TechRadar News

• PocketBook has launched the InkPoster digital art display at CES
• The battery-powered frame claims to use zero energy most of the time
• It comes in three sizes, but none of them are exactly affordable

Digital art displays are a great way to liven up your home, but most of them can consume a lot of energy in use. Now, though, one company claims to have solved that issue by developing an E Ink screen that slashes its energy consumption – for a price.

Introduced at CES 2025, the PocketBook InkPoster comprises an E Ink Spectra 6 display, which PocketBook says offers “the authentic feel of ink-on-paper with vibrant colors and detailed, bright images.” Since the InkPoster doesn’t contain an LCD panel, that means it also doesn’t use backlighting – as a result, there are no blue light emissions.

Interestingly, PocketBook claims that the InkPoster device consumes no energy when displaying a static image and only requires power when changing from one image to another. As well as that, PocketBook states that the device does not emit any heat in usage, unlike rival LCD-based options.

Instead of being plugged into the wall, the InkPoster is battery-powered and can last up to a year on a single charge. It comes in three sizes, with 13.3-inch, 28.5-inch, and 31.5-inch options available. The 28.5-inch model adds in Sharp’s IGZO tech, which ensures faster image updates. An A1 version is coming later in 2025.

A pricey option

(Image credit: PocketBook)

PocketBook says you can access thousands of artworks using the company’s app or display your own images or photos instead. Each InkPoster unit can be used in either landscape or portrait orientation, so they should work with a wide variety of images.

However, there’s a notable catch: the price. The PocketBook InkPoster models don’t come cheap, and you should expect to pay $599 (around £485 / AU$970) for the 13.3-inch model, $1,700 (about £1,380 / AU$2,740) for the 31.5-inch version, and $2,400 (around £1,945 / AU$3,875) for the 28.5-inch edition with Sharp’s IGZO technology.

That makes the InkPoster far, far more expensive than simply using traditional printed and framed images – which, incidentally, don’t require any energy to operate either. Perhaps that might be a better option, despite the lure of the InkPoster's impressive tech, if you don’t plan on updating the displayed image very often.

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• Nanoleaf 4D V2 uses a camera and light strip to extend colors from your TV
• It has no mounting brackets, and should be easier to fit than other systems
• Its camera has also been upgraded to work with wider screens

Smart-lighting company Nanoleaf has revealed a new version of its budget-friendly Philips Ambilight alternative, which is easier to install and supports wider screens. Nanoleaf launched the 4D V2 system at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, alongside a new color-shifting floor lamp, a premium software subscription service, and an LED light therapy face mask.

Like many of the best Ambilight alternatives, the Nanoleaf 4D setup uses a camera mounted at the top of your TV to capture what's being displayed, then mirrors the colors at the edges using an LED light strip fitted behind the screen. Any setup that uses a camera can be thrown off by reflections on the screen, but they're much cheaper than upgrading your TV to an Ambilight model, or using a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box and Hue Gradient Light Strip.

One of the biggest drawbacks of all Ambilight alternatives is the need to attach a strip of lights to the back of your TV by fitting a set of fiddly adhesive brackets. The Nanoleaf 4D V2 gets around that problem with a lighter, bendable LED strip that you can attach directly to the TV – no brackets necessary. Nanoleaf promises this will make it easier to fit, and judging by its promotional images it should make the back of your TV look tidier as well. The image below shows how the Nanoleaf 4D V2 (left) looks compared with a Philips Hue Gradient Light Strip (right).

The Nanoleaf 4D V2 (left) should give a tidier look and be easier to fit than the equivalent Philips Hue Play system (right) (Image credit: Nanoleaf / Signify)

Nanoleaf has also upgraded the 4D 2K's camera with a wider mount, keeping it more stable (thereby increasing the accuracy of color mirroring) and making it compatible with wider screens.

The system will be released later this year. Nanoleaf has yet to announce an official price, but the original Nanoleaf 4D system cost $99 / £89.99 / AU$189.99 for TVs up to 65 inches, and $119 / £119.99 / AU$229.99 for TVs up to 85 inches, so I'd expect it to be similar.

Another bright idea

Nanoleaf also used this year's CES event to announce a new subscription software service, Nanoleaf Premium, which will give fans of Nanoleaf's best smart lights access to two new features: Orchestrator and Scenescapes.

Most smart lighting systems use a microphone to sync light patterns and colors with music, which generally works well, but is susceptible to interference from ambient noise. Instead, Orchestrator connects directly to the audio source for more accurate audio syncing.

Nanoleaf's new Scenescapes will let you apply themes to all your Nanoleaf smart lights (Image credit: Nanoleaf)

Nanoleaf Scenescapes sounds very much like the Philips Hue system's lighting scenes, which are themes that you can apply to all the lights in a room to create a particular mood. For example, you might pick something like Beach or Fireplace when you want to relax in the evening.

Nanoleaf Premium is available now for the Nanoleaf desktop app. You'll get a free trial, after which you'll be charged $1.99 (about £1.50 / AU$3) monthly or $19.99 (about £15 / AU$30) annually. You might balk at the idea of paying for themed lighting schemes when Philips Hue scenes are free to use, but Hue hardware is much more expensive to buy at the outset, so it's a question of what your priorities (and budget) are.

