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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, September 25 (game #936).
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 #937) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… A breath of fresh air
NYT Strands today (game #937) - hint #2 - clue wordsPlay any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #937) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?• First side: top, 1st column
• Last side: bottom, 6th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #937) - the answers(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Strands, game #937, are…
I began, as I’m sure most players did, by finding the words linked to the two letter Zs.
However, while BREEZE was a breeze, ZEPHYR was not something I would have got without the fact that its letters connected straight down.
ZEPHYR is, like all of today’s game words, a way of describing a GENTLEWIND — but prior to today its only appearance in my life was in The Zephyr Song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which seemed to imply it was some kind of magical vehicle we could fly away on.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, September 25, game #936)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.
The US Air Force is considering whether its next refueling aircraft, expected to replace the KC-135 and KC-46, could fly with no crew aboard.
The idea gained ground because the Navy's Boeing MQ-25 Stingray, an unmanned refuelling drone, flew for the first time earlier in 2026.
On Thursday, the Navy cleared the MQ-25 for low-rate production and purchased three additional units, raising its order to 14 aircraft.
Crews are not needed, but size remains unsolvedAt the recent Air, Space & Cyber 2026 conference in National Harbor, Maryland, the Air Force said its future refueling aircraft might not need a crew.
“I do not believe that it has to be manned, a future air-refuelling solution…But then, how do we, the U.S. Air Force, bring that to bear in scope, scale, and range?” said Lt. Gen. Daniel Tulley, commander of Air Mobility Command
The service is still buying Boeing KC-46 Pegasus tankers, and it spent $12 million this year to study a new tanker design.
However, its proposed fiscal 2027 budget drops that funding entirely and asks for $13 million instead, labelled as money for advanced refuelling systems.
Tulley said a tanker able to cover the needed distances would be huge, and no fully autonomous aircraft of that size flies today.
The current KC-46 has a range just short of 7,400 miles and carries over about a hundred tons of fuel.
However, the autonomous MQ-25, which is driving this idea, manages roughly 500 miles and holds up to 7.5 tons, which is a small share of what the KC-46 offers.
Boeing’s aircraft can currently take off, follow programmed routes, and land on autopilot, though the Air Force does not use them autonomously.
The Air Force is probably hoping to build on this autopilot capability, aiming to turn the partial automation into full autonomy.
Merlin Labs says autonomy can begin with crews aboardMerlin Labs, a company that builds autonomous flight systems, plans to install its autonomous pilot software on the C-130J, an aircraft similar in size to the KC-135.
The aircraft will still carry a human crew, which lets Merlin add autonomy step by step instead of jumping straight to an unmanned tanker.
“That's a way that you can start to chip away at that without actually going fully to the unmanned tanker right away,” said Matthew George, CEO of Merlin Labs.
“The goal is that the unmanned tanker is ready, and the autonomy ends up being ready at the same time.”
The company must next win certification, and it is working with the Air Force this year to get that approval.
“None of this matters unless it's certified and safe. So for us, getting certification done is important, and that's what we're working really closely with the Air Force on this year,” George said.
Merlin has not announced a date for the C-130J to carry its autonomous pilot, though the company's technology has completed a critical design review.
With no set flight date and unfinished certification, the Air Force's plan for an unmanned tanker the size of the KC-46 remains far off.
Via Defense One
Polish rally driver Mikołaj Marczyk is no stranger to eking out as much range as humanly possible, having coaxed 1,759 miles from a single tank of fuel in a Skoda Superb back in 2025.
Now, Mikołaj has turned his attention to electric propulsion, particularly the Audi A6 e-tron that, despite only having an official WLTP range of 482 miles on a single charge, managed to travel almost double that on a recent record-breaking journey.
Starting at Zakopane, Poland, the endeavor saw the electrified A6 traverse the Tatra Mountains (handy for regenerative braking), travel to Kraków, then along the Vistula Valley to Sandomierz and finally to Hel (no, not that one).
Once in Hel, the pro driver turned around and started retracing his steps before the Audi A6 e-tron eventually conked out, having covered a mightily impressive 831.4 miles on a single charge.
(Image credit: Audi)That's the same distance as driving from New York to Chicago or London to Milan without stopping at a charging station.
The exact model used in the attempt was the Audi A6 Sportback e-tron performance, which features a 326hp rear-mounted motor and a 100kWh gross battery capacity, which equates to a net usable capacity of 94.9 kWh.
