with battery life improvements and improved form factors. It also has a new AI ring.

• Nirva AI jewelry

  The Nirva AI jewelry is a startup that aims to continuously learn from your real-world behavior by recording your audio throughout the day. From those recordings, it offers advice on work, relationships and everyday decision-making. Nirva positions itself as a personal AI companion, designed to understand your life as you live it. Think of it as "audio journaling" after a long day.

Best Sustainability

• Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor (WINNER)

  Anxious about plastic waste? Clear Drop's Soft Plastic Compactor can mash them into dense bricks to send off to be recycled into products like patio furniture. Clear Drop's product and subscription ensures none of your recycled soft plating ends up in a landfill.

• Beatbot RoboTurtle

  RoboTurtle is both a perfect study in biomimicry and a robot with a mission. This swimming robot is designed for environmental research and once deployed, will monitor underwater ecosystems with minimal impact on wildlife.

• Cambridge Consultants Ouroboros smartwatch

  Ushering in the new age of right-to-repair legislation is this concept smartwatch design from Cambridge Consultants. It's proof that you can make a smartwatch that allows for self repair without compromising on design or user experience.

Best Transportation

• Strutt Ev1 (WINNER)

  There's plenty of talk about autonomy in cars, but Stutt brings the next-generation technology to an accessible application. The Ev1 mobility scooter can map and then navigate spaces autonomously, allowing people to get around via voice commands. It can also autocorrect manual navigation to prevent bumping into obstacles. This is the rare device that combines mobility, accessibility and autonomy, and it's hard not to be impressed.

• Pioneer Sphera

  Dolby Atmos adds a literal new dimension to car audio. However, not everyone can buy a new luxury car just to upgrade their listening experience. Pioneer’s Sphera receiver allows almost anyone to add Dolby Atmos via Apple CarPlay to the car they already own with the speakers already installed and immerse themselves in spatial audio.

• Donut Labs solid-state battery

  Promising huge improvements in energy density, charging speed and safety, solid state battery tech is a holy grail for electric cars, home energy, drones and a host of other applications. Donut Lab is first to market with a solid state battery in a production EV which can be found in partner Verge Motorcycles’ TS Pro Gen 2.

Best Travel Tech

• WheelMove (WINNER)

  Wheelchairs are available at airports, hotels, resorts, theme parks, and cruises, but standard wheelchairs require ongoing effort, and they can struggle through difficult terrain. WheelMoves is a portable wheelchair attachment that turns any standard wheelchair into an electric one, allowing people to travel more easily wherever they are.

• Jitlife Rideable Luggage

  The Jitlife JS07i is a rideable suitcase that travelers can use to drive long distances through airports. It's the size of a standard cabin bag but carries up to 250 pounds, has a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour, and can travel six miles on a charge. Already popular overseas, rideable luggage is making its way to the US, and Jitlife is the best we tried.

Best TV or Home Theater

• Samsung S95H (WINNER)

  The Samsung S95H is the most impressive TV we saw at CES for a number of reasons, firstly, it’s 35 percent brighter than before. Secondly, it’s a wired TV which is great for gaming, but it has a wireless option for a cleaner look and which enables more connections. Thirdly, it’s the first OLED that can show artwork from the Samsung Art Store — the S95H has anti-burn-in technology that enables it to work like a Frame TV, but with even better image quality.

• Hisense 116UXS

  The 116UXS builds on the still very new and promising RGB LED TV concept by adding even more color to the mix. Its mini-LED backlight array uses red, green, and blue LEDs, then adds a fourth sky blue (cyan) LED that Hisense says lets it cover 110 percent of the BT.2020 color range.

• LG W6

  The W6 is LG's "wallpaper" TV, an OLED TV only 9mm deep that can be mounted nearly flush against a wall. It's one of LG's brightest OLEDs yet, and it's almost completely wireless thanks to its Zero Connect box you can place up to 30 feet away to send it video and its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect-powered LG Sound Suite support for building a spatial audio system around it.

Best Weird Tech

• Lepro Ami AI soulmate (WINNER)

  Having a tiny animated girl living on a small screen inside a physical cylander case is certainly very weird. Lepro's new AI companion Ami is exactly that. Its not quite an AI assistant meant to help with actual tasks. Its an AI meant for a loney person looking for some interaction. The characters dance and gyrate inside the case and can do so at the user's request as well, upping the weirdness factor.

• Lollipop Star

  Suck on this lollipop and listen to a song directly from your mouth to your ears using bone conduction technology, so you can "experience music you can taste." I tried it out, and though you had to bite down on it a bit to hear the music, it did work. It's a weird, fun novelty item. It costs $8.99.