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• An AMD spokesperson suggested that a future Steam Deck model would ship with a Ryzen Z2 Series processor
• A Valve employee has now refuted this claim
• We'll probably have to wait a lot longer for a new Steam Deck model

Ahead of CES 2025, an AMD spokesperson claimed that the brand’s new Ryzen Z2 Series processors would ship in future handheld gaming PCs including the Steam Deck. Now, a Valve employee has confirmed that this will not be the case.

According to PCGamer, the AMD spokesperson stated that the Z2 Series will be “coming to market from a number of partners” during a press briefing. This would allegedly include “the Legion Go, the ROG Ally, the Valve Steam Deck.”

"This really allows us to tap into what we see as an exciting and fast-growing portion of the market where many of our OEM partners are bringing some really cool and high-powered handheld solutions to market and delivering great battery life and performance,” the spokesperson continued.

An image of the Steam Deck was also included on a marketing slide, where it was placed alongside a breakdown of the AMD Ryzen Z2 Series and pictures of other handheld PCs. This led many to believe that a new model of the Steam Deck was in the pipeline featuring an AMD Ryzen Z2 Series processor.

“There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck,” stated Valve employee and Steam Deck engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais in a recent post on Bluesky. Griffais added that “the slide was [likely] meant to say the series is meant for products like [the Steam Deck], not announcing anything specific.”

At the time of writing, the most recent Valve handheld is the Steam Deck OLED. It utilizes a custom AMD APU, which is paired with 16GB of DDR5 RAM, an NVMe SSD, and a 1280 x 800, 7.4-inch OLED touchscreen for a formidable handheld gaming experience.

Steam Deck designers Lawrence Yang and Yazan Aldehyyat have previously stated that Valve is planning “to wait for a generational leap in compute without sacrificing battery life before the real second generation of Steam Deck”, so we probably shouldn’t expect a new model any time soon.

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• Casio confirms 8.5k people lost their data in October 2024 ransomware attack
• Most are Casio employees, with partners and customers less affected
• The company says it did not pay the ransom demand

Personal data on 8,500 people, mostly Casio employees, was stolen during the October 2024 ransomware attack against the Japanese electronics manufacturer, the company confirmed in an announcement posted on its website.

The incident saw a threat actor from the Underground ransomware group gain access to the company’s IT infrastructure through a successful phishing attack. From there, they were able to disrupt the company’s network, steal sensitive information, and demand a ransom payment.

At the time, the company could not say exactly who was affected by the breach, or what kind of information was stolen - now, a subsequent investigation has shown the data mostly belongs to company employees, with a smaller amount belonging to business partners, and customers.

Employees, business partners, and customers

Overall, 6,456 employees lost their names, employee numbers, email addresses, affiliations, genders, dates of birth, family details, addresses, phone numbers, taxpayer ID numbers, and HQ system account information.

1,931 business partners also lost their names, email addresses, and phone numbers, but also company names, company addresses, and ID card information.

Finally, 91 customers lost their delivery addresses, names, phone numbers, dates of purchase, and product names.

Other leaked data includes internal documents such as invoices, contracts, and meeting materials. Credit card and other payment information was not taken.

Casio stressed that it did not negotiate with the attackers, and did not pay any ransom demand. All affected individuals have been alerted. Usually, when a threat actor steals sensitive information but does not receive a payment, they end up selling the data on the dark web, or using it in phishing, identity theft, or similar attacks.

So far, that doesn’t seem to have been the case, since Casio says there is no evidence of in-the-wild abuse yet.

Via BleepingComputer

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• A leaked specs list points to 25W wireless charging for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
• This would be faster than the 15W-capable Galaxy S24 Ultra, but there's reason to doubt the claim
• We've also heard more screen details

At this point, we have a fairly good idea of what specs to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, as this upcoming handset has leaked extensively. That said, a new specs list fills in a few gaps, and includes a higher wireless charging speed than we’d expected.

According to reliable leaker Roland Quandt, posting on Bluesky, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will be able to wirelessly charge at up to 25W, which would be a boost over the 15W-capable Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

We hadn’t yet heard anything specific about the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s wireless charging speeds, so this doesn’t conflict with previous leaks, but precisely because we haven’t heard this spec before, we’d still take it with a pinch of salt – especially since Quandt also mentions Qi2 magnetic wireless charging support, and that typically tops out at 15W.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future) A similar screen and a slimmer shell

That’s the most intriguing new detail in this spec list anyway, but there are also screen specs we haven’t previously heard, including a 2,600-nit peak brightness and support for HDR10+. However, that’s the same as you’ll find on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, so it’s no surprise.

The rest is largely stuff that we’ve heard before, including that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will apparently have a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, a 120Hz refresh rate, 45W wired charging, and that it will come in three configurations – one with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, one with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and one with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

While 16GB of RAM has been mentioned before, one recent leak suggested that there would only be 12GB configurations of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, so it’s reassuring to hear 16GB mentioned again.

Finally, Quandt echoes a previous leak in saying that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will measure 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm and weigh 219g. For reference, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra measures 162.3 x 79 x 8.6mm and 232g, so that would make the S25 Ultra marginally taller, narrower, thinner, and lighter.

We should find out whether these details are accurate very soon, as the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is set for January 22, and we’re expecting to see the Samsung Galaxy S25, Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra unveiled at this event.

