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By now, you’ve probably heard that a portable power station is the new must-have item. Unlike plenty of new tech, power stations are, in fact, useful for almost every home. Essentially, they’re a large, reliable battery that’ll keep your gadgets and even appliances operating without standard wall power.

Portable power stations are great to take camping, on van adventures, out on content creator assignments, or to the worksite. If you live in an area that’s prone to power outages, a portable power station can keep your phone charged, your CPAP machine on while sleeping, and some can even power the refrigerator, so you won’t have to worry about food spoilage. 

Portable power stations come in tons of varieties. Some are great for camping, while others weigh hundreds of pounds, powering up an entire house, and really push the limit of what we could consider portable. The market has seen serious expansion in the last few years, and we have tons of great models to choose from these days, so you're allowed to be as picky as you’d like in terms of power provided, port options, and nice extras. Here are Mashable’s favorite portable power stations.

Sometimes, you can create an automation in Home Assistant, and it will work perfectly the first time. Sadly, this isn't always the case. If your automation isn't working as expected, you may be able to find the problem faster using traces.

It’s common knowledge that many apps use algorithms these days. However, years before “For You” timelines, Spotify subscribers were already complaining about the algorithm. Well, the music service is finally giving you the keys to its recommendation engine with Prompted Playlists.

For years, Spotify's recommendation engine has felt like a mind reader. It quietly tracks what you play, skip, save, and replay, then serves up Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and an endless stream of algorithmically generated playlists designed to know your taste better than you know it yourself.

With its new feature, Prompted Playlist, Spotify is experimenting with a different idea: What if users didn't just receive recommendations, but actively shaped them?

Prompted Playlist, now launching for Spotify users in the U.S., is a new way to create playlists using personalized prompts, allowing listeners to guide Spotify's algorithm with greater intent and context. Instead of starting with a blank playlist or relying entirely on automated suggestions, users can describe what they want and let Spotify build from there.

It's a subtle shift, but one built around the idea of less passive consumption and more collaboration.

How Spotify's Prompted Playlist works

At its core, Prompted Playlist lets users generate playlists by entering a written prompt — anything from a mood or activity to a more imaginative musical direction. Think: "moody indie tracks for a rainy Sunday," "upbeat pop for a post-work walk," or even, "What would my listening look like if I were raised in Argentina?"

Credit: Spotify

What sets the feature apart is what happens behind the scenes. Prompted Playlist draws from a user's entire Spotify listening history, not just recent habits or popular tracks, pulling in years of data — from teenage emo phases to current hyperpop obsessions — to shape something that feels as personal and maleable as your own tastes.

Users can also choose to refresh playlists daily or weekly, allowing them to evolve over time as new music is released, trends shift, and listening habits change, rather than going stale after a few plays.

How is Promptd Playlist any different than Spotify's AI Playlist feature?

At first glance, Prompted Playlist may sound similar to Spotify's existing AI Playlist, which also lets users generate playlists with written prompts. But the two features are built for different kinds of listening and different relationships with the algorithm.

AI Playlist is largely about instant creation, whereas Prompted Playlist is designed to evolve over time.

According to Spotify, Prompted Playlist draws not only on prompt-based input but also on world knowledge, cultural relevance, and the full depth of a listener's platform history. In practice, that means the system matches keywords and interprets context.

When I asked Prompted Playlist to create a reading playlist to accompany This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska, I specified that I wanted something mystical and soft, serene, with elements of Slavic folklore. As the playlist generated, Spotify surfaced its process in real-time, displaying notes like "analyzing cultural motifs" and "filtering for instrumental sound."

The result was a playlist titled "Slavic Folklore Reading Mix" that leaned heavily on atmospheric, instrumental tracks, alongside classical selections like Tchaikovsky's "Mélodie, Op. 42 No. 3." The emphasis on texture over lyrics made it well-suited for reading, while the Eastern European influences suggested the system was interpreting cultural tone.

