Technology

A number of companies, including Samsung, Phison, and Huawei, have been teasing 128TB SSDs this year. Inevitably, these products are not intended for consumers but rather are designed to cater to the growing storage needs of AI servers and data centers.

128TB is unquestionably a huge leap forward in terms of capacity. It's important to remember that Solidigm's 61.44TB SSD was the world's largest solid state drive when it went on sale back in January, and no one was offering anything close to it. How quickly things change.

Samsung recently showcased its forthcoming 128TB SSD, the BM1743, at the Future of Memory and Storage 2024 event (formerly Flash Memory Summit). There's currently no word on when that model is expected to see the light of day, but Samsung would like you to know it is already preparing an SSD with double that capacity. Yes, really.

256TB SSD for servers

The Korean Economic Daily reports that South Korean memory rivals Samsung and SK Hynix recently took to the stage at Semicon Taiwan 2024 to talk about high-bandwidth memory (HBM), with the two firms detailing the efforts they are going to in order to boost production of the in-demand chips. During a keynote speech, marking the first time a Samsung representative has given a talk in Taiwan, Jung-Bae Lee, corporate president and head of Samsung’s memory business said, “To maximize the performance of AI chips, customized HBM is the best choice. We are working with other foundry players to offer more than 20 customized solutions.”

It was during this presentation, KED reports, that Dr. Lee dropped his casual bombshell, stating that “Samsung is preparing to unveil a 256 terabyte (TB) solid-state drive (SSD) for servers to meet growing demand for high-capacity storage devices in AI servers.”

No additional information was provided, so it’s unclear when such a device will be released - it could be next year or further in the future. However, the fact that Samsung mentioned it at all suggests the company is a decent way into the development process.

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Here are the answers for the NYT Mini Crossword for Sept. 5.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections No. 452 for Sept. 5.

Here are some hints, and the answers, for the Sept. 5 Strands puzzle, No. 186.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1174 for Sept. 5.

The addition of a new AI sponsor, plus the organization's statement about the use of AI, have stirred a backlash.

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 #452) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BASH
• BAG
• COLOR
• SACK
• RECEPTION
• BLOWOUT
• LAND
• PAN
• CUT
• BLAST
• YARD
• SCORE
• SLAM
• SNAG
• TRIM
• ATTEMPT

NYT Connections today (game #452) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Things done to hair
• Green: Disapprove verbally
• Blue: Acquire
• Purple: Gridiron data

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 #452) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: HAIR SALON OFFERINGS
• GREEN: CRITICIZE
• BLUE: OBTAIN
• PURPLE: MEASURED IN FOOTBALL STATS

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

NYT Connections today (game #452) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #452, are…

• YELLOW: HAIR SALON OFFERINGS BLOWOUT, COLOR, CUT, TRIM
• GREEN: CRITICIZE BASH, BLAST, PAN, SLAM
• BLUE: OBTAIN BAG, LAND, SCORE, SNAG
• PURPLE: MEASURED IN FOOTBALL STATS ATTEMPT, RECEPTION, SACK, YARD

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Fail

You know how you get the five stages of grief? I'm going through something similar with Connections. First, enjoyment at finding a new game to play each day, then satisfaction as I grappled with it, mostly winning, sometimes losing. That was followed by bewilderment as I began losing regularly, then self-loathing as I decided I was just too stupid to win each day. And now? Now I've reached boredom: it's simply no fun to play each day.

Connections appears to have almost no balance to it. Some days are impossibly hard, others are incredibly easy. Within a game, a 'blue' group – supposedly the second toughest – can be a lot more simple to solve than an 'easy' yellow one. There are words that nobody could be expected to know, sometimes – or to know that they can be used in a particular context, at least. And there is a huge geographical bias that puts anyone outside of the US at a massive disadvantage. And that last factor in particular costs me a guess or two nearly every single day.

It is, simply, nowhere near as enjoyable as Wordle or even Strands. Playing it is randomly stressful and regularly unsatisfactory.