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• 22 speakers and 1,800W of amplification
• Personalized audio for each individual passenger
• A full Dolby Atmos experience inside your EV

Don't let Denon's slightly bland PR photos fool you: its new in-car audio system is seriously exciting, but all the best bits are invisible.

The new Denon Car Audio Concept System for EVs packs a whopping 22 speakers and 1,800W of amplification into your vehicle, and that's not even the most interesting bit.

The concept also brings similar personalization tech to the system in Denon's PerL headphones to each passenger, tailoring the audio to each person's hearing profile. Denon's going big on it too, offering demos at CES and calling it "a glimpse into the future of personalized in-vehicle audio".

If you're not familiar with the PerL Pro headphones, they use a range of tests to analyze your ears and optimize the audio accordingly. We've experienced the results (which deploy exciting otoacoustic tech found initially in the NuraTrue Pro) and we were very impressed, so it'll be really interesting to see – or rather, hear – how well the tech works for optimizing in-car audio.

Denon has helpfully provided an image of a speaker grille, if you weren't sure what one of those looked like (Image credit: Denon) Smarter sound for every EV

There are a lot of big ideas here, including hidden audio exciters from Sonified. Exciters make audio tracks sound more expansive and lively, and in the concept Denon has hidden a whole bunch of Sonified's mid-range exciter speakers in the trim materials and headrests. Other speakers are by high-end audio designers Tymphany.

The concept also ensures that most of your audio stays in the car, which is bad news for boy racers and great news for everybody else. It's been designed to minimize external sound radiation to keep your neighbors sweet.

The heart of the concept system is a 1,800W Dirac-optimized Dolby Atmos system with up-firing speakers and headrest-integrated channels too. Despite that massive potential power output Denon promises "efficient power usage" as well as a relatively small footprint for the system.

If you're lucky enough to be at CES the demo car is in the west hall until January 11, but we'd expect it to go on tour after CES is done.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

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• Nanoleaf is turning its hand to health and wellness
• The smart-lighting maker has unveiled a new LED Light Therapy Face Mask
• It features seven treatment modes that can help heal your skin, targeting conditions like acne and uneven tones

Nanoleaf, maker of some of the best smart lights in the business, has unveiled a LED Light Therapy Face Mask at CES 2025, which promises seven treatment modes to target a variety of skin conditions.

Nanoleaf's LED Light Therapy Face Mask has been certified by the FDA, which regulates medical devices in the US, and the company says it heralds an "exciting evolution and expansion into the wellness industry."

It features Nanoleaf's own LED technology to provide seven different treatments, using both red and near-infrared light (NIR). Studies from as early as 2014 have found that red light can aid "skin rejuvenation and intradermal collagen increase." More recently, a 2021 study noted "A reasonable body of clinical trial evidence exists to support the role of low-energy red/near-infrared light as a safe and effective method of skin rejuvenation, treatment of acne vulgaris and alopecia."

Nanoleaf says its face mask features "exceptional irradiance" (the power density of the LEDs), and offers lower treatment times for optimal results. As noted, there are seven different treatment modes to target specific skin concerns.

Nanoleaf enters the LED therapy market

(Image credit: Nanoleaf)

To address the elephant in the room, the Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Face Mask does look ever-so-slightly nightmarish. However, a quick Google search will show you that there are no good answers when it comes to styling a glowing face mask made of medical-grade materials. Therabody's rival TheraFace Mask, for instance, looks like something you'd wear to storm a medieval castle at the behest of your liege lord.

Styling aside, the Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy face Mask has one surprising trick up its sleeve, and that's a very attractive price. The Nanoleaf mask is available to pre-order now in the US, where it costs $149.99, and there's a 10% discount coupon available at launch. There's no word on UK pricing yet, and the mask doesn't appear to be available in Australia, but UK customers can probably expect to pay no more than £150.

By contrast, the TheraFace Mask is £499 / $599 / $899, so the Nanoleaf is vastly cheaper. While it doesn't offer Therabody's massaging vibration therapy, it does have more lighting modes. Not only is the Nanoleaf cheaper than TheraFace, but it's also cheaper than pretty much every LED face mask from a reputable brand on the market, including Shark and CurrentBody.

On price point alone you can color us pretty impressed, and we're adding this one to our list of the best wearable and fitness tech of CES 2025.

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• Alien: Romulus will be released on Disney Plus on January 15
• The survival horror film's launch comes three months after its initial release on Hulu
• It's the third highest-rated Alien movie, beaten only by the first two movies

Alien: Romulus is finally coming to Disney Plus, and that's a great way to start 2025 if you ask me.

The sci-fi horror movie, which holds a 79% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes – a score beaten only by Alien and Aliens – initially debuted in theaters last August and, after a solid run at the box office, made its way to Hulu last November. Unfortunately, that meant it was only available to stream in the US, so it's hardly surprising we've been begging for an Alien: Romulus Disney Plus release in the weeks and months since.

Thankfully, we'll be able to watch Alien: Romulus from January 15 onwards. Given its largely positive reception, you can bet it'll earn a spot on our best Disney Plus movies when it arrives, too.

Alright, Alien: Romulus got a VHS release before it landed on one of the best streaming services, so it's technically been available to watch at home in non-US territories for a while. Nevertheless, I'm pleased it's finally coming to Disney's primary streaming platform.

