Technology

The plant-based-meat company’s CEO, Ethan Brown, credits a series of attack ads with prompting a potentially sector-saving change of plan.

Deepfakes were nothing like the political force in 2024 that many feared—but that doesn’t mean that generative AI didn’t profoundly affect elections all over the world.

From Chinese cyberspies breaching US telecoms to ruthless ransomware gangs disrupting health care for millions of people, 2024 saw some of the worst hacks, breaches, and data leaks ever.

• This could be the Titanium Blue shade
• Galaxy S25 Ultra color options already leaked
• A launch is expected during January

As the expected January launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series gets ever closer, we may have been given our first look at one of the colors the Ultra model is going to arrive in – though there seems to be some debate over the color's name.

Well-known tipster @UniverseIce has posted an image that's simply a solid block of color, together with the caption "S25 Ultra blue" – which to us would seem to suggest this is the blue variant of the most expensive phone in the Galaxy S25 series.

Blue has indeed been mentioned in previous rumors around the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, though it seems it may be officially called Titanium Blue. According to this latest leak, it'll be a relatively pale and subtle version of the shade.

Head to our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra predicted colors page and you'll see there's been no shortage of speculation around the options we'll get with this phone – and that this shade may indeed be referred to as Titanium Silver Blue.

Naming schemes

S25 Ultra blue pic.twitter.com/aaPWBgdtIFDecember 26, 2024

An extra wrinkle is added to this rumor by a follow-up post from another well-placed source of leaks, @Jukanlosreve: and the reply suggests the shade we're looking at will actually be called gray (or perhaps Titanium Gray).

Now to our eyes this looks more blue than gray, but your opinion may differ (as we know from viral content of the past, the internet doesn't always agree when it comes to choosing between these two specific colors).

Have a scan through our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, and you'll see the handset is available in Titanium Blue as well as Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Green, and Titanium Orange.

That suggests the shade on the upcoming model won't actually get a new name, but it might differ: the blue (or gray) shown here looks a little darker than the Titanium Blue edition of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

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• Intel is betting big on Jaguar Shores to compete in AI
• Gaudi chips give Intel a shot at the AI inferencing market
• Intel hopes the 18A node will give it a manufacturing edge

Intel has been quietly building its AI chip portfolio, recently adding the Jaguar Shores AI accelerator to its roadmap in a significant move as it seeks to compete with the likes of Nvidia and AMD.

The Jaguar Shores AI accelerator, unveiled at the recent SC2024 supercomputing conference, is a key part of Intel’s strategy to stay competitive. Though details are scarce, Jaguar Shores is likely to be a successor to Falcon Shores, which is slated for release in 2025.

Jaguar Shores could be targeted at AI inference - an area where Intel hopes to make headway against Nvidia and AMD. It remains unclear whether Jaguar Shores will be a GPU or an ASIC, but Intel’s current product roadmap suggests that it could be a next-generation GPU designed for enterprise AI applications.

A struggle for market relevance

While Intel has lagged behind its competitors in AI training hardware, the company is now focusing on AI inference, leveraging its Gaudi chips and upcoming technologies like Falcon Shores and Jaguar Shores.

However, to regain its competitive edge, Intel will need to overcome several technical and organizational challenges.

Intel has faced multiple setbacks in the AI hardware space, notably in the GPU segment. The company’s previous attempt to develop a GPU, Rialto Bridge, was cancelled due to a lack of customer interest, leaving institutions like the Barcelona Supercomputer Centre in a difficult position.

Intel’s plans for the Falcon Shores GPU have been revised several times, originally intended as an integrated CPU-GPU product and now reimagined as a standalone GPU.

Intel has largely conceded the AI training market to Nvidia and AMD, with Nvidia dominating thanks to its GPUs and CUDA software stack. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger acknowledged the company’s distant position in the AI race before his retirement, admitting that Intel currently ranks behind Nvidia, AWS, Google Cloud, and AMD.

Intel is banking on its upcoming 18A manufacturing node to give it an edge over rivals like TSMC. The 18A process, which incorporates new technologies such as RibbonFET transistors and backside power delivery, promises to improve chip efficiency and performance.

Via HPCwire

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Despite the arrival of new competitors and growing political tensions between the US and China, the ecommerce juggernaut Temu proved in 2024 it’s here to stay.

If 2025 is the year you’ve finally promised yourself you will actually get fit, lose weight, run that marathon, or lift those weights, then you should make sure you have as many tools at your disposal as possible.

