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SAVE $118.02: As of Sept. 2, the Garmin vívoactive 5 is on sale for $181.97 at Amazon. That's a 39% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin vívoactive 5 $181.97 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $118.02   Get Deal

The Garmin vívoactive 5 is currently over $100 off at Amazon, bringing the price down to $181.97 from $299.99. That's a big saving if you've been after a Garmin smartwatch that can track your activity, workouts, and sleep without paying full price. This price is specific to the ivory colorway, but for just $8 more, you can also choose from slate, orchid, and navy.

This is a great all-rounder fitness tracker, with its ability to track multiple activities while still giving all the lifestyle stats and monitoring you could want. It has a bright AMOLED display, which makes the screen vivid and colorful. It's controlled both by a touchscreen and buttons, so it's nice and easy to use.

SEE ALSO: Where to buy the Garmin Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro: New features, release date, and price

Plus, it tracks everything from sleep, stress, and Body Battery energy levels to heart rate and activity, with more than 30 built-in sports apps covering activities such as running, walking, cycling, and swimming. For wheelchair users, wheelchair mode tracks pushes instead of steps and includes dedicated workouts and challenges.

If sleep tracking is important to you, this Garmin not only gives you in-depth stats but also offers personalized sleep coaching, automatic nap detection, and insights into how it affects your overall energy levels.

This deal is only available at Amazon for a limited time, so don't miss out.

Dell has another answer to the MacBook Neo just months after unveiling the redesigned XPS 13. The PC maker has introduced a new, overhauled 14S laptop that it claims is a better pick than Apple's most affordable model—if you're willing to make a few tradeoffs.

TL;DR: The Motorola Razr and Motorola Razr+ are free right now with T-Mobile. To qualify for the Motorola Razr, simply activate a new line on an Experience More plan. Activate a new line on an Experience Beyond plan to claim the Motorola Razr+.

Opens in a new window Credit: Motorola T-Mobile: Motorola Razr and Motorola Razr+ for free   Shop Now

We know the tech world's focus is firmly on Apple's next event right now. We've read the rumors, leaks, and genuine news about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max that are likely to launch this month. We get it, but not everyone is totally obsessed with the iPhone.

We know that's a wild thing to write, but it's true. There are people out there who don't care about the iPhone. We're talking to these people when we say that T-Mobile is giving away the new Motorola Razr and Motorola Razr+ for free, with no trade-in required.

SEE ALSO: Do we really need a foldable iPhone? Heck yes we do.

Mobile carrier deals can often be pretty confusing, but this latest batch from T-Mobile is as straightforward as it gets. You can claim the Motorola Razr by activating a new line on an Experience More plan. To score the Motorola Razr+, simply activate a new line on an Experience Beyond plan.

The total cost is covered with up to 36 monthly bill credits. If you cancel or switch carriers before the end of the contract, you’ll owe the remaining balance on the phone’s full retail price. You will also need to pay taxes and a one-time connection charge with this deal, but that's a small price to pay for the latest Motorola handsets.

Score the new Motorola Razr and Motorola Razr+ for free from T-Mobile.

X users are reportedly receiving multiple password reset confirmation emails en masse, allegedly triggered by hackers attempting to access their accounts. While there have been no reported breaches thus far, these emails may be hiding a secondary attack.

SEE ALSO: With the launch of X Money, Elon Musk gets one step closer to his 'everything app'

In a post on Monday, X product engineer Mridul Singhai acknowledged the deluge of password reset emails that many users have been receiving.

"Attackers appear to believe that, now that @XMoney is widely available, they can gain unauthorized access to accounts," Singhai posted, responding to a user who raised the issue. "We are actively investigating the issue and, so far, have found no evidence of any breaches. We apologize for the multiple emails and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this."

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X launched X Money in July, offering financial services to users with paid X Premium or Premium+ accounts. Users can hold money, make payments, and receive funds within the X platform, as well as conduct peer-to-peer transfers. As such, if a hacker is able to gain unauthorised access to people's X accounts, it could have serious financial consequences.

Sharing Singhai's post, X's general counsel James Burnham stated that "[t]he legal and security teams [at] @X will stop at nothing to identify, locate, and hold criminally accountable any person anywhere on or off earth who attempts to victimize our platform's users."