What is Alien: Romulus about?

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Alien: Romulus follows six downtrodden space colonists who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station. It was directed by Fede Álvarez, who you might recognize as the filmmaker behind horror hits like Evil Dead and Don't Breathe.

The movie was mildly successful and, just yesterday (January 7), secured a BAFTA Rising Star nomination for David Jonsson, who plays Andy in one of the best horror movies of 2024. With a mostly imaginative plot, talented cast at the top of their game, and some fascinating and divisive call-backs to previous Alien films, I think fans new and old will get a kick out of it.

If you need more sci-fi horror recommendations, check out our guide on seven sci-fi horror movies on Hulu, Prime Video, and more that went live ahead of Halloween 2024. Hey, you can watch horror films all the year round!

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(Image credit: Future)

We’re covering all of the latest CES news from the show as it happens. Stick with us for the big stories on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

Govee has come out swinging at CES this year, launching a litany of exciting new products - including some of the industry’s first AI-powered smart pixel lights.

In addition to its new Mini Panel lights and the Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL, Govee also unveiled its new AI-powered Gaming Pixel Light, and I’m obsessed.

From real-time weather updates and time displays to AI-generated images, the Gaming Pixel Light brings all the retro fun of pixel lighting to the modern age, and it’ll even accompany its pixel art with 8-bit music for the ultimate retro experience.

By design, it leans heavily on the gamer aesthetic; the light slate is surrounded by a metallic frame that nods to gaming component design and will look right at home on one of the best gaming desks or next to the best consoles on a TV stand.

It also offers design parity with some of Govee’s other recently released products, including the Gaming Wall Light and the upcoming Gaming Light Bar Pro, which might be a little offputting for some. Still, it’s right up my alley as a gamer.

@techradar

♬ Retro Games - FASSounds

Using the Govee app, you can interact with the brand’s AI chatbot and give it prompts, which will be applied to the Gaming Pixel Light for a personalized lighting touch. Plus, you can layer up to ten images on your original prompt, allowing you to create your own customized masterpieces.

It works in both wall-mounted and tabletop modes, and through Govee’s DreamView technology, you can also synchronize it with your wider smart lighting ecosystem.

Most exciting of all for me, however, was its Gaming Sync Box integration, which a Govee representative told me will allow for reactive displays that will respond to in-game events for up to 40 games at launch, and it’s easy to imagine that list will grow.

Govee had one of my all-time favorite video games hooked up to the Gaming Pixel Light: Mario Kart 8. As the karts whipped around the track at PG-13 speeds, the Pixel Light showed various in-game items like banana skins and red shells as the player collected them.

Is it gimmicky? Absolutely, but it’s the kind of joyful tech nonsense I’m all for integrating into my gamer set-up, and I’m fairly confident that I’m not alone in my tolerance for fun-first tech.

The Govee Gaming Pixel Light and Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro x Sound by JBL will be available in late Q2 2025, while the Govee Mini Panel Lights are currently available on the Govee website and Amazon, retailing for $99.99.

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The concept of a smart city has been around for a long time, but many cities end up providing only isolated services, such as bike-sharing schemes or smart bins. In reality, a truly smart city involves much more. It requires a well-designed IT infrastructure capable of managing a range of functions—from traffic management and water services to administrative tasks. For a city to be genuinely smart, its infrastructure must be built to deliver these services effectively and leverage AI to enhance collaboration among various departments within the city government.

Achieving this vision is not always straightforward. It necessitates careful consideration of residents' actual needs and the technology required to fulfill those needs. A successful smart city relies on having a clear, forward-thinking plan and establishing the appropriate technological infrastructure from the outset.

A unified strategy

What is stopping cities adopting ‘smart’ technology? Funding and co-operation are often an all-too-familiar problem. It takes many different departments working together, sometimes in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. For example, if local governments want to improve its transport network, it might also need to look at power and internet connections to handle the new city infrastructure. These all typically fall into different domains. However, if cities adopt the right infrastructure, AI has the potential to integrate information from siloed departments and foster cooperation, empowering cities with the technological coherence needed to drive innovation.

Dubai’s smart city project is using AI to break down the barriers between departments, and between citizens and government services. The team is taking the right approach when it comes to urban development, with more than 130 smart projects and 1,000 smart services, including eliminating paper from Government altogether, and aiming to build ‘the happiest city on Earth.’ Dubai’s authorities have implemented AI effectively to allow these departments to integrate and restructure, and cleverly deploy applications to remove paper forms and long-winded manual processes.

In this example of Dubai, it isn’t about the city being smart, it’s about making the processes smart. Taking this approach delivers efficiency whether you are using the functions of the city as a tourist or a resident. If you’re processing your visa, paying your water bill or moving your phone contract, it’s all much easier than before. Dubai is now looking for a generative AI assistant to help people find the government services they need in real-time, delivering a personalized touch for citizens.

Contrary to the AI scaremongering, breaking down these barriers doesn’t take away people’s jobs, rather it allows their time to be used more efficiently. In Abu Dhabi, sensors are used to monitor the level of water stored in tanks around the city. This IoT implementation already replaces a previously manual process where inspectors were sent to make a visual assessment. Utilizing the data collected from tanks city-wide, AI algorithms can automatically trigger a service team to be on site to refill it via real-time readings, as well as suggesting when maintenance of the tanks may be necessary. This has meant that inspectors who previously had to spend time checking tanks can focus on affecting change and working on other important jobs, such as assessing water quality or enacting regulations.