More impressively, the previous record holder, the Lucid Air Grand Touring, has a larger battery pack with a nominal capacity of 112kWh.
According to Marczyk, many sections of the trip were carried out in rush hour traffic and at an average temperature of 15 degrees Celsius.
However, at certain points, the mercury dropped to just seven degrees Celsius, proving that EVs can still perform in cold weather.
Analysis: easy does it(Image credit: Audi)When looking at the official range figures of modern EVs, it is generally good practice to aim for a number that is 10-20% lower than the one advertised.
Real-world driving eats into electric range, something that’s even more pertinent when tackling cold weather. But the recent Guinness World Record is proof that things can be flipped on their head with a spot of careful driving.
Marczyk says that maximizing regenerative braking opportunities, regularly checking tire pressure, and reading the road to avoid any abrupt braking can massively increase the potential range of an EV’s battery.
So next time you hear someone stressing about range anxiety, remind them that it might be their driving style that’s forcing all of those charging stops.
HP has debuted the ZBook Ultra G3a 16, a workstation built around AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 processor and substantial unified memory.
The laptop combines up to 192GB of LPDDR5X memory with integrated Radeon graphics and support for demanding local AI workloads.
HP says the highest-memory configuration can run large language models with up to 300 billion parameters directly on the laptop.
HP brings a high-memory workstation to marketThe ZBook Ultra G3a uses 16 processor cores and 32 threads, with clock speeds reaching 5.2GHz and an integrated neural processor.
Its 192GB memory pool can allocate up to 160GB toward the Radeon 8065S graphics processor, leaving substantial capacity for system tasks, and will allow users to load models that exceed the graphics memory available on many conventional notebooks with discrete GPUs.
AI workloads are handled by a 55 TOPS neural processing unit, adding dedicated hardware alongside its integrated graphics processor.
The storage of this device reaches 8TB through a single PCIe Gen5 x4 slot, although there are other models with lower capacities.
This workstation sustains power up to 100W, nearly twice the 55W figure from its earlier model.
It is equipped with a 96Wh replaceable battery which can last up to 14 hours, and its 180W adapter can reach 50% charge within 30 minutes.
The ZBook Ultra G3a 16 uses a dual-fan cooling system with copper heat pipes, and a shared heat spreader covering the processor and memory components.
Pricing and workstation specificationsThe official price of this device has not been released; however, the price estimate using HP's Local AI Value Calculator shows that the Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 495 model with 192GB memory and 512GB storage costs $7,449.
A 128GB version using the same processor costs $5,999, while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 490 configuration with 64GB costs $3,899.
“Professionals need AI experiences that are powerful, reliable, and integrated into the way they work,” said Jim Nottingham, senior vice president at HP.
HP is actually promoting the workstation through its calculator that estimates potential costs when AI workloads move from cloud services onto local hardware.
The company’s calculation assumes roughly 6.3 million tokens daily under its heavy workload profile and models electricity use from continuous operation.
Independent testing remains necessary to establish how the ZBook Ultra G3a performs when handling large models under sustained workloads.
The highest-priced configuration uses an FHD display, despite HP offering higher-resolution IPS, OLED, and DreamColor display choices for buyers.
The workstation measures 17.9mm thick and starts at 4.2 pounds, despite carrying a larger cooling system and 16-inch display.
Display options include a 3840 × 2400 IPS panel, a 2.8K OLED touchscreen, a 2.5K panel, and a lower power WUXGA configuration.
For connectivity, this laptop includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and optional 5G networking support.
It supports Windows 11 Pro, Windows 11 Home, FreeDOS, and Ubuntu 26.04 LTS, giving professional users several software environment choices.
Via Videocardz
Googlebook combines Android, Gemini AI, and premium laptop hardware. See prices, models, specs, features, compatibility, and release dates.
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Compare Googlebook and MacBook Neo on price, apps, battery, hardware, AI, and phone integration to see which laptop better fits everyday work.
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Rebellion has confirmed that Alien Deathstorm was built on a new version of the Atomfall engine, which also let the team bring the horror aspect to life.
Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, where we went hands-on with the upcoming first-person horror game, producer Martin Willingham and head of design Ben Fisher discussed how it's not a survival shooter with typical survival horror features; the team considers it a "dynamic" experience with sandbox elements where the player's actions can affect unscripted enemy encounters.