Starting a new fitness challenge, program, or routine can be really daunting, especially for first-timers. If you own a smartphone, however, there are a ton of great apps out there that can really help you get on top of your fitness goals for 2025. Many of them are free, while some of them require a subscription. Either way, starting out with one of the best fitness apps can be one of the best ways to help your fitness goals.

They can be downloaded to a smartphone you probably already own, and there's usually no immediate upfront cost like there is for a new fitness tracker, smartwatch, or gym membership. So whether you want to run your first marathon, take control of your calories, or just get out and walk, here are some of the best apps to help you achieve your 2025 fitness goals.

1. Fitbod: Workout & Gym Planner

(Image credit: Future)

Fitbot is our number-one pick of the best fitness apps on both iPhone and Android. It’s a pocket personal trainer with a massive range of exercises that caters to both beginners and experienced users. It also has an impressive UI and can be used even without any equipment.

The full version will cost you $12.99/£10/AU$20 a month or $79.99/£63/AU$122 a year, but there’s a very limited free trial if you’d like to test it out.

• Download Fitbod for iPhone
• Download Fitbod for Android

2. Runna

(Image credit: Runna)

Runna is one of our very favorite running apps thanks to its personalized running programs, very solid design, and the broad range of features you get for free.

I’ve personally used this app for a really solid Couch to 5K plan, and the workouts feature really helpful guidance that talks to you as you run. If you want to do any sort of running in 2025, be it your first-ever 5K, an ultra or anything in between, this definitely should be top of your list.

• Download Runna for iPhone
• Download Runna for Android

3. Push

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve used Push for well over a year as my go-to daily workout companion. It’s an AI-powered strength training app with a stunning interface, and workout plans designed to give you maximum results in the gym when it comes to strength training. You won’t find anything except weightlifting for the purposes of building muscle, but if you want to get massive in 2025, this is the one I’d recommend.

• Download Push for iPhone
• Download Push for Android

4. MyFitnessPal

(Image credit: MyFitnessPal)

There’s an old adage that you can’t out-train a bad diet, and it’s sadly true. All that hard work in the gym isn’t going to matter if you aren’t doing the heavy lifting in the kitchen.

Whether you want to shed those pounds, build muscle, or ensure you’re fuelled for long distances, getting your food right is crucial MyFitnessPal is a mainstay calorie tracking app that lets you input your targets and goals and divide up your macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat) to help you hit your target.

The app’s peak feature is undoubtedly the barcode scanner, which gives you crowdsourced nutritional information about the food you buy so you don’t have to put it in manually.

• Download MyFitnessPal for iPhone
• Download MyFitnessPal for Android

5. Strava

(Image credit: Lauren Scott)

If you want to get into the outdoors and feel like you’re part of a fitness community, Strava’s 135 million members are waiting for you.

Ever-popular amongst cyclists and runners, Strava lets you record your exercise and share it with the world, so if you’re ultra-competitive and want to take your fitness to the next level, or you want to join like-minded exercises on your first steps, it’s hard to go wrong with Strava. It also offers analysis and feedback, importing data from your wearable, and kit tracking.

• Download Strava for iPhone
• Download Strava for Android

6. Noom

(Image credit: Noom)

Noom is a sleeper weight loss and diet app that uses personalized programs and psychology to not only track your food and log calories, but also change your behavior and thinking around food.

It’s a dedicated weight-loss app with a serious price tag (at least $209 a year) but could be a winner for those who really want to get inside the psychology of food.

• Download Noom for iPhone
• Download Noom for Android

7. Tasty

(Image credit: Tasty)

Tasty is a much more conventional meal planning and recipe app that can help you come up with great, tasty food to keep your diet going.

There are plenty of indulgent and decadent recipes for cheat days, but there are also easy dinners, five-ingredient meals, and of course healthy options for low-carb, low-calorie, high-protein, or low-fat meals.

• Download Tasty for iPhone
• Download Tasty for Android

8. Headspace

(Image credit: Headspace)

After a life-changing brush with health anxiety a couple of years ago, Headspace is one of the most important apps on my iPhone these days. There’s no point doing all that legwork in the gym and on the dinner table, if you’re not taking care of your mental wellbeing too.

Headspace features a massive range of mindfulness exercises from brief meditations and breathing exercises to 30-day courses. There are even guided meditations for exercises like yoga and cardio, as well as specific courses for mindful eating.