Nurturing trust in AI innovation

AI can deliver public safety, but it is key to build trust around this technology, highlight important benefits and ensure residents and visitors don’t feel like they are being ‘watched’. With traditional surveillance cameras, there’s a huge amount of data that remains unused and is never analyzed. Applying AI to this mass of data, in a privacy-minded way, has helped cities make people safer and even saves lives. In fact, half of government officials say that public safety is the main reason for the adoption of smart city technology, according to 451 Research.

Denmark’s railway authorities have carried out research using AI and machine learning to watch station platforms and alert station staff if someone is about to get onto the train tracks. For example, people who have dropped their phones on the line are often so fixed on getting it back that they forget the risks involved and put themselves in grave danger. The AI ‘learns’ the patterns that show when someone might be about to put themselves at risk, and would trigger an alert. With such technology, people need to be assured that their privacy rights are being respected, and when it’s demonstrated that AI can boost safety, without being intrusive, people are happier with the idea. Smart cities can find a balance of delivering services without feeling like ‘Big Brother’, communicating that when using computer vision systems, privacy is always respected, and people’s safety is paramount.

Data in the streets

In a smart city, street cabinets and street lights become edge data centers that process everything from whether a parking space is empty to when there are dangerous levels of pollutants in the air. But the secret sauce is the overall design and deploying computer to where the data is generated. Cities can then capture data at street level, whether it’s a car moving from a space to a traffic jam forming. Using AI and machine learning, they can filter what is relevant and what is not at that street level, discarding irrelevant information and creating very strong and clean data pipes.

The key is orchestration. With traditional compute, where one application is on a single node, a ‘smart parking’ system would require many, many nodes, making it inefficient and expensive. But if you use more modern techniques for containerization, you can deploy multiple applications to each compute node, by virtualising them. Where orchestration comes in is how to enable that to scale so you can push applications across the city, manage, monitor and secure them. Once those components are properly planned, you’re able to put applications on top and put them into those cabinets on the street. This infrastructure, this technological coherence, is fundamental to building an effective smart city.

Cities of the future

Success in any smart city depends on several key factors. First and foremost, it requires a clear vision and a commitment to providing services that genuinely enhance residents' quality of life—whether through streamlining government operations, improving safety, or maintaining a strong emphasis on privacy. Departments must collaborate effectively to serve citizens, a task where AI can play a crucial role by breaking down barriers and facilitating data sharing across various departments. Most importantly, a smart city needs a robust and cohesive technological infrastructure that allows city leaders to deliver and continually refine services for their residents. This demands careful planning and consideration from the very start.

We've compiled together the best AI tools.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

It wouldn't be far-reaching to call the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the nexus of modern smart home technology. While early attempts were made before the turn of the century, the halls of CES have progressively welcomed more and more connected devices into the fold since the early 2000s, and CES 2025 is no different.

This year, I've been trawling the show floor to find the best of the best smart home devices, from the weird and wonderful to the more practical inventions that will shape the next few years of connected home technology.

Keen to make your home start working for you? Here's my pick of CES 2025's best smart home offerings so far.

Robot vacuums get futuristic

(Image credit: Dreame)

Some of the biggest smart home news at CES so far has surrounded robot vacuums, with fierce competition across the board from some of the biggest names in robot-assisted living.

This year, things are hotting up; finally, some major disruption happening in the space that might actually come to market. This year, it's in the form of often-bizarre but exciting hardware adaptations like Roborock's robot vacuum with its sock-collecting arm, but more exciting than that is Dreame's new robovac that can climb over obstacles up to 4.2cm in a single step, or 6cm tall in two steps, using what Dreame is calling its 'ProLeap System'. It's one small step for Dreame, one giant leap for robovac kind.

Elsewhere, software once more takes the fore with robot vacuums like the Eureka J15 Max Ultra, which uses AI to detect even hard-to-spot clear spillages.

Smart beauty devices come to market

(Image credit: Future)

Beauty tech is on the rise, and CES 2025 is ready to deliver some of the coolest new frontiers in skincare technology.

Easily my favorite thus far has been Samsung's AI-powered micro-LED mirror, which scans your face to assess your pores, pigmentation, wrinkles, and any redness and recommends a skincare regimen off the back of it. Samsung claims in the future, SmartThings-enabled beauty gadgets may also be compatible with the mirror, allowing for even greater insights and recommendations.

However, there's an honorable mention to L'Oreal's new tabletop skin analyzer too, which the brand claims will tell you everything about the past, present and future of your skin with a simple five-minute scan process. Wild.

Smart lighting and switches get smarter

(Image credit: Future)

Smart lighting seems set to get a whole lot smarter, judging by some of the biggest announcements from this year's CES. In particular, I was drawn to one of Govee's newest smart lights; a pixel panel (suitably named Govee Pixel Light) that can use generative AI within the Govee app to create illuminated images. That's not all, though; you can also connect it to Govee's sync boxes for enhanced immersive gaming. With compatible games, the Pixel Light will display game-related imagery, as demonstrated at CES with Mario Kart 8.

