Technology

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Jan. 30.

• Apple will premiere a new show – Sunday Night Soccer – for the next MLS season
• MLS Season Pass is returning in 2025 with two new ways to watch the games
• T-Mobile customers will get free access to MLS Season Pass

January’s nearly wrapped, and next month, in February 2025, the Major League Soccer season will kick off. Every game, along with commentary and a backlog of footage as well as documentaries, will be available courtesy of the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. And it’s an especially exciting year for Major League Soccer beyond Lionel Messi sticking around as it’s the league's 30th season.

Celebrating that milestone, as well as making an effort to expand the programming, is an entirely new show – Sunday Night Soccer – and there are more ways to stream MLS Season Pass, one without even subscribing.

MLS Season Pass will still cost $14.99 a month or $99 for the season, or $12.99 a month and $79 for the entire season if you subscribe to Apple TV Plus – one of the best streaming services around. But, if you’re a T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile customer, you’ll get MLS Season Pass for free starting on February 18 as part of “T-Mobile Tuesdays.”

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple’s service gives you access to every game with no blackout dates and is available in over 100 countries. You also get commentary during the game in English and Spanish and access to shows such as Sunday Night Soccer and major tournaments like the League Cup, the All-Star Game, and Audi MLS Cup Playoffs games.

Until this season, you could stream MLS Season Pass content – including the matches – anywhere you could access Apple TV. That’s really any Apple device courtesy of the Apple TV app, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K, as well as countless streaming boxes including the Roku Ultra and native on smart TV interfaces like Samsung’s Tizen, Google TV, and Amazon Fire TV.

However, Apple is partnering with Comcast Xfinity and DirecTV to make it a bit easier to hop in and watch a game. First, with Comcast, MLS Season Pass will be integrated into the Xfinity user interface, allowing you to search for an MLS game, much like how you search for a channel or other on-demand content. You’ll even be able to find the games or programming like MLS 360 right within the guide, which goes for set-top boxes, X1, and the Xfinity Stream app across devices.

(Image credit: Comcast/Apple)

Xfinity subscribers will be able to watch MLS 360 the entire 2025 season for free and get a free preview of MLS Season Pass from February 22 to March 2. If you’d like to subscribe, you can do so right through the Xfinity interface at the same price.

DirecTV customers will be treated to that same free trial, and the service will also integrate MLS Season Pass into the existing interface. This means that you can surf channels 480 through 495 to find the match or other programming that you want to watch.

It’s an interesting move from Apple that will likely expand the viewership of MLS Season Pass. It also speaks to how folks want to watch sports, as many stick with traditional cable services or digital alternatives like Xfinity Stream, YouTube TV, or Hulu with Live TV to watch games across the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL on a channel guide.

Ultimately, Apple and MLS still want to expand the sport and get more eyes on it, and both moves add up to doing just that. The 2025 Major League Soccer season will kick off on February 22, 2025, at 2:30 PM ET, with a match between Inter Miami CF and New York City FC.

If you can’t wait until then, you can watch last year’s championship on MLS Season Pass and select preseason games beginning on February 11, 2025. The service will also debut Onside: Major League Soccer, an eight-part documentary series, on February 21, 2025.

You can see the trailer for that below and subscribe, as well as learn more about, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV here.

You might also like

• We asked Apple about how to get the most of its Sports app for the iPhone, and how it updates so fast
• Max just made a big change, and your streaming life will probably get easier
• "If you’re a sports fan, I think you're going to be very happy with it," Apple's Eddy Cue explains how the tech giant made its new Sports app

Pesticides and other chemicals linger on just about any produce you bring from the store to your table. But we have a list of the 12 most susceptible and 15 least likely fruits to be carrying chemicals.

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 #1102) - 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 #1102) - 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 #1102) - 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 #1102) - 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 #1102) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• W

• C

• S

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1102) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1102, are…

• WEEDY
• CHIRP
• STALE
• SUGAR

I tried a small tweak to my start words today. After my first word – AUDIO – came up with two yellow A letters (bottom left and right) I entered STARE instead of my regular STEER. Although it gave me an incredible start, landing SUGAR on my third guess, I would have got to WEEDY a lot quicker if I’d have stuck to my system.