• Download Headspace for iPhone
• Download Headspace for Android

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Nvidia experienced a memorable 2024 in some ways, and certainly CEO Jensen Huang won’t forget the year in which his company finally outdid Apple as the most valuable firm in the world.

We also received a clutch of powerful new GeForce GPUs from Team Green, along with a huge move on the software front too, and, inevitably, AI continued to be a massive driving force for Nvidia.

Nvidia’s value exceeded $1 trillion in 2023, but it blew through the roof this year, with its stock heading steeply upwards throughout 2024 – driven, of course, in large part by its AI GPUs.

Indeed, Nvidia became the world’s most valuable company in June 2024, beating out the likes of Apple and Microsoft, exceeding a market cap of $3 trillion. Team Green slipped back a bit as the year went on, but then retook pole position from Apple in November 2024, approaching a $3.5 trillion valuation. Nvidia also barged Intel off the Dow Jones Industrial Average index.

Throughout the year, Jensen was gleefully stoking the AI hype furnace, unsurprisingly. A lot of leather jackets can be bought for the kind of cash Nvidia is now worth, and the swiftness with which this financial rise has occurred has been nothing less than breathtaking.

Is Nvidia going to be the first company to hit the $4 trillion mark? It’s a fair bet if the momentum behind AI keeps on chugging the way it has been – and maybe Nvidia is even set to become a household name eventually (something it most definitely isn’t yet, despite all this success).

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) The year of the Super graphics cards

Nvidia continued to dominate the desktop GPU market in 2024, to no one’s surprise, to the point of a near-monopoly in fact.

Helping to maintain its momentum here was a trio of new graphics cards for the Lovelace range which Nvidia revealed as the year kicked off. These fresh additions to the best Nvidia GPUs out there were the GeForce RTX 4070 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and RTX 4080 Super.(And yes, we still can’t get over the fact that Nvidia made a ‘Ti Super’ as a way to jam an extra model into a cluttered mid-to-upper-range space).

These Super GPUs replaced the existing models in all but the case of the RTX 4070, which was kept in production to run alongside the RTX 4070 Super, but at a cheaper price point (obviously).

Overall, the new graphics cards were welcome introductions and powerhouse offerings, but what wasn’t so welcome were the price tags attached to them. In true Nvidia style, these mid-to-higher leaning GPUs were all expensive. Notably, the RTX 4070 Ti Super fell a little short in our review, being rather overshadowed by the RTX 4080 Super, which we declared was the enthusiast GPU we’ve all been waiting for.

Our review of the RTX 4070 Super also represented a big thumbs-up for the GPU, and it proved to be our favorite overall of the new graphics cards (even if its 12GB of VRAM limits the card’s 4K chops – the 4080 Super become the new champ here, of course).

On the issue of priciness, it’s true that some of these new Super variants got price cuts to a limited extent as the year rolled on, but overall, AMD’s mid-range remained the much better value picks compared to Team Green.

Otherwise, we didn’t see much else from Nvidia in the way of GPU releases, save for a fresh spin on the RTX 4070 with slightly slower video RAM. It was effectively the same as the original RTX 4070, though, and a move made by Team Green to ensure supply remained strong, we were told.

(Image credit: Future/Jackie Thomas)

There was nothing to be seen elsewhere, and once again, tumbleweeds at the lower-end of the market. The old RTX 3060 remained a strong seller as a result – the 12GB flavor, with that VRAM loadout proving a definite carrot for some gamers – despite chatter from the grapevine around the middle of the year that Nvidia might be discontinuing this model.

Indeed, the RTX 3060 is still the most popular GPU out there going by the Steam hardware survey, with the RTX 4060 making good headway too – that graphics card remains our top pick for 1080p gaming (and it’s solid for 1440p as well).

Despite plenty of rumors suggesting a 2024 launch earlier in the year, we didn’t see the RTX 5000 series turn up this year, with the expectation now being that Nvidia will launch new RTX 5090 and 5080 (and possibly RTX 5070) GPUs at the very start of 2025 at CES.

There was some super new software, too

Broadly speaking, Nvidia GPU owners have had a somewhat rocky relationship with GeForce Experience. A good chunk of gamers with an Nvidia graphics card preferred to just install the graphics driver, and not bother with the companion software, GeForce Experience, at all – and Team Green took the hint. In 2024, Nvidia canned GeForce Experience and made an all-new official app.

