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SAVE $35: As of Dec. 18, the Echo Spot is on sale for $44.99 at Amazon. This is 44% off its list price of $79.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Echo Spot (newest model) $44.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $35.00 Get Deal

Amazon's offering up some nice discounts in the lead-up to the holidays for those getting some last-minute shopping in. Some items are even at their lowest-ever prices right now, like the Amazon Echo Spot, so you can save big on this smart alarm clock and even get it before Christmas.

Amazon has the Echo Spot marked down to $44.99, 44% off its list price of $79.99. According to price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is also the lowest-ever price for the Echo Spot, so there's truly no better time to pick it up. And if you have it on your list as a gift for the holidays, what's even better is Amazon notes it'll arrive before Christmas so you don't need to worry about late delivery.

SEE ALSO: Seize these last minute tablet deals from Amazon, Apple, and more

The Echo Spot is a worthy investment, too. It's a smart alarm clock with Alexa that can tell you about the weather, reminders you set, and play your favorite tunes or podcasts alongside telling the time. It's also a great size with a sleek design that can fit nicely on a bedside table or desk.

As Amazon states on its deal page, though, this is a limited-time offer so act fast to save on the Echo Spot.

The Echo Spot joins a variety of other Echo devices that Amazon has marked down right now. Have a look at our roundup of Amazon Echo deals to see if any more catch your eye. It's also worth checking out Amazon's top 100 holiday gift ideas to see if there are any more items worth picking up ahead of the holidays.

Facebook trouble? Whether you have an account-related issue or you want to report a bug, you have a few ways to contact Facebook support. We'll show you what your contact options are

Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) and Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) commit the most magical hit-and-run in the trailer for A24's Death of a Unicorn.

SEE ALSO: 2025 movie preview: All the films you'll want to know about

The directorial debut for Alex Scharfman (producer of House of Spoils) centers on Elliot (Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Ortega) as they head to a weekend retreat hosted by Elliot's billionaire boss Dell Leopold (Richard E. Grant, The Franchise). On the way there, they hit and kill a unicorn with their car. But what they see as a bizarre tragedy — and possibly a crime? — Dell sees as an opportunity. He and his ultra-rich Leopold family (played by The Bear's Will Poulter and Only Murders in the Building's Téa Leoni) decide to research the poor, dead unicorn's curative properties. According to the film's first trailer, it might even be the cure for cancer. ("That's the biggest one!" Poulter's character exclaims.)

But if you thought killing a unicorn (and exploiting it for dubious studies) was already crazy, the second half of Death of a Unicorn's trailer kicks it into high gear. Turns out, there's another unicorn on the loose. This one has more of a snarling, werewolf vibe — and it is bloodthirsty as can be. Basically, it looks like that one killer unicorn scene from Cabin in the Woods walked so this could run.

Death of a Unicorn hits theaters this spring.

Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown trades psychic superpowers for robots in The Electric State, directed by the MCU's Russo Brothers.

SEE ALSO: 2025 movie preview: All the films you'll want to know about

This retrofuturistic sci-fi adventure adapts Simon Stålenhag's graphic novel of the same name, in which robots live in exile after a failed rebellion. In this alternate version of the '90s, an orphaned girl named Michelle (Brown) travels across the United States in search of her long-lost brother Christopher. She's accompanied by a robot named Cosmo (voiced by Alan Tudyk, Moana 2), who may just be under Christopher's control, as well as a smuggler named Keats (Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy).

But there are many, many more stars (and robots) awaiting Michelle on her journey. Brown and Pratt will meet up with Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Stanley Tucci (Conclave), Giancarlo Esposito (The Boys), and more on their journey into The Electric State's robot-filled Exclusion Zone.

The Electric State hits Netflix on March 14.

TL;DR: Live stream Real Madrid vs. Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final for free on FIFA+. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Imagine winning the FIFA Derby of the Americas and the FIFA Challenger Cup, and your reward is Real Madrid.

Pachuca battled for a spot in the final of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, only to be matched up with Real Madrid. And Real Madrid didn't even need to qualify, which seems a little unfair on the Mexican side. Of course, Pachuca are not just here to make up the numbers. They will be coming into this final with the goal of upsetting the odds and lifting the trophy.

If you want to watch Real Madrid vs. Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the FIFA Intercontinental Cup?