• iPolish digital nail polish

  iPolish touts itself as the "world's first digital color-changing nails." They take the form of press-on nails that you can individually put into a little wand to instantly change the color via a selection of over 400 shades on an app.

Best Wellness Tech

• Peri (WINNER)

  Perimenopause affects people transitioning to menopause, and is commonly marked by symptoms such as anxiety, hot flashes, and night sweats. Peri is a wearable designed to track those symptoms, and help you make informed decisions about how to manage them — whether that's through lifestyle changes and supplements alone, or hormone replacement therapy.

• OhmBody

  A majority of those who menstruate report severe period pain. This wearable neurostimulation device aims to reduce period symptoms and cramps. By attaching near the ear and delivering gentle neurostimulation, the device targets the auricular branches of the trigeminal and vagus nerves to regulate menstrual cycle symptoms and help the body return to a rested state.

• Allergen Alert

  Food allergies are common and can cause a wide range of unpleasant symptoms. Severe reactions can be deadly. Allergen Alert is a mini, portable lab that allows you to test food for common allergens on the spot at a restaurant, school, or anywhere you dine out. A single-use pouch analyzes the food sample inserted into the device and displays results within minutes.

Best Yard or Outdoor Tech

• Beatbot AquaSense X ecosystem (WINNER)

  Beatbot has introduced the world's first self-emptying pool robot cleaner. In addition to its industry leading navigation and suction, the AquaSense x Ecosystem removes the worst chore associated with robot vacs — cleaning the debris baskets filled with soggy leaves, slime and bugs. The standalone cleaning dock empties debris into a disposable bag in a bin waiting below. Next, it rinses the internal mechanisms with fresh water fed from an attached hose, keeping the filter, debris baskets and vents clear and clean.

• Luba 3 AWD

  The Luba 3 AWD stole the show at CES 2026, easily climbing slopes up to 80 percent thanks to its four-wheel drive design. This smart mower also offers wire free navigation enhanced by LiDAR and AI vision, plus adjustable cutting heights. This attractive robot lawnmower can also overcome and avoid obstacles in your yard, from tennis balls to rogue hedgehogs.

• Birdfy Hum Bloom

  Birdfy's smart 4K hummingbird feeder has a beautiful, unique design that more closely resembles an actual flower. Most importantly, it captures slow-motion video at 120 frames per second, letting you see the flap of hummingbirds' wings as they flit through your backyard. Using AI and its 8MP camera, the Hum Bloom will identify 150 different species of avian visitors.

Best Overall

Samsung Galazy Z Trifold (WINNER)

A vanguard in melding eye-catching design with genuine utility, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold achieves CES's highest honor, Best Overall. This slim device lives up to the promise of a foldable, full size tablet-phone hybrid that's as functional as it is pocketable. Its futuristic allure and seamless practicality elevate the tech while keeping it within reach.

With CES 2026 in full swing, we've already seen a slew of product announcements from Taiwanese tech giant Acer. From new laptops to an electric scooter, there's a lot of new tech to look forward to this year from the brand. One thing we're particularly pumped about is the lineup of new gaming monitors.

Acer unleashed three new monitors at CES on Monday to fulfill gamers' needs for speed, precision, performance, and of course, aesthetics. Whether you're seeking the absolute fastest refresh rate, gorgeous imagery, or a mix of the two, the latest releases are sure to satisfy. While none are available for purchase quite yet, we've broken down all the details we know so far — including the price and timeline of when they'll be up for grabs.

Be sure to follow along with Mashable's live CES 2026 updates for the latest and greatest announcements all week long.

Acer Predator XB273U F6 gaming monitor

First up is the Predator XB273U F6, a 27-inch, 2560 x 1440 QHD IPS panel with an ultra-fast 500Hz refresh rate ideal for high-level esports. That refresh rate can jump to an astonishing 1000Hz if you use the Dynamic Frequency and Resolution (DFR) mode, which lowers the resolution to 1280 x 720. Motion blur and ghosting? Never heard of them. Other specs include a 2,000:1 native contrast ratio and 350 nit brightness, two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, audio out, and dual integrated 2-watt speakers, an ergonomic and adjustable stand, and a remote control smart dial for convenience.

"With its 500 Hz refresh rate, advanced IPS technology, and 1000 Hz dynamic mode, it delivers both speed and visual fidelity that redefine what competitive gamers can expect from a monitor," said Charles Wang, Senior Manager, Product Management, Digital Displays at Acer.