The Nvidia App (oh, the hours upon hours that must’ve been spent in brainstorming marketing meetings coming up with that name) arrived in beta in February 2024. It was billed as an all-in-one replacement for GeForce Experience and the Nvidia Control Panel, plus the RTX Experience. All these separate pieces were instead housed under one convenient umbrella (where driver installs are handled, too).

The Nvidia App emerged as a full release in November, after being worked on extensively during the year. Nvidia even actively solicited feedback from gamers on which legacy features should be preserved, and more besides.

That feedback was listened to in terms of implementing elements such as in-game frame rate and latency info (plus much more) in the revamped overlay for the Nvidia App, and it offered some smart new features such as easy GPU overclocking. The new app was generally well-received, appears to run smoothly and responsively in the main, and fortunately, there are no onerous account or login requirements here either – hopefully that’ll remain the case going forward.

There was one notable niggle that cropped up in mid-December, though, when reports emerged that an option in the Nvidia App could cause considerable slowdown of gaming frame rates. Nvidia is currently investigating that problem (at the time of writing), and there’s a fix (of sorts) for the apparent bug.

Also on the software side of the equation, DLSS continued to dominate the frame rate boosting scene, and remains a powerful weapon in Nvidia’s armory of GPU tricks.

(Image credit: Nvidia) AI FTW still

Naturally AI remained an area where Nvidia realized some big successes this year, and as we already mentioned, it helped to drive the company’s market value skywards (or moon-wards, perhaps we should say).

Team Green was predictably keen to push forward with new Rubin AI chips, the successor to Blackwell for AI workloads, being announced just a few months after the latter.

It’s possible that Rubin, which was the focus of Computex 2024, could power the GeForce graphics cards that follow the next generation – mirroring the way Blackwell has been deployed for AI GPUs and RTX 5000 desktop boards – so this could have been our first (sort of) sighting of RTX 6000. (If RTX 6000 ever happens, and here at TechRadar, we’ve made arguments as to why there are valid reasons to doubt this – namely the juggernaut profits in the AI world, of which there are a bunch of major concerns around, it has to be said).

(Image credit: Nvidia) GeForce Now continues to evolve – with a catch

Last year was an important one for Nvidia’s streaming service for PC gamers, with the new ‘Ultimate’ subscription coming in (offering up to 240 frames per second, and a less laggy experience – for those with an internet connection up to the task, that is).

Early in 2024, Nvidia introduced a Day Pass for GeForce Now – allowing you to try out the full service for a day, to see how it works for you – and then towards the tail end of the year, a big upgrade was announced for the middle tier ‘Priority’ membership. This was renamed ‘Performance’ and Nvidia boosted its visual quality from 1080p to 1440p resolution (with ultrawide monitor support on top), all with no additional cost.

At least there was no financial cost, but there was a catch in the form of a monthly time limit imposed on these subscribers (and Ultimate tier members too). On the face of it, capping play time was a move to help Nvidia shorten queues and keep the streaming quality running smoothly, but it went down badly with some subscribers, who felt the 100-hour limit was too stingy.

Note that the new time limit doesn’t come into force until 2025 starts, and won’t apply to existing subscribers until 2026. Still, this led to plenty of threats of quitting GeForce Now on online forums – we’ll just have to see if that turns out to be mere noise, or whether a bunch of subscribers are indeed about to exit stage left.

(Image credit: Nvidia) Concluding thoughts

In 2024, Nvidia brought some high-quality graphics cards into its Lovelace range, although the more affordable end of the GPU market was totally neglected (again). The company continues to dominate the desktop graphics card arena, and that won’t likely change in the near future – especially not at the higher-end where Nvidia won’t even be challenged going forward, if the rumors are right.

The Nvidia App was a high point for Team Green – and it’s great to see gamer feedback helped to shape the software – with DLSS also helping to build on, and reinforce, its consumer GPU success.

AI was the massive money-spinner, though, and the driving force behind Nvidia exploding to become the world’s most valuable company.

As we touched on above, the worry for PC gamers might be that the blistering success of AI GPUs – if it continues, and it doesn’t seem a good idea to bet against that – could mean Nvidia’s gaming graphics cards are eventually side-lined, or perhaps dispensed with entirely. With AMD also looking to cash in on AI, and Intel’s GPU prospects seeming shakier these days, all this does prompt some concern around the future of desktop graphics cards in the consumer marketplace.

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Countries must collaborate if we’re going to create a less fearful future for artificial intelligence.

