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• Casetify's latest collaboration is with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
• The collection consists of phone cases, charm bracelets, and earbuds case covers.
• Beyond the can of Campbell's soup it also celebrates the iconic banana.

Casetify’s known for some pretty epic cases thanks to impressive collaborations with the likes of sports leagues, Disney, Netflix, and countless others. As for the latest ‘Co-Lab’ you can add to the list, it goes to Andy Warhol – specifically, a partnership with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Of course, the classic can of Campbell’s Soup has been transformed into several fun case designs. However, what really caught our attention is the Co-Labs take on Andy Warhol’s banana that was featured on the album cover of The Velvet Underground's first LP. It’s a classic for sure, and Casetify’s take on this is both ultra-fun, a significant homage, and somewhat impractical.

But then again, some of the most fun phone cases are more talking points than actually protective.

(Image credit: Casetify)

The Andy Warhol Banana Collectible Phone Case is simply an oversized case that takes the shape of a banana. It still gives you access to the power buttons and volume rockers, though we aren't exactly sure about charging. Considering it’s made from silicone, though, you should be able to remove the phone easily.

It also comes with three stickers that can be removed and reattached to personalize the case a bit. While the case itself is inspired by Andy Warhol, you could also use it to live out your dream of having a banana phone or to do some monkeying around—forgive the pun.

Maybe most importantly, though, it lets you pay homage to superstars and rockstars with a really delightful case. Now, if you want something a little more practical and, say, standard-sized, Casetify does have a few more regular iPhone cases with takes of Andy Warhol’s iconic banana on the back. These include the Banana Pattern Case, which places several of the iconic works, and one called the Banana Peel, in which you can peel back the top of the banana to reveal a vibrant, hot pink look at the inside of the fruit.

As you might have guessed, these cases follow Casetify’s normal pricing strategy in that they’re not ultra-cheap. But, you get what you pay for here. The oversized Banana Collectible Phone Case is $106 for most phones, while the more standard cases land around $60 and fall within the brand's ‘Impact’ case lineup. This means it can survive up to 8.2 feet drops – at least, that’s what Casetify promises.

You can check out the full lineup of the Casetify x Andy Warhol here, but if you’re eyeing a case, we would check out soon as these ‘Co-Labs’ are known to sell out.

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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 #1100) - 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 #1100) - 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 #1100) - 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 #1100) - 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 #1100) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• D

• I

• P

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

Quordle today (game #1100) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1100, are…

• TOKEN
• DAISY
• INANE
• PLIED

I’m trying hard not to get drawn towards the first word first in Quordle, instead looking at all four and seeing which one looks the easiest to complete. I apply the same policy in car parks – I’d rather park 400 yards away from an entrance in an easy spot than right next to it squeezed between two trucks. The path of least resistance works with Quordle, too.

Anyway, the rarely spotted letter K aside a fairly standard Quordle without too much stress – or words that haven’t been used since 1812.

Meanwhile, the Daily Sequence was an absolute stinker today, with four words all ending in the same letter and one word containing zero vowels. Congratulations if you completed it.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1100) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1100, are…

• BONEY
• SLYLY
• NANNY
• GODLY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1099, Monday 27 January: ANGEL, GLOBE, MAYOR, BRAVE
• Quordle #1098, Sunday 26 January: WATER, ORBIT, BRIDE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1097, Saturday 25 January: GIVER, GROOM, GUSTO, MAKER
• Quordle #1096, Friday 24 January: GRIND, STOCK, SERVE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1095, Thursday 23 January: RUGBY, SASSY, WORRY, BANAL
• Quordle #1094, Wednesday 22 January: SLANT, TRUNK, WOOZY, EATEN
• Quordle #1093, Tuesday 21 January: CHART, VIGOR, PRINT, SPAWN
• Quordle #1092, Monday 20 January: SIXTY, THONG, TATTY, ROBIN
• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH

