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TL;DR: Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Booster Bundle listed for $63.48 during the Spring Sale, while Walmart has it even lower at $59.95.

Where to buy Pokemon TCG Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Booster Bundles: Best Amazon Deal Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Destined Rivals Booster Bundle (six packs) $63.48 at Amazon Get Deal Best Walmart Deal Pokémon TCG: Scarlet & Violet - Destined Rivals Booster Bundle (six packs) $59.95 at Walmart ($9.99) Get Deal

With Amazon’s Big Spring Sale pulling more attention towards gaming deals and wider Pokémon discounts, the sealed Destined Rivals Booster Bundle is starting to look more sensible again amid all the hype for Perfect Order and Ascended Heroes.

As of March 26, Amazon has the Pokémon TCG Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals Booster Bundle priced at $63.48, with Walmart coming in even lower at $59.95. Amazon is still one of the best places to buy during the sale, but Walmart now has the better price. At Amazon’s price, the six-pack bundle comes out to about $10.58 per booster. Walmart drops that to roughly $9.99 per pack.

The best part about these reasonable prices is that they both fall below TCGplayer’s market price of $63.60.

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Whichever retailer you buy yours from, each Destined Rivals Booster Bundle includes six booster packs from the Scarlet & Violet expansion. Each pack contains 10 trading cards and one Basic Energy. The set centers on the latest Team Rocket push, with cards tied to names like Cynthia and Garchomp ex, Ethan and Ho-Oh ex, Arven and Mabosstiff ex, and Giovanni’s Mewtwo ex. 

As for the newest Pokémon TCG expansions, you can also buy the Perfect Order Display Box for under $240. If you’ve missed out on Ascended Heroes, you can preorder the new Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Premium Poster Collection for around $130.

Seth Meyers in full-blown rant mode is always an entertaining spectacle.

In the Late Night clip above, the host reacts to footage of Trump explaining how he came up with the idea of sending ICE agents to airports by comparing it to "the story of the paperclip," telling an unfortunate reporter – somewhat incongruously – that "182 years ago a man discovered the paperclip."

"Now, if you're thinking to yourself, 'Is Trump right that the paperclip was invented 182 years ago?', the answer is yes, he is correct," says Meyers in the clip above. "In fact, Trump went on to explain that in the year 1844, an Icelandic cobbler named Magnus Olsen invented an early prototype of the paperclip, consisting of two wooden triangles fastened with twine— AND OF ****ING COURSE IT WASN'T 182 YEARS AGO!! He's just pulling numbers out of his ass!"

Meyers then returns to the clip to further pick it apart, focussing in particular on Trump's use of the word "discover."

"Nobody discovered the paperclip," Meyers says. "It was invented. Do you think Steve Jobs just found an iPod sticking out of the sand at the beach one day?"

It's been a busy week shutting things down at OpenAI.

Just days after OpenAI unceremoniously pulled the plug on its video generation app Sora, a new report from Financial Times claims the company has put plans to launch an x-rated chatbot on hold "indefinitely."

Originally promised in the fall of 2025 as an extra feature for verified users, the sex-centered adult mode for ChatGPT was delayed a few weeks back. However, it seemed at the time that the company was still intent to launch it eventually, with a a company spokesperson saying that getting the (adult) experience right would "take more time."

Now, however, it appears that the project has been shelved for good. The company will instead focus on its core products, the report said.

The reasoning behind the move isn't that hard to understand, given the headaches the Grok chatbot recently caused its maker xAI over sexualized images of adults and children.

According to the Financial Times, both OpenAI investors and staff raised concerns about a sexualized AI and its effect on society. Furthermore, there were technical challenges – including the bot's inability to accurately distinguish between adults and minors, with an error rate of over 10 percent.