Willingham said the team values replayability and sandbox freedom, which means "we had to do something dynamic," and "building the encounters around the player and the player's activities means it's a different experience."
This sandbox survival experience was built on "a more advanced version" of the studio's Atomfall engine, Fisher revealed, which offered an improved lighting system and a deeper sense of realism as players explore their surroundings.
"Which for an action horror game is actually a must," said Willingham. "The tech team have just been absolute wizards with us being able to manifest and visualize that deathstorm."
He added, "We've been working on a lot of the GPU particles, visual effects, and fog system as well."
Alien Deathstorm doesn't have a release date yet, but it's coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC in Spring 2027.
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 12-inch and Laptop 13-inch add Snapdragon X2 Plus chips. Compare pricing, battery life, AI features, and key checks for IT buyers.
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Alibaba opened its annual Apsara Conference in Hangzhou with three big numbers: a chip that it says triples the performance of its predecessor, AI clusters that could stretch to 500,000 of those chips, and a pledge, quoted by the South China Morning Post, that the data centers Alibaba Cloud operates worldwide will pass 20 gigawatts of capacity by 2032.
CEO Eddie Wu called the new Zhenwu V900, designed by the group's T-Head chip unit, the "most powerful AI chip in China today."
This was part of an address that distinguished Alibaba's offering as a GPU rather than an ASIC, landing it squarely in Nvidia's territory even as the latter's H200 GPU is highly sought after by AI labs.
A powerful offering on paper, but one that doesn't publish actual performanceThe Zhenwu V900's spec sheet might be intentionally short, even as its performance figures versus comparable current-generation Nvidia GPUs, a banned option, could limit interest ahead of launch.
Alibaba has, however, added an impressive amount of memory and interconnect, allowing it to cluster a configuration it claims can run as many as 500,000 GPUs in parallel.
The V900, as per Zhidx, reporting on the launch, lists 216GB of memory and 1,200GB/s of chip-to-chip bandwidth and was originally expected to be available to clients in Q3 2027 before the recent revision pushed it two quarters earlier.
T-Head vice president Gao Hui now says the company will, going forward, keep a one-generation-per-year cadence, with a J900 due in the third quarter of 2028.
Despite the closer timeline, it is interesting that Alibaba has published no FLOPS figure, process node, foundry, power rating, or even the V900's internal memory bandwidth, making it hard to gauge its most powerful single-chip offering in terms of raw AI and compute performance.
This is particularly ironic at a time when the competition from Huawei, the Ascend 960DT, which was launched the same quarter after being pulled earlier by three quarters, is offering far more detail.
It lists 2 petaFLOPS of FP8 compute, 288GB of memory, 9.6TB/s of memory bandwidth, and a 2.2TB/s interconnect, making it a higher-VRAM and higher-interconnect offering based on the information Alibaba has already published.
The 500,000-card figure interestingly may just be a scaling limitation, not a system anyone has built. For scale, T-Head said in May 2026 that it had shipped just over 560,000 Zhenwu chips in total. One maxed-out V900 cluster, in other words, would need nearly as many chips as the company had shipped in its entire history.
It does, however, bring a secondary calculation into the equation: if each V900 drew what Nvidia rates its H200 at, up to 700W, the accelerators alone in such a cluster would pull a significant amount of power. A newer, larger chip could run hotter and be more power-hungry than Nvidia's Hopper offerings, even as China remains limited to older process nodes because of US sanctions on chips and chipmaking equipment.
A large cluster of 500,000 or similar GPUs would undoubtedly rack up power requirements considerably fast for the regional AI juggernaut, and 20GW by 2032 is not an unforeseeable event when one considers that per-GPU power draw is only heading up for the foreseeable future as the chips get faster, denser, and more monolithic at the same time.
Wu said medium- to long-term demand far exceeds what Alibaba can supply, and that shortages across the AI data center supply chain "are currently limiting the speed at which we can scale our compute infrastructure." The target covers capacity Alibaba Cloud operates, and the company did not say whether it means IT load or total facility power.
A Nomura note relayed by Sina puts Alibaba's current footprint at roughly 4GW and expects future buildouts to blend owned, leased, and third-party-financed sites, implying about fivefold growth in six years.
Whether the upcoming V900 displaces Nvidia's global market dominance, even slightly, is unclear, with Team Green already far ahead in a market where AI customers buy GPUs years in advance. The situation, however, is vastly different in Beijing.