The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is an international men's football competition organised by FIFA. The competition features the club champions of the six confederations of FIFA, and is played as a knockout tournament with the European team receiving a bye to the final.

When is Real Madrid vs. Pachuca?

Real Madrid vs. Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final kicks off at 12 p.m. ET on Dec. 18. This fixture is taking place at the Lusail Stadium.

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Pachuca for free

Real Madrid vs. Pachuca in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final is available to live stream for free on FIFA+.

FIFA+ is available worldwide, so fans from all around the world should be able to watch this fixture without spending anything. But if you are having problems accessing this free live stream, you should consider using a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another country, meaning you can bypass content restrictions to unblock free live streams from around the world.

What is the best VPN for FIFA+?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on FIFA+, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Smart speakers are useful all year round, but even more so at Christmas. Alexa tricks and routines can make life a little easier or more magical, and keep the kids entertained while you get on with all of your other Christmas tasks.

It took Apple a long, long time to properly bring Apple Maps to the web, but the version that we got in July was...well, adequate. You could use it to search for places, explore the map or get directions, but advanced features such as Look Around, Apple's version of Google Maps' Street View, were missing.

Well, Apple recently rectified this omission.

SEE ALSO: Apple is finally getting serious about foldable devices, reports say

As noticed by Chris Carley (via 9to5Mac) Apple Maps beta now has Look Around, which shows up as a small binoculars icon in the bottom left corner of the map. Click it, and you get a small window showing you the surroundings in a 360-degree, panoramic view. You can extend that window to cover the entire area of the map. Inside the Look Around view, you can click and drag with your mouse to turn around, zoom in and out with a pinch gesture on your trackpad, or double tap anywhere to move the camera forward.

This is an expanded view of a street in New York City. Credit: Apple Maps

It's a little different than Google Maps' Street View, which enables you to drag the little yellow man anywhere on the map to get a view of that precise location. On Apple Maps, you have to activate Look Around, and then click on a precise location on the map to see the surroundings there. Also, Apple Maps lets you move around in smaller increments, which can be useful if you need to check something in a very precise location, such as a street number.

Unlike Street View, Apple's Look Around is not available just about anywhere; you'll find it in some cities in the U.S., most of Europe, the UK, Japan, and Israel, to name a few places. For a full list, check Apple's website.

The feature works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari; you can check it out on Apple Maps.

At long last, Squid Game Season 2 is almost upon us. If you're struggling to wait, though, Player 456 himself (Lee Jung-jae) has appeared on The Tonight Show to give us a few last-minute clues.

In the clip above he's presented with two buzzers — one for "yes", and one for "no" — and asked a series of questions about the new season.

The most interesting one? "Do you become the new Front Man?", which prompts Jung-jae to press both buttons at once.

Squid Game Season 2 arrives Dec. 26 on Netflix.

The Daily Mini Crossword is one of the many popular daily word games available on Mashable. Powered by Arkadium, the mini crossword offers a speed round of puzzle fun with clues that are sure to challenge experienced crossword enthusiasts.

But there's no need to let the challenge get in the way of your enjoyment! If moments are turning to minutes after getting stuck on a clue, find the answers you need to progress right here.

And when you're done, check out the many other word games you can play on Mashable, including a full-size crossword.

Also, if you get stuck on any other daily word games, such as Wordle, Connections, or Strands — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for December 18 SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to Daily Mini Crossword for Wednesday, December 18, 2024:

Across"Spy vs Spy" magazine

• The answer is Mad.

Painfully slow

• The answer is Glacial.

Family tree

• The answer is Lineage.

Boolean logic operator

• The answer is And.

Called the shots

• The answer is Led.

Wheeling and _____

• The answer is Dealing.

Informal alliance

• The answer is Entente.

Baby carrier?

• The answer is Egg.

DownWhat a landslide political victory confers

• The answer is Mandate.

High card

• The answer is Ace.

Ringing up, old-style

• The answer is Dialing.

S.C. Johnson spray

• The answer is Glade.

Flax fabric

• The answer is Linen.

Deal maker

• The answer is Agent.

Pigeon's perch

• The answer is Ledge.

Turkey part

• The answer is Leg.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

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.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A critical jousting tool.

SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for December 18 Hurdle Word 1 answer

LANCE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Sometimes depicted wearing a halo.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 18 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

ANGEL

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To swear.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 18, 2024 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CURSE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A sustained period of activity involving a specific act or task.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 18 Hurdle Word 4 answer

SPREE

Final Hurdle hint

To measure how heavy something is.

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

WEIGH

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

You decorate your home during the holidays, so why not your Mac? There are plenty of ways you can make your Mac feel a little more festive, here are my favorites.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game 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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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's The Mini crossword answers for December 18 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: Handling a task

• Green: Brews with distinct flavors

• Blue: Actions in the financial market

• Purple: Precedes "dome"

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Deal With

• Green: Styles of Beer

• Blue: Investment Verbs

• Purple: ___Dome

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 #556 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Deal With: FIELD, HANDLE, MANAGE, TACKLE

• Styles of Beer: BITTER, BOCK, SOUR, STOUT

• Investment Verbs: HEDGE, HOLD, SHORT, TRADE

• ___Dome: CAPITOL, CHROME, ONION, TEAPOT

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 December 18

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.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

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 today: Hints and answers for December 18 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's The Mini crossword answers for December 18 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Large and substantial, but not necessarily heavy.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter H.

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...

HEFTY.

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 December 18

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.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new 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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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's The Mini crossword answers for December 18 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: Fouls on the court

• Green: Yankees #2

• Blue: On skates

• Purple: Different types of balls

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Basketball violations

• Green: Derek Jeter nicknames

• Blue: Roller derby terminology

• Purple: ________ Ball

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 #86 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Basketball violations - BACKCOURT, DOUBLE-DRIBBLE, GOALTEND, TRAVEL

• Derek Jeter nicknames - CAPTAIN, DJ, JEETS, MR. NOVEMBER

• Roller derby terminology - BLOCKER, BRIDGING, JAMMER, PIVOT

• _____ Ball - AIR, FOUL, GOLF, LONZO

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.

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.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands 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 December 18 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 18 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: You say you want a revolution

These words are things that spin.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words are commonly seen spinning, or revolving.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Spinners.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for December 18

• Pinwheel

• Earth

• Football

• Dryer

• Tires

• Ballerina

• Spinners

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.

SAVE $60: As of Dec. 18, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are on sale at Best Buy for $189.99. This is $60 off their original price of $249.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods Pro 2 $189.99 at Best Buy
$249.99 Save $60.00 Get Deal

When it comes to travel, I always keep my AirPods Pro 2 earbuds with me. They're an absolute must to keep me busy with audiobooks, music, and podcasts while I'm on the move. And with the holidays coming up, I've already got them charged up and ready to go for a long flight home. If you've been hoping to pick up these earbuds for your own long travel days ahead, the good news is they're still on sale at Best Buy.

Right now you can scoop up the Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $189.99, $60 off their original price of $249.99. While they're not as low as they were during Cyber Monday, they're still absolutely worth picking up at this price. As a bonus, they also come with up to three months of Apple Music for free and three months of Apple Fitness+ for free.

SEE ALSO: Should AirPods be white? Hollywood heavyweight Franklin Leonard on the earbuds' hearing feature

The AirPods Pro 2 really shine with their noise canceling features. There are three modes to choose from: Active Noise Cancelation, Adaptive Audio, and Transparency mode. With ANC, you can tune out from the world around you and just stay focused on what you're listening to. This is a personal favorite for me so I can zone in on work or block out loud noises.

Transparency mode does the opposite, allowing you to hear your surroundings while listening, and Adaptive Audio combines both features to automatically adjust noise control depending on what's going on around you. On top of these, the AirPods Pro 2 just offer excellent sound in general thanks to Apple's H2 chip, so your ears are in for a real treat once you put them in.

This deal may not stick around for long, though. Pick up the Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $189.99 before this deal disappears.

There's plenty more still on sale at Best Buy that you can check out in its Last Minute Savings event. Alongside the AirPods Pro 2, you can also save on laptops, speakers, gaming consoles, and so much more. Stock up and save some cash ahead of the holidays.

There's all kinds of erotic fan fiction out there on the internet, and you'd better believe some of that fiction features Conan O'Brien proudly at its centre.