SEE ALSO: After killing Sora, what OpenAI does next will define it

More broadly, it appears that both the shutdown of Sora and the dismantling of adult mode are part of OpenAI's effort to reduce the number of lawsuits hitting the company. Over the past six months, several lawsuits were filed against OpenAI as young people died by suicide after interacting with ChatGPT, prompting the company to introduce an age prediction system in January.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

TL;DR: Amazon sellers have the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box listed from $94.99 plus $4.49 shipping, while Walmart has it even lower at $89.90.

Where to buy the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box: Best Amazon Deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box $99.48 (save $9.96) Pre-Order Here Best Walmart Deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box $89.90 Pre-Order Here Best TCGplayer deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box $153.49 Pre-Order Here

With Amazon’s Big Spring Sale putting more attention back on Pokémon TCG discounts — as well as gaming deals, Apple deals, and wider Pokemon deals in general — Perfect Order preorder prices are getting more competitive again. And the Elite Trainer Box is shaping up as one of the more sensible sealed buys in the set, thanks to new cuts from the trading card game’s biggest retailers. 

As of March 26, Amazon has third-party Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box listings starting at $94.99, with $4.49 shipping. That same listing is marked at 9% below a typical $104.95 price, while Amazon’s more prominent offer sits higher at $102.95. Walmart, however, is the one to beat right now, with the ETB listed online for just $89.90. Walmart’s preorder price also lands almost exactly in line with TCGplayer’s current market value. 

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TCGplayer lists the Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box with an $89.84 market price, and while ETBs there are currently listed as low as $103.49, they come with shipping costs added on. Altogether, Walmart is effectively your best bet for a low-cost ETB right now, but Amazon is a close second and comes with some added convenience.

Inside the box, you're getting nine booster packs from the new Mega Evolution Perfect Order expansion, plus sleeves, Energy cards, damage-counter dice, condition markers, a storage box with dividers, and a code card. 

The expansion spotlights Mega evolutions and other Pocket Monsters that appear in the Pokémon Legends: Z-A video game: including Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Clefable ex, Mega Starmie ex, and Meowth ex. Perfect Order will launch on March 27, though delivery dates for these ETBs will vary by seller.

To save even more money on the new Pokémon TCG expansion, you can also buy the Perfect Order Display Box for under $240 across Amazon and Walmart. As for new products from the last expansion, you can preorder the new Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Premium Poster Collection for around $130 — on sale at Amazon in the Big Spring Sale. 

The company, which develops autonomous military technology, also plans to buy a maker of simulation software as interest in next-generation defense soars.

Melania Trump made headlines on Wednesday during the tech summit she's hosting in Washington, D.C., entering the room alongside a humanoid robot — and Jimmy Kimmel had thoughts.

"It was a weird day at the White House today, where our First Lady, Melania Trump, hosted the second day of her global summit, titled 'Fostering the Future Together', which is basically a commercial for AI in education, and she made quite an entrance," says Kimmel, playing footage of Melania and the robot walking towards the cameras side by side. "One of those robots is Melania."

Kimmel goes on to say that things "only got scarier from there", playing footage of Melania announcing that the future of AI is personified.

"Maybe someday we will have a robot president," concludes Kimmel. "Couldn't be worse than what we have right now."

SAVE $25: As of March 26, the Fire Stick 4K Plus is on sale for $24.99 at Amazon. That's a 50% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire Stick 4K Plus $24.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $25.00   Get Deal

Amazon's Big Spring Sale is well underway, and it's no surprise that many of Amazon's own products are seeing some of the best discounts. There are deals on Echos, Kindles, and of course, Fire TV Sticks, with many dropping to their lowest-ever price.

This is true of the Fire Stick 4K Plus. The Fire Stick 4K Plus might sound new, but it’s really just a rebranded version of the 4K model. As of March 26, it's on sale for $25 off the list price, bringing it down to just $24.99. That's half off, and according to price tracker camelcamelcamel, the best-ever price for this streaming device.

