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SAVE $70: As of Jan. 5, Beats Solo 4 are on sale for $129.95 at Amazon. That's a 35% discount on the list price.

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$199.95 Save $70   Get Deal

If you want to kick off the new year with great sound, check out this latest Amazon deal on the Beats Solo 4. Currently $70 off, you'll be getting a premium pair of headphones available in a wide range of colors, including black and gold, cloud pink, matte black, metallic pink, and slate blue.

The headphones use a custom acoustic design with updated drivers for a strong, balanced Beats sound. They also boast support for personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. They’re lightweight and designed to be worn all day, with a flex-grip headband, angled adjustable ear cups, and UltraPlush cushions, so they're comfortable as well as functional.

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The battery life promises to last up to 50 hours, and the Fast Fuel feature will give you around five hours of listening from a 10-minute charge. You can listen to high-resolution lossless audio via USB-C or a 3.5 mm cable, and they work easily with both iOS and Android thanks to one-touch pairing.

And as of Jan. 5, they are down to just $129.95. Get this headphones deal from Amazon now.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're a social media addict.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 5, 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: Done on Instagram

• Green: The edge

• Blue: Museum subjects

• Purple: A single letter

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Things you can do on social media

• Green: Furthest point

• Blue: Art movements with "-ism"

• Purple: What "V" might mean

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 #939 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Things you can do on social media: COMMENT, LIKE, LURK, POST

• Furthest point: END, EXTREME, OPPOSITE, POLE

• Art movements with "-ism": BRUTAL, IMPRESSION, MANNER, REAL

• What "V" might mean: FIVE, VERSUS, VERY, VOLT

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 5, 2026

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you don't waste time.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 5, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 5, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Slapped together

The words are related to pace.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe fast-pased terms.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Quick and Dirty.

NYT Strands word list for January 5

• Brisk

• Swift

• Speedy

• Quick and Dirty

• Grubby

• Filthy

• Stained

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're an equestrian.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 5, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for January 5, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A young horse.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter L appears twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

FILLY

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 5, 2026

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

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

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

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Monday, Jan. 5, 2026:

Across"Now I get it!"

• The answer is Aha.

Benoit ___, detective in the "Knives Out" films

• The answer is Blanc.

Give one's two cents

• The answer is Opine.

Time difference between the East and West Coast, in hours

• The answer is Three.

Pirate's assent

• The answer is Aye.

DownGeneration after Gen Z

• The answer is Alpha.

In need of a shave

• The answer is Hairy.

"Bonne ___!" ("Happy New Year!," in French)

• The answer is Annee.

Many a social media antagonist, sadly

• The answer is Bot.

First in "class"?

• The answer is Cee.

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

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Mini Crossword.

Jimmy Kimmel picked up the prize for best talk show at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, and he made sure to pay tribute to one of the many people that's made it all possible: Donald Trump.

"FIFA Peace Prize would have been better, but this is nice too," said Kimmel as he took to the stage, making reference to the controversial award given to the U.S. president by football's governing body.

SEE ALSO: Critics Choice Awards nominations 2026: 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' take a commanding lead

"Thanks to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of who are in this room, who supported us, who really stepped forward for us, and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or in this country. Your actions were important, and we appreciate them. And most of all I want to thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump — without whom we would be going home empty-handed tonight," Kimmel continued.

"So thank you, Mr President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day. It's been a banner couple of weeks and we can't wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them."

Kimmel's speech makes reference to the many people in the entertainment industry, including fellow late show hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, who came to his defence after ABC's parent company Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Sept. 2025. The decision was made following a threat from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr's to punish ABC over comments made by Kimmel during a monologue following the killing of far-right commentator Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel's show was reinstated less than a week later, with the host's return monologue becoming the most-watched on his YouTube channel.

We've rounded up the full list of winners at the Critics Choice Awards on Mashable.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you know baseball.

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. 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.

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: Striking options

• Green: Missing the same letter

• Blue: Same team

• Purple: Same second word

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Golf shots

• Green: Basketball stats in singular form

• Blue: New York Mets retired numbers

• Purple: ____ block

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 #469 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Golf shots - APPROACH, CHIP, DRIVE, PUTT

• Basketball stats in singular form - BLOCK, FOUL, POINT, TURNOVER

• New York Mets retired numbers - PIAZZA, STENGEL, STRAWBERRY, WRIGHT

• ____ block - CHOP, PANCAKE, PASS, RUN

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 today's Connections.