Today, there's a group about football (yawn; I guess we'll get baseball tomorrow right?) and one about hair salons that features the word BLOWOUT, a term I've never heard in that context. I solved one group (the blue 'obtain' one) but couldn't make anything from the remaining 12 words and effectively gave up and guessed randomly until I lost.

Maybe I should have solved one of the others; maybe I should be better read, or I should take more time over it. But today at least, I didn't look at the answers and think 'Oh, you idiot Marc, you should have solved that.' Instead, I just shrugged and moved on with my day – which is presumably not the attitude that the NYT is seeking here.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 4 September, game #451)

• YELLOW: VERY SMALL AMOUNT HINT, SHRED, TOUCH, TRACE
• GREEN: PUPPY PURCHASES BED, BOWL, COLLAR, CRATE
• BLUE: HELP PUT ON A PARTY CATER, HOST, PLAN, THROW
• PURPLE: SYMBOLS ON A KEYBOARD BRACE, CARET, HASH, STAR

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my 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 #186) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Going underground

NYT Strands today (game #186) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PUNT
• BRUNT
• GATE
• TAROT
• LETTER
• PRUNE

NYT Strands today (game #186) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Dig them up

NYT Strands today (game #186) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: right, 7th row

Last: left, 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 #186) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #186, are…

• POTATO
• TURNIP
• BEET
• TARO
• RUTABAGA
• JICAMA
• SPANGRAM: ROOTVEGETABLES

• My rating: Difficult
• My score: 1 hint

I love root vegetables, but I will confess that I have never heard of JICAMA, have only vaguely heard of TARO, know RUTABAGA by its more common (outside of North America) name of swede and know BEET by its more common (in the UK at least) name of BEETROOT. In summary… I found this one to be pretty tough!

JICAMA was the only one I actually needed a hint for, because the combination of the theme clue and my stumbling upon POTATO by accident was enough for me to get started. TURNIP was an obvious one, and I know enough about BEETs thank to the US Office (thanks, Dwight!) to guess that one.

I then got the spangram, which gave me TARO by default (and with a little trial and error). That just left JICAMA and RUTABAGA; I used a hint, which gave me JICAMA, and solved that after trying multiple combinations of letters until one proved to be correct. RUTABAGA needed a similar approach; swede would have been much easier, frankly…

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday 4 September, game #185)

• ARCHES
• GLACIER
• REDWOOD
• SAGUARO
• BADLANDS
• SPANGRAM: NATIONALPARKS

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 #955) - 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 #955) - 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 #955) - 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 #955) - 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 #955) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• E

• A

• S

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

Quordle today (game #955) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #955, are…

• SNIDE
• EGRET
• AMONG
• SHINY

EGRET was a famously tough Wordle answer when it appeared in July 2022; it had an average score of 4.4, which placed it way above most Wordles, which overall sit at around 3.9. And – surprise, surprise – it proved every bit as hard for me to solve in Quordle today.

I had three stabs at it, and guessed METER first, then GREET, and finally EGRET when it was the only word that would fit. That left me only one guess left for the final answer, which was AMONG – but thankfully by playing M and G as part of my EGRET guesswork, I did at least have the required letters for that and solved this Quordle on the final attempt.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #955) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #955, are…

