Mashable

If you're looking for online hookups, it's only a matter of time before you find your way onto AdultFriendFinder.

Though it's not a mainstream name like Tinder, it's one of the big boys in the hookup site game. Launching in 1996, AFF is one of the longest-running, most popular adult dating sites around — a go-to place for finding hookups and adult content. AFF has over 80 million registered users across the globe, with some two million users active every week. It's essentially an adult site with a huge social network built in — a playground for horny adults everywhere who want to make a connection or quite simply get it on.

But once you're registered and you've set up your own profile, you'll soon realize that the free version of AFF is limited. The real fun is hiding behind the site's paywall, which means upgrading your account to get the very best out of your AFF experience. We're here to get you started with a guide on everything you should know about AdultFriendFinder's premium membership from a cost and billing perspective:

Opens in a new window Credit: AdultFriendFinder AdultFriendFinder   Learn More AFF membership tiers and costs

The good news about AFF's premium membership is that it gives you access to a stack of useful features, many of which you won't find on other dating sites. These features include unlimited one-on-one messaging, improved search functionality, and higher-res photos and videos. AdultFriendFinder actually offers two premium memberships, Gold and VIP, but to become a VIP, you need to opt into a Gold membership first, so it's worth exploring the Gold tier before upgrading again.

SEE ALSO: Is Hinge really 'designed to be deleted'? I tested it to find out.

A Gold membership will cost $35.95 per month if you sign up for a single month. But there's a downward scale to incentivize you to join for longer periods. It's $26.95 per month if you commit to a three-month membership, or $19.95 per month if you opt for the entire year. VIP members don't gain any additional on-site functionality, but they do unlock exclusive perks that make them more visible to others, including a special VIP badge, access to a VIP lounge, and priority placement in search results.

Multiple payment options

AdultFriendFinder offers a wide variety of payment methods — far more than most other online dating sites, in fact. You can, of course, opt to pay with a credit card (Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, but not AmEX), or with a bank transfer/direct debit payment, but you can also pay with a gift card or cash/check/money order (in the United States only). Residents of the United Kingdom can even place an order via SMS on their smartphones.

If you're especially cautious about absolute privacy, you might be interested in the gift card, money order, or SMS payment options. This allows you to withhold more of your personal data than when you use credit cards.

Watch out for the auto-renewal feature

One key thing to be aware of is that your premium AdultFriendFinder membership will automatically renew at the end of your billing cycle unless you disable this feature or use a one-time payment method, such as a gift card.

SEE ALSO: All your Tinder questions, answered

To disable the auto-renewal feature and prevent unwanted credit card billing, navigate to the My Stuff tab, scroll down to My Account, and then click Billing History & Credit Card Info. Under the Subscription and Product Status menu, you will see your premium memberships and an On/Off toggle for the Auto-Renew feature. Note that if you have more than one paid membership, such as both the Gold and VIP tiers, you need to toggle off the auto-renewal button for both memberships to prevent further charges.

Billing statement

Because discretion matters, especially for many AdultFriendFinder users, it's worth noting that the AFF billing statement is reasonably anonymous. The only wording that will appear on your bank or credit card statement is "FFNHelp.com*FRIENDF." 

Troubleshooting

If you have a question or concern about your bill that wasn't answered by any of the above, you can always reach out to the AdultFriendFinder support line toll-free at 888-575-8383.  

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you don't know James Bond.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 29, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Investing

• Green: Things linked to a particular motion.

• Blue: A movie genre.

• Purple: Abbreviations within words

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Securities

• Green: Things that are shaken (not stirred)

• Blue: Gangster movies

• Purple: Starting with month abbreviations

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1207 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Securities: BOND, FUTURE, OPTION, STOCK

• Things that are shaken (not stirred): ETCH A SKETCH, MARTINI, SPRAY PAINT, TAMBOURINE

• Gangster movies: BUGSY, CASINO, DONNIE BRASCO, SCARFACE

• Starting with month abbreviations: DECENT, NOVELTY, OCTOPUSSY, SEPTUM

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

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

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

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

TL;DR: As of Sept. 30, the Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box is available for $89.99 at Amazon. That's under market price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box $89.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now

Pokémon fans are desperately hunting for anything from the new Pokémon 30th Celebration collection. Anyone who experienced the queues circling Target stores this weekend can attest to that.

With that in mind, we're truly surprised to see Amazon's latest deal on the Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box. It's wild that they still have stock, but it's even wilder that Amazon is listing this popular ETB for way under market price.

As of Sept. 30, the Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box is available for just $89.99 on Amazon. That's much cheaper than the market price listed by TCG Player.

Of course, there's a catch. You can't simply buy the Elite Trainer Box on Amazon. Instead, potential buyers must click the "request invite" button. If you're randomly selected, you’ll get an email to let you know that you’re eligible to buy Pokémon’s 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box. The email will contain a purchase link that's valid for 72 hours.

These ETBs are selling incredibly quickly, so the "invitation to buy" system is clearly working for many shoppers. And even if your invitation request isn't immediately selected, Amazon will keep it on file and you might get another shot when it's restocked. 

The Elite Trainer Box includes nine Pokémon 30th Celebration booster packs, a full-art foil Nidorina promo, 16 foil Basic Energy cards, 65 sleeves, dice, a coin, dividers, a player’s guide, and a Pokémon TCG Live code. 

Score the Pokémon 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box for $89.99 at Amazon — way below market price.

The White House announced a revamped America.gov recently, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking to the stage to dazzle audiences with a new online passport application process.

"Why are you doing this like an Apple product launch?" jokes Daily Show host Jordan Klepper in the clip above. "And one more thing: This passport folds."