In China, much of the disruption has already happened, with Chinese AI labs being 'persuaded' to stay away from Nvidia solutions by the state. Nvidia's latest 10-Q says shipments of data center Hopper products to China were under 1% of its $89 billion in data center revenue for the quarter to July 26, and the company said in its earnings report that objections in Beijing kept it from selling the full volume of H200s that Washington had licensed when relations briefly thawed.
Chinese labs have turned to a mix of homegrown solutions, including specific ASICs, GPUs, and CPUs, allowing local players such as Alibaba, Huawei, and others to thrive in a market devoid of foreign competition.
With the US government restricting Nvidia's power limits and the Chinese state taking a dim view of local labs depending on foreign chips, Alibaba's V900 GPU doesn't need to beat Nvidia's Rubin GPUs or even its Blackwell offerings. It simply needs to take on and provide a viable alternative to a GPU that is two generations older: the H200 (based on Nvidia's Hopper architecture).
Its bigger challenges will be Huawei's locally produced Ascend 960DT and similarly configured chips from upcoming local chip design firms, as well as supply chain limitations that could restrict overall production and, by proxy, deployment for a company looking to spend billions on AI infrastructure in the coming days even if its "most powerful" status, which is currently consigned to a claim holds at the time of its release.
NVIDIA released AI-predicted protein structures for more than 2,800 viruses and an open BioNeMo pipeline to help researchers prepare for future outbreaks.
The post NVIDIA Releases Open Viral Protein Dataset and BioNeMo Pipeline appeared first on TechRepublic.
Google, OpenAI and Anthropic reportedly plan an AI safety standards body. See what the proposed testing and audits could mean for enterprise IT buyers.
The post Google, OpenAI, Anthropic Reportedly Plan AI Safety Standards Body appeared first on TechRepublic.
The best health and fitness wearables are racing to pack as many features as possible into their small form factors, and the three most recent Pixel Watch models — the Pixel Watch 3, Pixel Watch 4, and Pixel Watch 5 — are now getting a major upgrade.
As announced by Google, the free update rolling out now to devices will let users monitor blood pressure trends, sleep breathing metrics, and (something the Apple Watch doesn't have yet) insulin resistance trends.
When it comes to blood pressure and insulin resistance, these aren't instant clinical readings — these smartwatches aren't quite advanced enough for that yet — but longer-term patterns, with assessments popping up once a month.
We knew these features were coming too, because they were announced alongside the Pixel Watch 5 unveiling back in August. What wasn't clear was exactly when the features would land, and now we know.
Lots and lots of dataThe Google Pixel Watch 5 (Image credit: Future)Google says the insulin resistance trend model has been trained on more than a trillion data points gathered from over 5 million users, while the blood pressure model was built with billions of minutes of raw heart and movement data.
With the sleep breathing quality trends feature, you'll get a report each morning on how your breathing varied over the night. This can help you assess overall sleep quality and figure out the best routine and environment for optimal sleep.
Meanwhile, Pixel Watch 4 and 5 models are also getting Breathing Emergency Detection in select European markets (including France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK). This can spot dangerous drops in oxygen saturation and even place a call to the emergency services.
If you're a Fitbit Air user rather than a Pixel Watch user, you'll get blood pressure and insulin resistance trends on your device "later this year," but you'll need a Google Health Premium subscription to access them, which isn't the case with the Pixel Watches.
Google appears to be preparing to retire Android’s Heads Up feature, a Digital Wellbeing tool that warns users when they walk while using their phones.
The post Google May Remove the Android Feature That Tells You to Look Up appeared first on TechRepublic.
Huawei Watch D3 reaches the UK and Europe with an inflatable wrist cuff for blood pressure checks, a slimmer design, and guidance on who could benefit.
The post Huawei Watch D3 Reaches Europe: What Changes With the New Blood Pressure Watch appeared first on TechRepublic.
OpenAI's MentalHealthBench tests responses to 1,215 synthetic mental health conversations, revealing gaps in how AI models seek context and gauge urgency.
The post OpenAI’s Mental Health AI Test Reveals Gaps in Context and Urgency appeared first on TechRepublic.
Compare Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 and Nuance Audio Plus on hearing support, microphones, battery, price, and smart features to see which fits your needs.
The post Ray-Ban Meta vs Nuance Audio Plus: Which Smart Glasses Are Better for Hearing? appeared first on TechRepublic.
