Technology

New USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino gets to run the rule over his squad once more in a friendly match in Zapopan.

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Lenovo has been announced as the official technology partner for FIFA, the governing body covering world football.

The deal, announced at Lenovo Tech World 2024, will cover the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil.

It will see Lenovo offer its full range of computing technologies in a bid to make the world’s most popular sport even smarter and more accessible for fans across the globe.

FIFA and Lenovo partnership

“Lenovo is proud to support FIFA’s vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field,” said Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang.

“We’re excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take center stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology.”

The company has said that its ThinkPad laptops, tablets, Motorola mobile phones, and servers will be among the technology being integrated for the tournaments, helping improve fan experiences in stadiums and global broadcasts, power enhanced analytics, and democratize data across all global football-playing nations.

Lenovo already supports Formula 1 with its technology efforts, supporting improved fan engagement and broadcasting capabilities - something FIFA will hope to follow in the future.

“At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all – and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport,” added FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.”

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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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… How Poe-tic

NYT Strands today (game #227) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• WEAR
• WINK
• DINNER
• MIND
• MINE
• PANG

NYT Strands today (game #227) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Black bird

NYT Strands today (game #227) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: top, 5th column

Last: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #227) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #227, are…

• DREARY
• PONDERED
• WEARY
• MIDNIGHT
• WEAK
• NEVERMORE
• SPANGRAM: THERAVEN

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

Sorry, NYT – this one gets a big fail from me. Not because I failed to solve it; I completed it without using any hints. No, the problem here is that I was forced to solve it entirely by trial and error, because I have not read Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven.

Look, I'm not a philistine. I'm relatively well read, although my tastes tend more towards modern fiction than the 'classics'. But setting a puzzle that involves knowledge of one specific poem written more than 100 years ago, even one as famous as The Raven, is a bit elitist, no? Strands has form here, having previously made us all find words from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, among others. And that was stupid too.

Strands is at its best when it's inclusive, when the puzzles are those that people could have a good guess at even if they didn't know the specifics. Obviously a single game can't cater for everyone, but the answers here are impossible to get merely by thinking – you know, the process of educated guessing, which is what games like this are usually about. Words such as PONDERED and WEAK here… unless you know the poem, you don't have a chance. Well, you do – you can blindly hunt for words that might be the answer until you hit upon the right ones. But that's not my idea of fun.

Anyway, I did solve it because the theme clue put a capital P in 'How Poe-tic', so it was obviously going to be Poe-related. I looked for HEART and didn't find it, so I moved on to RAVEN and got the spangram, but everything after that was pure drudgery.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, 15 October, game #226)

• SCALE
• FEATHER
• HAIR
• HORN
• SHELL
• WING
• SPANGRAM: CREATUREFEATURE

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.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #995) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #996) - 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 3.

Quordle today (game #996) - 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 #996) - 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 #996) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• S

• H

• E

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

Quordle today (game #996) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #996, are…

• EERIE
• SMIRK
• HUNCH
• EMBED

I'm not sure today's Quordle could have been much harder, so I'm pleased with the way I solved it with one guess to go. All of the words are to some extent difficult, a couple particularly so.

EERIE is probably one of the worst words that could ever turn up here, and I dread the day it arrives in Wordle (if indeed it does). With three Es, two of them together at the start, it has an incredibly uncommon spelling format, which will likely have made it hard even for experienced Quordlers. EMBED also has a repeated E, while HUNCH is one of the worst word-traps in the game; -UNCH has five possible solutions, PUNCH, LUNCH, HUNCH, MUNCH and BUNCH, and all are common words and so equally likely to appear.