The host goes on to play a clip of Rubio demonstrating how the passport's eagle gives the illusion of flying as you flip through the pages.

"Holy shit!" says Klepper. "This is going to totally blow the minds of kids in 1928 who haven't seen Steamboat Willie."

Want more of the best of late night? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter.

How to live stream 2026 F1 for free: Best Apple TV Deal Apple TV 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Prime Video Deal Apple TV Prime Video Channel 7-day free trial Shop Now Best Apple One Deal Apple One 30-day free trial Shop Now

This season of F1 is unlike any other. Every season of F1 has a number of fascinating storylines to follow, but due to a major set of regulation changes, there's so much uncertainty right now. And uncertainty can lead to exciting racing.

Mercedes looked totally dominant in the early stages of the season, but now McLaren has cut the gap.

If you are interested in watching F1 2026 for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

What is F1?

Formula One (F1) is the highest class of international open-wheel single-seater racing. A season consists of a series of races held in multiple countries and on multiple continents, either on purpose-built circuits or on closed public roads.

Lando Norris is the defending champion. McLaren won the Constructors Championship in 2025.

When is F1 in 2026?

The 2026 F1 season is the 77th edition of the championship. This year's championship features 24 Grands Prix events held all over the world between March and December:

1. Australian Grand Prix — March 8

2. Chinese Grand Prix — March 15

3. Japanese Grand Prix — March 29

4. Miami Grand Prix — May 3

5. Canadian Grand Prix — May 24

6. Monaco Grand Prix — June 7

7. Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix — June 14

8. Austrian Grand Prix — June 28

9. British Grand Prix — July 5

10. Belgian Grand Prix — July 19

11. Hungarian Grand Prix — July 26

12. Dutch Grand Prix — Aug. 23

13. Italian Grand Prix — Sept. 6

14. Spanish Grand Prix — Sept. 13

15. Azerbaijan Grand Prix — Sept. 26

16. Bahrain Grand Prix — Oct. 4

17. Singapore Grand Prix — Oct. 11

18. United States Grand Prix — Oct. 25

19. Mexico City Grand Prix — Nov. 1

20. São Paulo Grand Prix — Nov. 8

21. Las Vegas Grand Prix — Nov. 21

22. Qatar Grand Prix — Nov. 29

23. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — Dec. 6

It's important to note that these dates are only for race days. The Chinese, Miami, Canadian, British, Dutch, and Singapore GPs will host a sprint race.

How to watch F1 for free

In the U.S., F1 is now exclusive to Apple TV. If you want access to the whole season, an Apple TV subscription costs $12.99 per month or $99 per year.

Or you could access Apple TV for free with these workarounds:

Apple TV Opens in a new window Credit: Apple TV Apple TV (7-day free trial) Apple TV comes with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers. This is a sneaky trick, but you could sign up to watch the next F1 race and then cancel your subscription before you need to spend anything. This obviously isn't a long-term fix, but it does give you the opportunity to live stream select F1 race weekends for free. Shop Now Apple TV Prime Video Channel Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Apple TV Prime Video Channel (7-day free trial) Already an Amazon Prime member? You're in luck. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Apple TV+ through Prime Video Channels. This lets you watch select F1 races live with the Prime Video app. The subscription typically costs £9.99 per month after the trial ends, but you can cancel at any time. That means you can watch select races without actually spending anything. Shop Now Apple One Opens in a new window Credit: Apple One Apple One (30-day free trial) Apple One bundles Apple TV with Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, Apple News Plus, and 50GB of iCloud Storage for $19.95 per month after a one-month free trial. Time it right and this trial could provide access to up to four race weekends for free. You do need to be a new or returning subscriber to each of the included services to get the free trial. Shop Now

It's worth noting that the best Apple TV free-trial offer comes with purchases of new Apple devices. New subscribers can get three months of Apple TV for free after purchasing any eligible Apple product, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, or Apple TVs. This special offer goes live for 90 days after the new device is activated — that's a good chunk of the season.

Dyson launched the AI-powered Dyson CameraJet electric toothbrush on Sept. 8, marking the company's first foray into the world of oral hygiene. Unfortunately, it was a difficult debut. Users have complained of issues with the device, which vanished from shelves almost as quickly as these reports rolled in. Now Dyson has explained exactly what went wrong.

SEE ALSO: Dyson's $499 squirting AI camera toothbrush proves smart tech has officially gone too far

The $499.99 Dyson CameraJet is a supremely souped-up, app-connected toothbrush which took six years to develop. Equipped with a camera that analyses images from inside your mouth, the CameraJet is designed to identify gaps between your teeth and floss them with jets of water.

However, problems swiftly surfaced after the Dyson's toothbrush became available on Sept. 8. Social media posts reported issues such as leaking tanks and water getting into the battery compartment, while some CameraJet devices stopped working within the first few uses —  or even the first few seconds of use.

Dyson previously acknowledged an issue with one of the components in a small number of early CameraJet batches, and stated that impacted customers were receiving support. Now the company has elaborated, explaining that the problem was due to a "process issue" with a single batch of jet tubes. In a statement to Bloomberg, a Dyson spokesperson said that the issue caused "a potential for water seepage which affected the performance of a small number of products." 

"We are sorry that we have let down our loyal customers and we will do all we can to support them," said the spokesperson.

Users' issues with the CameraJet had led to speculation that its "sold out" status on Dyson's website was actually an indication that the device had been pulled from sale. Within weeks of its launch, the CameraJet became unavailable for purchase in multiple countries, including the U.S., UK, and Australia, and it remains unavailable at time of writing.