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

Receiving an email verifying a password change request doesn't automatically mean that your account has been compromised. Such emails are a commonly used multi-factor authentication mechanism, helping to ensure that strangers can't simply change your password without permission and lock you out of your account.

As such, while receiving these emails unsolicited does suggest that someone has attempted to access your account, it doesn't necessarily mean that they were successful. Still, such notifications aren't exactly reassuring.

Even more concerningly, while X's password reset emails pose no immediate danger in and of themselves, hackers may be using these messages to obfuscate their actual attack.

Some users claim that follow-up phishing emails are also being sent out amidst X's password reset confirmations, disguised as legitimate emails from the platform. These phishing attempts reportedly tell users to change their passwords, which is typically a sensible measure when there's a security breach. However, the emails provide a fake X link to do so, attempting to trick users into providing their login credentials to hackers.

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

While X hasn't officially confirmed that this is happening, Singhai has stated it is "plausible." As such, he advised users to check that emails purporting to be from X come from "x.com," and that they have a blue BIMI check mark authenticating them.

As always, the best cybersecurity practice is to hover over links in emails to check where they're actually sending you, or better yet avoid clicking such links altogether. It's much safer to change your password by directly accessing X via its mobile app or by typing its URL into your web browser. You should also be suspicious of messages that claim you must act urgently, as hackers may try rushing you into giving them information in a panic before you've thought it through.

As tech does, almost every new model builds improvements to the previous iteration. While that's not an absolute truth, Bluetti is out to make portable power stations have more capacity, weigh less, and come with greater usability than ever before. All of this while keeping prices affordable.

As of today, the Bluetti lineup has grown to include a model that has the potential to become my new favorite. Welcome to the campsite, Bluetti Elite 100 mini. Here's everything to know about the new portable power station and why it might be the right model for you.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Elite 100 mini $407.55 at Amazon
$429 Save $21.45 use code BLUETTI5OFF at checkout Get Deal Highlights of the Bluetti Elite 100 mini

A 1,000Wh portable power station is a great all-around capacity for taking camping, using during a power outage, or taking into the backyard for a movie night. The Bluetti Elite 100 mini comes with 1,004.8Wh with a continuous output of 700W. But here's where things get a bit wild — the Bluetti Elite 100 mini only weighs 23.6 pounds. That's lighter than the 24.9 pounds for the Anker Solix C1000 Gen 2, which has come on countless camping trips with me.

Easy to carry at under 24 pounds. Credit: Bluetti

I haven't tested the Bluetti Elite 100 mini yet, but Bluetti says it's capable of recharging a laptop up to 13 times or a phone more than 34 times. In Power-Lifting mode, the Bluetti can support up to 1,400W. The nine ports offer great versatility and include three standard AC ports and a high-speed 140W USB-C option.

How to buy the Bluetti Elite 100 mini

The Bluetti Elite 100 mini is already up for grabs online at Amazon and Bluetti. The standard list price is set at $429 but orders during the initial launch can take 5% off with code BLUETTI5OFF. That'll bring the price down to just $407.55 which is a great deal for a 1kW portable power station.

The Bluetti Elite 100 Mini can handle up to 350W of solar input. Credit: Bluetti

You can also shop bundles with the same discount code. The Bluetti Elite 100 mini with a 100W solar panel is selling for a sale price of $531.05 and the power station with a 200W solar panel is on sale for $616.55, down from the list price of $649.

Bluetti doesn't have an end date stated for the end of this discount code, but it's always better to be on the safe side and snag it before the code expires.

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

Upper room.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

ATTIC

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A kitchen utensil.

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

WHISK

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Popular in Cuba.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for September 2, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Meanings for each word for Sept. 2, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CIGAR

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To extend.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

REACH

Final Hurdle hint

Where a book might be.

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

SHELF

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

Updated on Sept. 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET — The Mashable Big Guessing Game contest is now finished. We will be selecting winners after the Apple event next week. Good luck with the drawing! Please keep an eye on your email for a message about winning the contest. To follow along with our latest Apple coverage, check out everything we expect from the upcoming September iPhone launch event.

The Mashable Big Guessing Game is back again for our third (and final) round, and this is your last call to enter for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. In the first round, we tried to guess the new name of macOS 27 (only one person correctly predicted "Golden Gate"), and in the second round, we tried to predict whether a foldable iPhone or touchscreen Mac is coming this year (we still don't know).