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 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 #597) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DEMON
• LAUGH
• JOKER
• AIRHEAD
• CARD
• BAND
• CHESS
• DUMBBELL
• SNICKER
• CHARACTER
• MAT
• MAR
• BUMP
• MOUND
• DIAL
• BENCH

NYT Connections today (game #597) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Ha-ha-ha
• GREEN: Home gym 
• BLUE: Sweets missing something
• PURPLE: You “need” to add this

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 #597) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FUNNY PERSON 
• GREEN: RESISTANCE TRAINING EQUIPMENT 
• BLUE: CANDY BARS MINUS "S" 
• PURPLE: SPEED ___ 

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

NYT Connections today (game #597) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #597, are…

• YELLOW: FUNNY PERSON CARD, CHARACTER, JOKER, LAUGH
• GREEN: RESISTANCE TRAINING EQUIPMENT BAND, BENCH, DUMBBELL, MAT
• BLUE: CANDY BARS MINUS "S" AIRHEAD, MAR, MOUND, SNICKER
• PURPLE: SPEED ___ BUMP, CHESS, DEMON, DIAL

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

I really struggled today and I doubt I’m alone. JOKER, CARD and CHARACTER are fine for FUNNY PERSON, but LAUGH? I wasted two mistakes on that one. I know if someone is funny, you might say they’re a good “laugh” but it still feels like a verb in a group of nouns.

Oh well, I’ll get over it!

Meanwhile, I took ages to get the CANDY BARS MINUS “S” as both MOUND(S) and AIRHEAD(S) are not available in the UK, where I’m based, and I was instead drawn to linking MOUND with BUMP. I’m pretty sure Mounds are the same as our Bounty bars, but I’m not sure if there’s a European equivalent of Airheads.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 27 January, game #596)

• YELLOW: SMALL AMOUNT OF FOOD TO TRY BITE, MOUTHFUL, SAMPLE, TASTE
• GREEN: PROTECTIVE COVERINGS IN NATURE BARK, SCALES, SHELL, SKIN
• BLUE: "EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL" EXTRA, OIL, OLIVE, VIRGIN
• PURPLE: SEEN IN "THE SHINING" AXE, HEDGE MAZE, TWINS, TYPEWRITER

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.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Stable supply

NYT Strands today (game #331) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SHORE
• ROPE
• SOAP
• RUSH
• NEAR
• SHINE

NYT Strands today (game #331) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Ride that pony

NYT Strands today (game #331) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: right, 4th row

Last side: left, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #331) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #331, are…

• CROP
• REINS
• SADDLE
• HARNESS
• BRIDLE
• SPURS
• SPANGRAM: HORSEBACK RIDING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

Apart from having the longest Spangram I've ever seen – beating last September’s ROOT VEGETABLES with 15 letters – today’s Strands was a walk, or should we say ride, in the park. Let me know if you’ve seen a longer one.

Naturally, I was hoping that a nosebag would be on the list. Although it is not really something you’d need for HORSEBACK RIDING, I enjoy how it’s become slang for mindlessly eating snacks. Something I may do now and then!

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 27 January, game #330)

• SLOTS
• CRAPS
• POKER
• BLACKJACK
• ROULETTE
• BACCARAT
• SPANGRAM: GAMBLING

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.

Snap players can thank TikTok for all these free goodies.

• iOS 18.3 is out now for all users, alongside a few other Apple software updates.
• For the first time, this update enables Apple Intelligence by default.
• This update rolls out a fix for Notification Summaries and improvements to Visual Intelligence.

After a few weeks of developer and public betas, Apple finally released iOS 18.3 to the public today – meaning that if you have an iPhone capable of running the software, you can install it as an over-the-air update right now.

It also delivers two significant improvements to Apple Intelligence and turns on the suite of features by default. Still, in the world of Apple Software Updates, iOS 18.3 stands as a smaller one that does more work under the hood rather than providing flashy new features.

Apple also released several updates for its other devices: iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, and watchOS 11.3. Updates for the Apple Vision Pro, the HomePod and HomePod mini, and the Apple TV 4K also dropped, so now is a good time to check for updates.

