Technology

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle No. 1,394 for April 13.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for Connections for April 13, #672.

The Trump administration has spared iPhones, laptops and other electronics from its reciprocal tariffs, but it's unclear if that'll last.

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• Certain electronics gadgets are now exempt from certain tariffs
• Phones, laptops, and processors all get a reprieve – which includes China
• It's still not clear what will happen next with electronics pricing

There's a new twist in the US tariff trade war: Phones, computers, semiconductors and various other electronics are now exempt from punishing import tariffs, which have shot up to 145% for China and are typically now 10% as a baseline for other countries.

The news was reported by the Associated Press and others, and while it's still early to say what the full impact will be, it does ease the pressure on companies who mostly manufacture their gadgets outside of the US – including Apple, Dell, Nvidia, and Samsung.

US President Donald Trump introduced a raft of tariffs for goods imported to the US at the start of the month, and markets have been in chaos ever since. Earlier this week, a lot of those tariff hikes above the 10% baseline were paused – but not for China, which raised its own tariffs in turn.

This new exclusion policy does cover China, and mentions smartphones, laptops, hard drives, computer processors, memory chips, and machines used to make semiconductors. Most companies that deal in electronics will be breathing a sigh of relief, though some device categories apparently aren't covered, including video games consoles.

What happens next?

The move might not be enough to open up Switch 2 pre-orders in the US (Image credit: Future/Nintendo)

It's been difficult to predict the moves the US government has made in respect to tariffs in recent days, and that hasn't changed. This latest move should mean gadget pricing settles down for consumers, but it's impossible to be certain.

Bloomberg reports that the new exclusion policy could be a precursor to a whole separate tariff focused specifically on electronics. For now, the world is waiting to see how the 90-day pause on many of Trump's tariffs plays out.

As a US company which assembles almost all of its goods overseas, including in China, Apple has been in the spotlight during all of this tariff uncertainty: there have even been suggestions of Apple factories in the US and reports of iPhone panic-buying ahead of potential price rises.

Apple is one of the companies that it seems will benefit the most, though the move may not be enough to open up Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in the US, which have been delayed. Consoles like the Switch 2 aren't mentioned in the new exemptions, though the previous 90-day pause should mean more stock can be moved to the United States.

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• Broadband Optical SSDs may be key to development of town-sized mega data centers
• Opting for optical SSDs allow distance between compute and storage to grow far more
• The other advantage of going optical is the energy savings associated with moving petabytes of data around

A trio of Japanese tech giants, Kioxia, AIO Core, and Kyocera, have announced the development of a prototype broadband SSD with an optical interface that works with the PCIe 5.0 standard.

The optical SSD prototype has reportedly achieved "functional operation" using PCIe 5.0, which offers double the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0.

This was made possible through a combination of AIO Core’s IOCore optical transceiver and Kyocera’s OPTINITY optoelectronic integration module.

Going optical

This optical SSD was created to handle the demands of modern applications like generative AI, which rely on moving large amounts of data quickly.

The use of optical connections in SSDs could help reduce the physical limitations tied to traditional electrical interfaces, especially in large-scale data center environments.

The three firms say they plan to continue developing the technology and apply it to proof-of-concept testing aimed at future real-world use.

One of the major benefits of going optical is the ability to increase the physical distance between compute and storage without losing performance or energy efficiency. This is expected to be especially useful for data centers that span wider areas.

There's also the added advantage of reduced energy use when shifting petabytes of data, which could help meet growing environmental goals in the tech industry.

The project's aim is to ultimately create new digital infrastructure technologies that cut energy use in data centers by over 40% compared to current systems.

This work is part of Japan’s “Next Generation Green Data Center Technology Development” project, JPNP21029, which receives funding from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) through the Green Innovation Fund Project.

Each company brings specific expertise to support the shared goal of building more efficient and capable data infrastructure for the future. Kioxia is focusing on broadband optical SSD development, AIO Core is working on optoelectronic fusion devices, and Kyocera is creating optoelectronic packaging.