So, if you think you know what Apple has in store for the Sept. 9 "Surprise and Shine" keynote event, this is your last chance to enter. Every correct answer earns you another chance to win the new Apple Watch. To enter, just click "Get Started."

What is the Mashable Big Guessing Game: Apple Edition?

In advance of WWDC and the fall iPhone event, we've asked Mashable readers to guess what Apple has in store. Every correct guess earns you another chance to win an Apple Watch, and it only takes a minute to play. The final round of the Big Guessing Game ends soon, so don't miss out!

In our last round of the contest, we're focusing on the expected Apple event in September, where we expect to see a full new lineup of iPhone models, including the highly anticipated foldable iPhone, plus new AirPods and Apple Watches. Will new CEO John Ternus appear on the roof of Apple Park? How much will the latest and greatest version of the iPhone Pro Max cost? If there is a foldable iPhone, what will Apple name it?

Make your predictions for the September "Surprise and Shine" event on Sept. 9 by guessing the answers to five questions, then sit back and watch the event to see how many you get right. Each correct guess earns you an additional chance of winning the grand prize, the latest edition of the new Apple Watch.

This final round of contest questions will run until 11:59 p.m. PT on Sept. 1.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY to enter or win the "CNET Group Big Guessing Game" Giveaway. Open to legal U.S. residents in the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18+ yrs of age. Other restrictions apply. Begins May 19, 2026 at 12:01 pm ET and ends Sept. 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET. Void where prohibited. Subject to Official Rules: https://www.mashable.com/article/mashable-big-guessing-game-apple-edition-official-contest-rules/. Sponsor: Ziff Davis, LLC.

Apple is not a sponsor of, affiliated with, or endorser of this sweepstakes. Apple Watch is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you've watched the Falcons during the 2010s.

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: Sports

• Green: Lone Star colleges

• Blue: Shares the same Portuguese first name

• Purple: Types of plays in sports

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: ___Ball Sports

• Green: Texas Schools

• Blue: Fernandos

• Purple: ___Play

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 #709 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• ___Ball Sports: BASE, BASKET, RACQUET, VOLLEY

• Texas Schools: BAYLOR, HOUSTON, RICE, SMU

• Fernandos: ALONSO, MENDOZA, TATIS, VALENZUELA

• ___Play: 3-POINT, DOUBLE, SQUEEZE, TRICK

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 2, 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 2, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for September 2 Pips

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

Number (4): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.

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

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

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

Medium difficulty hints, answers for September 2 Pips

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 4-5, placed horizontally.

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

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 2-3, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically; 1-3, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for September 2 Pips

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 6-4, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically; 5-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically; 5-0, placed horizontally.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 5-0, placed horizontally.

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

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally; 5-4, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically; 1-4, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this green space must be equal to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, 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 2, 2026 Dazzle meaning

To blind someone with a bright light.

Floor meaning

To overwhelm.

Stun meaning

To shock.

Wow meaning

To impress.

Bow meaning

A long curved, wooded weapon.

Mute meaning

Silent.

Rosin meaning

An amber-colored resin that comes from pine trees.

Shoulder rest meaning

An accessory used by violinist.

Hunting meaning

The process of chasing and killing animals.

Rescue meaning

To save.

Sausage meaning

A food made from ground meat.

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.

Sheep meaning

A woolly farm animal.

Corn meaning

A yellow, husked vegetable.

Prairie meaning

Flat, grassy land.

Salty meaning

Has a briny taste.

Top meaning

At the peak.

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.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you're a musician.

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.

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 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: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 2, 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: To shock

• Green: What an instrumentalist might carry

• Blue: Canines

• Purple: Not canines

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: Flabbergast

• Green: Things in a violin case

• Blue: ___ dogs (that are dogs)

• Purple: ___ dogs (that aren't dogs)

Play our Big Guessing Game: Make your predictions now for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. Time's running out!

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 #1177 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Flabbergast: DAZZLE, FLOOR, STUN, WOW

• Things in a violin case: BOW, MUTE, ROSIN, SHOULDER REST

• ___ dogs (that are dogs): HUNTING, RESCUE, SAUSAGE, SHEEP

• ___ dogs (that aren't dogs): CORN, PRAIRIE, SALTY, TOP

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're spiritual.

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 2, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: All will be revealed

The words are things that become evident.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe things coming to fruition.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

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.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Come to Light.