The Predator XB273U F6 will be available sometime in the spring of 2026 starting at $799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Predator XB273U F6 gaming monitor starting at $799.99 Learn More Acer Predator X34 F3 curved gaming monitor

For those who prefer their games to physically wrap around them, Acer has announced a new Predator X34 F3 QD-OLED curved gaming monitor. It packs a more modest (but still great) 360Hz refresh rate, a 34-inch curved QD-OLED panel with a native resolution of 3440 x 1440, a 0.03 ms gray-to-gray response time, and an 1800R curvature for breathtaking clarity, lightning-fast responsiveness, and truly immersive gaming. Its ideal for both competitive players and content creators, as the 99% DCI-P3 color gamut, 1.07 billion color support, 500 nit peak brightness, and 1,000,000,000:1 Adaptive Contrast Management (ACM) ratio deliver gorgeous highlights, deep blacks, and vibrant colors all around. Other perks include ergonomic tilt, swivel, and height adjustment, and dual 5-watt integrated speakers.

The Predator X34 F3 will also be available this spring for a starting price of $1,199.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Predator X34 F3 curved gaming monitor Starting at $1,199.99 Learn More Acer Nitro XV270X P gaming monitor

Finally, we have a new Acer Nitro gaming monitor, the XV270X P. This 27-inch IPS monitor combines creator-grade 5K resolution with esports-level 330Hz performance. Sure, that's not as high of a refresh rate as the other newly announced monitors, but it's still a beast of a monitor. And as our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) pointed out, casual gamers probably won't notice a huge difference beyond the 240Hz mark (at least on a laptop). At 5120 x 2880 (5K) resolution, it'll run at 165Hz via HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4 for crystal-clear details and vibrant imagery. When you need fluidity and responsiveness for gameplay, it offers a blazing-fast 2560 x 1440 at 330 Hz.

Other features include AMD FreeSync Premium, a 0.5 ms minimum GTG response time, a 1,000,000,000:1 native contrast ratio, up to 400 nit peak brightness, 95% DCI-P3 color gamut, dual 2-watt speakers, and an ergonomic stand with tilt, swivel, and height adjustments.

The Nitro XV270X P gaming monitor will hit shelves this spring with a starting price of $799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Acer Acer Nitro XV270X P gaming monitor Starting at $799.99 Learn More

If you're in need of a new gaming monitor and simply cannot wait for the new products to drop, we've also rounded up a few excellent options you can buy right now. Some are even on sale.

Acer gaming monitors you can buy right now: Acer Predator X34 OLED $699.99 Shop Now Acer Nitro XV272U W2 gaming monitor $199.99 (save $100) Get Deal Acer Nitro EDA343CUR V3 curved gaming monitor $269.99 (save $50) Get Deal Acer Predator X27U W1 QD-OLED gaming monitor $544 Get Deal

CES 2026 has been full of big announcements — advances in the chips that power AI, major product launches, and more — but the Vegas tech convention is also known as a haven for weird tech.

We here at Mashable are lovers of weird tech and odd gadgets, and, thankfully, CES 2026 has not disappointed thus far. We've got folks on the ground in Vegas scoping out everything odd on the showroom floor — here are six of the weirdest and most fun things we've seen.

Check out the full list of Best of CES 2026 finalists, as selected by CNET Group, here.

Teeth music

Ever wondered how your music...tastes? Well, you can now find out...kind of. The Lollipop Star is a device that plays music through your teeth. The company sells $9 lollipops that use bone conduction to play music into your inner ear, while you also get a sugar fix.

For less than a ten-spot, you can buy your favorite song and have a little novelty treat. Not a bad deal.

Credit: Lava Brand Brain-sensing headphones

Neurable showed off headphones at CES that measure how fast you think. The idea is that gamers, especially, could track their reaction times and thought processes. Using this data, the company has developed a system that should help you focus better. Mashable's Chance Townsend tested it out and found it pretty cool.

"The feeling afterward was quite pleasant, all things considered," Townsend wrote. "Everything on screen felt slightly slower, but I was reacting more quickly."

Credit: Mashable / Chance Townsend Headphones that twist into speakers

In a bit of old-school gadgetry, new audio brand TDM debuted headphones that can twist into a speaker at CES 2026. It's a neat idea — go from private listening to sharing with one physical movement.

Credit: TDM A vibrating chef's knife

Mashable's Haley Henschel tested Seattle Ultrasonics' C-200 UltraSonic Chef's Knife, which vibrates as you use it to make cutting easier. Though the vibrations are nearly indetectable to the naked eye, the movement helps slice more easily.

Wrote Henschel:

"I had no trouble getting it to cut paper-thin pieces of tomato with a light touch. Seattle Ultrasonics' rep likened it to riding a bike versus pedaling an e-bike in that it makes your experience more effortless."

The $399 knife could prove useful for many home chefs, especially those with disabilities or physical limitations.

Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable Panda companion bots

In a bit of strange-but-sweet tech, Mind With Heart Robotics showed off its AI-powered panda An'An. The idea is the fuzzy little guy will be an interactive companion for elderly folks with cognitive decline or kids working on social skills.

Credit: Mind With Heart Robotics The AI soulmate

Chinese company Lepro displayed its Ami device at CES 2026, a desktop OLED screen that houses an AI "soulmate" to keep you company. And that is not sat...at all.

The company pitched the Ami as a companion that would be empathetic and connect with its users on a deper level. Giving an AI companion a physical form is certainly an interesting choice.

Wrote Mashable's Chance Townsend:

"Most AI companions today live where everything else already lives: your phone, your browser, your notifications. They blur into the same infinite scroll that's already exhausting us. Lepro Ami, by contrast, asks for a dedicated spot on your desk. It doesn’t follow you everywhere. You have to choose to keep it around."

Credit: Mashable / Chance Townsend

CES is always good for some truly wonderful and strange tech — thankfully, 2026 delivered in both regards.

Want to see more of the best in weird tech at CES 2026? The finalists for the Best of CES 2026 awards have been announced. See the nominees and learn when the winners will be announced.

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.

SAVE $15: As of Jan. 7, get the Anker Nano Charger for $29.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $44.99. That's a discount of 33%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Anker Nano Charger $29.99 at Amazon
$44.99 Save $15.00   Get Deal

If you're tired of trying to find a charger when your phone is dead or you're thinking about one you can use solely for travel, Anker has your back. The company, which has tons of chargers and power stations to choose from, has one particular model on sale right now that's perfect for either situations, and you can get it for a low price.

As of Jan. 7, get the Anker Nano Charger for $29.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $44.99. That's a discount of 33%.

SEE ALSO: The Anker Solix F1500 just dropped back to a record-low price at Amazon

This 100W foldable USB-C charger can help get all your devices back up to 100% in no time, thanks to its fast-charging tech. Despite its small size, it can charge tech like a 14-inch MacBook Pro to 50% in less than 30 minutes.

It's just 4.23 ounces, so it's perfect for stowing in a bag or purse (or even your pocket) and take with you. You never know when you're going to need a charger and an outlet. And with ActiveShield 2.0, which monitors the device's heat and power output, you don't have to worry about any accidents when you forget and leave it plugged in.

With an included USB-C cable, this charger deal is a great option no matter whether you need it for home or travel. But get it while it's still on sale if you want to get the best discount.

When it comes to the fun parts of CES, robotics are rarely boring and are sometimes silly or surprising as well.

That's not to say they aren't useful, of course. But CES isn't necessarily a showcase of purely utilitarian factory floor robots. These are often meant to (eventually, someday) live in people's homes, which means they're often humanized or otherwise given characteristics that make them stand out. Here are four of the weirdest (even if they might be practical) robots we've seen at CES.

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

LG's CLOiD is admittedly not that weird in the realm of home robots, in the sense that it looks vaguely humanoid and seemingly does things that are actually useful. However, it's still pretty futuristic and out-there to have Rosey from The Jetsons roaming around your house, so it makes the list.

Check out the full list of Best of CES 2026 finalists, as selected by CNET Group, here.

CLOiD is still in the concept stages and may not hit the market for quite some time (if ever). LG did give CES-goers a live demo, though, which included showing off its ability to speak, its two functional arms that each have five digits at the end, and the fact that it can fold your laundry for you. Hopefully you'll be able to send it to the laundromat if you don't have an in-unit washer/dryer combo, otherwise that's a lot of lost value.

Sweekar is barely a robot, but it's still worth a look Adorable. Credit: Takway

Easily the strangest device on this list is Sweekar, courtesy of the company Takway. It's not a robot in the traditional sense; it won't do your chores or anything like that. But it will be your friend, and maybe that's more important.

Sweekar is, essentially, a super advanced Tamagotchi that changes shape over time. It starts as an egg, and as you take care of it, it will gradually hatch out of its shell and form some kind of personality using generative AI. Taking care of it seems to be a game in and of itself, similar to a Tamagotchi, but the gimmick that it grows over time is certainly unique. It's also highly customizable, which is nice.

Switchbot onero H1 looks like a tackling dummy Hit the sleds, boys. Credit: Switchbot

Lastly, Switchbot's onero H1 is in the same category as CLOiD: It might actually be handy to have around, but we're still not used to seeing these sorts of things, so it makes the list.

To its credit, onero H1 does seem like something that could help around the house. It's basically a lanky, rolling robot with a head and two arms that it can use to perform chores. It seems fairly practical, but to be honest, I can't look at it without seeing one of those tackling dummies they use at football practices. It just looks like something you're meant to hit and not something you're meant to rely upon.

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.