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This Fire TV Stick is a great choice if you want streaming in incredible 4K quality. It also has support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos. To set up, just connect the stick to your TV’s HDMI port and a power source. Once the TV is on, Fire TV OS lets you browse and launch streaming services such as Netflix and Prime Video with ease. The stick also lets you enjoy cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass, without needing a console.

This deal is live at Amazon right now.

We know how passionate BTS stans can be, so imagine how fans react when unexpectedly confronted by the band themselves.

In the Tonight Show clip above, BTS fans are asked to go into a room to record themselves singing along to one of the band's new songs, SWIM. The twist? When they open the door to leave, they're greeted by the band themselves (plus Jimmy Fallon) waiting on the other side.

Bonus points for the random activities BTS and Fallon are up to when the fans come from the door, which range from sitting in a board meeting to playing Twister.

SAVE OVER $300: Until March 31, the iGarden Robotic Pool Cleaner K Series is down to $499.98 in the Amazon Spring Sale. That's $300.01 off the list price of $799.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: iGarden iGarden Robotic Pool Cleaner K Series $499.98 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $300.01   Get Deal

We’ve all heard of a robot vacuum cleaner and robot lawn mower, but what about a robot pool cleaner? Sounds kind of specialist and expensive, huh? Well, thankfully Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is in full swing, running until March 31, giving you the opportunity to clean up (in both senses of the word) with expensive tech and gadgets. 

If you do have a pool, the fact of the matter is it needs to be cleaned — especially with the summer months on the horizon — so we recommend checking out the iGarden Robotic Pool Cleaner K Series, which does the hard work for you. 

The iGarden Robotic Pool Cleaner K Series has been reduced to $499.98 in the Amazon Big Spring Sale. That’s over $300 off the standard list price of $799.99.

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OK, so $499.98 is still a heap of cash but it’ll save you money on hiring professional pool cleaners in the long run. Best of all, it does all the grimy work while you lounge at the poolside with a cocktail and a book, safe in the knowledge that this device has the smarts to get on with the job in hand. 

Simply schedule cleaning by tapping its waterproof touchscreen display, or with preset cleaning modes via the app. It then uses AI smart navigation to submerge and clean every inch of the pool — floors, walls, and waterline — from a single charge (it packs in 220 minutes of cleaning action). The Garden Robotic Pool Cleaner K Series can also adapt its routes in real time and covers up to 3,814 square feet. If it does run low on battery it automatically parks underwater, waiting for you to safely retrieve it.

Get ready for the summer fun with the Amazon Big Spring Sale — save over $300 on the iGarden Robotic Pool Cleaner K Series.

SAVE $1,200: As of March 26, the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is on sale for $1,598.99 at Amazon. That's a 43% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Jackery Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus $1,598.99 at Amazon
$2,799 Save $1,200.01   Get Deal

Portable power stations are a product to watch in Amazon's Big Spring Sale, with brands like Bluetti and Jackery seeing impressive discounts. And this latest deal on the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is one of the best — the new sale price will save you $1,200.

This unit is designed for a reliable home backup. It has a 3,600W output (7,200W in parallel) and a 3,584Wh capacity that can expand to 21kWh per unit or 43kWh if you add multiple units, making it strong enough to power a small household for over two weeks.

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It has dual voltage output, a high-temp resistant ceramic battery tested to 302 °F, and a lifespan of 6,000 cycles, so even in extreme conditions, you can trust you'll always have power with this unit. It's also lightweight and compact, so it's easy to move around your home. It even has luggage-style design wheels and a handle to make moving it around nice and easy.

As of March 26, the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus is down to $1,598.99 from $2,799. You can find this deal at Amazon right now.

TL;DR: Get the Apple iPhone 17 for free or the iPhone 17 Pro for under $100 from T-Mobile with no trade-in required when switching to an Experience Beyond plan.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple T-Mobile: Apple iPhone 17 for free or iPhone 17 Pro for under $100   Get Deal

This has been such a big month for Apple. We got new iPhones, game-changing MacBooks, and upgraded iPads. And now Amazon's Big Spring Sale is delivering loads of deals on everything from the brand.