NYT Strands word list for September 2

• Emerge

• Arise

• Surface

• Come to Light

• Materlize

• Manifest

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're power-hungry.

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 2, 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 September 2, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

An emperor.

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RULER

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

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The cameras are coming down in Florida. Partially.

On Monday, the Florida Department of Transportation officially revoked permission for law enforcement agencies to operate automated license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way. Police agencies have 30 days to remove them.

The order represents one of the broadest government actions yet against the increasingly controversial technology. And although Flock Safety has become almost synonymous with automated license plate readers, Florida’s directive applies to the entire category, including cameras supplied by competitors such as Axon and Motorola.

Florida officials cited the "recent exponential increase" in camera deployments, along with "concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes."

Florida appears to be the first state to order the wholesale removal of automated license plate readers from its state highway system, rather than pausing new installations, limiting their use, or cutting funding.

SEE ALSO: What are Flock cameras and why are they so controversial?

The order applies statewide but only to cameras installed within state highway rights-of-way. It does not prohibit license plate readers on local roads or private property, where Florida officials say most of the cameras are located.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it would discontinue its use of license plate readers throughout Duval County effective immediately, even as it called them valuable investigative tools. Pasco and Manatee counties have also moved to ban or remove the devices, while Oviedo’s mayor said the city’s cameras would be gone by the end of September "one way or another."

Gov. Ron DeSantis had telegraphed the move days earlier, describing the proliferation of license plate readers as "out of control" and warning against the creation of a surveillance state.

"These cameras that are out there now — who’s to say they’re only doing the license plate?" DeSantis said during an appearance on Eric Bolling’s Main Street America program. "I think it’s capturing people in their cars. I think it’s capturing way more information than they’re letting on. And you’ve seen the abuse."

Flock says a ban is the wrong response. The company argues that its cameras help police solve serious crimes, recover stolen vehicles, and locate missing people. "Rather than banning a critical public safety tool, we support thoughtful legislation and strong privacy, transparency, and accountability guardrails," Flock said in a statement.

Florida may be the biggest development of the week, but it is not an isolated one. Across the country, state and local officials (and local vigilantes) have spent the past several days covering cameras, canceling contracts, and asking questions that many departments did not address before the technology was installed.

"I think it’s capturing people in their cars. I think it’s capturing way more information than they’re letting on. And you’ve seen the abuse." - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's comments on Main Street America Weeks of cancellations, pauses, and proposed bans

Florida is not the only state reconsidering its relationship with Flock. Just days before the highway order, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed state agencies to stop funding the company’s cameras. His office pointed to mounting concerns about misuse, including the indictment of a Lufkin police officer who faces 100 felony counts for allegedly conducting unauthorized searches in Flock’s database.

In Wisconsin, Menasha Mayor Austin Hammond ordered every Flock camera in the city covered by the end of Sept. 1. He added that he would ask the Common Council to terminate its contract later in September. Menasha police had already introduced additional safeguards, including a public transparency log and regular audits of system users. Even with those measures, Hammond said community concerns about privacy and data access warranted ending the program.

"There is a great and genuine concern that exists regarding privacy and how the data is accessed and shared," Hammond told local news.

SEE ALSO: This map shows how many Flock cameras are in your neighborhood

The pullback continued Sep. 1 in Tennessee, where Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett paused all 70 automated license plate readers overseen by his office. Meanwhile, several Massachusetts communities took action over the preceding days: Abington and Ayer ended their relationships with Flock, while Southbridge suspended its program pending greater public discussion of the technology and possible statewide safeguards. Groton also announced that it would terminate its contract, following an internal review. They add to five other local Massachusetts towns discontinuing their cameras.

"Being a successful police department is not simply about having the most tools or the newest technology," Abington Police Chief John Bonney. "It’s about maintaining the trust and confidence of the people we serve."

As of Aug. 31, the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public-interest law firm challenging automated license plate readers in court, counted 144 local governments that had canceled or declined to renew ALPR contracts since the beginning of 2025.

The speed of the pullback reveals how quickly Flock’s standing has deteriorated. A company that once built an enormous national network by selling its cameras as relatively inexpensive, low-maintenance tools for solving crimes now faces scrutiny from both political parties, organized community opposition, and the public at large.

