Entertainment
CES 2025 highlights: What weve seen so far
Mashable is on the ground at CES 2025, covering the latest consumer tech has to offer. The team is expecting big announcements for EVs, TVs, gaming upgrades, smart home devices, and lots and lots of AI-powered gadgets.
Check here for the most noteworthy highlights updated regularly, from the wacky to the “wow” and everything in between.
Satechi hub has a cool fix for an annoying Mac mini feature
OK, this is an improvement.
Credit: Satechi
Satechi, popular maker of accessories for Apple products (among others), has a brand new stand/hub for the M4 Mac mini, giving it additional storage options, a memory card reader, and three USB-A ports.
But its coolest feature is a recess on the back allowing you to easily reach the Mac mini’s “hidden” power button. Genius!
Nvidia’s Blackwell RTX 50-series GPUs are here
The rumors were true: During his CES 2025 opening keynote, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed the company’s new RTX 50-series graphics cards, promising massive performance upgrades over the 40-series generation of cards.
The new GPUs are called the GeForce RTX 5070, 5070 Ti, 5080, and 5090, with the last one being the most powerful card Nvidia has ever produced, but also a very expensive one at $1,999. The star of the lineup might very well turn out to be the RTX 5070, which is promising performance on par with Nvidia’s previous flagship card, the GeForce RTX 4090, for just $549.
It should be noted, however, that the performance numbers are seriously padded up with Nvidia’s DLSS 4 tech which uses AI to boost FPS numbers, and isn’t widely supported by games yet.
Acer’s new laptop is made from oyster shells
No mollusks were hurt in the making of this laptop. Probably.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Acer’s got a new environmentally friendly laptop, the Aspire Vero 16, and it’s partially made from oyster shells.
Acer did this by cleaning, crushing, and mixing said shells, which are abundant in China, with a blend of more than 70 percent post-consumer recycled plastic.
Other than this, it’s a pretty straightforward laptop with Intel Core Ultra 200H (Arrow Lake) processors and up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage.
TVs with AI are popular at CES 2025
Two major themes collide for CES 2025: AI and TVs. Samsung’s Neo QLED, OLED and QLED, and The Frame models and LG’s OLED evo lineup are packed to the gills with AI features to optimize audio/video settings, recommend content, and personalize your TV experience. Plus, both Samsung and LG have partnered with Microsoft to bring Copilot integration to their respective models. Google also unveiled its new TV operating system at CES, promising to bring its Gemini AI to TVs. TBD on whether AI features on TVs become useful tools or gimmicky bloatware, but expect much more of this to come.
Samsung unveils Vision AI, a suite of AI-powered features for its TV lineup.
Credit: Samsung
LG’s StanByMe 2 portable battery-powered TV
LG’s battery-powered, 27-inch, $999 TV in a briefcase went viral last year for being a convenient and budget-friendly way for road trippers to watch TV anywhere. This year, LG announced StanByMe 2, an update from the previous model with longer battery life (four hours from three hours) and higher resolution (1440p from 1080p). Availability and pricing hasn’t been announced yet.
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An electric spoon that makes things taste salty
Kirin’s Electric Salt Spoon definitely falls in the wacky category of CES offerings. By sending an electric current through the spoon to your tongue, it makes your tastebuds think you’re eating something saltier than it is. Mashable’s Matt Binder did a hands-on, er, “mouth-on” (sorry) and confirmed that it works. A useful gadget for someone trying to consume less salt, although sadly it’s currently unavailable in the U.S.
Robots, robots, robots
Robots are another mainstay you can expect to see at CES, and this year hasn’t disappointed. So far we’ve seen a robot-lamp hybrid from Jizai that looks like the Pixar mascot, a robot called R2D3 from OpenDroids that tackles household chores, and the Roborock Saros Z70 that’s a vacuum robot with a robotic arm for picking up obstacles in its path, like socks. Unfortunately, Dreame’s X50 Ultra didn’t exactly end up being the “stair-climbing” robot vacuum it was pitched as.
Meanwhile, there’s fierce competition for the cutest robot at CES, with sweet bots Mi-Mo, Mirumi, and Loona leading the adorable charge.