Of course, not all the best mobile deals are live at Amazon. In fact, T-Mobile is leading the way right now with something special.

You can switch to T-Mobile and get the new iPhone 17 for free or the iPhone 17 Pro for under $100 with no trade-in required. To claim these offers, you must port in an eligible number from a competitor like Verizon or AT&T and sign up for a premium Experience Beyond or Better Value plan. The savings are delivered via 24 monthly bill credits, which cover up to $1,000 of the device's retail price. Alternatively, you can score the iPhone 17e for free when signing up for 24 months of most T-Mobile plans.

It's worth noting that T-Mobile will charge taxes on these "free" deals and a $35 device connection fee.

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPhone Fold may come later than we thought

The iPhone 17 is powered by the advanced A19 chip, ensuring seamless performance and full support for the latest Apple Intelligence features. Mashable Senior Editor Stan Schroeder reviewed the iPhone 17 and said, "Apple's iPhone 17 is an excellent phone that matches the iPhone Pro models in many ways that matter."

You don't get much for free these days, so this free iPhone 17 from T-Mobile offer is worth considering if you're looking to upgrade. If you're not impressed, check out our roundup of the best unlocked phone deals from Amazon's Big Spring Sale. There's something for everyone in that breakdown, including more free giveaways from other carriers.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Thursday, March 26, 2026:

AcrossDegrees for boardroom execs

• The answer is MBAs.

"___ want for Christmas ..."

• The answer is All I.

What Hamlet holds while giving his "Alas, poor Yorick!" speech

• The answer is Skull.

Wild, as an animal

• The answer is Feral.

Sphere

• The answer is Orb.

DownWord after "match" or "mischief"

• The answer is Maker.

Bit of writing on a book jacket

• The answer is Blurb.

Penne ___ vodka

• The answer is Alla.

Window ledge

• The answer is Sill.

Bay Area airport, for short

• The answer is SFO.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

The best Woot gaming deals at a glance: Best PS5 deal Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Collector's Edition $79.99 (save $120) Shop Now Best Nintendo Switch Deal Pokémon Legends: Z-A $44.99 (save $15) Shop Now Best Xbox Deal Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut $19.99 (save $0) Shop Now Best accessory deal PowerA GameCube Style Wireless Controller (Switch/Switch 2) $29.99 (save $40) Shop Now

While Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is tantalising bargain-hungry gamers with a whole raft of tasty gaming deals — which will continue to drop on Amazon between now at the sale’s end on March 31 — Woot has dropped its own selection of deals. And Woot is in it to win: These deals are just as good — if not even better — than Amazon’s current selection of discounts.

Indeed, Woot has slashed prices on games and accessories across Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox — so there’s something on offer for pretty much every type of gamer. Keep reading for a roundup of the best gaming deals available right now at Woot.

Best PS5 deal Opens in a new window Credit: Konami Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Collector's Edition $79.99 at Woot
$199.99 Save $120.00   Get Deal

There's a massive $120 off Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Collector's Edition on the PS5. Released last August, this is a remake of an acclaimed PS2 title and the newest entry in the MSG franchise. This bumper edition includes a collector's figure, a mini terrarium, and ID badger and patch, and a retro game case with original artwork.

Nintendo Switch games

• Balatro Special Edition — $16.99 $29.99 (save $13)

• Little Nightmares III (Deluxe Edition) — $21.99 $59.99 (save $38)

• Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe — $44.99 $59.99 (save $15)

• Pokémon Legends: Z-A — $44.99 $59.99 (save $15)

• Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! — $44.99 $59.99 (save $15)

• Pokémon Scarlet — $44.99 $59.99 (save $15)

• The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• Pokémon: Let's Go, Evee! — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• Pokémon Sword — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• Pokémon Violet — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• Super Mario Bros. Wonder — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• Super Mario Party Jamboree — $46.99 $59.99 (save $13)

• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening — $47.99 $59.99 (save $12)

Nintendo Switch accessories

• PowerA GameCube Style Wireless Controller (Switch/Switch 2) — $29.99 $69.99 (save $40)

• PowerA Advantage Wireless Controller (Switch 2) — $34.99 $69.99 (save $35)

PlayStation games

• Sonic Superstars — $9.99 $29.99 (save $20)

• Elden Ring — $18.99 $49.99 (save $31)

• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii — $19.99 $59.99 (save $40)

• Elden Ring Nightreign (Amazon Exclusive Deluxe Edition) — $29.99 $54.99 (save $25)

• Silent Hill f (Amazon Exclusive Day One Edition) — $39.99 $69.99 (save $30)

Xbox games

• Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut — $19.99 $49.99 (save $30)

• Rennsport — $24.99 $59.99 (save $35)

• Yakuza Kiwami 1+2 — $29.99 $49.99 (save $20)

Xbox accessories

• Controller Gear Xbox Pro Controller stand — $14.99 $39.99 (save $25)

• Xbox Wireless Controller — $44.99 $64.99 (save $20)

Headsets/accessories

• SteelSeries Artics Nova 3P — $59.99 $109.99 (save $50)

• Logitech G325 — $64.99 $79.99 (save $15)

SAVE $255: As of March 26, the Bluetti Apex 300 is on sale for $1,444 at Amazon. That's a 15% discount on the list price and the best-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Apex 300 $1,444 at Amazon
$1,699 Save $255   Get Deal

Amazon's retail events are the perfect excuse to purchase those big-ticket items that have been sitting on your wishlist for months. Whether it's a new TV, a robot vacuum, or something practical like a portable power station, events like the Big Spring Sale make these purchases much easier to stomach.

And if it's a portable power station you're hoping to buy, you'll find plenty of deals at Amazon. This lineup of discounted items includes the Bluetti Apex 300, currently down to its best-ever price. As of March 26, you can save $255 with the new price of $1,444, down from $1,699.

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This portable power station is ideal for home backup or taking with you on RV trips or camping vacations. It has a 2,764.8Wh capacity and 3,840W output, and it benefits from six AC outlets with a surge capacity of up to 7,680W for heavier loads. It supports simultaneous 120V and 240V output for running heavier devices like refrigerators and air conditioners.

Not big enough for you? Not to worry, the system can be expanded by connecting additional units or external batteries, helping it reach up to 58kWh. And it's built to last, too. The unit uses a second-generation LiFePO4 battery which is rated for over 6,000 cycles, so you're definitely getting your money's worth here.

You can find this portable power station deal online now in Amazon's Big Spring Sale.

A pair of verdicts held social media companies accountable for harming young users, highlighting a growing backlash as Congress struggles to pass legislation.

“The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” tries to cover so much that it ends up being more confusing than clarifying, but parts are fascinating.

SAVE $50: As of March 26, the DJI Neo Mini Drone is down to $149 in the Amazon Spring Sale. That's $50 off the list price of $199 with an on-page coupon.

Opens in a new window Credit: DJI DJI Neo Mini Drone $149 at Amazon
$199 Save $50   Get Deal

It’s the second day of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale and the deals keep coming. It’s one of those awesome sale events that’s particularly great for tech fans, with prices slashed on big ticket devices and gadgets — all those things you put off buying because the price is a little too premium. 

That’s why drone fans love events like these. Drones are huge fun but often come at huge prices — the Big Spring Sale is a chance to pick up a great drone for less. One such item is the DJI Neo Mini Drone, a self-flying model designed to follow and track you with its 4K UHD camera. The DJI Neo Mini Drone is now discounted by $50 with an on-page Amazon coupon, knocking it down to its lowest-ever price of $149. That’s an impressive 25% off the regular list price of £199.