While it wasn't a CES announcement, Philips Hue's new generative AI assistant has also made waves in the news cycle this week, though details remain scant; and Nanoleaf unveiled its subscription service, Nanoleaf Premium, which features its new Orchestrator tool and Scenescapes.

Smart security for all

(Image credit: SwitchBot)

Smart locks haven't quite had the landmark developments we've seen in some years prior, but that's not to say it's been a boring year. I particularly enjoy SwitchBot's newest renter-friendly retrofit smart lock solutions, which improves upon the first-generation smart lock I reviewed a few years ago. The newer model is a lot more slick in design, and its more streamlined design means you don't sacrifice style for smart security.

Elsewhere, Phillips has announced its first smart lock compatible with Matter and Ultraloq's new smart lock was revealed to take advantage of iOS 18's UWB, showing continued focus on creating solutions that work for a wider variety of consumers.

Home robots are ready to land

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Odd robots are a mainstay at CES, but this year we've actually had a glimpse at some devices that will be commercially available.

Chief among these exciting developments is Samsung's Ballie, which, after years of wishy-washy details and slight adjustments to hardware and software, is set to come to market in 2025. It'll be armed with a Full HD triple-laser switchable lens projector, a 2K camera on the rear and a 4K camera on the front, as well as LiDAR and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors.

Another frequent face at CES deserving of an honorable mention is Yukai Engineering, with its bizarre array of robot companions like the Mirumi bag bot and Nekojita FuFu, the latter of which delighted my laryngitis-infected self with its ability to cool down my tea.

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

Acronyms aren’t unique to cybersecurity, but they’ve become a hallmark of how we communicate with each other. Do we really need to be adding this layer of complexity to an industry which is already complex? Or are they just making our devs more depressed? Let's make security accessible and actionable.

The cybersecurity industry is seeing record growth, growing 20% YoY, and built on the promise of increased productivity. And yet developers often struggle to focus on what matters. Instead, they are met with another new acronym that has them reaching for that dictionary every time they want to get something done. We’ve developed something unique in the cybersecurity industry - a language that no-one natively speaks.

The power of a common language

The root cause of all of our communication problems is that we describe security tools by what they are and not by what they do.

Take “static application security testing” as an example - that doesn't really mean anything to people that don't know what it is already. But what it actually does is try to secure our code. With that knowledge we can then immediately try to understand what “dynamic application security testing” is. It’s semantics, not guess work. (p.s. The latter is like a hacker trying to find vulnerabilities in our applications.)

My main frustration is that I can’t understand why we actually even need an acronym for those things when we could simply describe what they do. When we're building security tools, we should be able to easily describe what they do in non-technical terms, instead of trying to describe what they are.

As this communication barrier moves up the chain and crosses the technical divide, these problems become even more amplified. At the board level, security teams are completely against the wall in terms of funding. We have this catch-22 situation where security teams aren't getting enough funding, or at least they believe they're not, and we're also suffering way more from security attacks. One of the biggest issues is that at the board level, the decision makers don't understand a lot of what's needed. Because they don’t understand what things actually do. You can’t walk into the boardroom and ask the CEO to part with some cash for a CNAPP.

The cynic in me also sees a lot of these acronyms as money-printing machines. When we create new acronyms that replace the old ones and say we need new tools for them, it just looks like an upsell. And, even when something might be needed, it’s difficult to separate the necessities from the snake oil.

The value of clarity

There’s a sense of disbelief that I’m still beating this drum in 2024, but we need to approach cybersecurity more holistically. We have a tendency to secure entire applications or entire software development in separate stages. They are in silos. What if we could harness all this innovation to create a security approach that feels like a natural part of development? Here are the four key areas we need to focus on. In plain English, naturally:

Securing our source code - This covers everything written in code, including infrastructure as code. It's about writing secure code from the start.

Securing our runtime application - This is about protecting our application while it's running. Can an attacker find vulnerabilities? This includes fuzzing tools (tools that try to break your application by throwing unexpected data at it), API testing, and what we typically call "dynamic testing."

Securing our cloud environments - This means protecting the infrastructure that everything runs on.

Securing our supply chain - This covers dependencies, open source components, and third-party elements.

Four areas. Clearly explained. And so much easier for developers to understand because, rather than being hit with an acronym that does something slightly different, or that combines two different functions, the priorities are clearly laid out.

As Jason Haddix, the former CISO at Ubisoft, told me on my old Security Repo podcast, "being able to break down technical terms into non-technical terms really got me to where I did." It confirmed to me that this is the skill you need to succeed - and acronyms absolutely don't help. Even if we discard the acronyms, there’s still a way to go. If you're talking about "we need a static application security testing tool" or "we need an infrastructure as code testing tool," what we should be saying in the boardroom is "we need these tools to protect our source code" and "we need these tools to protect our application”.

Here's the reality: acronyms are designed to be understood by a small subset of people. Yet, we have (at the last count) more than 300 of them. We need to move from a culture of complexity and exclusivity to one of clarity and inclusivity. When we communicate effectively about security, we do more than transfer information: smart communication respects developers' time and cognitive load. It also allows communication to move effectively up the chain, meaning it is no longer a misunderstood and underfunded part of the organization.