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• Netflix is testing new AI-powered recommendations
• It's live now for iOS users in Australia and New Zealand
• You'll be able to ask for recommendations based on mood

Netflix has long used AI algorithms to recommend new movies and shows to its users, but it's now testing an enhanced experience that can suggest titles to watch based on your mood or whatever criteria you choose.

As reported by Bloomberg, and confirmed by Netflix to The Verge, the test is live now for iPhone users in Australia and New Zealand. For now, it seems the focus is on iOS, but US subscribers are apparently getting this "in the coming weeks and months".

The feature is going to be opt-in for users, at least to begin with, and will be powered by technology from ChatGPT developer OpenAI. As yet we haven't had any official announcement from either Netflix or OpenAI.

It's perhaps understandable that Netflix is taking a low-key approach to the new recommendation feature: the use of AI in movies and shows is under an increasing amount of scrutiny, with serious questions being raised about the creative industry.

How will this work?

Expect a ChatGPT-like experience – though Android users will have to wait (Image credit: Shutterstock / trickyaamir)

We haven't been able to test this out for ourselves at TechRadar, and there's not much to go off in the reports as yet. Being able to get recommendations based on your mood is really the only detail that's emerged so far.

However, given the way movie and show recommendations already work in generative AI bots such as ChatGPT, it's not difficult to imagine the sort of functionality that's heading to Netflix: a more personal, more detailed recommendation experience.

You can already ask ChatGPT to recommend movies similar to classic 90s action thrillers, less than two hours in length, and without excessive violence in them and get some decent answers back. Netflix's own version is likely to work in a similar way.

In other words, you'll be able to make all kinds of requests in terms of recommendations, from genre to setting, and you'll get a bunch of AI-picked movies and shows back – all available in the Netflix catalog, of course.

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• Pouring water slowly from a height results in better coffee extraction
• Researchers found that pouring this way mixes and agitates particles better
• The technique can give you the same flavor with fewer coffee beans

Researchers have discovered the secret to brewing tastier, well-rounded coffee without using any extra beans – and it's the simple gooseneck kettle. This type of kettle has a long, fine pouring spout, which produces a higher-pressure, more precisely controlled stream of water that's the key to a better brew.

Coffee prices have soared in recent months due to factors including climate change (including severe droughts and frosts in Brazil) that leads to poor harvests, increasing costs of production, and increased demand for coffee worldwide. Getting the same flavor from a smaller portion of beans is, therefore, great news for those of us who love to start the day with a mug of pour-over.

As reported by The Guardian, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have found that pouring water slowly from a height creates an 'avalanche-like' effect that results in better mixing of the coffee and water, increasing contact time, and extracting more flavor compounds from the grounds.

They suggest you try reducing the amount of coffee you use by 10% and experiment with pouring from different heights (up to 30cm) to see the changes in flavor profile.

Choose the right kettle

There are plenty of gooseneck kettles around, but I have a couple of particular recommendations. If you want a traditional kettle for the stove, the Stagg Pour-Over Coffee and Tea Kettle from Fellow is an excellent choice.

Fellow is well known for its premium coffee-brewing equipment, and the Fellow Aiden Precision Coffee Maker is the choice of many professional roasters, including my Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) instructor.

Its gooseneck kettle comes in two versions: stovetop and electric. The stovetop version includes a thermometer with a dial on top that shows you when the water has reached the optimal brewing temperature.

In contrast, the electric version has a temperature control that you can set in increments of 1°F.

The Dualit 92960 Pour-Over Kettle is another great option if you're in the UK. It also has variable temperature controls and a hold function that keeps the water at your preferred temperature for up to five minutes while you weigh out and grind your beans. It's a little cheaper than Fellow's electric gooseneck kettle.

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Microsoft has a Windows 10 problem. The problem is that despite the launch of the newer, shinier Windows 11, a large section of PC users are stubbornly refusing to upgrade, and instead sticking with the almost 10-year old operating system.

While that might not seem like a huge problem for Microsoft – after all, people are still using a version of its Windows OS, even if it’s not the latest – the company has also announced that Windows 10 is fast approaching its ‘End of Life’ date of October 14,2025.

