Entertainment
Amazon deal of the day: Get two Echo Spot smart alarm clocks for their lowest price ever
The final few days of the year are here, which means it’s a good time to treat yourself. Popular brands like Apple and Amazon Echo are discounted pretty heavily at Amazon as of Dec. 27. So there’s no need to feel guilty spending some of your holiday cash.
Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. Don’t see anything that sparks your interest? Check out some of the deals we featured earlier this week that are still live, like a massive 40% discount on this 40-inch Fire TV and the best price ever on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE.
Our top pick: Amazon Echo Spot
One of the newest members of the Echo family, the Echo Spot is like a fancy alarm clock that allows you to start and end your days with smart features. It doesn’t have a built-in camera, as that would be hella creepy, but it does show you the time, weather, song titles, and more at a glance. Control your smart devices with your voice, ask for the weather, set your favorite wake-up tune as your alarm, or ask it to lull you to sleep with white noise. It comes in three color options and is currently down to its previous record-low price of $44.99 as of Dec. 27. Even better, if you purchase two using the code SPOT2PACK, it’ll only cost you $84.98 for two ($42.49 each) — a new all-time low.
Amazon Echo Show 5
The third-generation Echo Show 5, released last year, boasts an upgraded speaker system that packs double the bass of its predecessor, as well as more clarity for calls, music, audiobooks, podcasts, video content, and more. The reengineered microphone array makes for better Alexa responsiveness, while the Amazon AZ2 Neural Edge makes for a speedier overall experience. The display is still on the small side, at 5.5 inches, but that’s what makes it a good fit for a nightstand or desktop. At $44.99 as of Dec. 27, it’s just $5 away from its best price ever. That’s 50% in savings.
Whoop 4.0
The Whoop 4.0 is one of our favorite fitness trackers on the market — particularly for sleep and recovery tracking. It delivers more data points than you could ever hope for in a fitness tracker, including daily activity strain, heart rate, sleep quality, daily recovery score, alcohol and stress impacts, and more. It’s screen-free, so it won’t add any unnecessary distractions to your day. Our reviewer Sam Stone mentioned that parsing through all the data that Whoop offers was “akin to taking the SAT,” but he also adds that the Whoop 4.0 “is a fitness band that is built to create a workout routine that will stick.” We wish the membership didn’t cost so much ($239 per year), but this discount on the band itself helps bring down the overall cost. Save 17% as of Dec. 27 at Amazon.
De’Longhi Magnifica Plus Espresso Machine
The De’Longhi Magnifica Plus, like most espresso machines, comes with major sticker shock. As of Dec. 27, however, that shock stings a little less with a 41% discount. At $705.95, it’s down to its lowest price on record. While that still seems a bit steep, it’s actually a really solid deal with a fully automatic espresso machine with a built-in milk frother. It features 18 one-touch and customizable recipes for espresso, lattes, cappuccinos, and more. Plus, there’s a built-in conical burr grinder with 13 different settings.
Mashable Deals
Apple AirTags (4-pack)
We first saw this ultra-low price pop up during Black Friday, then again right before Christmas. We don’t expect it will stick around much longer, so don’t miss your chance to score a four-pack of Apple AirTags at its lowest price ever: $69.99. That’s a savings of 29% and essentially gets you more than one and a half for free (reg. $29 a piece). These Bluetooth trackers are a must-have for iPhone users who are frequent flyers. As long as there’s an Apple device nearby, you’ll be able to keep track of whatever you attach your AirTag to — suitcase, keys, purse, guitar case, backpack, etc. You can see where you are in proximity to your stuff with an accuracy of only a few feet.
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon’s daily deals for even more savings.
Entertainment
SNL opens with another Pete Hegseth press conference
Saturday Night Live returned from a brief hiatus Saturday with a cold open depicting a joint press conference between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel, with “Master of None” creator Aziz Ansari playing the latter.
Colin Jost’s Hegseth hit the familiar beats at the podium — performative machismo, military bravado, and repeated jabs at the secretary’s well-documented drinking habits. This time, Hegseth arrived at the mic hauling an oversized pitcher of scotch, which he assured the room was his one for the day. He then fielded questions from the press about the administration’s handling of U.S. strikes on Iran, dismissing each reporter with the particular brand of smug confidence that has become central to Jost’s portrayal of the character.
Ansari’s Patel proved to be the sketch’s standout, arriving to defend his tenure at the FBI and proceeding to do so poorly. The bit’s centerpiece involved Patel simultaneously denying and admitting that he had locked himself out of his work email for 36 hours after forgetting he had changed his password to “kashmeoutside69.”
Funnily enough, Patel was reportedly locked out of his FBI email in real life and believed, at least momentarily, that he was being fired. As the sketch demonstrated, the distance between SNL’s Cold Open and the actual news cycle has rarely felt smaller.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 3, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will require some knowledge of popular U.S. sports and pop culture.
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.
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.
Mashable Top Stories
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:
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: In Good Shape
-
Green: Current NFL Head Coaches
-
Blue: Famous Sports “Curses”
-
Purple: Starts of Big Ten Names
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 #586 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
-
In Good Shape: AGIL, ATHLETIC, FIT, STRONG
-
Current NFL Head Coaches: COEN, GLENN, REID, RYANS
-
Famous Sports “Curses”: BAMBINO, BILLY GOAT, MADDEN, SI COVER
-
Starts of Big Ten Names: BOIL, BUCK, CORN, HAWK
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.
Entertainment
The DJI Mini 5 Pro drone is $500 off right now at Amazon — save on this content creator favorite
SAVE $500: The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is on sale for $1,099 at Amazon. That’s $500 off the list price of $1,599.
$1,099
at Amazon
$1,599
Save $500
What’s going to happen to the drone market in 2026? Due to legislative pressure on DJI imports in the U.S., there is so much uncertainty at the moment. We expected stock issues by now, but we’re actually seeing strong discounts on some of the best drones in the DJI range.
The DJI Mini 5 Pro Fly More Combo is on sale for $1,099 at Amazon. That’s $500 off and close to the record-low price.
The DJI Mini 5 Pro offers a huge 1-inch CMOS sensor, so whether you’re shooting 50MP stills or 4K/120fps slow-motion, the dynamic range more than delivers. The DJI Mini 5 Pro also makes use of forward-facing LiDAR that powers the new Nightscape Omnidirectional Sensing, meaning it can dodge branches, power lines, and buildings even when you don’t have eyes on your drone.
This popular drone offers 42GB of internal storage, meaning you can actually capture a full session of 4K footage without needing an external card as backup. That can have a massive impact for content creators.
Mashable Deals
Save $500 on the DJI Mini 5 Pro this weekend.
Jonathan Aranda, Rays coast to win over Giants
Final-hole eagle gives Nelly Korda 3-stroke lead at Riviera