Credit: Spotify

Prompted Playlist's access to a listener's full platform history also opens the door to more personalized experiments. When I asked it to generate a playlist featuring the first 25 songs I ever listened to on Spotify, arranged in chronological order, it did exactly that, pulling from my own listening data. (For the record, the first song I ever played on my account on Sept. 12, 2011, was Cher Lloyd's "Swagger Jagger," which feels, in retrospect, deeply on brand.)

How do I make a Prompted Playlist on Spotify?

In the Spotify app, users can start by navigating to the Create Playlist option, where Prompted Playlist will appear as a new choice. From there, Spotify asks for a written prompt describing what you’re looking for — whether that's a mood, activity, aesthetic, or specific listening context.

First step: Navigate to "Create Playlist" on the app and select "Prompted Playlist" Credit: Crystal Bell / Mashable Next step: Enter your prompt Credit: Crystal Bell / Mashable

Once the prompt is submitted, Spotify generates a playlist in real-time, showing brief notes about how it's interpreting your request. After the playlist is created, users can choose to schedule automatic refreshes, setting it to update daily or weekly so the playlist continues to evolve with new music and changing tastes.

Now let Prompted Playlist cook. Credit: Crystal Bell / Mashable And here's your playlist! Credit: Crystal Bell / Mashable

The playlist can also be edited like any other Spotify playlist: tracks can be removed, reordered, or saved, and those interactions help fine-tune future updates.

TL;DR: The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Xbox gaming headset is currently on sale for $99.99 at Amazon. That's down from its usual $199.99 price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Razer Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Gaming Headset $99.99 at Razer
$199.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal

Razer doesn’t often slash prices this aggressively, especially on its premium esports-focused gear, which makes this deal on its BlackShark V2 Pro headset stand out all the more. As of Jan. 22, the Xbox-compatible version of the wireless headset has dropped to $99.99 at Amazon, marking a 50% discount on a headset built for competitive play and marathon gaming sessions.

To clarify, this Xbox-compatible version of the BlackShark V2 Pro headset is still fully usable on other platforms — PS5, the new Nintendo Switch 2, gaming PCs, and even Macs. Compared to the PlayStation-licensed model, also on sale for $99.99 and usable on those systems, you’re essentially getting added Xbox compatibility at no extra cost.

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

Designed with esports in mind, the BlackShark V2 Pro features Razer’s TriForce Titanium 50mm drivers, which separate highs, mids, and lows for clearer positional audio. Whether you’re tracking footsteps in Call of Duty or getting lost in a story-heavy RPG like Baldur's Gate 3, the sound profile promises to stay punchy without overwhelming your ears. The detachable HyperClear Super Wideband mic is another highlight, capturing voice with broadcast-like clarity that makes comms sound crisp rather than compressed.

Comfort has been a big priority of Razer here, too. The closed-back, noise-isolating earcups use ultra-soft memory foam that molds to your head, making the headset easy to wear for hours at a time — even with glasses. 

On the wireless front, Razer’s HyperSpeed 2.4GHz connection should keep latency low, while Bluetooth support adds flexibility across devices. The battery life looks excellent, giving you up to 70 hours on a single charge (or up to 48 hours when used on Xbox).

If you’re also after a visual upgrade to your gaming setup as well, the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 curved gaming monitor is at its lowest-ever price on Amazon. For something more budget-friendly, the LG Ultragear curved gaming monitor is going for $199.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet Journey Together 8 Booster Pack Lot is down to $64.45 at Amazon. This deal saves you $16 off its $79.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokemon Company Pokemon TCG Scarlet & Violet: Journey Together 8 Booster Pack Lot $64.45 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $15.54   Get Deal

Amazon has quietly been rolling out some new Pokémon TCG deals for collections and premium boxes, but this latest deal is perfect if you just want to stock up on a particular set. As of Jan. 22, the Journey Together 8 Booster Pack Lot has dropped to $64.45, marking a 19% discount on one of the most popular Scarlet & Violet-era expansions. 