In response, Dyson previously claimed that the CameraJet had not been recalled, and that the lack of available product was merely due to strong demand. Now Dyson has reportedly told Bloomberg that the CameraJet is out of stock because the company isolated impacted devices in its inventory. 

Exactly how much of Dyson's stock was impacted is unclear. While Dyson claimed that only a "small number" of CameraJet stock suffered this hardware issue, the company seems to have set aside enough devices to significantly impact global supply. Dyson is now working to catch up on production and restock. Even so, it has a significant fight ahead of itself to counter the CameraJet's poor first impression.

Ted Lasso Season 4 has been an experiment in high highs and low lows.

Highs: The introduction of Alice (Tanya Reynolds). Her and Ted's (Jason Sudeikis) wordless crying scene. Basically, anything to do with the Lady Greyhounds.

Lows: Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley's (Juno Temple) dragged-out will-they-won't-they arc. The dumbing down of Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham). Overlong, overstuffed episodes.

SEE ALSO: Ted Lasso’s dating profile problem says a lot about the show itself

But in Season 4, episode 9, "Mae Rides the Bus," Ted Lasso finds its lowest low yet. I'm talking about "six feet under the soccer pitch" levels of low, and that's all down to the episode's bizarro ending.

Ted Lasso kills off a beloved character in Season 4. Annette Badland in "Ted Lasso." Credit: Apple TV

For the most part, "Mae Rides The Bus" is a celebratory episode. Keeley, Roy, and Rebecca rejoice at Keeley's surprise pregnancy. Mae (Annette Badland) gets to travel in style on the Richmond team bus. The Lady Greyhounds pull off a key win that will get them promoted. Not even the reveal that Zelda (Tracey Ullman) is the villain who's been buying up all the team's shares can rain on Richmond's parade.

Then, Ted Lasso spoils it all by killing Mae.

The beloved owner of the Crown & Anchor pub collapses in the joyful moments right after Richmond's win. Ted Lasso doesn't actually show her going down, just her fellow Richmond supporters seeing she's fallen and calling for help. The last time we see Mae, she's cheering her heart out.

Ted Lasso has never been afraid to shy away from death. Ted's father's death by suicide is a major factor in the show's early seasons and its focus on mental health. However, Mae is the first member of Ted Lasso's main ensemble to die onscreen. (First human character, that is. RIP Earl the Greyhound.)

SEE ALSO: 'Ted Lasso' finally starts to do right by the Lady Greyhounds

The move is jarring, bordering on cruel. Mae has been a key figure throughout Ted Lasso, but Season 4 has really stepped up her importance. She's developed a deeper bond with Ted's son Henry (Gus Turner), and in episode 8, she joined in the show's fun detective story riff by helping Higgins (Jeremy Swift) investigate the sold shares.

Most importantly, she's come to represent an older generation of women sports fans who get to see themselves represented on the pitch at such a high level. A proud supporter of the Lady Greyhounds since day one, Mae's waited her whole life for Richmond to have a women's team, and she's never afraid to put sexist detractors in their place.

Featured Video For You The 'Adults' cast teaches us how to be adults

Now that Mae has lived to see her women's team succeed, Ted Lasso has deemed that her time is up. Her death couldn't have been more out of place, or more clumsily handled. Her constant references to her age — sorry, her "seasoning" — throughout "Mae Rides The Bus" telegraph her obvious death, but even as you realize what's coming, you can't quite believe Ted Lasso would pull such an egregious move.

In hindsight, Mae's delightful day with the team now reads like videos in which pet owners treat their beloved animals to one last perfect day before they're put to sleep. Only here, it doesn't feel like there's any actual love involved in the send off. It just feels like an overly saccharine set up for a pre-finale rug pull, and Mae just happens to be the sacrificial lamb.

Ted Lasso's Anthony Head tribute couldn't be more misplaced. Anthony Head in "Ted Lasso." Credit: Apple TV

As if Mae's death couldn't get any more baffling, Ted Lasso immediately follows it up with an in memoriam tribute to Anthony Head. The actor played Richmond FC's former owner and Rebecca's ex-husband Rupert Manion in the first three seasons of the show. He passed away June 1 of this year from complications due to pneumonia.

In a vacuum, the "in memory of" card isn't a problem. TV shows and films traditionally pay tribute to members of their cast and creative team who have passed away. Just this year, Euphoria closed its Season 3 premiere with an in memoriam to late actors Eric Dane and Angus Cloud, as well as producer Kevin Turen.

Ted Lasso could have gone a similar route, dedicating its Season 4 premiere or finale to Head. Instead, it chooses a path calculated to provoke the biggest emotional outburst: putting it mere moments after a series character death. For a show where the writers often pluck at your heartstrings, this move is so blatant, it feels more like the writers have shoved their hands into your chest cavity with the hopes of yanking out your heart entirely. The result isn't one of fond remembrance of Head, but rather a baffled "huh?" that Ted Lasso thought it had to wait until a character died in the series to pay tribute to Head in the first place.

Instead of celebrating Head's career or Mae's love of the Lady Greyhounds, the final moments of "Mae Rides The Bus," well-intentioned they may be, also leave us fully aware of the show's emotional manipulation. That's quite the hole Ted Lasso has dug itself, and as we head into the season finale, it has quite a bit of work to do to climb back to the highs we know it's capable of.

Ted Lasso Season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV. The season finale airs Oct. 7.

Amazon provides a pretty irresistible shopping experience through its speedy shipping (among other Prime member perks), vast product range, and unbeatable prices. Prime Day events (including the upcoming Prime Big Deal Days) can often lead to regretful impulse buys. Psst: Just because something is down to its lowest price ever doesn't mean you need it.