The big change, though, with Apple's most recent software updates is that Apple Intelligence is being enabled by default. So, if you don't want the ChatGPT integration for Siri, Image Playground, custom emojis, writing tools, or notification summaries, in that case, you'll need to navigate to Settings and turn off the suite of features.

(Image credit: Future)

Leading the feature pack with iOS 18.3 are new tricks for Visual Intelligence. Initially teased in September 2024 when Apple first unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup, the Camera Control could do a bit more beyond taking photos, including letting you take a picture of anything and either search for it on Google or ask ChatGPT for help.

Now, with iOS 18.3, Visual Intelligence can help you identify a pet – it worked well with my mini Bernedoodle, Rosie – and different types of plants. Further, if you scan a poster or something with a date on it, you can export that right to your calendar to create a new event.

It certainly makes Visual Intelligence more useful. Considering it’s similar to Google Lens and other apps, including ChatGPT’s iOS app, which has become more multi-modal, Apple is certainly looking to improve the experience continuously. It’s also building out Apple Intelligence features; remember, these are all still in beta.

The other Apple Intelligence feature that’s getting an update here is Notification Summaries, and this is the fix or solution that the tech giant promised after the feature caused a few very public issues. You might recall that BBC News called out the feature for summarizing a story about the accused killer of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson quite incorrectly.

(Image credit: Future / Apple)

With iOS 18.3, Notification Summaries for ‘News and Entertainment’ apps are off by default, and you can turn the functionality on or off per app. Turning the feature off for news entirely shows that Apple is making some more tweaks under the hood and will likely reenable this when it feels the feature is ready for prime time.

All other apps with notification summaries turned on will be presented in italics to let you know they are being generated through Apple Intelligence.

And if you’ve already been running iOS 18.1 or iOS 18.2, iOS 18.3 will automatically enable Apple Intelligence on your device, assuming it can run it. You can still go into Settings to turn it off, but this is the first time it is being enabled by default, and the same switch-on occurs with macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iPadOS 18.3.

As with most other Apple software updates, iOS 18.3 also includes bug fixes and security updates, so it’s always advisable to keep your iPhone and other Apple devices up to date.

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• Hidden dependencies pose unseen risks in modern software systems, says report
• Function-level analysis slashes unnecessary vulnerability fixes by 90%
• Advisory delays leave systems exposed to potential exploitations

As organizations increasingly rely on third-party components and open source libraries to accelerate development processes, experts have warned addressing the security risks associated with these dependencies has become a significant priority.

Endor Labs' 2024 Dependency Management Report explores the evolving challenges in managing software dependencies and vulnerabilities, and analysis of seven programming languages (Java, Python, Rust, Go, C#, .NET, Kotlin, and Scala) found fewer than 9.5% of vulnerabilities in 2024 were considered 'real threats'.

“A lot of organizations are struggling with managing dependency risks," noted Darren Meyer, staff research engineer at Endor Labs. "They're drowning in vulnerability alerts, many of which don't represent relevant risk; researching the alerts is expensive for security teams (and software teams), and trying to fix everything is even more expensive."

Dependency management

Managing dependencies is not a simple task as most software projects rely on multiple layers of dependencies, including first-party code libraries, frameworks, and operational dependencies that support production environments, creating a web of interconnected components - and any vulnerability within this web could expose an organization to significant security risks.

The use of third-party components, particularly open source software, is a common practice in modern software development because it reduces the time developers need to spend writing foundational code, offering pre-built functionalities that accelerate development cycles - but also brings unique security challenges due to vulnerabilities in these external components.

Many security issues stem from "phantom dependencies," or hidden components that are not explicitly documented in the software’s code, and can introduce vulnerabilities that traditional tools fail to detect.

These vulnerabilities aren't helped by the fact that nearly 70% of advisories issued by vulnerability management platforms, such as NIST's NVD, are published after the corresponding security patch is released, with a median delay of 25 days.

