Technology

• Garmin has released a new software update
• The latest version is reportedly playing havoc with some Forerunner models
• Users are complaining of touchscreen issues and Wi-Fi sync problems

A new software update released by Garmin appears to be disrupting the functionality of many of the best Garmin watches out there. However, confusion abounds as to what Garmin has actually changed, and what may or may not be broken in the latest version, specifically for users of the popular Forerunner range.

Garmin rolled out version 21.19 of its software on December 2. Improvements listed include updates to Pool Swim workouts, the new Meditation activity, and fixes to a range of bugs and quirks.

Since the update, Forerunner users have reported various issues, specifically regarding Wi-Fi sync and using the touchscreen on their devices. So what's going on, and what do you need to know?

Garmin Forerunner software update chaos

(Image credit: Garmin)

To start with the more straightforward issue, some users are reporting problems with Wi-Fi sync following the update. "After installing Forerunner 955 - Software Version 21.19 the wi-fi sync does not work," one user reported December 4.

Plenty of comments indicate a similar issue, and Garmin does note in its release notes that "it is recommended users sync their devices using Garmin Express or Wifi to expedite the transfer of files required for the meditation activity." The bulk of the new update, which is laden with new features, may be causing Wi-Fi sync issues, but whatever the case, there doesn't seem to be a clear cause or fix.

Even more confusing are the changes/bugs relating to the touchscreen.

Multiple users are reporting a bug that means the Forerunner touchscreen is always enabled during activities, even when the 'Touch Disabled' setting is turned on. "I was out for a run in the rain at lunchtime today & noticed the same as the wet sleeve of my jacket was swiping through the data fields," one user confirmed. This sounds like a bug, and Garmin has commented on at least one thread to say "We are aware of this disruption and are currently investigating. I apologize for any frustration!"

The issue is muddied, however, because there's another touchscreen 'bug' affecting users that Garmin says is actually an intentional change. in 21.19, the Forerunner's Stopwatch is controlled by the buttons on the device, not the touchscreen. "I can not control the stopwatch using a touch screen after software update 21.19. I can only use the buttons to start/stop/reset it. Touch screen does work in the timer," one user lamented.

Garmin has since confirmed in response that "This was an intentional change. You now must use the buttons on the Stopwatch and Timer screen to start, stop, and reset the time. I'm sorry for any disappointment regarding this change!"

To sum up, the latest Garmin update definitely has some bugs regarding Wi-Fi and using the touchscreen during activities. However, if you've found your stopwatch no longer works via touchscreen and can only be controlled using buttons, Garmin says this is an intentional change. Whether it was a good one or not remains to be seen.

Between this latest kerfuffle and the recent issue with Garmin watch faces crashing, it's been a choppy few days for the company's software division.

You may also like

• Garmin just revealed all the free new features in its December update
• If your Garmin watch faces keep crashing, you're not alone – and Garmin is working on it
• Garmin smartwatches could soon get support for one of the hottest and odd-sounding trends in fitness alongside the launch of the Instinct 3

Now it's December, we are creeping closer to the highly anticipated release of Severance season two. As one of the best Apple TV shows out there and my personal favorite from one of the best streaming services, I have been impatiently waiting for its return. So, I was thrilled when Vanity Fair dropped a massive exclusive preview full of new images and quotes, and one thing in particular caught my eye.

Vanity Fair's preview teases a little more about Gwendoline Christie's character, one of the newcomers to Severance season two. Right now, our experience within Lumon has not stretched much further than two departments; Macrodata Refinement and Optics and Design, but it looks like her new character is from a new one entirely.

I'm excited about this for many reasons. First of all, knowing we'll be branching out into new areas is great, and secondly, I love Gwendoline Christie. From her portrayal as my favorite Game of Thrones character Brienne of Tarth to her principal character in the Netflix series Wednesday, she always impresses.

Here's just a quick glimpse at what director Ben Stiller and writer and creator Dan Erickson have teased about the series.

What do we know about Gwendoline's character in Severance season 2?

(Image credit: HBO)

Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson have teased some of the new characters showing up in the second season, with Christie's mysterious new arrival among them. And it's exciting stuff because they've teased her character is doing work that's not in an office. To be fair, I never saw that coming when I put together my Severance season two questions piece. Season one felt pretty claustrophobic at times, so there's a chance we're expanding further than we thought.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, they said: "There are three new people in MDR, in the place of our regular group. Lumon is aware that these three Innies [Mark, Helly, and Irving] have somehow breached the severed floor and activated their overtime contingency. The new people who are in place there are somehow in reaction to this. Seeing new people at the desks would definitely bring up questions, especially for Mark."