With another Amazon shopping holiday on the horizon, officially kicking off on Oct. 6, you may be wondering how to return unwanted items purchased at Amazon. Whether you fall victim to the inevitable Prime Day impulse buys, end up with a broken item, or accidentally order two of something, it's actually pretty simple to make returns in 2026.

Here's the step-by-step process to return your Amazon packages:

1. Go to Amazon's website and click on Returns and Orders in the top-right corner of the screen. If you want to make a return on your Amazon app, the process is similar. On the app, click on the three horizontal lines at the bottom right of the screen. Then click on Orders and follow the same steps.

2. A new page displaying your latest orders will appear. Scroll down to the item you want to return, then click Return or replace items right next to the item listing. In the app, you'll need to click the specific item before you see the option to "return or replace items."

3. The next page that opens will have a drop-down menu listing reasons for returning the item. Select the option that applies to your purchase, then click the yellow Continue button.

4. Then you will have the option to refund the balance to your Amazon account or to your debit/credit card. Pick what you prefer — refunds to bank cards usually take a week or so, while refunds to your Amazon account wallet are pretty immediate.

5. The last step in the online return process is choosing where you'll drop off your return. Amazon is pretty flexible with return methods: You can drop off the item for free at your nearest UPS Store, Kohl's, Whole Foods, Staples, or Amazon Store. You can also schedule a UPS pick-up for $7.99. These options may vary depending on your location. Once you select a method, you'll receive a QR code that you can use to return the package at the drop-off location. If you choose UPS or Kohl's, no original packaging, tape, or shipping label is necessary — just bring the item and scan it.

Credit: Screenshot: Amazon

Though Amazon touts "free returns" on many products, you may see a mystery $1 fee on your account if you did your return at a UPS store. As of April 2023, Amazon often charges a $1 fee for items returned to UPS when there is a Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh store, or Kohl’s closer to their delivery address.

While the return process is fairly intuitive, Amazon's return policy can be tricky for some purchases. While the website states that most items can be returned in their original packaging with no missing parts within 30 days of receipt, regardless of whether they've been opened, there are some notable exceptions. Some luxury items cannot be returned once opened, for instance. And if you purchased an item on Amazon from a third-party seller, that seller might have their own return policy that differs from Amazon's. Meanwhile, not all items can be returned, such as digital orders, gift cards, and groceries purchased through Amazon Fresh.

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.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

Gossip.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

RUMOR

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Caregiver.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 30, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

NURSE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Gloss.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for September 30, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Sept. 30, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

GLAZE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

The intern.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

GOFER

Final Hurdle hint

Each month has 12.

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

MONTH

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier for who've watched BMX racing.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

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

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

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Bicycles

• Green: NHL nicknames

• Blue: Atlanta basketball

• Purple: Things where a field may be involved

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Parts of a Bicycle

• Green: NHL Teams, Informally

• Blue: Atlanta Dream Players

• Purple: Field_____

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #737 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Parts of a Bicycle: BRAKE, PEDAL, SADDLE, SPOKE

• NHL Teams, Informally: AVS, CAPS, ISLES, LEAFS

• Atlanta Dream Players: CANADA, GRAY, HOWARD, REESE

• Field_____: GOAL, HOCKEY, HOUSE, TURF

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

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

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalog.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 30, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for September 30, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for September 30 Pips

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for September 30 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Less than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically; 5-2, placed vertically.

Less than (8): Everything in this space must be less than 8. The answer is 6-4, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for September 30 Pips

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically; 4-1, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 5-1, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-1, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed horizontally.

Number (22): Everything in this space must add up to 22. The answer is 4-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically.

Less than (1): Everything in this space must be less than 1. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally.

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally; 2-2, placed vertically.

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

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 30, 2026 Tambourine meaning

A musical instrument

Septum meaning

Often known as the tissues dividing the nasal cavity.

Decent meaning

Not bad, not great.

Bond meaning

A joining of two things.

Martini meaning

A type of cocktail.

Option meaning

A possible choice or outcome.

Novelty meaning

Something entertaining.

Casino meaning

A place for gambling.

Spray paint meaning

Paint applied using a pressurized can.

Octopussy meaning

A movie title.

Donnie Brasco meaning

A movie title.

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Future meaning

That which has yet to happen.

Bugsy meaning

A potentially famous name.

Etch a Sketch

A classic children's toy.

Stock meaning

The foundation of many soups.

Scarface meaning

A movie title.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

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

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you like music.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 30, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: An instrumental destination

The words are related to music.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe where you would buy an instrument and what you might find there.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is music store.

NYT Strands word list for September 30

• Piano

• Guitar

• Drums

• Music store

• Capo

• Pick

• Synth

• Amplifier

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you like water.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 30, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Something that flows.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter R appears twice.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter R.

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

RIVER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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

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

The Swan: Behind The Mirror is now streaming on Hulu. And if you needed to pause this reality-TV documentary for a rage break, you're not alone. Like Reality Check: America's Next Top Model, this critical look-back on a pop culture low point is full of jaw-droppingly outrageous revelations that demand a breather. And hey, we're here to breathe with you!

Celebrated documentarian Erin Lee Carr built her reputation exploring the complexities of controversial (and criminal) figures in films like Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop, Mommy Dead & Dearest, and I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth V. Michelle Carter. However, she's more recently explored where investigation and pop culture collide in Britney v. Spears, Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, and The Swan: Behind the Mirror.