After that date, Microsoft will no longer provide updates, including security patches for Windows 10 – leading to anyone still using the OS being potentially at risk as new security threats emerge. So, Microsoft’s problem is that it has a hard deadline (which it imposed itself, to be fair) to get people to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Unfortunately, it’s currently doing a terrible job of it.

According to GlobalStats’ most recent numbers (from last month), 54.23% of Windows PCs are running Windows 10, while 42.66% are on Windows 11. While the gap is narrowing, the fact that Windows 10 remains the most-used version will no doubt be disappointing to Microsoft. The race is now on to get Windows 10 users to move to Windows 11 – but what can Microsoft do?

The old ways aren’t working

(Image credit: eamesBot / Shutterstock)

Microsoft has so far taken a carrot and stick approach to tempting people to move to Windows 11, though it has tended to be more stick-heavy than I’d have liked.

Carrot-wise, Microsoft initially offered the Windows 11 upgrade for free for people moving from Windows 7 and Windows 10. While this was only a limited-time offer, various methods remained that allowed people to continue to upgrade for free, and up until recently it seemed Microsoft was happy to turn a blind eye – I assume as it at least meant people were moving to Windows 11.

To be fair, it was a good move – offering it for free took the sting out of having to upgrade to a new operating system after being told repeatedly by Microsoft that Windows 10 would be ‘the last version of Windows’. It’s also similar to Apple’s approach with its rival macOS operating system, which releases new versions every year, but which are always free.

The free offer was enough to make me upgrade my Windows 10 PCs to Windows 11, and while I’m sure it also tempted people who would have otherwise stayed on the older version if they had to pay, clearly it wasn’t enough to get everyone to shift.

For a start, due to some odd system requirements for Windows 11, there were people with perfectly good Windows 10 machines that could not upgrade due to their device not coming with a TPM (Trusted Platform Model). In those cases, they could either buy a new Windows 11-compatible device or stick with their current device and stay on Windows 10. That was obviously an easy choice for a lot of people.

Also, while Windows 10 is far from perfect, it is also a very solid operating system, so I completely understand people who are perfectly happy to keep using Windows 10 as they know it works well, and they are familiar with using it. Windows 11 is very similar to Windows 10, but there are a few things that could be frustrating for people coming from Windows 10 (especially how the Taskbar works).

And moving to a new operating system always brings some degree of risk. If your PC is running great with Windows 10, would you really want to jeopardize that by upgrading to Windows 11 and introducing problems due to incompatibilities and other bugs?

So, with some Windows 10 holdouts not being tempted by the carrot, Microsoft switched to the stick. This mainly involved showing ads and pop-ups encouraging people to upgrade to Windows 11 – and some of these can be annoying and intrusive if you’re using your PC for important tasks.

Instead of gently bullying people to make the switch, it’s ended up annoying a much larger group of Windows 10 users – and in some cases I can imagine it’s made people even more reluctant to move to Windows 11.

So, with the clock ticking, what can Microsoft do to convince people to move to Windows 11? While I fear the company will keep using its ‘stick’ approach until everyone is so fed up they install Windows 11 just to shut Microsoft up, I have a few better suggestions.

1. Forget AI, give people real reasons to upgrade to Windows 11

(Image credit: Future)

If you were to ask anyone at Microsoft why you should use Windows 11, they’ll probably say because of the artificial intelligence and Copilot features (perhaps because they’re worried CEO Satya Nadella is eavesdropping on the conversation).

AI, and Microsoft’s integration of it via the Copilot app in Windows 11, is the big obsession for the company, and while recent Copilot-centric events have done a better job of selling Microsoft’s vision of AI, the truth is that the company’s excitement about Copilot just isn’t being matched by consumers.

This is mainly because Microsoft has failed to show how Copilot can make people’s lives easier. Instead it’s focused on frivolous things such as image generation and email summaries, which might be fun for a few minutes, but the novelty quickly wears off.