We've rated the best endpoint protection software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• Swann debuts new home security tech at CES 2025
• The MaxRanger range includes an AI doorbell and new security cameras
• The Xtreem4K is an AI security camera that can talk to intruders

As an owner of one of the best video doorbells, I’ll be the first to admit that while being able to chat with someone through the device – such as talking to a delivery driver while I’m out – is a nice idea, in practice I never use it. If I’m not able to answer my door it’s usually because I’m busy doing something else, but what if my doorbell could answer for me? That’s a question Swann has answered with new AI-powered doorbell and camera options that it unveiled at CES 2025.

Back in October last year we covered the SwannBuddy4K – which we gave four-stars in our SwanBuddy 4K review – but now there’s the MaxRanger4K Video Doorbell. It's a wireless doorbell which boasts Ultra HD full-color video day and night, and comes with zero subscription fees (so there's no paywall to lock you out of the most useful features).

The MaxRanger4K doorbell boast up to 300m wireless range from the hub, a roughly three-month battery life per charge, and 64GB of storage. Oh, and it can talk to visitors for you, just like the SwannBuddy.

Under the MaxRanger name, Swann is also showcasing some non-AI security cameras. They all also boast no extra fees and 4K video day and night, but offer a wider security ring around your home. The Mini can be placed up to 300m from your hub with 64GB of storage, meanwhile the MaxRanger4K Max boasts a 600m range from the hub with 64GB of storage, and the Pro model offers a 1km max range from the hub, and 128GB storage.

(Image credit: Swann)

If you want to take things up a notch however, Swann is also debuting the Xtreem4K with SwannShield AI Defender Security Guard.

This is a wireless security camera with many of the same specs as the models above such as a three-month rechargeable battery, 4K color video capture day and night, and free local recordings up to 32GB. It also packs heat and motion sensing, which can trigger lights, sirens and recording.

Though unlike the MaxRanger cameras above, the Xtreem4K has has an AI feature that takes a more active intruder deterrent approach, with SwannShield Defender being able to respond to motion to determine what caused it and either welcome guests, deter unwanted visitors, or escalate if it believes there’s a security threat.

We’ll have to test these gadgets out to determine their effectiveness, but we’ve been impressed with Swann’s tech before so we’re excited to test them out when they launch in the US, UK, and Australia.

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And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• Asus announces Nvdia RTX 50-series powered laptops
• A new Asus gaming tablet is on the way
• We're getting a new Asus desktop too

CES 2025 is expected to be a big one for computing tech – what with next-gen chips from major brands like Nvidia, Intel and AMD set to usher in next-gen performance – and one of the many brands taking advantage of those upgrades is Asus with its suite of new gaming machines.

Though to get things out of the way now, no new Asus gaming handheld has been announced with new and improved specs, and for all the devices below we're still waiting for precise prices and release dates across all regions.

Starting with the ROG Zephyrus G16, this sleek gaming hardware boasts up to 32GB of RAM, a 2.5K OLED ROG nebula display (with a max refresh rate of 250Hz and up to 500 nits brightness), and up to an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU in a package that’s just 1.49cm thin and weighs 1.85kg – ideal for a gaming laptop you want to take on the go.

Next up are the Strix G16 and G18 laptops which come with an Intel CPU, and either 16-inch or 18-inch displays. It will pack up to an RTX 5080 (a slightly less powerful Nvidia GPU compared to the Zephyrus), but still boast up to 32GB of DDR5 5,600MHz RAM, 2TB Gen 4.0 SSD, and a 240Hz 2.5K display.

If you care about style and substance then you might appreciate the Strix Scar 16 and 18 – again, separated by their display size. The pair boast next-gen Intel and Nvidia parts (up to a Ultra 9 processor 275HX, and RTX 5090), with up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and 2TB of SSD storage alongside a 2.5K Mini-LED screen – with 3ms delay, 240Hz refresh rate, and a 1,200 nits peak brightness. On the lid you’ll see AniMe vision decoration – previously called AniMe Matrix sync – which features an array of customizable LEDs so you can create custom images and animations as you play.

Not all just laptops

(Image credit: Future)

As we enter the back half of Asus's announcements things start to get a little different.

The 2025 ROG Flow Z13 is a gaming tablet hybrid that’s super light and thin – 12mm thick, and 1.2Kg thick. Yet it features a Strix Halo AMD processor, an RGB keyboard cover, and a 180Hz touchscreen display. It won’t boast anything like the same performance as the bulkier PCs in Asus’ lineup, but if portability is your priority it’s one to keep your eye on especially considering previous ROG Flow Z13 tablets scored fairly well in reviews – we gave the 2022 model four stars in our review calling it “one of the best choices for a portable gaming laptop.”

If you want to give your Asus gaming tablet a performance boost, the new ROG XG Mobile could lend a hand. This puck boasts an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, in-built lighting, and vapor chamber cooling, and can be used to boost the performance of your other device. Previous models received mixed reviews, but as with all of the devices we’ll have to test Asus’ new gaming tech for ourselves to get a grasp of their performance capabilities.

Bringing up the rear is the only non-portable in Asus’ CES 2025 lineup: the ROG G700. This classic desktop tower features a quad-fan system, up to the latest Intel Ultra 9 processor, and the latest Nvidia GPUs, with a clear case that allows for tool-less access with standard size components so you can more easily swap in new parts when it eventually starts to show its age.