"In terms of Gwendoline, it’s pretty clear she’s in a different department. She is doing some kind of work where she’s not in an office. There are people who are not in the white-collar aspect of what goes on at Lumon but who get their hands dirty and are working towards other ends. And one of the fun parts of the show I think is also trying to figure out how all these different departments connect with each other."

You might also like

• Severance season 2's first trailer is so unpleasantly upbeat and trippy, I can't wait to return to the office on Apple TV Plus
• 3 new movies and shows on Apple TV Plus that I can’t wait to watch in December
• Wolfs director cancels Apple TV Plus movie sequel, despite being the most-watched feature film on the streaming service

The countdown to the next Fed meeting begins. Here's what that means for your savings.

Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, we may have spotted a galactic neighbor with all the right molecular ingredients a mere 40 light-years away.

Samsung’s Ultra phones are always pricey propositions. After all, they sit at the top of the Galaxy S line, and that’s Samsung’s top non-foldable smartphone series.

So outside of the best foldable phones there aren’t many handsets that cost much more than a Galaxy S Ultra, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is unlikely to be any exception to that.

But you probably guessed this phone would be expensive, the real question is exactly how much it might cost. For that, we don’t yet have a definitive answer, but thanks to leaks and previous pricing we can make some predictions.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra price predictions

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

One thing we can say almost for certain is that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra won’t cost any less than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. So the best case scenario is probably it retaining the current model’s price.

That would mean a starting price of $1,299.99 / £1,249 / AU$2,199, but you can see full pricing for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s various configurations in the chart below.

The prices in that chart are a best case scenario then, but there’s a high chance that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will actually cost more than that.

While we haven’t heard any exact prices yet, we have heard that this phone will probably use a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. And that in itself could mean a higher price, as Qualcomm said this chipset would be more expensive than the previous model, which is used by the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Tipsters have got a bit more specific, with one saying that the Snapdragon 8 Elite costs around 20% more, and another saying this chipset is roughly $40 (around £30 / AU$60) more expensive.

In which case, if Samsung passes that price increase on to buyers, then the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could start at more like $1,340 / £1,280 / AU$2,260. However, there are a lot of other potential variables that could affect the price too.

On the positive side, Samsung sells so many phones that it might have been able to work out a favorable deal with Qualcomm, reducing the price per unit of the chipset.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

But on the other hand, inflation could also push the price up, as could the various improvements we’re expecting in the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Indeed, we've elsewhere heard that the price to produce the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has apparently risen by $110 (around £85 / AU$170), making a price rise "unavoidable."

Still, however much it costs you could be getting a significantly better phone for your money than you would with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Beyond the likely presence of a far more powerful chipset, leaks also point to an upgraded ultra-wide camera, more RAM, a bigger screen, and a refined design.

So the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specs could be quite an upgrade, and may go some way towards justifying any price increases.

Still though, this is sure to be an expensive phone, and right now if we had to guess, we’d say it’s likely to cost even more than its predecessor, albeit probably not too much more.

We should find out in January, as the Samsung Galaxy S25 series release date is rumored to be January 22.

You might also like

• Samsung Galaxy S25 cameras: every expected camera on every model
• Samsung Galaxy S25 predicted colors: every rumored shade
• Best Samsung phones: top Galaxy handsets ranked

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, shoppers are actively taking steps to protect their identity online.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 5.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,265 for Dec. 5.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Dec. 5 Strands puzzle, No. 277.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 543 for Dec. 5.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 73 for Dec. 5.

OpenAI proudly debuted ChatGPT search in October as the next stage for search engines. The company boasted that the new feature combined ChatGPT's conversational skills with the best web search tools, offering real-time information in a more useful form than any list of links. According to a recent review by Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism, that celebration may have been premature. The report found ChatGPT to have a somewhat lassie-faire attitude toward accuracy, attribution, and basic reality when sourcing news stories.

What's especially notable is that the problems crop up regardless of whether a publication blocks OpenAI’s web crawlers or has an official licensing deal with OpenAI for its content. The study tested 200 quotes from 20 publications and asked ChatGPT to source them. The results were all over the place.

Sometimes, the chatbot got it right. Other times, it attributed quotes to the wrong outlet or simply made up a source. OpenAI's partners, including The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and the Axel Springer and Meredith publications, sometimes fared better, but not with any consistency.

Gambling on accuracy when asking ChatGPT about the news is not what OpenAI or its partners want. The deals were trumpeted as a way for OpenAI to support journalism while improving ChatGPT's accuracy. When ChatGPT turned to Politico, published by Axel Springer, for quotes, the person speaking was often not whom the chatbot cited.