With her latest, Carr ushers audiences back to 2004, when Fox debuted The Swan, a new reality competition show that promised its subjects the chance to change their lives through 90 days of dieting, exercise, therapy, and free plastic surgery. However, few who signed on were prepared for the emotional manipulation producers would employ to ensure TV from which audiences couldn't look away.

For The Swan: Behind the Mirror, Carr sat down with 12 "swans" across the show's two seasons, as well as some of the series' producers, personal trainers, and Dr. Randal Haworth, an outspoken plastic surgeon who has plenty of wild takes across this new doc.

There's plenty of WTF reveals in this electrifying documentary. So, let's dig in.

The Swan contestants didn't know about the pageant when they signed on. Cindy in "The Swan: Behind the Mirror." Credit: Hulu

Creator and executive producer Nely Galán proposed The Swan as a makeover show that would allow average women to radically change their appearances, with the promise of a new and improved life. The participants — known as swans — were promised an expense-free overhaul that would include personal trainers, therapy sessions, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgery. However, the swans weren't told in advance about the pageant that would become the show's finale.

That idea came from Fox executive Mike Darnell, who senior producer Carl Buehl says described The Swan as a show where "We're going to take ugly chicks and make them hot."

Galán went with the idea, presenting it as an opportunity after the Season 1 Swans had signed on. "You ladies are going to get to be in a pageant," is how Cindy from Season 1 recalls the news being "dropped [like] a bomb on us."

"The Swan promised us therapy, plastic surgery," Kelly A said. "It did not promise us a pageant."

Kristy added, "None of that was mentioned before. Yeah, we did sign up to be filmed. Yes, we did sign up to share our stories. We didn't sign up for a pageant."

Making matters worse, the reality of the pageant wasn't fully revealed until after their surgeries. Then they learned that each woman would be coupled up with another swan in their big reveal, but only one of each twosome would go onto the pageant. The others would be cut from the show and sent home. This meant the sisterhood forming behind the scenes was threatened by a climactic competition.

Beth said of this, "These women were the ones who were supporting you after you had surgery. They were emotionally the ones available that were there for you. And then all of a sudden, it's my competition?"

Kristy reflected on the competition reveal, saying, "I don't know what fresh hell you live in where you think it's okay to bring these women into program under the guise that you're giving them the gift of a lifetime, and then immediately pit them against the very women that they bonded with this whole time to go to your backwoods beauty pageant. They didn't look at us and see us. They saw dollar signs."

Spoilers: These women would not be defined by the producers or brought down by The Swan. While there will be a lot of lows, tears, and shocking reveals along the way, The Swan: Behind the Mirror is ultimately about how these women came together to become a flock that continues to support each other. ("Flock around and find out, bitch!")

Swans felt powerless to say no. Tawyna in "The Swan: Behind the Mirror." Credit: Hulu

This is a recurring revelation in The Swan: Behind the Mirror. First there was the pageant surprise. Then, when it came to consultations with the plastic surgeons, Tawnya recalled declining facial procedures and hearing from the other swans, "I didn't know you could say no."

The threat — said or implied — was that saying "no" meant being sent home.

Archival footage of The Swan reminds viewers how plastic surgeons, Dr. Randal Haworth and Dr. Terry Dubrow, pressured the women to get specific surgeries, including tummy tucks. Producer Jenna Baker confirmed the pressures applied, saying in her interview with Carr, "I'd say women had maybe 1% say over what procedures they had."

From there, the swans healed in isolation, leaning on each other, as the producers provided sparse medical aftercare and kept the contestants away from their friends and family for the 90-day production period. They were also pressured to get back in the gym, while still healing from surgeries. ("I can't control stupidity or stubborness," Haworth said of these workouts.)

Dr. Randal Haworth compares women to toilets, his dog, and victims. Dr. Randal Haworth in "The Swan: Behind the Mirror." Credit: Hulu

Speaking about how he helped cast wannabe swans, Haworth told Carr, "They wanted to know who would make good TV — not in terms of their backstory. I'm just looking at their face. And my goal was as a plumber, can I perform early hyperaesthetic surgery on these people?"

Carr then interrupts him to note that plumber is a "weird" analogy, because "you're literally talking about toilets and women."

To this, Haworth responds, "That was unintended." He admits from there, he was searching for "drama" when it came to these physical transformations.

Later, he says, "[Getting a dog was] the only good thing that came out of my second marriage" because it taught him empathy. Getting a dog taught him empathy. Not his first marriage, or his second. "[My dog] taught me a lot about humans and how to be more empathetic."

But perhaps the most infuriating thing Haworth says in The Swan: Behind the Mirror occurs when he's confronted about how some swans feel harmed by the experience. To this, Haworth says, "There are no victims in life, there are only volunteers."

This callous statement ignores how the show was misrepresented to its participants.

The Swan's crew was trying to make the women cry on camera. Dore in "The Swan: Behind the Mirror." Credit: Hulu

This might not seem like news nowadays, as audiences are more aware of how reality TV producers manipulate participants. However, military veteran Dore's story is a horrid example of such manipulation.

Producer Jenna Baker confirmed the "money shot" was "getting a swan to cry." For Dore, this meant that after surgery, a cameraman poked at an emotional wound. While she was looking at photos of her newborn nephew, he said, "So how does it feel that everybody else can have kids, and you can't have any?"

Dore retreated to the bathroom to escape the cameras. "It was despicable," she said of their tactics.

"These women were treated like a storyline, not like people," Baker reflected.

"I almost died for reality television."

As featured in the film's opening and trailer, Season 2 swan Kari recalled a medical emergency during her surgery, though she still doesn't know exactly what happened.

Sitting alongside her sister Gina, she told Carr that a nurse who cared for her said the pain in her ribs suggested she had received chest compressions, which could mean her heart stopped on the table.