However, if Microsoft showed some of the things Copilot can do that rival AI chatbots can’t, and explain how these can help you with tasks you perform every day, then people will be much more interested.

Some of these features are exclusive to Copilot+ PCs – which are devices that come with an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) for performing AI tasks on the device (rather than via the internet), so if Microsoft wants people to ditch their old Windows 10 device and buy a new Copilot+ PC, then it’s going to have to do a much better job at showcasing the benefits that AI and Copilot brings to Windows 11.

2. Fix the taskbar

(Image credit: Microsoft)

One of the biggest changes with Windows 11 was the taskbar which runs along the bottom of your screen. As well as making a visual change that moves icons to the center of the screen, rather than at the left-hand side of the taskbar, which has been the norm since Windows 95, Microsoft made some background tweaks to how the taskbar works. The problem is, it made Windows 11’s taskbar worse to use than Windows 10’s.

This is particularly evident when you want to drag and drop files from your PC onto an app icon on your taskbar. In previous versions of Windows, this would open the file in that app (as long as it was compatible). With Windows 11, you can’t do that. Nor can you move the taskbar to the side of the screen (or the top) – something that a lot of people like to do.

Trying to get people to move to your new product becomes much harder when there are key areas where the new product is worse to use than its predecessor. After all, why would you go to the trouble and expense to upgrade if you lose features?

Microsoft has said it is working on bringing those features back to Windows 11’s taskbar, but it’s been several years now, and the issues remain. Making this a priority for the expected influx of Windows 10 users when the End of Life period starts would be an excellent idea.

3. Stop releasing bad updates

(Image credit: Stokkete / Shutterstock)

It’s fair to say that Windows 11 is going through a phase at the moment where it seems that every update that Microsoft releases for the operating system breaks as many things as it fixes.

This happens to operating systems – Windows 10 also suffered from a spate of bad updates a few years ago, and macOS has had its fair share of broken updates – but the timing of Windows 11’s update woes is very unfortunate.

It’s led to months of bad headlines for Microsoft, and that’s going to shake the confidence of anyone thinking of upgrading.

And, because Windows 10 is now 10 years old, it’s a far more stable operating system than Windows 11, which again could put people off moving from Windows 10 to 11.

So, how can Microsoft fix this? It won’t be easy, but making sure every update is thoroughly tested by its employees, as well as its legions of Windows Insiders, who are users who signed up to help test early versions of software.

This would mean lengthening the time each update takes to come out, but that’s not a bad thing (outside of critical security fixes). It’s better to have fewer, more stable, updates, than rush out an update that breaks people’s PCs and frustrates people. Having fewer prompts to restart my PC and install an update would also be very welcome.

4. Cut the ads…

(Image credit: Ollyy / Shutterstock)

One of the most obnoxious things about Windows 11, and likely a big reason why people are hesitant to upgrade, is because Microsoft is increasingly adding adverts to the operating system, with banners and icons appearing in places like the Start menu and within certain windows.

It’s pretty annoying, and feels a touch desperate when it’s yet another advert begging you to sign up to OneDrive or PC Games Pass. The company has also been blasted for including adverts for its games like Avowed, and it all makes Windows 11 feel a little cheap. It also makes your own PC feel less like you actually own it.

Dropping these ads would be incredibly welcome, and would boost Windows 11’s reputation. This is probably very unlikely that Microsoft would entertain this idea, as it really wants to get people to pay for more of its products and services, and ads in Windows 11 seem to be the way the company wants to do this, but that doesn’t stop it from annoying its users.

So, if cutting the ads in Windows 11 is a non-starter, how about making the adverts less annoying and frustrating? I have an idea…

5. …or make Windows 11 free forever

(Image credit: Sergey Kisselev / Behance.net / Microsoft)

I don’t mind adverts in free things, be it free-to-view TV shows or websites, but putting them in a product I’ve paid for is a major bugbear for me.

So, if Microsoft continues to have adverts in Windows 11, it could at least make Windows 11 free – permanently. This would justify the use of adverts (the company needs to make money, after all), and means those ads were a small price to pay for a free operating system.