Endor also claims that almost half of the advisories in public vulnerability databases lack code-level details, while only 2% provide function-specific vulnerability information, making it difficult for security teams to determine whether known vulnerabilities can be exploited in their applications.

In addition, Endor analysis from 1,250 updates from vulnerable to non-vulnerable versions shows that 24% of fixes require a major version update while 6% of vulnerabilities could be fixed with minor or patch-level updates.

Endor therefore argues that not all vulnerabilities pose the same level of risk, with organizations being advised to focus on the most reachable and exploitable vulnerabilities, as only about 9.5% of vulnerabilities in dependencies are exploitable at the function level.

Reachability analysis, which determines whether a vulnerable function in a dependency is called by the application’s code, emerges as one of the most effective methods for reducing the noise in vulnerability reporting. By focusing on vulnerabilities that have a clear path to being exploited, organizations can reduce their remediation efforts by nearly 90%, according to the report.

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As wildfires and other effects of climate change threaten the future of the region, devs are pulling together to raise funds for those affected.

The tech-focused indoor tournament, backed by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, continues.

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Amid ongoing fears over TikTok, Chinese generative AI platform DeepSeek says it’s sending heaps of US user data straight to its home country, potentially setting the stage for greater scrutiny.

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Apple said the update patches a bug that might have been actively exploited.

• NPR claim to have intel on a new plan for Oracle to be part-buyers in TikTok
• The President is denying any knowledge, but Congressional staffers are less tight-lipped
• At press time, TikTok is still unavailable on Google and Apple's app stores due to imminent ban

Oracle could be next in line to take over ownership of embattled social media giant TikTok from ByteDance, if new reports are to be believed.

An NPR exclusive, fuelled by correspondence with “two people with direct knowledge of the talks”, claims that a murky deal involving the cloud storage titan is in the early stages; albeit complicated by President Trump’s own desires for the US itself to have a 50% equity stake in the company, and “a group of outside investors”, including Microsoft, also showing interest.

The new deliberations offer TikTok a stay of execution after it was supposed to have been banned in the US in the event of no plan for a sale to American buyers being in place (a process known as qualified divestiture), thanks to a law passed by Congress in April 2024.

Oracle TikTok deal?

Given the speculation, it’s no surprise President Trump reportedly refused to comment when asked about prospective talks supposedly held with Oracle chief Larry Ellison about the deal, meaning ultimately, we just don’t know all that much about the plan - yet.

One of NPR’s sources, however, did claim, at present, the deal would give the US direct oversight over TikTok as a platform, but that ByteDance ”wouldn’t completely go away”.

Though the original deadline for a sale to occur before a ban was January 19, 2025, the newly-sitting President signed an executive order that provided a 75-day extension - despite the contention of legal scholars.

Though TikTok service is still operational in the US as a result of the order, Google and Apple have both delisted it from their respective mobile app stores, most likely to toe the line of the law.

A Congressional staffer involved in the talks said that "a key part [of the new deal winning approval despite passing a deadline] is showing there is no operational relationship with ByteDance [...] there needs to be no backdoors where China can potentially gain access."

White House negotiators are reportedly under the impression that TikTok could well be worth $200 billion USD, so perhaps it’s no surprise that certain forces want to keep the deal alive.

Plus, Chinese opposition to TikTok’s sale is thought to have eased recently as thoughts turn to it being used as a bargaining chip to relieve trade tariffs; a stance that would appear to make a deal going through that much more likely.

Oracle, meanwhile, has its own well-established interests in a deal. In its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2024, it claimed a TikTok ban could hurt the cloud giant's business, as ByteDance is a customer and, in June 2022, moved its US user data to Oracle servers after initial concerns were raised about its data-handling practices in the territory.

This isn’t the first time tech giants such as Microsoft and Oracle have been named as part of prospective deals that would transfer TikTok to American ownership; in August 2020, both companies, plus such names as Walmart, Google and Twitter were named as part of a deal that could have turned the app into a creator-oriented ecommerce platform.