Dr. Randal Haworth has nude photos of The Swan Season 2 participants. Sisters, Kari and Gina, in "The Swan: Behind the Mirror." Credit: Hulu

And the consent around the taking of these photos is debatable at best.

Amy from Season 2 says she and other participants were brought into a garage at Dr. Haworth's office and photographed nude against a white backdrop. Several women expressed how they felt uncomfortable in the scenario. Kari recalled that no cameras from The Swan production were present, but her understanding was "if you don't do this, you go home."

Asked about this photo shoot, Haworth confirmed to Carr that it happened. "Thank you for reminding me," he told Carr. "I was working with Dah Len, who's a top photographer. He worked with Madonna. And we asked the girls if they would want to do before and after [shots]...for a big coffee table book that never saw the light of day."

Asked if the women consented to be photographed, he insisted they did. But Amy says that's not how she was approached about the shoot, and Kari expressed surprise about the supposed "super artsy" book — as Haworth put it.

"I still have those pictures," he noted. "It was an art project."

The Swan: Behind the Mirror is now streaming on Hulu. Look for more about the doc in the Oct. 2 episode of Say More, featuring documentarian Erin Lee Carr.

American Airlines just debuted a new feature on its app that makes it easier to snag your preferred seat (window, aisle, or even middle) — but there is no shortage of caveats.

The new feature allows flyers to select their seat characteristics after booking, so they don’t have to constantly check a cabin map. Should a flyer’s desired seat be unavailable at the time of booking but later open due to cancellations or others’ seat changes, the app will move the flyer into an eligible seat matching their preferences, free of charge.

SEE ALSO: American Airlines briefly grounded in U.S. by IT issue

Open your reservation in the app, scroll down to Trip options, then tap the Automatic Seat Change option and select your preference.

The feature's restrictions: 

• Flyers must be AAdvantage members for access

• Flyers must be on single-passenger reservations with an assigned seat

• Flyers will not be moved to available seats in different cabins

• Automatic seat changes stop 24 hours before departure

The Automatic Seat Change option is a boon for those very partial to a particular seat type. For those who put a lot of weight on which row they’re in, it’s not so great, as the app will move you around the cabin wherever your desired seat type becomes available (well, except to First or Business Class). You can at least ask it to stick to seats closer to the front or bulkhead seats.

American AI Airlines

The app feature is a product of American’s ADEPT initiative, which utilizes AI tools and is "designed to recruit and develop early-career technology talent."

"Rather than starting with a technology and searching for a use, the team started with a known point of friction and designed the capability around the outcome that mattered most: making travel easier for the customer," according to an American Airlines statement.

Why are Windows laptops so expensive right now?

The ongoing memory crisis, aka "RAMageddon," is the main reason why Windows laptop prices have skyrocketed this year. But it also doesn't help that Microsoft reportedly raised its Windows 11 licensing fees by abnormally high rates. In other words, PC makers are spending more on both hardware and software right now, so they're making consumers eat the extra costs.

Some of our current picks have faced price hikes in recent months, including the Asus Zenbook A16, the Dell XPS 14, XPS 13, and 14S, and the Framework Laptop 13. We've re-evaluated them and decided that they're still worth recommending at their higher prices, but will remove them from this guide if we find better-value alternatives or if their prices keep climbing to exorbitant levels.

What's new this month

I made several updates to this guide in late September 2026:

• I added the Asus ProArt PZ14 as a new pick following our latest round of testing. It's now our favorite Windows laptop for creators.

• I added the Dell XPS 13's results from our battery life test. It lasted 18 hours and 56 minutes — more than four hours longer than its Apple counterpart, the MacBook Neo.

• I added some information about a new Surface Laptop that Microsoft just announced (see below under "What to look forward to").

I'm currently monitoring the availability of two of our existing picks: the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI and the Intel-powered Acer Swift X 14. Both were out of stock at the time of writing but could return, so I'm keeping them on this guide for now. If it turns out they've been fully discontinued, I'll replace them with other models. (As things stand, the Dell 14S would become my top choice for college students, and the AMD-powered Acer Swift X 14 AI would be my new pick for photo and video editing.)

SEE ALSO: Acer CEO says PC prices could drop in 2027

As a quick note before we get into the picks, Mashable tests laptops on the basis of performance, battery life, design/build quality, and value. We do so using a combination of synthetic benchmarking and real-world usage. You can read more about our testing process in the "How We Tested" section.

A note about ARM-based Windows laptops Asus' Zenbook A-series laptops are two of the best ARM-based laptops I've tried. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series chips use ARM-based architecture, not traditional x86 architecture like Intel and AMD chips. As such, their compatibility differs. ARM-based laptops don't work natively with certain specialty software (like AutoCAD), nor can they run as many PC games.

ARM compatibility issues are a non-concern for the majority of general-purpose Windows users, but they'll be dealbreakers for some demographics — PC gamers being an obvious one.

College students should also steer clear of ARM laptops. When I examined the 10 top public universities' hardware recommendations for the 2026 fall semester, I found that a couple schools explicitly advised their students against getting ARM-based laptops to make sure they can run all of their necessary coursework without emulation. (This is one big reason why I recommend the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI and Dell 14S for college students, in particular: They have x86-based Intel chips.)

The good news is that ARM compatibility has gotten better over the past couple years, and it will definitely continue to do so now that Nvidia is coming out with its own RTX Spark "superchips," which run on ARM.