This bundle includes eight sealed booster packs, each containing 10 cards, for a total of 80 cards pulled directly from the Journey Together set. With individual Journey Together boosters selling for $15 on Amazon (a very expensive price for single boosters), you’ll save around $55 compared to buying eight individual — at a saving of just under $7 per pack. 

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

The deal also comes with free delivery, with faster shipping available depending on location, and will likely sell out fast among keen trading card collectors. Released in March 2025, multi-pack products with Journey Together boosters have become rarer with the release of newer expansions and the launch of the Mega Evolution set. That’s made what were already some valuable chase cards — Lillie’s Clefairy ex, Salamance ex, N’s Zoroark ex, and Iono’s Bellibolt ex — just as expensive and worth pulling as ever.

Recently, this set has only been reliably available at a reasonable price as part of collections, bundled with packs of other expansions. If you’ve been eager for a new chance to pull some of its valuable chase cards, now’s the time. 

For more Pokémon TCG deals, you can still get $100 off the Mega Charizard X ex Ultra-Premium Collection. You can also buy the Pokémon TCG’s Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex League Battle Deck for only $19.93.

When it came to movies, 2025 was outstanding. Critics and audiences alike were awed by such sensational films as Sinners, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, and No Other Choice — just to name a few. But which of these will earn a coveted Oscar nod? Today's the day we find out.

Academy Award nominee Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman announced the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards in a live presentation from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. So how many of our favorites made the list? And who didn't?

Sinners got a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, One Battle After Another scored 13, Marty Supreme earned nine, and Hamnet received seven nominations, but nothing for our favorite sad boy, Paul Mescal.

SEE ALSO: Oscars 2026: Who got snubbed?

Here is the full list of nominees:

Best Actor in a Supporting Role 

Benicio Del Toro – One Battle After Another 

Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein 

Delroy Lindo – Sinners

Sean Penn – One Battle After Another 

Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value 

Amy Madigan – Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners 

Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Animated Short Film 

"Butterfly"

"Forevergreen"

"The Girl Who Cried Pearls"

"Retirement Plan"

"The Three Sisters"

Best Costume Design

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Frankenstein 

Hamnet 

Marty Supreme

Sinners

Best Live Action Short Film

"Butchers Stain"

"A Friend of Dorothy"

"Jane Austen's Period Drama"

"The Singers"

"Two People Exchanging Saliva"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling 

Frankenstein 

Kokuho

Sinners 

The Smashing Machine 

The Ugly Stepsister

Best Music (Original Score) 

Bugonia

Frankenstein

Hamnet

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Will Tracy – Bugonia

Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein

Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell – Hamnet

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

Robert Kaplow - Blue Moon

Jafar Panahi - It Was Just an Accident

Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Best Actor in a Leading Role 

Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme

Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another 

Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon 

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners 

Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent

Best Actress in a Leading Role 

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet 

Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I'd Kick You 

Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue

Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value 

Emma Stone – Bugonia 

Best Animated Feature Film 

Arco

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Zootopia 2

Best Picture

Bugonia

F1

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Best Casting

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

The Secret Agent

Sinners

Best Cinematography 

Frankenstein

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Train Dreams

Best Directing 

Chloé Zhao – Hamnet

Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another

Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler – Sinners

Best Documentary Feature Film 

The Alabama Solution

Come See Me in the Good Light

Cutting Through Rocks

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

The Perfect Neighbor

Best Documentary Short Film 

"All the Empty Rooms"

"Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud"

"Children No More: Were and are Gone"

"The Devil is Busy"

"Perfectly A Strangeness"

Best Film Editing

F1

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Best International Feature Film 

The Secret Agent 

It Was Just an Accident 

Sentimental Value

Sirāt 

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best Music (Original Song) 

"Dear Me" - Diane Warren: Relentless

"Golden - Kpop Demon Hunters

"I Lied to You" – Sinners

"Sweet Dreams of Joy" – Viva Verdi!

"Train Dreams" – Train Dreams

Best Production Design 

Frankenstein

Hamnet

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Best Sound

F1

Frankenstein

One Battle After Another

Sinners

Sirāt 

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash 

F1 

Jurassic World Rebirth

The Lost Bus

Sinners

How to watch: The 98th Oscars airs live on March 15 on ABC and Hulu.