A dyslexia-friendly monitor
French startup Lili for Life has engineered a monitor to help people with dyslexia, by addressing the underlying problem of overlapping “mirror” images caused by dyslexic people having two dominant eyes. Mashable’s Chance Townsend explains how it works: “The Lili screen emits nearly imperceptible light flashes that correct this overlap by creating a shift in visual perception. This innovation makes reading smoother, faster, and less tiring, enhancing text comprehension and making the experience more enjoyable for the reader, according to the company.”
This monitor addresses the underlying challenges for people with dyslexia.
Credit: Mashable / Chance Townsend
A Switch and a gaming laptop had a big Acer baby
A supersized competitor to the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, Acer’s Nitro Blaze 11 was announced Monday. The Taiwanese tech company’s latest handheld PC has a few features to give it an edge over its fellow portable gaming devices; Mashable’s Haley Henschel went hands on with the Nitro Blaze 11 at CES and got up close with that massive screen and detachable controllers — and found out just how much you’ll have to hand over for one.
It’s a whopper.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
An air-purifying cat tower with cursed display felines
Look deep into the eyes of LG’s eerie demo cats and behold the company’s new air purifier, one that doubles as a tech-fuelled cat perch. The AeroCatTower hit the CES floor this week, and Mashable’s Chance Townsend took a look to see what it is, how it functions, and why pet owners might want one.
👀
Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable
We tried on multiple pairs of smart glasses, one with an NBA all-star
Another year, another CES framed with smart glasses. Mashable’s Matt Binder has been trying on several pairs, including XREAL’s new One Pro AR glasses and Chamelo’s color-changing smart glasses — one of which had our tech reporter chatting about liquid crystal and prismatic lenses with NBA al-star Stephon Marbury.
Sony announces Ghost of Tsushima anime series
Thought CES is just about gadgets? While there are a lot of new gadgets shown at the event, there’s some good old TV entertainment in the mix as well.
Announced at CES 2025 by Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions, an anime series based on Ghost of Tsushima is set to launch on Sony-owned platform Crunchyroll in 2027. It’s a notable launch, as Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will be the first ever anime adaptation of a PlayStation Studios game. The series will be directed by Takanobu Mizuno, written by Gen Urobuchi, animated by Kamikaze Douga, and co-produced with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s Aniplex.
Credit: Sony/YouTube
But it wasn’t the only screen adaptation Sony announced.
Lenovo’s laptop can make itself grow
A new “rollable” laptop from Lenovo was unveiled at CES, one that can make the display grow larger. The lengthily named ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI laptop is a pretty wild personal device that expands on Lenovo’s previously showcased models — and it’s one Mashable’s Chase DiBenedetto has more detail on.
Samsung won’t let you escape the smart house
Not content to keep its CES AI reveals to TVs, Samsung showed off its latest Bespoke AI smart appliances, leaving reporters in no doubt that the company wants to use smart technology to power just about everything in your home. In a flashy showcase that Mashable’s Chance Townsend checked out, Samsung showed off an ecosystem of devices, the result of a team-up between Samsung Knox, Bixby, and SmartThings — everything from fridges to ovens, air conditioners to washing machines, all powered by AI. Notably, Samsung, Google, and Apple have signed onto a new universal certification for smart home devices.
It’s not the Ultrahouse 3000 but getting close…
Credit: Chance Townsend / Mashable
A tiny AI supercomputer for your desk
Plenty of AI-powered computers are on display at CES this year, whether laptops or desktop PCS. Asus unveiled the “world’s lightest Copilot+ PC” with a 32-hour battery life as part of its AI laptop line, and while Nvidia’s new graphics cards are one of the biggest highlights of the week, check out the company’s tiny little personal AI supercomputer.
Meanwhile, Dell decided to go with a simple rebranding of its laptops — one that got roasted for its Apple-mirroring.
An AI nature camera wants you to be besties with your backyard plants
If you want to really get to know the goings on in your backyard, an AI-powered nature camera called the Petal was revealed by the Bird Buddy smart bird feeder on Sunday. Mashable’s Haley Henschel met this frankly adorable device, which can send images and videos of your yard to your smartphone.
LOOK AT IT.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
Mashable is on the ground live at CES 2025! We’re covering all the wildest and most important developments this week, so please keep checking back in with us. Want to submit a product you represent for our teams’ consideration as we identify the Best of CES? Here’s more info on how to do it.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
-
Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
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.
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.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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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 T.
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…
TRIPE.
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.
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 yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