What we're testing right now

The Mashable team has a bunch of other Windows laptops in hand for testing right now, including the Alienware 16 Area-51, Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i, Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1, Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition, Lenovo LOQ Essential 15, Lenovo Legion 5i, Lenovo Legion Pro 7i, MSI Prestige 16 AI+, Framework Laptop 13 Pro, Asus Zenbook Duo, and Acer Swift Air 14. Stay tuned to see if any of them make the cut for a future update to this guide.

What to look forward to

On Sept. 23, Microsoft announced a second-generation Surface Laptop 13-inch with the Snapdragon X2 Plus chip and a brighter display. It's a slightly cheaper and more portable version of the company's flagship Surface Laptop 8, which comes in two sizes and with Snapdragon X2 Plus or Elite chips.

Now available for preorder, the Surface Laptop 13-inch starts at $1,199.99 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS storage. It launches Oct. 13 alongside the Surface Pro 12-inch (2nd edition), a detachable tablet that starts at $1,149.99 with the same specs.

Earlier in September, several other PC makers announced new laptops at IFA, a tech trade show in Berlin. The models confirmed for an eventual U.S. release are:

• Lenovo IdeaPad Vibe, a budget laptop that comes in two sizes and seven colors

• Lenovo Yoga Pro 5n and Yoga 9n 2-in-1, two creator laptops powered by Nvidia's RTX Spark platform

• Lenovo ThinkBook 14 Gen 9 and ThinkBook 14x Gen 2, two fresh business laptops

• Acer Swift Air 16, a slim 16-incher

• Another version of the Dell 14S with more colors, less powerful processors, and a cheaper price tag

America has a new generative AI chatbot. Well, not really, but President Trump is pushing for citizens to stop clicking through government websites and just ask a chatbot.

On Tuesday, the White House launched a revamped America.gov, an AI-powered portal meant to be a single front door to the federal government. Trump signed an executive order establishing America.gov during the event, describing the site as "a restoration of America's founding promise."

It works like most AI chatbots. You enter a query (strictly related to the federal government), and the chatbot searches it up. According to the site, America.gov searches information across roughly 29,000 government websites and returns answers based on official federal sources.

Ask America.gov what powers it has, and you won't get far. When Mashable asked which language models it runs on, the chatbot replied: "I do not publish which language models power America." (Yes, it calls itself "America.")

U.S. Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia was more forthcoming on TV. He told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that the site is powered by artificial intelligence from Google's Gemini and Elon Musk's Grok.

How does America work?

While an ambitious search engine, there's not much you can do with it. The site's About page describes the launch as Phase 1, focused on making it faster to access government information. Phase 2 is slated for 2027 and will add the ability to apply, enroll and track progress directly in the chat. Every answer, the site says, links back to the official government page it came from.

Credit: Mashable screenshot

The administration plans to expand the tool so people can begin or complete tasks such as renewing passports, enrolling in Medicare, checking student-loan information and reserving federal campsites. The site also says it will eventually help users find federal jobs, and a mobile app is on the roadmap. Those features are all promised for next year.

For now, the site advertises a handful of features:

• Answers in English, Spanish, or French.

• Voice input through a microphone icon.

• Step-by-step guidance on tasks like passport renewals.

• Help reading government documents. Users can upload a PDF of a form or letter, and the site says personal information will be automatically removed.

Naturally, one might have privacy concerns with a Trump-admin-backed AI chatbot. The site's "Why you can trust" section on the About page says it doesn't retain conversations, though some answers may be cached for up to 2 hours. Additionally, you don't need an account, and it says that it doesn't save names or IP addresses.

Those privacy features are well and good. How safe the website will be when users can eventually input personal, identifiable information for passport and medicare applications remains to be seen. The Guardian found in June that sites already deployed by the team behind America.gov were using commercial tools to track user behavior and data. Those tools did not appear to comply with the Privacy Act.

What is America?

Speaking of who designed the website, America.gov is the flagship product of the National Design Studio (NDS). The studio was created by Executive Order 14338, which Trump signed on Aug. 21, 2025, to redesign how the public interacts with government online. The site itself is operated by the General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that handles much of the federal government's technology.

Both organizations have deep ties to Elon Musk's controversial "Department of Government Efficiency." That endeavor was quietly dissolved in May after Musk departed the executive office during a feud with Trump.

The GSA was one of DOGE's earliest and hardest-hit targets. The agency dismissed more than 1,000 employees and set a goal of cutting staff by 63 percent in its Public Buildings Service division. DOGE also shut down 18F, a technology consulting unit within the GSA. Ironically, 18F was a team of government technologists focused on making federal websites easier to use.

AI chatbots have been part of the GSA's story ever since. In early 2025, DOGE rolled out a custom AI-powered chatbot, GSAi, to around 1,500 government workers as it continued to slash the federal workforce. One employee at the time told WIRED the tool gave "generic and guessable answers."

NDS, meanwhile, has become what WIRED called a landing pad for DOGE veterans. The studio is led by Gebbia, the Airbnb cofounder and longtime Musk associate who joined DOGE in February 2025. Like DOGE, it sits inside the Executive Office of the President.

According to WIRED, NDS's head of engineering is Edward Coristine, the DOGE staffer known as "Big Balls," who was 19 when he joined the government. Akash Bobba, another young engineer from DOGE's early core, moved over as well. WIRED also reported that NDS jobs don't appear on USAJobs, the federal government's hiring portal.

One engineer interviewed by Coristine told WIRED the process felt like it had no real structure. According to the engineer, Coristine pitched the job as a search for "hardcore engineers who can ship." At the time, the engineer said, Coristine told them the roughly 30-person NDS team didn't include a machine-learning engineer.

What can America talk about?

The administration says Americans can trust America because every answer comes "straight from the source." But on its first day, the answers tend to avoid anything politically inconvenient.