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

Released in August 2025, the 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 onto 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 for 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 January 5, 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 January 5, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 5 Pips

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

Equal (2): Everything in this red space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 0-2, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 1-5, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 5 Pips

Number (1): Everything in this purple space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-6, placed vertically.

Number (6): Everything in this red space must add up to 6. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 1-6, placed vertically.

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

Equal (0): Everything in this yellow space must be equal to 0. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally; 0-3, placed vertically.

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

Number (10): Everything in this green space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.

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

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 0-3, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Jan. 5 Pips

Number (11): Everything in this purple space must add up to 11. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 3-1, placed vertically.

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

Number (11): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 11. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 3-1, placed vertically; 0-6, placed horizontally.

Number (11): Everything in this lower light blue space must add up to 11. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed horizontally.

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

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 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) isn't a gaming showcase, but gamers should pay attention, anyway.

CES 2026 kicks off this week, running Jan. 6 to 9, meaning all the biggest tech brands in the world have converged on Las Vegas to show off their wares. For people who love video games, CES is less a chance to see up and coming titles from big publishers and more a way to find out about upcoming video game hardware, specifically in the PC space. In other words, don't expect to hear much from Nintendo, PlayStation, or Xbox directly, even taking into account that parent companies like Sony and Microsoft will have some presence at the show.

SEE ALSO: CES 2026 live updates: The latest news, surprises, strange tech, and more

Still, that doesn't mean gamers should tune out CES entirely. Here are some gaming trends you can expect to hear about at CES 2026.

Gaming laptops galore, but how much will they cost? Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50 Series announcement was one of the biggest moments of CES 2025. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Gaming-focused laptops are always on display at CES, and this year shouldn't be an outlier in that regard. We know that manufacturers like Razer and Asus will be at the show in one way or another, so don't be surprised to see powerful new laptops from them at CES.

In terms of what has come out ahead of the event, we do know that Asus is reportedly working on a new dual-screen gaming laptop because the company all but announced it on X in December. This appears to be a rework of the ROG Zephyrus Duo laptop from a few years ago. Asus hasn't touched it since 2023, so maybe a redesign is in order. Don't be shocked to see that at CES.

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Beyond that, Lenovo is said to have a gaming laptop with a horizontal rollable display in the works, which could very well end up at CES this year. Lenovo has experimented with rollable displays in its non-gaming laptops before, but this one supposedly has Legion branding, which is what Lenovo uses for gaming devices. The display supposedly has a 21:9 aspect ratio when fully unrolled and an Intel core processor of some kind.

Speaking of Intel, the company has already confirmed that it will show off its new Panther Lake CPUs at CES. It's totally possible (though not certain) that we will see some powerful gaming laptops with these inside of them. The same goes for AMD, which is holding a keynote on Monday. We could see some devices with its powerful new Ryzen CPU built in, too.

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The only problem with all of this is that widespread memory shortages due to the proliferation of AI data centers has made computer components enormously expensive. This has implications for both console and PC gaming, and it will be worth watching at CES for which gaming laptops have prices attached to them and which ones do not. Will companies jack prices up, or stick with lower specs to keep prices down? We'll have to wait and see.

Updates to handheld gaming PCs, perhaps We went hands on with the Lenovo Legion Go 2 in Oct. 2025. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

All of these new chips could potentially find their way into handheld gaming PCs, as well. We know that Lenovo has a new Legion Go with SteamOS built in for anyone who doesn't want to use Windows anymore, so that could show up at CES.

This is still a growing and emerging market category, and it seems ripe for more devices beyond the Legion Go 2 to appear at CES. We'll keep our eyes peeled for these as we explore the show floor.

Flashy new gaming monitors They come in all sizes and shapes. Credit: Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images

Monitors are kind of the unsung heroes of any gaming PC build. Fortunately, they aren't forgotten at CES.

As usual, expect to see monitors with higher resolutions and refresh rates than you're used to seeing. Back in December, Philips announced a 1440p monitor with a blazing fast 500Hz refresh rate. That's wild in its own right, but it also reportedly has 1080p/1000Hz modes, too. Those are big numbers! It will definitely be worth checking those out if they appear at CES, which seems likely given the timing of the announcement.

Aside from that, Chinese monitor company HKC announced an RGB mini LED monitor recently, too. Rather than focusing on higher refresh rates, the idea here is to achieve better color accuracy through the use of RGB technology. Don't think they're skimping on the other specs, though, as this monitor evidently will run at 4K with a 165Hz refresh rate. That's no slouch.

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.