In the podcast clip above from Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, O'Brien's co-host Matt Gourley reads some of this creative work out loud while co-host Sona Movsesian tells him to, "Stop, now."

O'Brien's reaction? "I'm glad someone is finally seeing me as a sexual being, because I've been ignored too long."

Imagine a Razer-branded peripheral, and no matter what it is, it’s probably covered in glowing lights. Until recently, one of the company’s most popular headsets featured no lighting whatsoever, something it has remedied with the Razer Barracuda X Chroma.

SAVE $50: As of Dec. 18, the 1TB Xbox Series X all-digital console is on sale for $399.99 at Best Buy. This is $50 off its original price of $449.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Xbox Xbox Series X All-Digital Console (1TB) $399.99 at Best Buy
$449.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal

Even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, it's still not too late to save on gaming items ahead of the holidays. Right now, Best Buy's offering up a nice little discount on the robot white Xbox Series X that's well worth jumping on if you've had a new console on your list this year.

The 1TB Xbox Series X all-digital console is currently $50 off its list price of $449.99, dropping it to $399.99. This is a great price for a console with so much space in it and even matches its Cyber Monday price. What better time to grab it?

SEE ALSO: The Xbox Elite Series 2 controller is $50 off for a limited time

And with an all-digital design, you can stock up on several games right away from the online store. The Countdown Sale is even going on right now so you can save a little extra on big games like Star Wars Outlaws, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and so many more. Or, if you've got Xbox Game Pass, you can stock up with plenty of games from that library as well.

This deal likely won't stick around for long, so save $50 on the 1TB Xbox Series X all-digital console before the discount disappears.

Best Buy's offering even more as part of its Last Minute Savings event. This includes deals on everything from speakers to home goods, so you can stock up on items you need ahead of the holidays without breaking the bank.

OpenAI is making major moves as it sets the table for 2025.

To the casual observer, OpenAI has spent the past week flooding the tech world with announcements and rollouts — not all of which gel into any sort of clear product agenda.

It's all part of a holiday-timed event called "12 Days of OpenAI," a plan to ship a product or feature every day for 12 days marketed by the AI giant as bold and ambitious, even though some of the announcements, like a folder system for organizing your ChatGPT conversations, might seem like filler.

But if you step back and look at the sum of its parts, you can see that OpenAI is deliberately laying a roadmap for ChatGPT to become the next "everything app."

The term comes from Elon Musk when talking about transforming X, into "a single application that encompasses everything," as he told employees in a leaked 2023 all-hands meeting. "You can do payments, messages, video, calling, whatever you’d like, from one single, convenient place." 

Tweet may have been deleted

Musk's plans to build X into an everything app have yet to come to fruition. But it's still a useful description for the strategy of embedding a technology so deeply into users' lives that they use it for all of their technological needs. 

OpenAI seems to be doing something similar with ChatGPT by launching user-friendly tools oriented around never having to leave the app. There's ChatGPT Search, its Google search engine competitor for accessing the web, Canvas, a kind of digital notepad for iterating on writing and code, Projects, a tool for creating and customizing projects that works with ChatGPT Search and Canvas, and Advanced Voice Mode, a vision and voice modalities tool that can see your screen and walk you through tasks.

Beside you the whole time is ChatGPT, underpinned by GPT-4o, that can generate responses with text, audio, voice, and images. ChatGPT is on your iPhone now too, thanks to a partnership with Apple, the original lifestyle embedders.  

Despite persistent shortcomings, ChatGPT's roadmap is clear

In the near future, OpenAI will take one step closer toward its goal of "achieving AGI" by putting all these tools together in an agent that can perform multi-step tasks on the user's behalf. 

This isn't just speculation. CEO Sam Altman said at OpenAI DevDay that "2025 is when agents will work," and CPO Kevin Weil reinforced this in a Reddit AMA, saying ChatGPT being able to perform tasks on its own will be "a big theme in 2025." Indeed, reports from Bloomberg and The Information say OpenAI's agentic tool, codenamed "Operator," will be able to book flights, write code, and generally browse the web.

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Meanwhile, AI model development might be running out of high quality training data and experiencing diminishing returns. And generative AI has a persistent hallucination problem that might not ever be fully resolved, which leads to the proliferation of AI slop, and also harmful misinformation, defamation, and potential copyright infringement. But despite genAI's proven unreliability for certain things and AI-weary public sentiment, OpenAI is doing its damndest to make the case for ChatGPT as the everything app with billion dollar stakes.