In Mashable's testing, it declined to answer questions that weren't directly related to federal government topics.

When Mashable asked who won the 2020 election, the chatbot said Joe Biden did. When asked whether Trump is in the Epstein files, the answer was yes. PBS NewsHour got the same results, finding that the site confirmed Trump's name is in the Epstein files and that Biden beat him in 2020. Appearing in the files is not itself evidence of wrongdoing, and Trump has denied any. The chatbot declined to comment on the U.S. stance on Israel and Palestine.

What utter woke nonsense. Credit: Mashable screenshot

The AP notes that when Trump spoke at the launch event on Tuesday, the site was changing its answers. When asked again by the AP about the 2020 election, America replied that it couldn't answer "political questions."

PBS News wrote that America said Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration drew more people than Trump's first inauguration in 2017. On the election question, Mashable can confirm that the America chatbot still says Biden won the 2020 election. Regarding the inauguration attendance claim, America told Mashable that Obama drew 1.8 million people to his 2009 swearing-in, but would not provide an attendance figure for either of Trump's. "Trump’s January 20, 2025, swearing-in was held in the Capitol Rotunda, not on the Mall, so it is not comparable as an outdoor crowd," the chatbot said.

On abortion, the chatbot gave a detailed response pertaining to laws in Texas. When asked for websites to access abortion drugs — legal to mail to Texas under its "shield laws" — the chatbot refused, stating that it can't give legal advice.

With Phase 2 set to launch in 2027, the America chatbot's ambitions include handling Americans' personal information and documents, such as Social Security numbers and birth certificates, to help them apply for passports and medical care. Whether Americans hand that information to a chatbot built by DOGE alumni and powered in part by Musk's AI may depend on who they trust to run it.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Autodesk Autodesk AutoCAD: 1-Year Subscription $338.97
$2,095 Save $1,756.03   Get Deal

AutoCAD doesn’t usually come cheap, which is why this flash sale is worth a look. For a limited time, a one-year subscription costs $338.97 (reg. $2,095). At 83% off, it’s a lot easier to justify, whether you’re a working architect, an engineering student, or someone who finally wants to draft that deck addition properly.

AutoCAD does both precise 2D drafting and 3D modeling. You get professional tools for dimensions, annotations, layers, and layouts, plus solid, surface, and mesh modeling for product, architecture, and engineering work. Native DWG support means you can open, edit, and share the file format most CAD teams already use.

SEE ALSO: 30+ early October Prime Day deals: We found live offers on Apple, Nintendo, and Garmin this weekend

The newer AI features are where it gets interesting. Smart Blocks detect, create, and replace reusable blocks, so you’re not redrawing the same elements over and over. Markup Assist interprets markups, and Activity Insights tracks drawing history. Both help when several people are revising the same project.

What else is included?

• Specialized toolsets for architecture, mechanical, electrical, MEP, Plant 3D, Map 3D, and Raster Design

• AutoLISP, scripts, APIs, and macros for automating repetitive tasks

• Cloud collaboration through Autodesk Docs

• Customizable tool palettes, workspaces, templates, and shortcuts

There are a few things to know before you buy.

This is a one-year subscription, not lifetime access, and it covers one device. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, and on Macs with macOS Ventura, Sonoma or Sequoia, so check the full system requirements first. It’s open to new and existing Autodesk users, and you’ll need to redeem your code within 30 days of purchase.

Get a one-year Autodesk AutoCAD subscription for $338.97 (reg. $2,095) through Sept. 29.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

First Meta gave us Jolly. Now, OpenAI is letting you name your own little AI guy.

Less than a week after Meta introduced the cheerful mascot for its Muse AI assistant, OpenAI introduced Dots at its 2026 DevDay conference. Dots is an always-on AI agent represented by your choice of various colorful little characters.

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"Dots are frontier intelligence that have your back," OpenAI wrote in its announcement. "Powered by GPT‑6 Astra, they have their own cloud computer, learn from feedback over time, and can work towards your goals 24/7."

SEE ALSO: OpenAI introduces Dots, a new always-on AI agent, at Dev Day 2026 Meet the little guys doing the big jobs Credit: OpenAI

OpenAI’s launch materials show Dots in pink, blue, green, yellow, and purple, with different appearances. One dot wears glasses, while another headphones, and another a bow-tie. The examples are named Iggy, Felipe, Todd, Alfred, and Jojo, but you can give your own Dot whatever name you like.

The company calls Dots "an extension of you" and describes agents learning how you think and what good work looks like to you. Users can message them in ChatGPT, Slack, and Teams, or hop on a voice call.

For anyone juggling deadlines and unfinished projects, the appeal of having something that remembers the context and keeps the work moving. A familiar character gives that promise a cute face you can return to...and trust.

It also raises a question for the person connecting their accounts: How much confidence are they placing in the agent’s abilities, and how much comes from the feeling of familiarity? A name and a colorful avatar can make an interaction feel far more comfortable before a user has much experience actually judging the work.

SEE ALSO: From Clippy to Jolly: Why tech keeps putting a cute face on its products Dots still needs supervision Credit: OpenAI

OpenAI says users choose which apps their Dots can access and can set rules governing when they act independently or ask for approval. Users can inspect a Dot’s computer and follow its progress. The company says background "proactive research" uses read-only tools, and certain sensitive tasks, such as changing a password, remain with the user.

"Dots can still make mistakes, so always review consequential work," OpenAI writes.

Altman and OpenAI are pulling from a familiar strategy. After all, it’s a lot easier to ask users to trust an AI agent with their life when it looks like a little guy in a beret.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.