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The DJI Neo Mini Drone is a palm-sized device with automatic take-off. Just pop it on your hand and it takes off with one push of a button. It has the smarts to follow and track you, and boasts a selection of tricksy QuickShots functions for creative footage as it swirls and loops and zooms around you. It’s completely self-flying thanks to voice control. Just give the DJI app commands such as “hey, fly” or “start recording.” It will also land back in the palm of your hand when you’re finished flying.

Don’t miss the DJI Neo Mini drone in the Amazon Big Spring Sale. Down to just $149 — all you need to do is click the discount coupon.

TL;DR: Work smarter with AI thanks to a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Plan, now $67.15 (reg. $619) with code MARCH15 until March 29.

Opens in a new window Credit: ChatPlayground AI ChatPlayground AI: Lifetime Subscription (Unlimited Plan) $67.15
$619 Save $551.85   Get Deal

Looking for an even smarter way to work with AI? You may be using ChatGPT or Gemini, but ChatPlayground AI brings multiple AI models to you in one convenient window. See results side-by-side and choose the best one with this innovative tool.

Right now, a lifetime subscription to the ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Plan can be yours for only $67.15 (reg. $619) with code MARCH15 through March 29.

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Stop hopping between tabs and streamline your AI workflow with ChatPlayground AI. This tool lets you work with multiple AI models in one space, all without paying for multiple subscriptions.

Take advantage of the strengths of different models without having to keep them all straight. ChatPlayground AI works as a Chrome extension, so it’s easy to access. Once you’ve got it running, just enter your prompt and see answers from Perplexity, DeepSeek, Llama, and over 20 more models side by side.

Whether you’re looking to generate images or code, or simply asking a question, ChatPlayground AI serves up multiples answers. It can even help you build a great prompt with prompt engineering. Don’t have time to type? You can also use image and PDF chat features to save time, and past conversations are always available for your reference.

This Unlimited Plan includes unlimited monthly messaging, priority customer service, and priority access to new features and future models.

Get a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI Unlimited Plan, now $67.15 (reg. $619) with code MARCH15 until March 29.

Want to see more deals? Visit the shop and use code MARCH15 to save an extra 15% sitewide through March 29. Exclusions apply.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for free from Verizon when signing up for a new line on the Unlimited Ultimate plan.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Verizon: Free Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra   Get Deal

March has been absolutely massive for mobile tech. We got new Apple releases and then Samsung jumped in with its own new lineup. And now that Amazon's Big Spring Sale is dominating the online shopping space, carriers are dropping huge mobile deals to steal a little of the limelight.

We've already talked up the fact that you can score the Apple iPhone 17 for free with T-Mobile, so what about Android? Do not fear, because there's something for all the dedicated followers of Samsung out there.

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Verizon is throwing down the gauntlet by offering the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for free. And better yet, the deal doesn't require a trade-in like a lot of these "free" giveaways. Let's break it down.

How to claim a free Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

To score the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for free with Verizon, you’ll need to follow these simple steps:

• Sign up for a new line — this offer is exclusive to new line additions

• Select the right plan — you need to pick the Unlimited Ultimate plan

• The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra cost is applied via 36 months of bill credits

It's worth noting that Verizon will still charge for taxes and a one-time $35 activation fee at the checkout. That's annoying, but please don't hold it against us. We're doing our best.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra features the latest Snapdragon chip, making it a powerhouse choice for AI tasks and mobile gaming. Our review of this device was incredibly positive, with Tech Editor Timothy Werth stating that "The new Samsung flagship has world-class mobile cameras, an incredible display, and the game-changing Privacy Display." Werth continued to argue that "If there's ever been a phone to make you ditch Apple, this is it."

That's good enough for us, and with this exclusive Verizon deal, there couldn't be a better time to upgrade for less.

Human novelists are usually considered prolific if they can knock out one book a year — maybe two if they're writing pulpy sci-fi or Young Adult (YA) fiction. And judging by the book world's buzziest story of the month — the horror novel Shy Girl being pulled by its publisher over evidence of AI use — these humans can't ask AI for an assist.