Meanwhile, the Sequence was a real tricky one today; getting VENOM took me about 20 minutes.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1102) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1102, are…

• VENOM
• SHEIK
• LEANT
• CELLO

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1101, Wednesday 29 January: CROWN, SCENE, AGILE, CRANK
• Quordle #1100, Tuesday 28 January: TOKEN, DAISY, INANE, PLIED
• 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

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Stopping by woods on a snowy evening

NYT Strands today (game #333) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• LOVE
• STORE
• LOSE
• DELVE
• SAME
• LOST

NYT Strands today (game #333) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Words from a classic verse

NYT Strands today (game #333) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #333) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #333, are…

• FROZEN
• DARK
• DEEP
• LAKE
• SLEEP
• SHAKE
• LOVELY
• BELLS
• SPANGRAM: FROST POEM

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

Today’s Strands is a lot easier if you are familiar with Robert Frost’s classic poem about briefly stopping to wonder at the natural world.

Frost called the poem, written in 1922, "my best bid for remembrance", so how wonderful that it’s been given a brief blast of spotlight in this puzzle. If you have the time there’s a wonderful, crackly, archive interview with the poet on YouTube, where he reads it in his fabulously deep voice. It’s fantastic.

Anyway, I must go. I’ve got promises to keep – well, a promise to myself to play and write about Connections next.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 30 January, game #333)

• SOCK
• GLOVE
• STICK
• SHADOW
• FINGER
• MARIONETTE
• SPANGRAM: PUPPET MASTER

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.

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 #599) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• HALO
• RIGATONI
• AIR
• WINGS
• ROMEO
• HARP
• DIP
• DWELL
• PIZZA
• PARISH
• LINGER
• VIBE
• BERNIE
• AURA
• BEER
• INSIST

NYT Connections today (game #599) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• GREEN: Watch party snacks 
• YELLOW: Charisma
• BLUE: Annoyingly persistent
• PURPLE: Look for Euro cities 

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 #599) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• GREEN: GAME DAY FARE 
• YELLOW: INTANGIBLE QUALITY 
• BLUE: KEEP GOING ON ABOUT, WITH "ON" 
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH EUROPEAN CAPITALS 

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

NYT Connections today (game #599) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #599, are…

• GREEN: GAME DAY FARE BEER, DIP, PIZZA, WINGS
• YELLOW: INTANGIBLE QUALITY AIR, AURA, HALO, VIBE
• BLUE: KEEP GOING ON ABOUT, WITH "ON" DWELL, HARP, INSIST, LINGER
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH EUROPEAN CAPITALS BERNIE, PARISH, RIGATONI, ROMEO

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

Today’s random set of words remained random for quite a while, until I slowly made sense of it.

I fell for the very obvious trap, convincing myself that we were looking for angelic accoutrements – WINGS, HALO, HARP – before abandoning this quest after linking BEER, DIP and PIZZA with snack food essentials.

If a group has anything to do with food then I’ll get it, but the second I’m required to apply some actual general knowledge I flounder and this was the case today with STARTING WITH EUROPEAN CAPITALS; Paris and Rome I should have seen, but Riga, the capital of Latvia, was a stretch. And full disclosure I thought the capital of Switzerland was Zurich, not Bern.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 29 January, game #598)

• YELLOW: OWNED BORE, HAD, HELD, POSSESSED
• GREEN: THINGS YOU MIGHT DO IN YOUR SLEEP DREAM, DROOL, SNORE, TALK
• BLUE: MOVIE SERIES WITH 2024 RELEASES ALIEN, GLADIATOR, VENOM, WICKED
• PURPLE: ____ HOUSE FULL, GINGERBREAD, HAUNTED, WHITE

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.

• Google Gemini is releasing a feature for Pixel 9 that lets it discuss what's on a screen in real-time
• Gemini Live can discuss images, files, and YouTube videos
• The feature makes Gemini Live more aware of the context of discussions

Google is giving its Gemini AI assistant a new perspective, your view of what's on a smartphone screen. Specifically, the Pixel 9 series of devices, where Gemini Live is now able to “Talk Live about this” and have a real-time chat about images, files, and YouTube videos as you see them, as first spotted by 9to5Google. It's ideal if you’re keen to ask about a cooking tutorial mid-recipe or demand an explanation about a meme you're not hip enough to understand.

Gemini Live's role until now has been much like any standard AI voice assistant, powered by the more conversational models in the mold of ChatGPT. But, now, it can peep at specific content on your screen and add that to its discussions. Pixel 9 owners can access the feature by launching the floating Gemini overlay, where a suggestion will appear suggesting the AI “Talk Live about video” on YouTube, “Talk Live about PDF” in Files by Google, and “Talk Live about this” for images on the screen. It gives Gemini context without you having to explain what's there. That's a lot faster than having to manually upload an image from your gallery.

