Tech
New Lego Star Wars Smart Play sets just dropped — preorders are live at Amazon
Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Throne Room Duel and A-Wing

Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing

Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter

CES is always one of the most exciting weeks in the world of tech. This year we got announcements of new smart glasses, a $9,000 smart purse, and plenty of robots. But on a more practical level, we got a major Lego upgrade with the arrival of Lego Smart Play sets.
We didn't need another reason to be obsessed with building Lego sets, but the Danish brand has gone ahead and provided it. The Lego Smart Play system introduces an interactive aspect to a build with sounds, lights, and behaviors that add a new layer of fun. Plus, all you need to enter this new realm is a single Smart Play brick.
Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth attended the Lego announcement ahead of the official CES kickoff in Las Vegas. Lego demonstrated highlights of the new smart bricks and Beck Werth wrote, "With a single smart brick, the CES demo brought Lego creations, characters, and playsets to life. Lego cars revved their engines, a Lego duck quacked and even snored when placed on its side, and a Lego airplane pilot exclaimed 'woah!' to being flipped upside down."
Lucky for us Star Wars fans, the new Smart Play sets debut with a Star Wars theme. The three builds launch the first two days of March and they're all available for preorder at Amazon. Here are the details.
Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Throne Room Duel and A-Wing
The largest of the Lego Star Wars Smart Play builds takes us back to an iconic scene from Return of the Jedi. The 962-piece Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Throne Room Duel and A-Wing recreates the legendary Luke Skywalker lightsaber battle with Darth Vader. But unlike a standard Lego build, this Smart Play set will hum like a real-life lightsaber battle would. The set also comes with five Lego Smart Tags which add to the interactive experience with extra lights and sounds.

Credit: Mashable
Each Smart Brick battery life is about 45 minutes and the set comes with the charger you'll need to continue playing. The Star Wars build comes with a release date of March 1.
Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing
Enter Luke's world with this 581-piece build that's a great showcase of the new Lego Smart Play features. A Smart Play block on Luke's X-Wing means it'll come with lifelike sounds and lights like engine sounds, lights, and even repair noises. Smart Luke Skywalker and Smart Princess Leia minifigures are on hand for more interactive and responsive play.

Credit: Mashable
The Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Luke’s Red Five X-Wing comes with a price of $89.99 and has a release date of March 1.
Lego Star Wars Smart Play: Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter
The most affordable of the new Lego Star Wars Smart Play sets is Darth Vader's TIE Fighter build with a price tag set at $69.99. The set has 473 pieces which features Darth Vader, his TIE Fighter, a fuel station, a Rebel Fleet Trooper, and more. In terms of the smart features and interactive additions, you'll get motion-activated engine sounds, lights, and laser-shooting because it simply wouldn't be Star Wars without those sounds. It also has refueling and repair sounds for the TIE.