ChatGPT already has the parts, now it's time to assemble it

Imagine you or your partner is pregnant for the first time and you have no idea what to do. You frantically use ChatGPT Search to research baby books, pregnancy diets and workouts, the best prenatal vitamins, birthing classes, why doctors hate doulas, baby gear, etc. You create a ChatGPT Project called "Baby Deliverables," and upload all of your research and notes, asking ChatGPT to help you plan a timeline of tasks before the baby's arrival and a budget for all the new expenses. 

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As the pregnancy progresses, you use Advanced Voice Mode with vision to ask ChatGPT if the amount of swelling in you or your partner's feet is normal. You might even find yourself confiding in Advanced Voice Mode about the difficult hormonal changes or sharing ultrasound photos with the warm and friendly disembodied voice who's never busy, unlike family and friends. 

Soon, you might even be able to compile a list of gifts and automatically populate a baby shower registry, or ask ChatGPT to research the best strollers and buy the best-rated one within your price range. 

All of this is already or likely soon to be possible within ChatGPT. And that's exactly what OpenAI wants — particularly since this scenario seeps beyond the 9-to-5 work productivity use case and into everyday companionship.

The everything app concept has Apple origins

The everything app concept isn't something Musk came up with. In fact, he was referencing apps in China like WeChat, a messaging, calling, social media, news, and payment app all rolled into one. 

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But it was really Apple that championed the concept with the "walled garden" ecosystem. Apple is famous for slick, beautifully-designed products that seamlessly integrate with other Apple devices, while being incompatible with non-Apple products. Apple sells its users on the promise of realizing their untapped potential, or as Mashable's Chris Taylor calls it, "aspirational creativity," thus locking them into a neverending product cycle. 

With its reality distortion field, Apple's best trick is to simultaneously make consumers feel like they need Apple devices to be the most productive and creative versions of themselves while defending its anti-competitive business practices. As Cory Doctorow puts it in his description of the cult of mac, "Apple’s most valuable intangible asset isn’t its patents or copyrights — it’s an army of people who believe that using products from a $2.89 trillion multinational makes them members of an oppressed religious minority whose identity is coterminal with the interests of Apple’s shareholders."

When you look at OpenAI's recent launches, it seems like Sam Altman has taken a leaf out of the Steve Jobs playbook.

"We really want to make ChatGPT as frictionless and easy to use everywhere," said Altman in a meta moment announcing the ChatGPT and iOS integration. "We love Apple devices and so this integration is one that we're very very proud of."

ChatGPT's new features and updates seem to be carefully designed with the consumer in mind: paying special attention to the needs of a user's workflow or overall online behavior. In other words, the promise of enhanced productivity and creative fulfillment is just a monthly payment away.

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ChatGPT subscriptions are a critical part of OpenAI's revenue model. According to financial documents reviewed by the New York Times, around 10 million users pay $20 for a ChatGPT Plus subscription and OpenAI plans to raise the price to $44 a month over the next five years.

And that was reported before OpenAI announced ChatGPT Pro for $200 a month. Combine that with OpenAI's revenue projections of $100 billion by 2029 and you can start to see the company's plan from novelty chatbot to everything app unfold.

That all hinges on making ChatGPT more valuable to its users. ChatGPT has already started to move away from the restricted chatbot experience. In a few short years, it's evolved to support image, audio, and video in addition to text and will soon have more autonomous abilities.

Speaking at Stanford University last spring, Altman called GPT-4 "the dumbest model any of you will ever have to use again," and described the forthcoming GPT-5 as a "significant leap forward" during an interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival. That's assuming the much-hyped GPT-5 is still part of the plan. In the meantime, OpenAI is rounding out ChatGPT with updates and features that emphasize its everyday usefulness. 

But just as OpenAI's allegedly altruistic mission "to ensure that AGI… benefits all of humanity," merits new scrutiny in the company's attempt to become for-profit, so does the intention behind its flurry of product announcements. OpenAI is a business and the goal of any business is to sell you stuff. Some of the new features may seem minor, but it's all part of a broader plan to hit that revenue projection. And maybe achieve AGI along the way.