Once you activate the feature, Gemini Live opens up with a preview of whatever's on the screen you might want to discuss. The AI might offer destination ideas based on a YouTube travel video, summarize a contract PDF, or explain the allegory of a piece of Rennaisance art you're examining on your phone. If you find it all a tad intrusive, you can stop Gemini Live from automatically ogling what you're looking at. If you don't have a Pixel 9, don't worry. Google has said it will release the feature for Samsung Galaxy S24 and S25 smartphones soon, followed by other Android devices.

Gemini alive

The feature fits neatly into Google's Gemini strategy. In case you haven't noticed, Google dreams of cementing Gemini’s place at the center of people’s lives, especially on mobile devices, as evidenced by its ongoing integration with Android. And this feature won't be the end of Gemini Live's upgrades. Google is gearing up for Project Astra, a still evolving toolkit that should let users share their screen and stream video in real-time while conversing with Gemini Live.

Google is leaning hard into real-time, in-context assistance. Rather than just generating responses based on abstract queries, Gemini Live wants to be part of the moment, reacting to whatever’s on your screen with (hopefully) useful insights. To keep ahead of Apple's plans for Apple Intelligence and whatever OpenAI and Microsoft plan, Google wants Gemini to be as omnipresent as possible.

You might also like

• Google Gemini is racing to win the AI crown in 2025
• Gemini AI starts riding shotgun on Google Maps
• Gemini 2.0 doubles the speed of the AI assistant – and could supercharge search

Android versus iPhone is an unwinnable debate that's been going on for nearly as long as smartphones have existed. But probably for as long as I've been involved in trying out many of the best phones, Apple and its iPhones have consistently won in one particular area: video.

Sure, the best Samsung phones and the best Google Pixel phones have offered more video options and higher capture resolutions for longer than respective iPhones, but I've always found Apple's phone captures and produces the best videos. Not every recording is perfect, but the ease of use and the consistent quality of the videos at the end means I'll always go for an iPhone over an Android phone for video capture.

However, as I've now been using iPhones as my main mobile device for some three years, with me currently sporting the iPhone 16 Pro Max, perhaps I have a bit of latent bias. So, enter a quick and neat comparison between the iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Showdown in paradise

With a degree of fortuity and a dose of envy from me, Phones Editor Axel Metz and Senior Phones Editor Philip Berne went to Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii and had the iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra to hand.

Cue a visit to the beach and a rather slick video that takes in the view on both phones; check out the TikTok video below.

@techradar

♬ Way down We Go - KALEO

Now, with the caveat that this is a quick video and you won't get a full-fidelity recording on TikTok, I think I'll have to give the win to the iPhone 16 Pro here.

First off, the footage is smoother with the Apple phone, though this could be down to the file output and how the TikTok video was stitched together. Yet, it does track with my experience comparing video recoding between iPhones and Android smartphones.

Secondly, I feel the iPhone handles colors with more finesse. The sea, grass, trees, and sky look more natural in tone, whereas the Galaxy S24 Ultra has that classic Samsung oversaturation.

I also reckon the Galaxy S24 Ultra overly evens out the contrast in the video, with highlights reigned in and shadows brightened up to perhaps an unnatural degree. This is something I've found to blight both recent iPhones and Galaxy phones, but at least on the video side, Apple still allows sunlight to have some punch and darker areas to have some depth.

Now, such video tastes are subjective, and with the gap between flagship phone camera quality having narrowed significantly, what you prefer might differ from mine. But we now have a comment section on TechRadar, so head down to it and let me know which you prefer out of the iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra and if there are any unsung phones that have great video capture chops.

It's also worth noting that we now have the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and in Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff's Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review, he was impressed with the phone's cameras and the device overall.

But in a quick comparison video between the Galaxy S25 Ultra I have on hand and my iPhone 16 Pro Max, I still feel the iPhone has the edge in colors, contrast, and handling dynamic white balance. My phone-centric colleagues and I will need to test this and the Galaxy S25 Ultra further as we consider their place on our best camera phones list.

You might also like

• Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra cameras versus iPhone 16 Pro Max cameras – 12 hours with two of the best, and I am spoiled for choices
• Check out our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S25 review
• And read our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus review

NASA and other space agencies are tracking 2024 YR4, a near-Earth asteroid with a small chance of impacting our planet in 2032.

Apple TV is offering multiple ways for soccer fans to watch your favorite stars this season.