While most desktop environments (DEs) evolve gradually, GNOME prefers dramatic revolutions. I tested all the major GNOME releases over the last weekend, and it was a journey through radical redesigns and shifting ideas about computing paradigms. Here's how it evolved over the last 27 years.

Google Photos is one of my most-used apps, but I have to admit I don’t love everything about it. When an app tries to do as much as Google Photos does, there’s bound to be things that annoy you. Thankfully, most of these things can be simply disabled.

I spend the better part of most days working on a computer. Writing, editing, managing files, jumping between apps, it all adds up fast. When your day lives inside Windows 11, even small bits of friction start to feel expensive. Every extra click, every manual resize, every time you retype the same thing slows you down more than you realize.

Most people know VLC as the orange-cone app that plays everything. But, did you know that VLC media player is a Swiss Army knife for media? Here is why.

Donald Trump gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday and Seth Meyers used his "A Closer Look" segment on Late Night to reluctantly recap what happened.

"Donald Trump addressed world leaders in Davos and gave a very normal speech," Meyers said, "to which he repeatedly confused Greenland with Iceland, called windmills 'losers,' said the U.S. gives Canada freebies, mocked the president of France for wearing sunglasses, made up a new country called Aberbajan, and told the crowd in Switzerland, where the majority people speak German, that without the United States, they would be speaking German, which is what they already speak.

"For more on this, it's time for 'Seth Stares at the Ceiling and Hopes the Bad News Goes Away.'"

Like fellow late night host Stephen Colbert, Meyers noted that the U.S. president has repeatedly mixed up Iceland and Greenland in Davos, despite threatening to take ownership of Greenland (autonomous Danish territory) not Iceland (Nordic country).

"He can't even remember the name of the territory he wants to conquer," said Meyers. "Hold on, I'm going to try staring at the ceiling again."

Donald Trump really wants Iceland. Sorry, Greenland. We think?

The president repeatedly confused the two at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, despite spending the majority of his time of late threatening to take ownership of Greenland (autonomous Danish territory) not Iceland (Nordic country).

"Dear Lord, he's on an imperial conquest, and he can't even remember what he wants to conquer," responded Stephen Colbert on Wednesday night's Late Show.

During his monologue, the host noted that Trump's repeated Greenland-Iceland mix-up was pointed out by NewsNation White House correspondent Libbey Dean on X, to which White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, "His written remarks referred to Greenland as a 'piece of ice' because that's what it is. You're the only one mixing anything up here."

"That is some Grade-A Big Brother propaganda," said Colbert. "As George Orwell wrote in 1984, 'War is peace, freedom is slavery, Karoline Leavitt is a dumbass.'"

You've built a perfect Excel table, but the moment you try to use its headers in a drop-down menu, everything breaks. Excel's Data Validation is notoriously picky with tables, but there's a clever workaround. So, stop hard-coding your menus and use this dynamic sync instead.

Like fellow late night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, The Daily Show's Josh Johnson marked one year of Donald Trump's second term as president with a look at his recent appearances — both at the World Economic Forum in Davos and a White House paper-tossing press conference.

Johnson especially looked at Trump's second year aim: U.S. ownership of Iceland Greenland. The president told Davos on Wednesday, "It's the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice, develop it, and improve it, and make it so that it's good for Europe, and safe for Europe, and good for us."

"That's right, it's huge, undeveloped, in a strategic location," said Johnson. "It's like if your grandma had a Manhattan apartment she bought in 1950 — once she dies in it, you're going to push her down the trash chute and live like a king."

SEE ALSO: Stephen Colbert offers a bleak recap of Trump's first year back in office

But Johnson finished up with a strong statement on saying "no" to the president, after reports emerged that Trump had both backed down on imposing tariffs and using military force to take control of Greenland at Davos and "formed the framework of a future deal" around the autonomous Danish territory.