• SK Hynix's 321-layer NAND targets AI-driven data storage needs
• 321-layer NAND flash improves data transfer speed by 12%
• AI storage demands drive innovation in high-capacity NAND solutions

Samsung and SK Hynix have continued their head-to-head battle in the NAND flash memory market with the latter taking the lead with a new launch.

SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, recently became the first to mass-produce triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash with over 300 layers.

The company’s new 321-layer, 1-terabit TLC 4D NAND flash, announced recently, is set to revolutionize the data storage industry, paving the way for more affordable ultra-high-capacity solid-state drives (SSDs) that exceed 100TB in capacity.

SK Hynix 321-layer NAND

The NAND industry is racing to push the limits of data storage technology, and SK Hynix's achievement is a major milestone.

After the launch of its 238-layer NAND flash last year, SK Hynix’s latest 321-layer NAND flash sets a new industry standard. The company plans to supply these chips to customers starting in the first half of 2025, targeting the booming artificial intelligence (AI) market, which demands high-performance, energy-efficient storage solutions.

The 321-layer NAND was made possible by SK Hynix’s "Three Plugs" process technology, which involves electrically connecting three plugs through an optimized follow-up step, significantly improving the speed, power efficiency, and overall performance of the chips.

SK Hynix also developed a low-stress material and introduced technology that automatically corrects alignment among the plugs to further optimize the manufacturing process.

The 321-layer product offers a 12% increase in data transfer speed and a 13% improvement in reading performance relative to the previous 238-layer NAND. Furthermore, it reduces power consumption by over 10%. With a 59% boost in productivity, SK Hynix’s new NAND offers an enhanced storage solution for AI data centers and on-device AI applications.

While SK Hynix has achieved this historic feat, its main competitor, Samsung, is not far behind. Samsung is reportedly working on a 400-layer NAND flash chip, which it plans to release by 2026.

The company’s roadmap includes developing bonding vertical NAND (BV NAND) technology, which will allow for even greater storage density and minimized heat buildup. Samsung’s long-term goal is to introduce NAND chips with over 1,000 layers by 2030, potentially breaking the 200TB storage barrier for AI-driven SSDs.

"SK Hynix is on track to advancing to the Full Stack Al Memory Provider by adding a perfect portfolio in the ultra-high performance NAND space on top of the DRAM business led by HBM," noted Jungdal Choi, Head of NAND Development at SK Hynix.

Via KEDGlobal

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The only game Player 456 wants to partake in is vengeance. Sweet, sweet vengeance.

• One processor architecture for AI, embedded systems, and robotics
• RISC-V scalability ensures seamless expansion across diverse applications
• Seed funding boosts Ubitium’s drive to redefine chip technology

For over 50 years, the semiconductor industry has relied on the Tomasulo algorithm, introduced by IBM in 1967, to build specialized CPUs, GPUs, and other chips tailored to specific computing tasks.

Now, Ubitium, a hardware startup founded by semiconductor veterans, has developed a universal RISC-V processor that consolidates all computing workloads onto a single, affordable chip.

This technology is particularly significant for embedded systems and robotics, where the cost of hardware often limits the deployment of advanced computing solutions.

Erasing the boundaries between specialized computing tasks

Ubitium’s universal processor is designed to be scalable, supporting a portfolio of chips that vary in size but share the same microarchitecture and software stack, ensuring customers can expand their applications without altering their development processes.

The processor’s workload-agnostic design makes it suited to any computing task and helps to simplifying hardware requirements.

Ubitium has raised $3.7 million in seed funding, which will accelerate the development of prototype chips and initial development kits, with plans to launch the first commercial processors by 2026.

"The $500 billion processor industry is built on restrictive boundaries between computing tasks," noted Hyun Shin Cho, CEO of Ubitium.

"We're erasing those boundaries. Our Universal Processor does it all - CPU, GPU, DSP, FPGA - in one chip, one architecture. This isn't an incremental improvement. It is a paradigm shift. This is the processor architecture the AI era demands."

Cho further stated the company envisions a future where a single processor design can handle tasks ranging from small embedded systems to high-performance computing without specialized hardware modifications.

“For too long, we’ve accepted that making devices intelligent means making them complex. Multiple processors or processor cores, multiple development teams, endless integration challenges—today, that changes," he added.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 26.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,286 for Boxing Day, Dec. 26.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for the Dec. 26 Strands puzzle, No. 298.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 564 for Thursday, Dec. 26.