You can save time on vacuuming and mopping with a robot vacuum. CNET has spent hours rigorously testing the most popular robot vacuum models to find you the best of the best.

China-based DeepSeek has exploded in popularity, drawing greater scrutiny. Case in point: Security researchers found more than 1 million records, including user data and API keys, in an open database.

iOS 18.3 is now rolling out to iOS 18-compatible devices across the globe, and although Apple’s latest software update isn’t quite as significant as iOS 18.2 (which introduced several major Apple Intelligence upgrades), it still brings some key improvements to the table.

Chief among these upgrades is a functionality boost for Visual Intelligence, and core Apple apps like Apple Music and Siri are the subject of some major bug fixes.

Below, we’ve rounded up all the ways in which iOS 18.3 improves the iPhone experience. Still, rocking iOS 17? Here’s how to download iOS 18 – and what to do if it won't install.

Apple Intelligence enabled by default

Apple Intelligence on iPhone, iPad, and MacBook (Image credit: Apple)

The first big news in iOS 18.3 is that Apple Intelligence is now enabled by default. You’ll still need an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max to access Apple’s suite of sometimes-good, sometimes-bad AI features, but if you hadn’t already enabled them, iOS 18.3 will do it for you.

Previously, you had to go to Settings and manually sign up for Apple Intelligence to use Genmoji, Image Playground, Writing Tools, and Siri with ChatGPT, among others.

But what if your reluctance to sign up for Apple Intelligence was deliberate? Fear not: you can still disable the AI feature set in Settings (head to Apple Intelligence & Siri) and even toggle certain Apple Intelligence features – specifically Mail summarization and Siri’s ChatGPT extension – on or off.

Visual Intelligence 2.0

Visual Intelligence on iPhone 16 (Image credit: Apple)

Sticking with the upgrades for iPhone 16 (or iPhone 15 Pro) users, iOS 18.3 brings a major functionality upgrade to Visual Intelligence, Apple’s take on Google Lens.

In its first iteration, Visual Intelligence allowed users to identify places and objects around them using the Camera Control button (or not-button). Still, in iOS 18.3, the tool is capable of recognizing dogs, plants, and event information from flyers or posters. Neat!

We’ve taken Visual Intelligence 2.0 for a spin, and while its date, time, and location-gathering powers can be hit-and-miss, it won’t have a problem separating your Labdrador from your Poodle.

Calculator improvements

(Image credit: Future)

Next up is a slightly more boring update, but at least it applies to all iOS 18.3-compatible iPhones. In the Calculator app, you can now once again double-tap the equals sign to repeat the last mathematical operation. Thrilling!

In all seriousness, Apple, for some reason, removed this ability in iOS 18, and admittedly, it’s supremely useful for calculating compound interest equations.

Bug fixes and security upgrades

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

As always, Apple’s latest software update brings several key bug fixes and security patches, making iOS 18.3 a must-download for everyone.

For example, iOS 18.3 addresses an annoying bug that caused the Siri Keyboard to disappear when using the Type to ‌Siri‌ feature and another that caused Apple Music audio playback to continue even after the Apple Music app was closed.

The update also patches a vulnerability in the Photos app that risked allowing iPhone thieves access to your photos even when your device is locked.

You might also like

• Best iPhone: which Apple smartphone reigns supreme?
• How to download iOS 18 on your iPhone – and what to do if it won't install
• iPhone 17: latest news, rumors, and everything you need to know

The red Tesla was mistaken for a previously undiscovered asteroid before astronomers spotted the error.

• The Patriot Transporter 2TB external portable SSD retails for under $90 at Amazon
• It has read/write speeds of up to 1GB/s, twice that of comparably priced internal SATA SSDs
• It is still more expensive than 2TB portable hard disk drives but the price gap is at its lowest ever

The 2.5-inch USB-C Patriot Transporter 2TB external portable SSD has garnered attention for its competitive pricing as well as read and write speeds of up to 1GB/s.

At $87.99 on Amazon US right now, the Transporter is still more expensive than an average 2TB portable hard disk drive, but the price difference has narrowed considerably.

In comparison with more expensive internal SATA SSDs, the Transporter SSD has a much higher read and write speeds than popular options like the Crucial MX500 2TB (560 MB/s read, 510 MB/s write), Samsung 870 EVO 2TB (560 MB/s read, 530 MB/s write), and Western Digital Blue 3D NAND 2TB (545 MB/s read, 425 MB/s write).