AI news to lose

The short answer to the problem is simply ChatGPT's method of finding and digesting information. The web crawlers ChatGPT uses to access data can be performing perfectly, but the AI model underlying ChatGPT can still make mistakes and hallucinate. Licensed access to content doesn't change that basic fact.

Of course, if a publication is blocking the web crawlers, ChatGPT can slide from newshound to wolf in sheep's clothing in accuracy. Outlets employing robots.txt files to keep ChatGPT away from their content, like The New York Times, leave the AI floundering and fabricating sources instead of saying it has no answer for you. More than a third of the responses in the report fit this description. That's more than a small coding fix. Arguably worse is that if ChatGPT couldn’t access legitimate sources, it would turn to places where the same content was published without permission, perpetuating plagiarism.

Ultimately, AI misattributing quotes isn't as big a deal as the implication for journalism and AI tools like ChatGPT. OpenAI wants ChatGPT search to be where people turn for quick, reliable answers linked and cited properly. If it can’t deliver, it undermines trust in both AI and the journalism it’s summarizing. For OpenAI's partners, the revenue from their licensing deal might not be worth the lost traffic from unreliable links and citations.

So, while ChatGPT search can be a boon in a lot of activities, be sure to check those links if you want to ensure the AI isn't hallucinating answers from the internet.

You might also like...

• Top 3 things you have to try with the new ChatGPT search
• Meta AI is now a Reuters newsboy
• I tried ChatGPT Search and now I might never Google again

The series moves to Adelaide, with the visitors looking to continue their extraordinary run Down Under.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1046) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1046) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1046) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1046) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1046) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• B

• C

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1046) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1046, are…

• AGING
• BICEP
• CLOVE
• SPILL

Small spelling differences often catch us out in the UK (where I am) when doing US-based puzzles like Quordle – and it was almost my nemesis today when I plumped for the highly unlikely AXING instead of AGING.

BICEP I should have seen quicker, not least because C and P are unusual, but also because I love listening to a bit of the Northern Irish duo Bicep when I’m down the gym working on my biceps in an attempt to curb ageing or aging.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1046) - the answers

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1046, are…

• GULCH
• ANGST
• VIDEO
• WOOER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE
• Quordle #1039, Thursday 28 November: GRADE, WORRY, NOISE, DAISY
• Quordle #1038, Wednesday 27 November: HEART, ROGUE, INEPT, UTILE
• Quordle #1037, Tuesday 26 November: PRIED, FAINT, HURRY, WOOER
• Quordle #1036, Monday 25 November: NUDGE, SNOOP, SHACK, DRYLY
• Quordle #1035, Sunday 24 November: CLOTH, CLAMP, PETTY, CHEST
• Quordle #1034, Saturday 23 November: AVOID, PLANT, FILET, TWIRL
• Quordle #1033, Friday 22 November: CUTIE, ALOOF, ETUDE, SILLY
• Quordle #1032, Thursday 21 November: RABBI, EAGER, COUGH, BRASH
• Quordle #1031, Wednesday 20 November: MINTY, TOPAZ, BRUSH, LAPEL
• Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST
• Quordle #1029, Monday 18 November: ASCOT, BRINK, WEIRD, HOMER
• Quordle #1028, Sunday 17 November: STATE, BRAWN, SWORE, URBAN
• Quordle #1027, Saturday 16 November: NOTCH, BENCH, BUSED, FOUND
• Quordle #1026, Friday 15 November: PURER, TRUSS, TORCH, FORUM

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #277) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Gonna fly now!

NYT Strands today (game #277) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• WIFE
• GRAY
• ROOTS
• DRAY
• TASK
• TUBE

NYT Strands today (game #277) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Flappy bird/non-birds

NYT Strands today (game #277) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 4th row

Last: right, 1st row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #277) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #277, are…

• ANGEL
• GRIFFIN
• DRAGON
• STORK
• BUTTERFLY
• FAIRY
• SPANGRAM: WINGED THING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

We all have our quirks, and one of mine is that I suffer from mild entomophobia (fear of flying insects), so I found today’s Strands a tiny – emphasis on the word tiny – bit triggering. My first thought was that this was another air travel theme, and it took me a hint before I realized it was a different variety of wings we were looking for.

It’s not entirely pleasing that the puzzle was made up of a mixture of both real and fantastical WINGED THINGs – the DRAGON has little in common with a BUTTERFLY (imagine, if you will, Game of Thrones with butterflies instead of dragons; yeah, it doesn't really work, does it?).

Anyway let's not discuss wings any further or I might faint.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 4 December, game #276)

• GRAVE
• ACUTE
• TILDE
• UMLAUT
• CEDILLA
• CIRCUMFLEX
• SPANGRAM: DIACRITICS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

It's the first time the pontiff will make public appearances in an EV.