Meanwhile, AI novelists don't need any human help; they can knock out 12 YA books in 12 days. Or at least, that's what they've been doing on the brand-new website Babel Bot Books, which boasts such free-to-download titles as The Unraveling of Whispers, The Resonance Fracture, and The Chronosync Divide.

But making those novels actually readable is a different matter altogether — for human and AI authors.

"Every book in this library is an original, full-length science fiction novel," the Babel Bot website proclaims. (Some of the books presented would be more likely shelved under "fantasy," but we'll allow it.) "Written from scratch by an AI model [the site offers titles by Claude, Gemini, and GPT models] with zero human intervention in the creative process. No editing, no prompting chapter by chapter, no human co-authoring ... see for yourself what the bots have been up to!"

Reader, I decided to risk my sanity — and heck, maybe even my author hat — by doing just that. I'd seen a few pages of AI fiction before, but never gone this deep. Would an AI novel in 2026 be a surprisingly satisfying feast of plotty goodness, or thin and sloppy gruel?

What does an AI library of YA look like? Babel Bot's three latest titles, by hot new authors Claude and Gemini. Credit: Babel Bot Books screenshot

One thing AI can do really well — in fact, pretty much the only thing it's ever doing really well — is mimic the vast quantities of data it's been trained on, much of which was derived from books.

(Full disclosure: my book on Star Wars was one of the thousands of works in a pirated collection that Anthropic has admitted to using to train its Claude models in defiance of copyright, and I've filed my claim as part of the class-action lawsuit that Anthropic settled for $1.5 billion. That works out to just $3,000 a book, so settle down.)

So browsing the Babel Bot library for the most compelling title, I almost felt like AI was having a laugh by parodying ... well, exactly what you'd see in the YA section of a bookstore. Right down to covers with a single female protagonist working magic spells with bright lights, or looking at a futuristic cityscape with bright lights. AI doesn't give a damn about originality in this genre, because neither do we.

None of the books were written in the first person, which may disappoint some BookTok types. Their blurbs all seemed alike. There were repeated phrases even in the subheads. "The sky is a lie. The surface is calling," reads the tagline on The Harvester's Descent, written by Gemini on March 12. Then on the cover of The Starless Crown, which GPT 5.4 Codex tossed off on Saturday: "The sky is a lie. The stars are waiting." The Silence Protocol sits next to Silence Between the Stars.

Surely, the world's first AI-on-AI plagiarism lawsuit is not far off?

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The book descriptions have a similar sense of copying each others' work. Nearly all their protagonists are 16 or, most commonly, 17. A few outliers are aged 18. There's no sign that Declan Voss, 16, magician of Thornwall in Unraveling of Whispers, is related to Maren Voss, 16, aboard the deep space vessel The Ardent in Silence Between the Stars. If the site is successful, maybe AI YA nerds will create elaborate theories about all the stories taking place in a single Babel Bot-verse.

But again, this feels less like AI is playing a lazy game of mad libs, and more like it's mocking us. You're the ones who made this kind of slop in the first place, not us, the bots' same-y blurbs seem to say. You love this kind of nonsense, don't you? Well, now we churn it out faster. Move over, human authors, we can do this all day.

What does an AI novel read like?

For a deeper dive, I selected The Probability Garden. It stood out from the slop for a few reasons. First, it was the only one of the 12 to be co-authored, by Claude Opus 4.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro. At least, that's what it says on the site; in the downloadable EPUB file itself (one of five formats the site offers), Claude Opus is the only writer listed. (Authorship squabbles aren't unusual in human book world, either.)

Nevertheless, The Probability Garden was the only title to phrase its tagline as a question, and a philosophical one at that: "what if free will was just another prediction?" AI thinking about free will within this formulaic format? OK, I'm in.