My tactic for solving it was to play HIMBO, a word which would rule in/out three of those in one go; the other two had already been ruled out. And not only did it confirm HUNCH, but it also gave me the M and B I needed for EMBED, and the M for SMIRK. After that it was simply a case of identifying EERIE – which took me a while, but I got there in the end.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #996) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #996, are…

• STOKE
• EDIFY
• TENET
• CIVIL

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
• Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
• Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
• Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO
• Quordle #991, Friday 11 October: RINSE, ANIME, PUSHY, ZEBRA
• Quordle #990, Thursday 10 October: UNTIL, MARSH, METAL, WINDY
• Quordle #989, Wednesday 9 October: TRIAL, HUSKY, DOWNY, TRADE
• Quordle #988, Tuesday 8 October: TROUT, HATER, BARGE, DOZEN
• Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH
• Quordle #986, Sunday 6 October: FUDGE, TENOR, BEGAT, ROUSE
• Quordle #985, Saturday 5 October: ELECT, CROAK, FRISK, JAUNT
• Quordle #984, Friday 4 October: ELFIN, GRAIL, PATIO, RECAP
• Quordle #983, Thursday 3 October: TENTH, REMIT, CURVE, TOAST
• Quordle #982, Wednesday 2 October: ARGUE, CRANE, TOKEN, PRINT
• Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
• Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
• Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
• Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL
• Quordle #976, Thursday 26 September: STAGE, VOGUE, CLUMP, HEATH

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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #493) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PEACE
• PEBBLE
• LATER
• SCISSORS
• ROUND
• CHEERIO
• BYE
• FLAKE
• NEXT
• BRACKET
• SOON
• SEED
• VICTORY
• PUFF
• TWO
• EVENTUALLY

NYT Connections today (game #493) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: In the end
• Green: Elements of a competition
• Blue: Charm could be one
• Purple: Let your fingers do the talking

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 #493) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: AT SOME FUTURE POINT
• GREEN: PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP
• BLUE: BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL
• PURPLE: WHAT THE OUTSTRETCHED INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS CAN REPRESENT

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

NYT Connections today (game #493) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #493, are…

• YELLOW: AT SOME FUTURE POINT EVENTUALLY, LATER, NEXT, SOON
• GREEN: PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP BRACKET, BYE, ROUND, SEED
• BLUE: BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL CHEERIO, FLAKE, PEBBLE, PUFF
• PURPLE: WHAT THE OUTSTRETCHED INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS CAN REPRESENT PEACE, SCISSORS, TWO, VICTORY

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

I'm trying something new with my daily dose of Connections, namely attempting to solve the hardest groups first. It didn't entirely work today – not least because guessing which one the NYT will deem the toughest isn't a sure thing. But I did come up with green followed by purple and then blue, leaving the yellow group by default. Given that I'd already realized what that yellow group was, that meant that today was a rare day in which I genuinely solved all four.

Why am I doing this? No real reason, beyond my seemingly unending desire to make life more difficult for myself. That said, solving the harder ones earlier does make it a lot less likely that you'll fail (obviously). Admittedly, purple was a bit of a shot in the dark for me today. I spotted blue (BIT OF BREAKFAST CEREAL), so left out CHEERIO, FLAKE, PEBBLE and PUFF from my deliberations. And I'd already got green (PARTS OF A TOURNAMENT SETUP).

That left me with eight words: PEACE, SCISSORS, TWO, VICTORY, EVENTUALLY, LATER, NEXT, SOON. Clearly the final four of those would form a group, so I played the other four first and was pleased to see them change color. I then played the cereals group, and finally the AT SOME FUTURE POINT quartet, meaning I went at least some way towards the NYT's top score, the 'Reverse rainbow' where you go purple, blue, green, yellow. Maybe tomorrow will be the day.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, 15 October, game #492)

• YELLOW: FOOTBALL POSITIONS CENTER, GUARD, QUARTERBACK, SAFETY
• GREEN: CABLE CHANNELS DISCOVERY, HISTORY, NICKELODEON, OXYGEN
• BLUE: FICTIONAL CLOWNS HOMEY, JOKER, PENNYWISE, RONALD
• PURPLE: WHAT “D” MIGHT STAND FOR DEFENSE, DEMOCRAT, DIMENSIONAL, DRIVE

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.

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Apple has formally announced the new iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence compatibility. As an iPad mini fan since the original first launched in 2012, the tiny tablet has a soft spot in my heart, and this new model could have one in yours, too.

Up until today, the M2 Mac mini was the cheapest way to try Apple Intelligence, but it’s not portable and needs extra peripherals to use, which ramps up the price. Mac mini aside, the iPhone 16 was the next cheapest entry point into the world of Apple Intelligence, but that device starts at $799 / £799.