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• Leaks tease that the Meta Quest 4 and Pro 2 are in development
• Meta Quest Pro 2 has reportedly been canceled twice previously
• No release date or specs details right now

The third time might really be the charm, folks. Despite reports that two separate Meta Quest Pro 2 prototypes were canceled mid-development, Meta is reportedly having another crack at its high-end offering, according to insider sources – and less surprisingly, it’s apparently working on a Meta Quest 4, too.

This comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who, in his latest newsletter, cited insider sources familiar with Meta’s XR plans, with these insiders revealing that these two Quest headsets were in the works – alongside a few Meta smart glasses we’ve reported on previously such as one with a display that could land later this year.

While leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt (unofficial info can always change, especially with Meta, who we’ve seen cancel in-development projects previously), the Meta Quest 4 being in the works shouldn’t be much of a shocker. While the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S aren’t quite matching the standout success of the wildly popular Meta Quest 2, they are still doing well for themselves – per the Meta Quest phone app’s Christmas day success and the Quest 3’s growing popularity in the Steam Hardware Survey (it’s up to 20.14% of all headsets used, behind only the Quest 2 at 34.21%).

(Image credit: Meta) Meta Quest Pro 2: back for round three

What’s more interesting, is that a Meta Quest Pro 2 could be on the way. Gurman doesn’t go into specifics but says that Meta is working on “a new high-end model that could eventually become a successor to the Quest Pro mixed-reality headset.” Not much else is known, but Gurman could be referring to a previously teased Meta prototype that was potentially set to replace the two canceled Quest Pro 2 prototypes we’d heard about: Puffin.

For context, back in July 2023, we reported that the Meta Quest Pro 2 had been canceled – or, more specifically, that the prototype many believed would develop into being the Quest Pro 2 (to use Meta’s semantic language) had been shelved. Things went quiet until 2024 when, in February, there was buzz that Meta and LG could partner on a high-end headset with OLED displays to rival the Apple Vision Pro. However, our initial excitement turned to disappointment fairly swiftly.

In May, there was talk that the LG partnership was off, followed by reports in August that the OLED Quest pro 2 Project – codenamed La Jolla – had kicked the bucket. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth again clarified that technically, the Quest Pro 2 wasn’t canceled, just a prototype, but it didn’t dispel the sense that the Quest Pro line was doomed.

That is until we heard about Puffin, a third prototype XR device, which Gurman could be referring to in his report. Puffin was leaked back in 2024 when we heard about the La Jolla cancellation, and it offers us a completely different concept for a headset – a lightweight (110g) glasses-looking device for VR and MR rather than AR like other specs.

Ar glasses, like Orion, are the future (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

What I like about the Puffin leak is it plays into Meta’s promise of what its Pro-line should be – a look at the future of XR.

While I love VR headsets, the clear industry trend is that glasses are the next stage of evolution for this field – even if, at first, they’ll be less capable to account for weight and size restrictions. Puffin, with a design that isn’t trying to be like regular glasses – and so could get away with design decisions like putting a battery puck in your pocket like the Apple Vision Pro or having a bulkier frame – could focus on function over fashion, and in-keeping with the Quest Pro’s promise show us where accessible XR tech could be in a few years by giving us a glimpse via a prosumer product that won’t be the cheapest.

We’ll obviously have to wait and see what Meta has up its sleeve, as it could be that Puffin and the Quest Pro 2 are distinct gadgets, but I seriously hope they aren’t. While I liked the original Quest Pro at launch, it didn’t get the software support it craved and ended up being too mundane of an upgrade – resulting in it being outclassed too quickly.

Puffin sounds like a far more engaging proposition with a unique design that could give the Quest Pro 2 the staying power it desperately needs.

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Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 127 for Jan. 28

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Jan. 28 Strands puzzle, No. 331.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,319 for Tuesday, Jan. 28.