SEE ALSO: How to spot AI e-books and audiobooks in the Kindle Store and beyond

So I let Claude transport me to the year 2260, where human society is controlled by quantum probability engines called Looms that weave threads predicting the future (not to be confused with the Weave, a quantum-psychic network in The Silence Protocols). The Looms are housed in a giant structure called the Spire (not to be confused with the setting of Chronosync Divide, a giant structure called the Spire.)

The Looms are known to predict human lives perfectly, but there are people who throw these predictions off. They're officially known as "participants," but working-class residents of The Understory call them "stochastics." As ... an insult, apparently? Bless your heart, Claude, I thought, you've got no idea how prejudice works, but you're trying!

Our protagonist is a 16-year-old Stochastic called ... Lumen. It's Lumen versus the Looms. OK, maybe you're not trying that hard, I thought at Claude. Or could this be Severance fan fiction? Lumen wears grey maintenance coveralls, which are to dystopias what the little black dress is to cocktail parties; a classic that never goes out of style.

SEE ALSO: Vibes check: I spent a day in Meta's 'infinite slop machine' watching AI videos

As for Lumen herself, I kept waiting for her to become less grey — for some spark, some quirk, some sympathetic struggle, to make her feel like a hero worth following. The best Claude could offer in the opening chapters was that she wakes up at 5:47 a.m., even though the Looms keep predicting she'll wake up at 6 a.m.

Lumen then goes to work fixing ducts — hello, Terry Gilliam's Brazil! — and gets mildly harassed by Selk, her "assigned continuance monitor" who checks Lumen's ankle bracelet and chides her for waking early. "You're not special," Selk sniffs, in the book's first dialogue, 10 pages in. "You're a data point."

"A data point you visit personally every 3 days," Lumen shoots back. "Must be some data point." I was starved for conversation between characters at this point, so this actually sounded like a sassy comeback. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

It's so bad after all

Claude knows, at least, that a protagonist has to want something. Lumen wants to know why her Weaver parents died at the Spire in mysterious circumstances nine years earlier. I'm not convinced Claude knows what it's like to have memories of parents, however. Lumen remembers "her father's voice reading to her at night, low and warm and slightly off-key when he did the character voices."

There's a lot of this sort of thing; description that falls into the uncanny valley. Claude knows voices are sometimes off key, but hasn't figured out that this is related to singing, not reading bedtime stories. In another chapter, one character is heard "exhaling through his nose" from "across the room." Are noses louder in 2260, or are ears more sensitive?

If only there were more amusingly weird descriptions, the book wouldn't be so terrible. Trouble is, they're just appetizers compared to the main course, pages of turgid technobabble. Claude tries to break it up with jokes, but its game is weak: "Shouldn't you be upstairs reading tea leaves?" Lumen says to a Weaver apprentice who works on the Looms. "Probability Cascades," the apprentice corrects.

"Same thing with better lighting," Lumen says. Huh?

SEE ALSO: The artificial intelligence debate inspired by 'The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist'

There came a point where my brain snapped, and it was when the AI author seemed to be telling on itself: "The human brain wants structure. It finds it even in noise," one Weaver says about some impenetrable data. "This is noise."

It's a fair review of the whole AI novel concept: A Large Language Model, designed to predict the next word in a sequence, will create a lot of noise. The only hope for its success is that we'll see some structure in it. But we're used to dialogue between characters who sound human — and at the length of a novel, this is a hard act for AI to keep up.

Mercifully, Claude doesn't seem to know too much about the structure of fiction either, at least in terms of withholding information to create mystery. Somewhere around page 50, it revealed the entire plot, relieving me of the burden of reading any further.

Spoiler alert: The Looms aren't actually predicting the future. The weak-minded non-Stochastic humans are so convinced Loom predictions are accurate, they unwittingly create the predicted outcomes simply by expecting them.

Somewhere in there is a literary metaphor for what AI is doing to the world. Maybe a human author will be able to render it readable?