Now, that’s all changed with Apple’s iPad mini announcement; the new tablet brings everything Apple Intelligence offers, starting from $499/£499 for the 128GB model. This means the new iPad mini is the cheapest entry point for those looking to try Apple Intelligence, almost a system seller in itself.

Apple Intelligence for less

(Image credit: Apple)

I’ve been using Apple Intelligence on the iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 betas since Apple first announced the AI features in June, and I’ve been scratching my head at the price of entry since.

To use Apple Intelligence on an iPhone you need one of the best iPhones from the iPhone 16 lineup or the previous flagship iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max models, none of these smartphones are cheap, however, and even iPhone 15 owners are left in an AI-less past. On the iPad side, until today’s announcement, you needed an M-series iPad, with the lowest price offering being the M2 iPad Air for $549/£549, a much lower entry point to Apple Intelligence compared to the iPhone but still above that $500 mark.

With the arrival of a sub-$500 iPad mini capable of Apple Intelligence, there’s now an accessible entry point for anyone who wants to give Apple’s AI tools a go without forking out for a more expensive product. Yes, that’s only $50 less than the Air, but $50 matters, especially when you’re not sure you’ll even use the AI features you’re upgrading for.

Since Apple Intelligence’s reveal at WWDC, I’ve thought that the software’s success will be based on how many people actually use it, and one of the biggest reasons people won’t be using Apple Intelligence is because of the initial cost of upgrading to a compatible device. Apple’s strategy with the new iPad mini could work out massively in the company’s favor as people opt for the small tablet as a first exposure to Apple Intelligence before forking out on a new iPhone or iPad in the future.

My partner is a great example of this; she owns the iPhone 15 and was left disappointed when she found out that her not-even one-year-old device wouldn’t be compatible with the next evolution of Apple software. She’s not in the market for a new iPhone at the moment and Apple Intelligence hasn’t even been released yet, and she’s not sure she’ll even use it. Still, an iPad mini with Apple Intelligence functionality could work as a gateway to seeing what Apple AI is capable of. She won’t be the only one tempted to try the iPad mini to get cheaper access to Apple Intelligence, and if those consumers are impressed, they might be first in line for the iPhone 17, unable to live without an Apple Intelligence-compatible smartphone.

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The head of the world’s biggest PC maker has laid out its aims for a powerful, intelligent AI future.

Speaking in his opening keynote at the Lenovo Tech World 2024 event in Bellevue, company chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang, noted how, "we use the power of AI to preserve the most cherished experiences.”

"It's all about using AI to build a smarter future, together, for all,” he added, “Lenovo believes AI is real, it's not a fleeting trend, it’s not an inflated bubble."

Hybrid AI

In a wide-ranging keynote that featured guest appearances from the likes of AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Yang outlined how AI is already improving the quality of life for individuals, delivering higher productivity for enterprises and protecting a more sustainable planet.

“This is a time of amazing productivity gains on the horizon,” he said, “a time of a fundamental paradigm shift in our industry, and a time to re-imagine the future for AI, to work not only in the cloud, but at our fingertips, and within our own organizations.”

Yang stated the company still believes the future lies in a future of “hybrid AI” - an idea Lenovo first put forward a year ago, but one he says is still pertinent today.

This vision sees enterprise foundation models, and the private cloud, co-exist with a public foundation model and public cloud - all complimenting the others to deliver “enhanced outcomes for different customer needs”, Yang declared.

(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore)

Lenovo was also been keen to push the AI PC industry, which is set to explode over the next few years, with Yang saying the company is, “only the beginning of our journey”.

“Our core concept is, one personal AI, multiple devices,” he said, “ to deliver a cross-device, cross-ecosystem, seamless and secure user experience.”

Overall, Yang struck an unsurprisingly positive note about the future of AI, with Lenovo showcasing use cases ranging from creating a digital twin of a thousand-year-old wooden pagoda for mixed reality experiences, to creating digital avatars for ALS sufferers to give them a voice.

“Lenovo is optimistic about the new opportunities that will be unleashed by AI,” he declared.

"We stand on the brink of a new era, defined by AI, we have the opportunity to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges…Imagine a world where technology and humanity thrive side by side - this is not just a dream, but it is within our grasp, if we choose to act, with a vision of smarter AI for all."

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