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #543) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• APPLE
• LIME
• YELLOW
• FACE
• NOSE
• FRONT
• RHINE
• AMAZON
• SURFACE
• GIFT
• ORACLE
• BRIM
• INSTINCT
• INTUIT
• OUTSIDE
• FLAIR

NYT Connections today (game #543) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Natural gift
• Green: Outsiders
• Blue: Silicon Valley
• Purple: Think like a rock

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #543) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: APTITUDE
• GREEN: EXTERIOR
• BLUE: TECH COMPANIES
• PURPLE: __STONE

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #543) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #543, are…

• YELLOW: APTITUDE FLAIR, GIFT, INSTINCT, NOSE
• GREEN: EXTERIOR FACE, FRONT, OUTSIDE, SURFACE
• BLUE: TECH COMPANIES AMAZON, APPLE, INTUIT, ORACLE
• PURPLE: __STONE BRIM, LIME, RHINE, YELLOW

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

Today's lesson from NYT? Don't ignore what's in FRONT of your FACE.

I got BLUE first today, but it cost me a mistake. My first thought whenever I see the word APPLE is the popular purveyor of laptops and phones. However, seeing it alongside LIME, I initially wondered if I should be considering pies — there's also FACE Pie, but where is the pesky fourth word? Intuit doesn't fit with pies but they are the company behind QuickBooks, so maybe this is a tech answer after all — sometimes the obvious answer is the correct one.

It took me three attempts to get GREEN — mainly overthinking that I was looking for words connected to boxes or packaging. From here I used my natural GIFT for random guesswork to land YELLOW and shamefully clicked on the remaining four tiles without knowing what the theme was — despite RHINEstone Cowboy being one of my favorite songs. Not my finest 15 minutes.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 4 December, game #542)

• YELLOW: STEER DIRECT, GUIDE, LEAD, SHEPHERD
• GREEN: THINGS WITH NEEDLE/S COMPASS, PINE TREE, SEWING KIT, TURNTABLE
• BLUE: FIGURES IN GREEK MYTH ATLAS, ECHO, HELEN, PAN
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR LAVATORY CANDLE, JOHNSON, LOOFAH, TOILETRIES

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

• Max is rolling out a live-feed of shows and movies dubbed channels
• Peacock and Disney Plus among others already have a similar experience
• Rather than trying to decide what to watch, you'll be able to hop into a themed channel

Max is having a particularly busy week, just confirming that its password-sharing crackdown has begun, but the streaming service is doing more. Now joining the likes of Peacock and Disney Plus, Max is starting to roll out channels to subscribers in the United States.

What is a channel? Well, much like cable from years past, Max will let you tune into a channel that’s a stream of HBO programming. Possibly solving the question and conundrum of what to watch and let you dive right into a category of programming you might be interested in.

For this initial rollout, Max’ Channels will be available to subscribers on Ad-Free or Ultimate Ad-Free plans in the United States, and the service has five feeds to pick from at launch. HBO, HBO 2, HBO Comedy, HBO Signature, and HBO Zone will serve up live feeds of classic HBO programming from shows to movies with documentaries, specials, and docuseries in between.

(Image credit: Max)

Much like a traditional cable channel paired with a DVR, you can hop into whatever is currently streamed with the added ability to pause the stream, rewind it, and even fast-forward it. This experience will live directly within the Max app and is designed to complement the traditional streaming service experience of finding and starting content.

It’s worth noting that the first channels debuting from Max are similar to HBO’s own channel lineup back in its prime. If I find myself a part of the test, I look forward to seeing Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO Comedy plenty. In a shared release, Max notes that this “launch provides the infrastructure for future iterations and ongoing innovation of channels.” This means that, much like Disney, we could see Max roll out themed channels throughout the year, even when new shows are launched.

For instance, when a new season of House of Dragon launches, Max could spin up a channel leading up to it, streaming the previous seasons and even episodes of Game of Thrones. And it’s likely that before this rolls out to all users in the United States or other markets, Max could make changes to the design and how channels work entirely.

Time will tell, but if you’re in the United States and have Ad-Free or Ultimate Ad-Free plans, keep an eye on the Max homepage for a new Channels bar.

You might also like

• Max's global rollout could soon pick up pace with the help of Prime Video
• Disney Plus scores a Christmas slam-dunk with the first-ever animated basketball game
• The Day of the Jackal just broke a Sky streaming record but it’s not as big on Peacock

The $25 domestic flights go on sale each day for fives days.

We've found affordable presents across categories including tech, home goods, toys and more. And they're all $25 or less.