• BLINK
• HASTY
• POSER
• SHELF

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #954, Wednesday 4 September: POINT, WITTY, GAFFE, ABUSE
• Quordle #953, Tuesday 3 September: ATOLL, ANGER, OCEAN, SWEEP
• Quordle #952, Monday 2 September: HABIT, LODGE, PLAIN, DRIFT
• Quordle #951, Sunday 1 September: RABBI, CRAWL, GUPPY, BRAND
• Quordle #950, Saturday 31 August: AWOKE, TIBIA, ITCHY, SNACK
• Quordle #949, Friday 30 August: ARISE, OLDER, ISSUE, ERUPT
• Quordle #948, Thursday 29 August: DECAY, DRUID, AVOID, KNEED
• Quordle #947, Wednesday 28 August: VIOLA, GONER, CAVIL, SHARE
• Quordle #946, Tuesday 27 August: ABYSS, DAILY, AGONY, MUSKY
• Quordle #945, Monday 26 August: NEVER, CHUNK, AUNTY, CROUP
• Quordle #944, Sunday 25 August: APTLY, LEVER, STORK, WIDOW
• Quordle #943, Saturday 24 August: EVENT, APNEA, SWATH, IRONY
• Quordle #942, Friday 23 August: LAUGH, SATYR, CACHE, CLONE
• Quordle #941, Thursday 22 August: BEARD, PAYER, BROWN, TRUCK
• Quordle #940, Wednesday 21 August: ALOFT, SNUCK, LAPSE, COMIC
• Quordle #939, Tuesday 20 August: CHIEF, SNORT, OUNCE, MILKY
• Quordle #938, Monday 19 August: GIVEN, STIFF, STOOL, ANTIC
• Quordle #937, Sunday 18 August: DEPTH, JUICY, GAWKY, INLAY
• Quordle #936, Saturday 17 August: HUMUS, FRONT, FUNNY, DRYLY
• Quordle #935, Friday 16 August: BRICK, CABLE, INBOX, FLOSS

Anker's Soundcore Space One headphones were a big hit when they launched in 2023, delivering a bargain alternative to Beats headphones with built-in ANC for a very low price. And now there's a new model, the Space One Pro. The brand says that these are its most premium headphones ever, and while they're a little more expensive than their predecessors, they're smartly designed and have an impressive specification to rival the best noise cancelling headphones.

The previous Soundcore Space One headphones were $100 / £100. These new Soundcore Space One Pro are $199 / £149 (about AU$290), so they're stepping closer to the likes of the Sony ULT Wear Headphones or the Sennheiser Accentum Plus. There's also a carrying case but that costs extra: $34.99 / £29.99. However, if you're an early buyer before 26 September, you'll get the case for free. 

Here's what's new.

(Image credit: Soundcore) Soundcore Space One Pro headphones: key features

The most obvious new feature is what Soundcore calls FlexiCurve, a structure that enables you to fold the headphones into a donut-shaped form and which reduces their overall size by 50%. That's achieved through a new multi-segment headband and a three-joint rotator base. We love a good set of folding cans, and it's one of the features we look for when rating the best travel headphones.

The noise canceling here comes via six microphones including four feed-forward mics, and the drivers are 40mm in size. Battery life is a claimed 40 hours with ANC on and 60 hours with ANC switched off, and quick charging gives you up to eight hours of play time from a five-minute charge.

There are two models, which you can see in the image at the top of the page: jet black and cream white. Both models will go on sale in the US and the UK from 5 September – we don't have any information about an Australian launch yet.

We've already had a chance to extensively test these headphones, and you can read our full Anker Soundcore Space One Pro review for more, but we praised their "rich, well-weighted all-round sound" and noise cancellation that's "a cut above" more mid-range headphones. We also found that the comfort level "doesn’t get much better" than these. However, we found the build quality to be a little disappointing, and in the US especially, the launch price is dangerously close to the price you can regularly get the Sony WH-1000XM4 for these days, which remain excellent headphones still.

We gave them a high rating though, and they're definitely worth checking out if you want a pair of the best wireless headphones that aren't hideously expensive.

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Zillow is boosting its AI search tool to end the tedious filtering of locations and other elements. Now you can just ask for a place within a travel distance of a location and it will handle the rest for you.

The upgraded AI tools, available on the Zillow mobile app, rely on casual language rather than drop-downs and other menus. The idea is that you won't have to specify affordability, proximity to schools, commute time, and related matters. You can just explain what you want as though you are talking to a human. 

For instance, Zillow described how you could ask for "homes 30 minutes from Millennium Park," “3-bedroom houses near Roosevelt High School,” or "apartments near Denver Union Station" for properties within a certain distance to your office, a good school, or a park you like. The point is to make it more intuitive to find your ideal home. It's a linguistic upgrade to Zillow's current AI features, which currently perform tasks such as estimating a home's value and sharing AI-powered Showcase listings that tour within a house.