I wear a smartwatch so that I almost never have to hear my phone. My watch tells me when someone's calling, when someone's texting, and other important things. Just as importantly, my watch can know when not to tell me as well.

For anyone who remembers printing MapQuest directions before a road trip, the navigation service may feel like something that belongs in the glove compartment of internet history. Apparently, all it took for a comeback was President Donald Trump starting yet another dispute over what to call a body of water.

Lake Ontario, which sits between New York and the Canadian province of Ontario, became the latest front in Trump’s trade war with Canada. On Aug. 27, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" within 30 days. Why? Trump said Canada had been "ripping us off for a long time on trade."

MapQuest refused to go along, and users apparently liked that answer: The 30-year-old service shot to No. 1 among free apps in Apple’s U.S. and Canadian App Stores.

"We’re not changing it," the company wrote on X, along with other defiant posts.

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According to Appfigures data, MapQuest recorded roughly 80,000 iOS downloads in the U.S. and Canada on Sunday, up from a daily average of around 500 earlier in August. Google Play downloads climbed from approximately 1,000 per day to 20,000 on Saturday.

MapQuest reportedly surpassed 100,000 total downloads on Aug. 30, giving the service its best day in a decade. And those downloads apparently did not just sit unopened; the company said usage had increased roughly 50-fold, suggesting people were genuinely giving the old navigation app another chance.

"People spoke with their downloads," MapQuest general manager Doug Berger told Business Insider. "They want a mapping app with names they’re familiar with."

Funny enough, MapQuest was once nearly synonymous with getting lost. Launched in 1996, the service helped introduce millions of people to online navigation by generating turn-by-turn directions they could print and bring along for the ride. If a driver missed a turn, however, there was no automatic rerouting. Someone in the passenger seat simply had to figure it out. (Cue Gen Z gasps.)

Then built-in car navigation systems and smartphones came along, and there was no longer much reason to print out a route before leaving home. By 2008, Google Maps had overtaken MapQuest, turning the once-dominant service into a reminder of an earlier era of the internet.

But MapQuest has since managed to turn its age into part of the joke. After Trump ordered federal agencies to adopt "Gulf of America" in 2025, MapQuest joked on X that it was keeping the old name because it had not updated its maps in 15 years and no longer remembered how. The company later created an official "Name your own gulf" generator that allowed people to label it whatever they wanted.

This time, MapQuest brought the tool back and invited users to rename Lake Ontario themselves.

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"We took the same approach we did with the Gulf of Mexico: be part of the conversation, and give people an app that keeps the names they’re familiar with," Berger said in an Aug. 31 statement.

Google Maps, meanwhile, took the opposite turn. On Saturday, Aug. 29, the company began rolling out the "Lake America" label to users in the United States after the name was formally added to the U.S. Geographic Names Information System. Canadians will continue to see "Lake Ontario," while users elsewhere will see both names. Google said the change followed its long-standing policy of reflecting names used by official government sources. It also quickly renamed the Gulf of Mexico back in 2025.

'How the GNIS Lake Ontario/Lake America name change in the U.S. will appear in Maps' Credit: Screenshot: Google

Apple Maps, on the other hand, continued to display "Lake Ontario." On Aug. 31, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump had contacted Apple directly and asked it to update the name. By Sep. 1, Apple had begun displaying the new name to U.S. users. Apple followed the same pattern last year when it came to the Gulf of Mexico/America.

Canadian leaders have firmly rejected the new name. Prime Minister Mark Carney pointed out that Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, meaning "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big." The name is more than 400 years old. "Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always," he added.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford compared Trump's order to "something out of Saturday Night Live" and insisted, "No one's going to call it Lake America."

Whether MapQuest can convert one viral weekend into a lasting revival remains to be seen. But after years of being overshadowed by Google and Apple, it finally found its way back to the top, all without changing direction.

It's 2026. Who on earth is buying RAM right now?

OpenAI confirmed on Tuesday that its unreleased Astra model has reached a dangerous new milestone, while simultaneously confirming that it was forging ahead with a public launch.

In a blog post, OpenAI said that Astra has reached a "critical" cyber capability threshold, which means the model could pose existential-level risks to cybersecurity. OpenAI's Preparedness Framework tracks risk levels in three categories: biological/chemical, cybersecurity, and AI self-improvement.

OpenAI confirmed to Mashable that this is the first time any of its models has been evaluated at the critical level in either of the three domains, making this a watershed moment in AI development.