Here are some hints -- and the answers -- for Connections: Sports Edition No. 94 for Dec. 26.

Looking for the best internet provider in Sebring? CNET’s broadband experts will guide you to the right plan for your needs.

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 #1067) - 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 #1067) - 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 #1067) - 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 #1067) - 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 #1067) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• O

• F

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1067) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1067, are…

• TATTY
• OVERT
• FLOUR
• SWEPT

With a little more luck – or skill – I would have finished a bit quicker today, but got stuck on the many possible words that ended up being SWEPT.

With just a handful of unpicked letters left I knew that my final word was likely to have a double TT and gambled that it was TATTY.

A very satisfying game of Quordle.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1067) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1067, are…

• BUGLE
• HATER
• RARER
• CANON

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1066, Wednesday 25 December: LIVER, CRIER, SHORE, MURKY
• Quordle #1065, Tuesday 24 December: TIPSY, SCALE, FLYER, VALVE
• Quordle #1064, Monday 23 December: SNAKE, SAVVY, ELBOW, TWEED
• Quordle #1063, Sunday 22 December: DOUBT, SLURP, PAPER, CIVIL
• Quordle #1062, Saturday 21 December: STRIP, BUDGE, SAPPY, SHELF
• Quordle #1061, Friday 20 December: PENAL, EAGLE, DILLY, QUITE
• Quordle #1060, Thursday 19 December: JEWEL, GNOME, TRAMP, IDLER
• Quordle #1059, Wednesday 18 December: LITHE, BIRTH, HUMID, ROBOT
• Quordle #1058, Tuesday 17 December: DOING, ENJOY, SNAKY, AMPLE
• Quordle #1057, Monday 16 December: HYDRO, CREAM, CHIDE, SLIME
• Quordle #1056, Sunday 15 December: DROVE, STILT, LINEN, GIANT
• Quordle #1055, Saturday 14 December: SPIEL, ONSET, TIGER, DITTO
• Quordle #1054, Friday 13 December: ERECT, REBAR, MOIST, IDIOM
• Quordle #1053, Thursday 12 December: MILKY, CRIER, STORK, DRIER
• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING

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 #564) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• TIDY
• ALA
• HANDSOME
• ELDER
• SPRUCE
• LIKE
• PINE
• MISS
• HEALTHY
• ROUGHLY
• ARK
• PALM
• ABOUT
• RESPECTABLE
• ORE
• AROUND

NYT Connections today (game #564) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Generally similar
• GREEN: Evergreens
• BLUE: A decent portion
• PURPLE: Four of the 50

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 #564) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: APPROXIMATELY
• GREEN: TREES
• BLUE: SIZABLE, AS AN AMOUNT 
• PURPLE: U.S. STATE ABBREVIATIONS, PER AP STYLE GUIDE 

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

NYT Connections today (game #564) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #564, are…

• YELLOW: APPROXIMATELY ABOUT, AROUND, LIKE, ROUGHLY
• GREEN: TREES ELDER, PALM, PINE, SPRUCE
• BLUE: SIZABLE, AS AN AMOUNT HANDSOME, HEALTHY, RESPECTABLE, TIDY
• PURPLE: U.S. STATE ABBREVIATIONS, PER AP STYLE GUIDE ALA, ARK, MISS, ORE

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

I wasted time today thinking HANDSOME, HEALTHY and SPRUCE were somehow connected – I was imagining some shaving gel commercial featuring some buff man with a chiseled jaw admiring himself in the mirror and thinking how, erm, ARK he is. Sometimes when you can’t find the fourth word it’s for a good reason.

After seeing the tree link, I got there in the end – although those state abbreviations were far from obvious and I would never have got them if it wasn’t for the fact that they were the final Purple four. We still click on those last four words like we knew all along though, right? Yeah, yeah U.S. STATE ABBREVIATIONS, PER AP STYLE GUIDE, yeah, yeah, I knew that.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 25 December, game #563)

• YELLOW: CELESTIAL OBJECTS COMET, MOON, PLANET, STAR
• GREEN: ARCHERS CUPID, HAWKEYE, ROBIN HOOD, SAGITTARIUS
• BLUE: FEMALE ANIMALS JENNY, NANNY, QUEEN, VIXEN
• PURPLE: "S.N.L." CAST MEMBERS FEY, RUDOLPH, SHANNON, STRONG

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.