Credit: Mashable
Like the other Lego sets, this comes with a March 1 release date. This set is designed for Lego builders aged eight and up.
Tech
How to watch the 2026 winter sports biathlon online for free
TL;DR: Live stream the 2026 winter sports biathlon for free on streaming platforms like 9Now, CBC Gem, and BBC iPlayer. Access these free streaming services from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
What a time to be a fan of winter sports. There's top-level ice hockey, curling, alpine skiing, and so much more taking place right now. It's actually difficult to follow everything, such is the packed nature of the schedule.
The likelihood is that fans are going to need to make some tough decisions over the next couple of weeks. We know that not everyone will have the time to track all the action, but if you have any time to spare, can we suggest that you check out the biathlon? There are few other sports that demonstrate such versatility. Athletes combine rifle shooting and cross-country skiing. The result is an extremely watchable event.
If you want to watch the 2026 winter sports biathlon for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is the 2026 winter sports biathlon?
The international biathlon takes place from Feb. 8-21. Here's a full breakdown of what's on the schedule:
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Mixed Relay 4 x 6km — 8:05 a.m. ET on Feb. 8
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Men's 20km Individual — 7:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 10
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Women's 15km Individual — 8:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 11
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Men's 10km Sprint — 8 a.m. ET on Feb. 13
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Women's 7.5km Sprint — 8:45 a.m. ET on Feb. 14
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Men's 12.5km Pursuit — 5:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 15
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Women's 10km Pursuit — 8:45 a.m. ET on Feb. 15
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Men's 4 x 7.5km Relay — 8:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 17
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Women's 4 x 6km Relay — 8:45 a.m. ET on Feb. 18
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Men's 15km Mass Start — 8:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 20
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Women's 12.5km Mass Start — 8:15 a.m. ET on Feb. 20
The great news for fans is that it's possible to follow events live without spending anything.
How to watch 2026 winter sports biathlon for free
The 2026 winter sports biathlon is available to live stream for free on a number of services:
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Australia — 9Now
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Austria — ORF
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Canada — CBC Gem
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France — France TV
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Germany — ARD
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Ireland — RTÉ Player
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Italy — RAI
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Spain — RTVE
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UK — BBC iPlayer
These free live streams are geo-restricted, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can access free live streams of the 2026 winter sports biathlon from anywhere in the world.
Live stream the 2026 winter sports biathlon by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with free access
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Watch the 2026 winter sports biathlon for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch the biathlon before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for live sport?
ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure
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Fast connection speeds
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and 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 the 2026 winter sports biathlon for free with ExpressVPN.
Tech
How to watch Bad Bunnys halftime show online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Bad Bunny's halftime show from the 2026 Big Game for free on 7Plus, TVNZ+, or Channel 5. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
If you're interested in watching the huge game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, you've come to the wrong place. We all know the real star of the show is Bad Bunny.
Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2025 will headline the Big Game's halftime show. Interested in live streaming this incredible event without spending anything? It's actually a pretty straightforward process. You might need to jump through a couple of hoops, but it's worth it. This is Bad Bunny we're talking about.
If you want to watch Bad Bunny's halftime show from the 2026 Big Game for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.
How to watch Bad Bunny's halftime show for free
Bad Bunny's halftime show from the 2026 Big Game is available to live stream for free on the following platforms:
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Australia — 7Plus
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New Zealand — TVNZ+
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UK — Channel 5
These free streaming services are geo-restricted, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Australia, New Zealand, or the UK, meaning you can live stream the halftime show from the Big Game for free from anywhere in the world.
Follow these simple steps to secure access to the halftime show for free:
-
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
-
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
-
Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia, New Zealand, or the UK
-
Visit 7Plus, TVNZ+, or Channel 5
-
Watch the halftime show for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming require a subscription, but leading VPN services also offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. You can leverage these deals to get access to live streams of the halftime show without actually spending anything. This is obviously a short-term fix, but you can watch Bad Bunny (and all the other performances) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for the halftime show?
ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live events, 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 always secure
-
Fast connection speeds
-
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
-
30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and 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 Bad Bunny's halftime show from the 2026 Big Game for free with ExpressVPN.
Tech
Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac and PC gets smarter with AI, now 60% off
TL;DR: Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC is on sale for $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, offering 60% off Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more.
If your work revolves around documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and email, Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business brings those core tools together with updated features designed to keep everyday tasks moving efficiently. The lifetime license for Mac or PC is priced at $99.97, representing a 60% discount off the regular price, and ends on March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Included are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook — the familiar lineup, installed directly on your device for both online and offline use. Office 2024 brings performance improvements across the whole software. In Excel, for example, working with large datasets or handling multiple workbooks is quicker and more reliable. For anyone who routinely works with numbers or builds reports, this added speed can make daily tasks less tedious.
Content creation tools have also been refreshed. PowerPoint now supports recording presentations with voice narration, video, and closed captions, which is a plus for remote meetings, online classes, or sharing presentations after the fact. Word adds Focus Mode to help reduce distractions as you write, alongside AI-powered suggestions to sharpen up your prose. Built-in research features keep citations and references at your fingertips, so you can stay in the zone without switching tabs.
Microsoft’s Fluent Design system brings Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook a cohesive look and feel. Touch and pen support is now smoother on tablets and convertibles, and customizable templates and themes make it easy to create polished work without a designer’s eye.
Collaboration tools are built in as well. Real-time co-authoring allows multiple people to work on the same file simultaneously, with chat, comments, and version history helping track changes and feedback. Deeper integration with Microsoft Teams centralizes file sharing and communication within the Office environment.
Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business is designed for users who already rely on Microsoft’s core apps and want updated features without changing how they work. For $99.97 through March 1 at 11:59 p.m. PT, the current deal makes it easier to step into the latest version at a lower cost, especially if those tools are already part of your daily routine.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
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