The same blog post also stated that Astra will be "available soon," but that its most advanced cybersecurity skills will be reserved for select testing partners, in the interest of public safety. The AI company said it was still preparing to safely release Astra and would be transparent about the potential threat level.

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Previously, OpenAI warned that it could not rule out the possibility that Astra had reached the "critical" level in its Preparedness Framework.

"Under our Preparedness Framework, a model reaches the Critical cybersecurity threshold if it can identify and develop functional zero-day exploits of all severity levels in many hardened real-world critical systems without human intervention, or can devise and execute end-to-end novel strategies for cyberattacks against hardened targets given only a high level desired goal," an Aug. 7 OpenAI blog post stated.

OpenAI previously rated GPT-5.6-Sol as a "high" risk in the cyber domain.

In recent months, advanced frontier models from Anthropic and OpenAI have developed rapidly at agentic coding and cybersecurity hacking. As a result, the prospect of AI agent swarms hacking critical infrastructure no longer seems far-fetched, especially after the Hugging Face hack. In that incident, swarms of AI agents developed by OpenAI escaped a secure testing environment and hacked Hugging Face, acting autonomously in order to pass a test. Meanwhile, thanks to a deluge of AI-discovered bugs, some zero-day bug bounty programs have been forced to shut down entirely.

SEE ALSO: The OpenAI-Hugging Face hack was worse than we thought

"While Astra was not involved in the Hugging Face incident, we have incorporated our learnings⁠ from that incident into our safety approach," OpenAI's blog post states. "Based on retrospective testing, we believe our production safeguards at the time would have prevented the Hugging Face incident. We have since implemented even stronger safeguards for Astra, including training the model to more reliably refuse harmful cyber requests and respect safety restrictions, additional protections against misuse, and monitoring that can stop potentially unauthorized activity."

The situation is starting to feel a little too much like War Games, frankly.

In its blog post, OpenAI detailed some of the safety precautions developed around Astra, with the goal of preventing bad actors from accessing the model and stopping Astra from taking unwanted actions on its own. The company said it's tightened its secure sandboxes, for example. The model should also refuse user attempts to misuse the model. OpenAI has also stepped up "offline detection and threat disruption" efforts.

On the same day OpenAI made these announcements, Anthropic announced the launch of Fable 5.1, an update to its latest frontier-level model. While advanced frontier models do pose cybersecurity risks, the same models will also benefit cybersecurity defenders in the long run.

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.

Most of the vibe coding projects I encounter are written in high-level languages like C, C++, or Python. However, Claude can also write decent MicroPython—you just need to be a little careful.

Sonos is back. After taking some time to recover from a rough app rollout in 2024, the audio brand made a comeback in April 2026 with the Sonos Play portable speaker. Now, on Sept. 1, Sonos unveiled two new products in the home theater and personal listening categories. Now available for preorder are the Sonos Beam Ultra, a mid-sized soundbar, and Sonos Ace Ultra, the next iteration of the brand's Ace headphones.

The Sonos Beam Ultra is a premium upgrade to the exisiting Beam soundbar. Credit: Sonos

The Sonos Beam Ultra is an upgraded model of the existing Beam soundbar. The Beam Ultra is built with nine custom drivers, including two up-firing drivers that bring 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos. It comes with four levels of AI Speech Enhancement and Night Sound for late nights. While it is the focus of a home theater system, it can be paired with other Sonos speakers (including portable models) for a full surround-sound experience.

With the Sonos Ace Ultra, transfer what you're listening to straight from your headphones to your at-home Sonos system. Credit: Sonos

The Sonos Ace Ultra headphones are the new premium model of the existing Sonos Ace headphones. They're the first headphones from Sonos to be built on Headphone Engine 2, which links directly to your Sonos system. That means with the press of a button, whatever is playing on your headphones transfers to your Sonos speaker system and vice versa. The Ace Ultras house 40mm drivers and adaptive ANC powered by 10 microphones. Plus, Sonos touts that these headphones come with up to 35 hours of battery life — a claim we're eager to test.

The Beam Ultra soundbar costs $699, and the Ace Ultra headphones cost $449. Both are available for preorder as of Sept. 1 and will be available widely on Sept. 29.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sonos Sonos Beam Ultra $699 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Sonos Sonos Ace Ultra $449 at Amazon
  Pre-order Here