I couldn't fault the Patriot Transporter. It is affordable, compact and delivers the sort of performance I'd expect from rivals twice the price. A must-buy at this price.View Deal

A budget-friendly portable SSD alternative

The Transporter also offers faster read and write speeds compared to traditional 2TB HDDs like the WD My Passport, Seagate Backup Plus, and Toshiba Canvio Basics, which cost between $60 and $70 and deliver significantly slower speeds.

The higher speed offered by SSDs may appeal to users with demanding workloads, but the fact remains HDDs remain a more affordable option for general mass storage needs.

SSDs are intrinsically far more robust as well thanks to the use of solid-state memory. They can withstand drops and get chucked around without suffering from catastrophic failure. You can't do that with an external hard disk drive.

What's more, a USB-C portable SSD can usually be plugged into a smartphone or tablet equipped with the same port and act as an external storage device, something no portable HDD can achieve.

You may also like

• These are the largest SSDs and hard drives in the market
• Need a microSD card? Here are the best microSD cards for your microstorage needs
• Firms are risking “digital chaos" if they don't get their AI deployments right

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 129 for Jan. 30

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Jan. 30 Strands puzzle, No. 333.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 599 for Jan. 30.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,321 for Jan. 30.

• Travel site Daytrip has fallen victim to a data leak
• The leak reportedly originated through a third party vendor
• Up to 470,000 customers could be at risk

Travel company Daytrip has had 470,000 user records and 762,000 travel orders compromised online.

The dataset, discovered by Cybernews researchers, was stored on an ‘unsecured MongoDB database managed by Daytrip’s subcontractor’ - the data included personally identifiable information (PII).

The leaked information could put users at risk, especially concerning identity theft and social engineering attacks, so anyone who’s used the service should be vigilant with their information. The Daytrip database has since been closed, and the company claims it has since discontinued its work with the vendor, here’s what we know so far.

Real world risk

As an online ride-hailing service which operates in 130 countries across the globe, Daytrip unsurprisingly held the address information of many customers, which was discovered in the dataset, alongside the full names, emails, phone numbers, partial payment details, billing information, and passenger addresses.

Although there’s no evidence the dataset was found by cybercriminals, criminals often have ‘automated tools that scour the web for unprotected instances only to immediately download them’, researchers confirmed - so this presents a real world risk for those exposed.

This incident proves the need for strong third-party and vendor oversight, especially given just how reliant and inter-connected modern businesses are - another reminder after the notorious CrowdStrike outage, which outlined just how crucial knowing your vendor can be.

“The compromised database was apparently under the control of a Daytrip subcontractor, emphasizing the importance of strict vendor management and consistent security practices across all data handlers in the supply chain,” the Cybernews researchers said.

Researchers stress the importance of an incident plan for companies, as it can help maintain and rebuild customer and business partner trust after a leak, as well as mitigate reputational damage.

Data breaches can be harmful for firms, but transparency and proactive strategies beyond just the legal minimum can protect the organization, whereas concealed or downplayed breaches can annihilate trust all round.

Protecting your information

If you think this, or any other breach, might put you in danger - there are a few things you can do to protect yourself and mitigate any risks.

This breach in particular is a tricky one, as researchers pointed out, “the leak carries a perfect blend of data for identity theft and financial fraud”, so if you use the service, we recommend being very careful.

The primary risk with this sort of breach is identity theft, so check out our list of the best identity theft protections for software specifically designed to monitor and protect your accounts and details. A lot of these will offer identity theft insurance covering up to $1 million per adult, so it’s worth at least taking a look.

If you use a service that has been the victim of a breach, we would definitely recommend changing your password, and we always suggest using unique passwords for all your important sites.

We’ve written a more detailed guide on our tips for securing the best password, but the short version is; keep passwords long, complicated, and memorable. If that sounds like a hassle, then we’ve listed the best password managers, as well as all the best password generators to simplify the process.

Victims are also at risk of social engineering attacks, or phishing scams, in which attackers will design personal and specific scams with the information obtained in order to steal more information from you, or gain access to your accounts.

If you’re not sure what exactly a phishing attack is, we’ve put together an explainer - but the key to avoiding falling victim is staying suspicious of all unexpected communications and double checking every sender - even if you think you know them.

Never give out your passwords or give anyone access to your accounts, and be on the lookout for unverified email addresses or phone numbers, and remember - it’s extremely unlikely that your bank, your phone provider, or any other large company would be calling you to get access to your accounts - so be very wary.

You might also like

• Check out our list of the best firewall software around today
• Scammers have a new phishing trick for iPhone users
• We've also rounded up the best antivirus on offer right now