"Maybe what Europe did here is a lesson for the rest of us, because Trump barged into Davos, like 'I want to own Greenland,' and Europe just said 'no,'" said Johnson. "And in just six hours, they worked him down from owning Greenland to concepts of a deal. So maybe saying no is something more of us in America might want to try instead of complying in advance. College presidents, law firms, media outlets, whoever keeps giving Trump that tacky gold shit to put on his walls, just tell that man 'no!'

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you have a good sense of hearing.

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 22, 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 22, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A sharp ring.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter C.

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...

CLINK

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 22, 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.

TL;DR: Live stream Gauff vs. Baptiste in the 2026 Australian Open for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Just days into the 2026 Australian Open and Coco Gauff has made her mark as one of the standout competitors in the women's singles. It's no huge surprise. The No. 3 seed is just 21 years old but has already won two Grand Slams, including last year's French Open, and has previously reached the Australian Open semi final.

Gauff's next matchup is a third round all-American showdown with fellow U.S. talent Hailey Baptiste. The winner will face either Karolina Muchova or Magda Linette. Meanwhile, heavy hitter opponents such as Sabalenka and Swiatek are placed elsewhere in the brackets.

If you want to watch Gauff vs. Baptiste in the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Gauff vs. Baptiste for free

Gauff vs. Baptiste in the 2026 Australian Open is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026 Australian Open by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can live stream Gauff vs. Baptiste without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch the Australian Open before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live tennis on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $59.88 and includes an extra three months for free — 69% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Gauff vs. Baptiste in the 2026 Australian Open for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Sabalenka vs. Potapova in the 2026 Australian Open for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Austrian 24-year-old Anastasia Potapova has caused the first notable upset of the 2026 Australian Open. The unseeded ace knocked out British hopeful Emma Raducanu in the second round, which sees her now advance to this blockbuster third-round matchup against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Sabalenka is the favorite to win the whole thing, which means it'll take something special for Potapova to eliminate the Belarusian star. But anything can happen on any given day in Melbourne Park. Either way, this is a showdown not to miss.

If you want to watch Sabalenka vs. Potapova in the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Sabalenka vs. Potapova for free

Sabalenka vs. Potapova in the 2026 Australian Open is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026 Australian Open by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can live stream Sabalenka vs. Potapova without actually spending anything. This isn't a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to watch the Australian Open before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for 9Now?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live tennis on 9Now, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Australia

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $59.88 and includes an extra three months for free — 69% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Sabalenka vs. Potapova in the 2026 Australian Open for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Paul vs. Davidovich in the 2026 Australian Open for free on 9Now. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

It's shaping up to be a good 2026 Australian Open for U.S. star and No. 19 seed Tommy Paul, who has advanced to a third-round match with Spanish 26-year-old Alejandro Davidovich. At 28, Paul is a veteran of the game and previously reached the Australian Open semi final. He's yet to drop a set this year.

Davidovich is the No. 14 seed and will prove a challenge for Paul, who has so far faced unseeded opponents. But an even bigger challenge awaits. Whoever wins this match will likely enter a fourth-round draw against world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

If you want to watch Paul vs. Davidovich in the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

How to watch Paul vs. Davidovich for free

Paul vs. Davidovich in the 2026 Australian Open is available to live stream for free on 9Now.

9Now is geo-restricted to Australia, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, meaning you can unblock 9Now from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026 Australian Open by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia

4. Visit 9Now

5. Watch the 2026 Australian Open for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

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What is the best VPN for 9Now?

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

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 22, 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: Spot-free

• Green: Sweet treats

• Blue: To mess up

• Purple: Classic publications

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Well-defined, as an image

• Green: Fruit desserts

• Blue: Bungle

• Purple: Magazines plus a letter

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 #956 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Well-defined, as an image: CLEAR, CRISP, DISTINCT, SHARP

• Fruit desserts: COBBLER, CRUMBLE, STRUDEL, TURNOVER

• Bungle: FLUFF, FUMBLE, MISS, TRIP

• Magazines plus a letter: ELLEN, SPINY, TIMER, USE

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 22, 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.