We're big fans of the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2, which combines a 2,042Wh LiFePO4 battery with enough output to run demanding appliances and equipment.
Best for: Homeowners and campers who need enough stored power to run appliances and equipment rather than simply top up portable electronics.
The deal: The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 is now $899 (was $999) at Amazon. In the UK, the power station is now £899 (was £1061).
Why it matters: This is the power station that saved our sanity (and our hunger) during power outages when we tested out this unit. Its combination of 2,042Wh capacity and 2,200W output means it can handle much more demanding equipment than smaller portable batteries.
Explorer 2000 V2 Portable Power Station: was $999 now $898.99
The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 combines a 2,042Wh LiFePO4 battery with 2,200W AC output, three AC outlets, 100W USB-C charging, 20ms UPS switching, solar support and 39.5lb compact construction.
In the UK: now £899 (was £1061)View Deal
Why we recommend itIn his recent 4.5-star review, our expert Owain said he found it "to be easy to use, simple to transport, and more than capable of dealing with everyday needs."
It impressed him for several reasons. "Firstly, the build quality and easy setup stand out, limiting setup stress and giving you peace of mind. I also really liked the amount of power you get from such a small and portable unit. I used it extensively in different scenarios, including working, running home appliances, and during a camping trip, and it never even got close to running out. "
The Explorer 2000 v2 provides a lot of AC power across three outlets. Jackery uses a LiFePO4 battery for a service life of up to 10 years. Cell-to-Body construction helps keep the unit relatively compact at 13.2 x 10.4 x 11.5 inches and 39.5lb. There's also a 100W USB-C PD connection for fast charging compatible laptops, phones and other electronics without needing their regular power adapters.
Price context & historical valueThe reduction from $999 to $898.99 knocks $100.01 off the regular price. That's not close to being its cheapest price however. I've seen it for as low as $743.83 on Amazon earlier in the year, and it may well be reduced further for this upcoming Black Friday.
For more options, take a look at our roundup of the best portable power stations.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 if...
You want emergency home backup capacity for power outages, camping or RV trips and need something reasonably portable.
❌ Skip the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 if...
You only need something to keep your phone, tablet and laptop charged. A smaller power station will cost considerably less and be much easier to carry.
I do love a gadget, so this mini 20000mAh power bank from Inui really caught my eye. I can't say it's the smallest in the world, but it's certainly ultra-compact and travel-friendly, with a built-in flashlight and USB-C cable that doubles as carry handle.
• Best for: Professionals, students, and travelers who want enough capacity for several phone charges without carrying a separate USB-C cable.
• The deal: The Iniu mini portable charger is now $27 (was $33) at Amazon.
• Why it matters: A 20,000mAh battery provides considerably more endurance than smaller pocket-sized power banks, while 22.5W output offers relatively quick phone charging. The portable unit also features a display, and a flashlight.
Portable Charger: was $32.99 now $26.96
This charger combines a 20,000mAh lithium-polymer battery with 22.5W fast charging, three ports, a built-in USB-C cable, digital battery display, integrated flashlight, compact construction and a three-year warranty.View Deal
The Iniu charger measures just 4.1 x 2.8 x 1.2 inches and weighs 11.3oz, making it small enough to slip into a bag or pocket while providing greater capacity than other more-expensive power banks. It provides enough energy for around four full phone charges. You also get a built-in braided cable, which means there's one less cable to remember to take with you.
Its 22.5W fast charging can top up compatible phones much faster than basic 5W or 10W battery packs. Iniu claims an iPhone 16 can reach 60% and a Samsung Galaxy S25 70% in 25 minutes. The built-in flashlight is a useful feature, and the digital display makes it easier to judge when it's time to plug in the charger.
Price context & historical valueAt $26.96, this is the lowest price I've seen - although that's for the black version. Other colors - like beige white, blue, and green - are discounted, but the prices are slightly higher at $32. With this model, you're saving just over 18%. That's a welcome discount for a 20,000mAh model with an integrated cable.
For more shopping options, take a look at our roundup of the best power chargers.
Should you buy it?✅ Buy the Iniu Portable Charger if...
You want plenty of battery capacity with fast charging and a few tricks up its sleeve without paying a fortune.
❌ Skip the Iniu Portable Charger if...
You want something that can charge your laptop. This is fine for phones and many smaller USB-powered devices, but it can't handle more powerful devices.