It would also mean people stopped looking at loopholes and workarounds to get Windows 11 for free. And making upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 as easy, and cheap, as possible could be another big win for getting people to drop the old operating system. It'd also mean Microsoft could keep its beloved ads (it could even offer an ad-free version of Windows 11 for a small fee) as well.

Regardless, Microsoft needs to do something fast if it wants people to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11 ahead of October, and what it’s doing at the moment just isn’t cutting it.

What Microsoft doesn’t want to happen when Windows 10’s End of Life hits is a load of people who will continue to risk using Windows 10 or – worse – switch to an alternative such as Linux. This is an important time for Windows 11, and Microsoft needs to get it right. But will it?

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, April 12 (game #1174).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 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 #1175) - 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 #1175) - 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 2.

Quordle today (game #1175) - 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 #1175) - 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 2.

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 #1175) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• K

• S

• W

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

Quordle today (game #1175) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1175, are…

• SHALE
• KINKY
• SHORN
• WHOOP

I had a run of Quordle where I thought it was so straightforward I’d set a stopwatch to see how quickly I get the four words. Now, I’m really glad I didn’t do that because it’s getting increasingly taxing – and slow.

Hard, though, is healthy. It’s good to stretch your brain and mine had to do a lot of work before it got WHOOP and KINKY.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1175) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1175, are…

• DUCHY
• MISER
• DOWEL
• ALIKE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1174, Saturday 12 April: BLIND, OVOID, CACHE, THING
• Quordle #1173, Friday 11 April: FOLLY, PITHY, SCOWL, CURLY
• Quordle #1172, Thursday 10 April: LEAST, SEWER, UNTIE, NOOSE
• Quordle #1171, Wednesday 9 April: LITHE, LEFTY, KNOLL, MULCH
• Quordle #1170, Tuesday 8 April: WIDTH, VISOR, MEDAL, BROOK
• Quordle #1169, Monday 7 April: BROTH, SHOUT, BRUTE, CABIN
• Quordle #1168, Sunday 6 April: AMBER, GAUZE, STORE, SLICK
• Quordle #1167, Saturday 5 April: GUSTY, VAULT, WHINE, BEGAT
• Quordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTE
• Quordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLY
• Quordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLE
• Quordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECT
• Quordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACE
• Quordle #1161, Sunday 30 March: CRIME, DRINK, CLOVE, TRUER
• Quordle #1160, Saturday 29 March: LATER, ODDLY, CUMIN, AGREE
• Quordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FROND
• Quordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKE
• Quordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIAD
• Quordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAIN
• Quordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALL

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, April 12 (game #405).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Orange door hinge

NYT Strands today (game #406) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• LATHE
• DEAR
• POSER
• SHELF
• ROAD
• PREY

NYT Strands today (game #406) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 11 letters

NYT Strands today (game #406) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 8th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #406) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #406, are…

• HELLO
• FLEW
• PILOT
• QUEEN
• HEIGHT
• PLAQUE
• SPREAD
• SPANGRAM: COLOR RHYMES

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

Today’s theme is a callback to a 2010 interview with Eminem, in which he tells 60 Minutes that it annoys him when people say “nothing rhymes with orange”. It’s just the way you pronounce it, he says, as he goes on to demonstrate the numerous things that rhyme with orange if you’re Eminem – including porridge, jorridge, four-inch and door hinge.

Without this crucial piece of information I was completely in the dark as I searched for what appeared to be utterly random words. Had I known I was searching for slim shadys, and all the other slim shadys were just imitating, I may have been quicker.

Even armed with the knowledge that all of these words are COLOR RHYMES (HELLO yellow, FLEW blue, QUEEN green, etc), I still had to use Google to find out what rhymes with PILOT. Hopefully it wasn’t just me who was stumped.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 12 April, game #405)

• GRIMY
• FILTHY
• MUDDY
• POLLUTED
• STAINED
• UNKEMPT
• SPANGRAM: DIRTY WORDS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, April 12 (game #671).

