Entertainment
Amazon deal of the day: The new Fire HD 8 tablet is back down to a record-low $54.99
Check out the best Amazon deals of the day as of Nov. 5:




Looking to do a little retail therapy? Thankfully, with Black Friday only a few weeks away, Amazon has already been dropping early holiday deals on some of our favorite brands. Gadgets from Bose, Blink, Soundcore, and even Amazon’s own Fire tablets are already sitting at record-low prices on Nov. 5, just waiting to be added to your cart.
Here are our top picks for the best Amazon deals of the day. If you don’t see anything that catches your eye, take a look at our picks from yesterday, Nov. 4, and stay tuned the rest of the week as we select new deals each day.
Our top pick
Amazon mysteriously released a brand new Fire HD 8 tablet right before October Prime Day with 50 percent more RAM over the previous generation (3GB instead of 2GB), a better camera (5MP instead of 2MP), new generative AI-powered features, and a much better price. Otherwise it has the same display, storage options, and battery life (if it ain’t broke…). It’s usually just $99.99, but as of Nov. 5, it’s on sale for just $54.99. That’s 45% in savings and matches its all-time low price from Prime Day.
Just launched in Sept., the Bose Smart Soundbar basically replaced the Bose Smart Soundbar 600, but kept its signature sleek and slim design. It features big audio upgrades, as well as AI Dialogue Mode, which you can also find on the more expensive Bose Smart Ultra Soundbar. The AI Dialogue Mode detects speech in audio streams to make it clearer amongst background noise. With five speakers, including two up-firing Dolby Atmos transducers, this tiny bar provides immersive sound for all your movies, shows, playlists, and beyond. It’s usually $499, but you can grab it on sale for just $399 as of Nov. 5. That’s 20% in savings and its first price drop.
If noise-cancelling earbuds are on your wishlist, but you don’t want to drop over $100, the Soundcore P30is offer a lot of bang for your buck. And as of Nov. 5, they’re on sale for just $29.99 at Amazon with an on-page coupon. That’s 40% in savings and matches their record-low price. These earbuds offer auto-adjusting or manual noise cancellation, transparency mode, up to 45 hours of battery life with the charging case (or 30 with ANC turned on), and deep, punchy bass. You can even use the charging case as a phone stand on the go. Plus, unlike AirPods, they come in five different color options.
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Looking to boost your home security on a budget? This bundle of the Blink Outdoor 4 and Blink Mini Pan-Tilt Camera allows you to dip your toes in for only $79.98. That’s 42% in savings. The Blink Outdoor 4 is one of our top picks for a security camera and works seamlessly with other Alexa-enable devices in your home. It offers customizable motion-detection zones, infrared night vision, two-way audio, and a battery life that lasts two years. The Mini Pan-Tilt camera can cover the inside of your home with 360-degree coverage from your phone, tablet, or compatible Alexa device. For less than $100, you can cover the basics and get a little peace of mind.
None of these deals catching your eye? Check out Amazon’s daily deals for even more savings.
Entertainment
Xiaomis new hyper car concept has the strangest cockpit weve ever seen
Xiaomi likes to bring cars to Barcelona; the company gave us the first glimpse of its SU7 Ultra supercar during last year’s MWC in March.
This year, however, Xiaomi has unveiled something that’s pretty far out there, even by its own standards. Called the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo, it’s a hypercar that was designed to go really fast while slicing through the air in a way not many cars (or race cars, for that matter) can (Xiaomi says it’s been “sculpted by the wind”).

It feels kinda empty in there.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
The company will bring the concept car to its MWC show floor in Barcelona on March 2, presumably when we’ll learn more about its powertrain, acceleration, battery, and other trivialities. Today, however, Xiaomi was mostly focused on how the air flows through the car, using a variety of wind tunnels and channels (and even a moving part on the car’s bottom) to make it more efficient.

The wheels and wheel covers are special, too.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
Even the car’s wheels have special covers that are (somehow) magnetically set in place so they don’t rotate while the car moves, as that would also increase drag.
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I bet your car doesn’t have a cocoon-shaped sofa.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
Inside, it gets even nuttier. The seats are out; instead, you sit in a “cocoon-shaped sofa” with an x-wing steering wheel with five tiny displays, some of which apparently double as (contextual?) buttons. Most of the things you associate with a traditional car are gone; instead, it’s you in that sofa-shaped cockpit, that steering wheel, and the road. The car’s a two-seater, so don’t expect to bring your family on a trip in this one.

Fortunately, you might be able to get a cocoon-shaped sofa/cockpit for your home.
Credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable
In fact, most people probably won’t be able to afford a car like this, but Xiaomi’s got you covered, as it plans to release a gaming console/cockpit shaped just like the car’s cockpit, so you can race around in your own little cocoon in the relative safety of your home.
We don’t know how fast it goes. We don’t know where the batteries are, given that the car appears to be mostly wind tunnels under that cockpit. We don’t know if it’s ever going to make it to market. But boy, does it all look cool.
We’ll hopefully find out more on March 2 when that show floor opens, so stay tuned for pics and videos.
Topics
Mobile World Congress
Xiaomi
Entertainment
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 1, 2026
The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you’re a frequent flyer.
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.
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.
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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:
Here are today’s Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
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 #994 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
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Little bite: CANAPÉ, FINGER FOOD, HORS D’OEUVRE, TAPA
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Construction equipment: HARD HAT, LADDER, NAIL GUN, TOOL BELT
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Vacation emoji: AIRPLANE, LUGGAGE, PALM TREE, SMILING FACE WITH SUNGLASSES
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Things you don’t eat that end in foods: COPYPASTA, JOHANNESBURGER, KNUCKLE SANDWICH, LICORICE PIZZA
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? 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 yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for March 1, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re not on. your best behavior.
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.
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.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Dressing down
The words are related to discipline.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe ways to chastise.
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 The Riot Act.
NYT Strands word list for March 1
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Braidup
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The Riot Act
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Scold
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Castigate
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Reprimand
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Admonish
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.