"From streamlining the home search to personalizing the user experience, Zillow applies AI in practical ways to help people get home," said Zillow senior vice president of AI Josh Weisberg. "Search is one of the bedrocks of our platform, and we're always improving it to make it easier for users to find homes that meet their unique needs."

AI Realty

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into platforms like Zillow, the home search process could become less painful, even if the idea of home-buying being easy seems more like a hallucination than anything an AI has produced. 

Zillow's AI will also use the conversations and requests people submit for further training. Zillow claims that as more people use the platform, the AI will be better at pinpointing the places people might actually want to buy or rent.

There's no telling if real estate agents will consider Zillow's AI upgrade a win because it could shorten the home search process or a problem because it might undercut the relationship they're trying to build with potential home buyers.

"The rise of AI in the real estate sector signals a broader shift in how people will search for homes in the future," Weisberg said. AI could ultimately make the home search process more personalized and efficient. But don't expect it to do anything about your down payment.

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In an unsealed indictment, the DOJ alleges that employees of state-owned RT contracted for and oversaw the dissemination of Kremlin talking points by popular right-wing influencers, including Benny Johnson and Tim Pool.

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Volkswagen has upgraded the voice assistant in its cars to be a lot more talkative than before, thanks to the power of ChatGPT. OpenAI’s conversational companion has been integrated across VW vehicles as promised back at CES, including the newest Jettas and electric cars. 

ChatGPT is more of an upgrade than a complete reworking of VW’s infotainment center. The chatbot relies on VW’s long-time voice AI partner, Cerence, and the Cerence Chat Pro platform to enhance VW’s existing Ida voice assistant. The result goes well beyond the usual navigation and climate controls. Leveraging OpenAI’s creation, a driver can get everything from local entertainment suggestions to a spontaneous trivia quiz. 

Volkswagen’s upgraded voice assistant offers a more intuitive user experience. Activated by phrases such as “Hello IDA” or “Hello Volkswagen,” depending on the vehicle, drivers and passengers can now interact with their cars in a more casual way. If Ida can’t help you, it connects to the cloud, where Cerence Chat Pro processes the query. This cloud-based system taps into multiple databases and sources, including ChatGPT, to answer your question.

"We are proud to partner with Volkswagen Group to deliver immediate value to their drivers as they look to leverage generative AI while on the go," Cerence CEO Stefan Ortmanns said. "These new capabilities – which will continue to expand – make the IDA voice assistant more knowledgeable, capable, and valuable than ever and enable a safer and more enjoyable journey."

Voice Clone of Your Own

One important element is how the voice assistant deals with data privacy. Volkswagen emphasized that the AI does not access sensitive vehicle data and that all session data is deleted immediately after each use. Most 2025 Volkswagen models will include the subscription as a free trial when they hit the market. Others will require you to subscribe to VW’s Plus Speech with AI, part of Volkswagen’s Car-Net system to begin with, but that could change as ChatGPT becomes embedded in more VW vehicles.

Voice assistants are a common feature in modern vehicles. But VW sees ChatGPT as more than just a minor perk. A more advanced solution than traditional voice assistants could help entice those looking for an AI that can handle natural conversations while driving. Though Mercedes-Benz and other carmakers are experimenting with ChatGPT and other generative AI models for their voice assistants, VW’s early adoption might keep it ahead in the endless race to win new car buyers.

“Volkswagen has a long tradition of democratizing technologies. As a volume manufacturer, we make these technologies accessible to large numbers of people,” Volkswagen Brand Board of Management member Kai Grünitz explained in a statement this summer. ”By seamlessly integrating ChatGPT into the backend of our voice assistant, we are now offering drivers the opportunity to use this artificial intelligence on a daily basis, thus underlining how innovative our products are.”

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The feature named Backdrops is rolling out now to Roku TVs, and will come to streaming sticks in the coming months.

UFB, Laurel and Varo earn top scores based on APYs and customer satisfaction.

Even if it's an honest mistake, you still owe.