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 Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

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 #672) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PRESENT
• CAPER
• ELDER
• ROMAN
• LOGAN
• SWIPE
• POCKET
• TYPEWRITER
• GOOSE
• SANS
• ABSENT
• PINCH
• LATE
• GOTHIC
• NICK
• EXCUSED

NYT Connections today (game #672) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Thievery 
• GREEN: Student record
• BLUE: Typeface
• PURPLE: Add a word for small fruits

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 #672) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: STEAL 
• GREEN: ATTENDANCE STATUS 
• BLUE: FONT-MODIFYING WORDS 
• PURPLE: __BERRY 

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

NYT Connections today (game #672) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #672, are…

• YELLOW: STEAL NICK, PINCH, POCKET, SWIPE
• GREEN: ATTENDANCE STATUS ABSENT, EXCUSED, LATE, PRESENT
• BLUE: FONT-MODIFYING WORDS GOTHIC, ROMAN, SANS, TYPEWRITER
• PURPLE: __BERRY CAPER, ELDER, GOOSE, LOGAN

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

A rare Connections without any mistakes for me today, and a chance for lots of players to get the purple group.

I used to own a TYPEWRITER when I was younger and would type out interviews and articles for my fanzine on it.

Over time, the ink ribbon wore out but rather than buy a new one – which most sensible people would do – I would write over the faded words with a black pen.

It was ridiculous, but I’d put together six 48-page magazines using this method and then photocopy them. So really I should have got FONT-MODIFYING WORDS far quicker than just my third group.

I didn’t, because memories of being LATE, ABSENT or EXCUSED still loom large in my mind, as that was the story of my school days (and also the explanation for the many large gaps in my knowledge).

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 12 April, game #671)

• YELLOW: SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BIT, FLASH, JIFF, SEC
• GREEN: DO WRONG ERR, FALL, SIN, STRAY
• BLUE: N.B.A. PLAYER BUCK, NET, SPUR, SUN
• PURPLE: STARTS OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES BOTS, CAME, KEN, TAN

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.

The OnePlus Open was well-received on its release in October 2023 (we described it as “the only foldable phone that doesn't compromise” in our OnePlus Open review), so it was more than a little disappointing to hear that a much-rumored OnePlus Open 2 won’t be hitting shelves any time soon.

In a statement posted to the OnePlus Community forum in February, OnePlus announced that it had “made the decision not to release a foldable” in 2025, noting that Oppo – OnePlus’ sister company – is now “taking the lead in the foldable segment” with the Oppo Find N5 (which, incidentally, is still not available outside of China at the time of writing).

"This is not a step back, it’s a recalibration," OnePlus explained at the time – but what does that mean, exactly? We asked the company to elaborate on its reasoning during a recent sponsored visit to OnePlus HQ in Guangdong, China. Rudolf Xu, Senior Product Marketing Manager for OnePlus, had this to say:

“In the foldable industry, the common challenge for every smartphone maker is [working out] how to make the phone slimmer, lighter, and the crease less visible, while also, at the same time, not sacrificing other key specs when you are trying to solve those challenges,” Xu told TechRadar.

“At OnePlus, we want to bring the best possible experience [to the user]. If you look back at the OnePlus Open, even up until today, it still has very competitive specs, honestly. It’s more about a timing situation. We are thinking about how we want to solve those [aforementioned] challenges in a better way. That’s why we decided not to launch a foldable this year.”

The OnePlus Open, even up until today, still has very competitive specs.

Rudolf Xu, OnePlus

It’s clear, then, that a desire to bring meaningful (i.e. not iterative) innovation to the foldable market lies at the heart of OnePlus’ decision to delay its foldable plans – but there are economic factors at play here, too.

Xu explained: “There's also a figure I can share [that will help justify our decision]. If you check the latest Counterpoint research, foldable shipments increased by 2.9% year-over-year in 2024, which was actually lower than expected. The foldable market is increasing, for sure, but it will still take time for foldables to become mainstream and to really, let's say, cross the chasm and become a product for the majority [of people].”

The OnePlus Open is still among the best foldable phones in 2025 (Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

In other words, the foldable market simply isn’t yet big enough to make regular product launches economically viable – at least for OnePlus.

Samsung continues to release book- and flip-style foldables on an annual basis (the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 are next on the agenda), but it’s true that the South Korean giant has more resources at its disposal, not to mention a much larger user base.

The good news is that the OnePlus Open 2 isn’t just a pipe dream. OnePlus confirmed in its aforementioned statement that it’s not withdrawing from the foldable market entirely – “our decision to pause on foldables for this generation does not signify a departure from the category,” the brand explained. And given that we’re not expecting a new model in 2025, it’s safe to assume that the OnePlus Open 2, when it does eventually arrive, won’t just be a rebadged Oppo Find N5 (though we are huge fans of that particular device).

What do you think about OnePlus' decision, and the state of foldable phones in 2025 more generally? Let us know in the comments.

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• Doctor Who season 2 episode 2 will be a live-action-animation hybrid
• Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu explain how they prepared to play animated characters in 'Lux'
• The chapter will feature a fully animated villain called Mister Ring-a-ding

Doctor Who's two main stars have revealed the unusual homework they were assigned to prepare for season 2's next episode.

Speaking to TechRadar, Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu discussed the exciting but challenging process of bringing The Doctor and Bel to life in animated form. That's because, if it wasn't clear already, the iconic sci-fi series' next episode will be a live-action-animation hybrid – one that'll see the show's lead duo turned into animated characters.

The second episode of Doctor Who season 2, titled 'Lux', will see the intrepid time traveler and his new companion travel to 1950s Miami. Once there, though, they'll discover a local theater is hiding a terrifying secret. That'll be Mister Ring-a-ding, a fully animated villain who, as teased in Doctor Who season 2's first trailer, kidnaps humans and turns them into cartoon forms of themselves.

Mister Ring-a-ding's appearances in that teaser and Doctor Who season 2's official trailer immediately reminded me of the rubber hose animation style from the US' golden era of cartoons. It's an art form that was primarily used in the 1930s, with companies including Walt Disney Animation Studios, Fleischer Studios, and Walter Lantz Productions imbuing their animated offerings with its surrealist qualities.

Mister Ring-a-ding is the latest Big Bad that The Doctor will face off against (Image credit: BBC One/Bad Wolf Studios/Disney+)

While that animation form influenced some of the visuals in 'Lux', Gatwa and Sethu told me that the style used to bring their character to life actually takes its inspiration from another celebrated animation studio in Hanna-Barbera. With the legendary Time Lord and Bel being transformed into cartoon versions of themselves in the Disney+ show's next entry, they were set some curious homework by showrunner Russell T. Davies before they filmed this season's second installment.

"It was so much fun!" Gatwa enthusiastically replied. "It [filming 'Lux'] was a highlight of shooting this season.

"In the script, each animation style had been noted down for us to see, so we knew the style of animation that was going to be used on our characters. It was like a Hanna-Barbera type of cartoon, so we spent our mornings watching Scooby-Doo.

Something tells me Bel and The Doctor don't like the idea of being turned into cartoons... (Image credit: BBC One/Bad Wolf Studios/Disney+)

"We're serious actors – we do our research!" he continued with a laugh. "But, we needed that to get in the right headspace to act out those scenes. We filmed them in-person, so we had to figure out all of our animated form's movements ahead of time. How does a cartoon think? What does it move like? When and how do we gesticulate like an animated human?"

"It's a lot more heightened than how normal people communicate," Sethu added about one of the best Disney+ shows' next chapter. "So, we were told to watch Scooby-Doo to replicate those exaggerated movements. Those were animated later by our fantastic crew. It was so fun to see how the whole process worked and we were so excited to see what our cartoons looked like once the episode was completed."

For more Who-based coverage, read my review of Doctor Who season 2 episode 1. Alternatively, find out when season 2 will premiere on Disney+ internationally and BBC One/BBC iPlayer in the UK, or learn more about how The Doctor's dynamic with Bel differs from the one he enjoyed with Ruby Sunday.

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