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• World's largest PC vendor joins Apple and Dell in extensively reusing cobalt in new devices
• New Lenovo ThinkPad X9 14 and X9 15 are powered by Intel's latest Core Ultra 7 CPU (Series 2)
• Despite their flagship status, both still only use PCIe 4.0

Lenovo has announced its latest premium business laptops, the ThinkPad X9 14 and X9 15 Aura Editions, at CES 2025.

These high-performance laptops are powered by Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 2) processors with Intel Arc Xe2 graphics, up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM clocked at 8533 MT/s and support for up to 2TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD storage.

Given their flagship status, we’d have liked Lenovo to have moved beyond PCIe 4.0 for these, but sadly that’s not the case.

Customer-replaceable batteries

(Image credit: Lenovo)

The laptops include dual Thunderbolt 4 ports conveniently housed in a redesigned "engine hub" for easy docking and servicing access, and HDMI 2.1.

Wireless connectivity comes in the form of Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. There’s a large glass haptic touchpad and a redesigned keyboard. The laptop’s communication bar integrates an 8MP MIPI camera with IR support and dual noise-canceling microphones for high-quality video conferencing.

The main differences between the ThinkPad X9 14 and X9 15 Aura Editions lie in their display size, battery capacity, and weight. The X9 14 features a 14-inch OLED screen available in two configurations: a WUXGA non-touch panel with 400 nits brightness or a 2.8K touch display with 500 nits, HDR600 support, and a 120Hz variable refresh rate. It weighs 2.66 lbs (1.21 kg) and includes a 55Wh battery.

The X9 15 steps up to a 15.3-inch OLED screen, also available in touch and non-touch options, supporting 500 nits brightness, HDR600 True Black certification, and a variable 120Hz refresh rate. With a 80Wh battery, it is better suited for longer work sessions and heavier workloads. The larger laptop weighs 3.19 lbs (1.45 kg).

In a welcome touch, both models feature a customer-replaceable battery using 100% recycled cobalt cells, which not only reduces reliance on virgin materials but also extends the lifespan of the devices by making maintenance much easier.

Cobalt batteries are known for their high energy density, providing longer runtimes and efficient power delivery within a compact size, so they are ideal for use in premium ultrabooks. Apple and Dell have already embraced recycled cobalt in their devices, so it's good to see Lenovo following suit.

Both models will be available starting February 2025, with the ThinkPad X9 14 Aura Edition priced from $1,399, while the X9 15 Aura Edition starting at $1,549.

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• Panasonic reveals its 2025 TV lineup
• The range is headlined by the flagship Z95B OLED TV
• The lineup includes the W95B mini-LED and W70B LED TVs

Panasonic has revealed its 2025 TV lineup at CES 2025. The reveal consists of three TVs – the flagship Z95B, the W95B mini-LED, and the W70B, a more entry-level LED TV. There is currently no pricing info or release dates for these models.

The Panasonic Z95B, successor to the Panasonic Z95A, one of 2024's best OLED TVs, is the flagship set in the 2025 lineup. It will use a new 'Primary RGB Tandem Panel' instead of the micro-lens array (MLA) OLED panel used in its predecessor, which Panasonic says will result in higher brightness, better detail and greater color volume.

The Panasonic W95B will have an improved mini-LED panel with up to 2.5x more dimming zones compared to last year's W95A, which will result in improved contrast and better black levels.

The entry-level Panasonic LED series will support HDR10+ (decode only), HDR10 and HLG formats and will have a slim-bezel design.

All three sets use Fire TV as their smart TV platform. Both the Z95B and W95B will feature a new Prime Video Calibrated Mode, a picture mode optimized for watching Amazon Prime Video content, as well as Calman and ISF calibration tools to fine-tune picture settings, a first for a Fire TV model. In the US, both the Z95B and W95B will also feature an ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN TV tuner for broadcast TV.

The Z95B and W95B will be available in both the US and the UK, while the W70B will be available in the US only. Scroll down for more detailed information on each TV.

Panasonic Z95B OLED TV

The Panasonic Z95B on display at CES 2025 (Image credit: Future)

The Panasonic Z95B will be available in 55, 65 and 77-inch sizes, with the smallest and largest models available for the first time in the US (the Z95A was only available in a 65-inch size last year).

The Z95B's biggest upgrade over its predecessor, the Z95A, is a new quad-layer Primary RGB Tandem Panel, which is coupled with Panasonic's own ThermalFlow cooling system. Panasonic says this will make the Z95B bolder, brighter, more colorful and more detail-rich than the Z95A.

The new panel is in place of the micro-lens-array(MLA) OLED panel used in the Z95A, as well as the LG G4. It's not officially confirmed whether this quad-layer panel is the same 'four-stack' panel set to feature in the LG M5 and G5 OLEDs, but this seems likely.

The Z95B features an HCX Pro AI Processor MK II, which will support both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ HDR formats. There is also a Precision Detail feature, designed to "unlock more from Dolby Vision content".

The Z95B's built-in speaker system has been re-designed to allow for a wider soundstage and improved processing for spatial audio. It will support Dolby Atmos audio format as well. If its speaker system is anything like the Z95A's, which was arguably the best TV for sound released in 2024, we have high hopes.

The Z95B supports gaming features you'd expect to find on the best gaming TVs, including 4K 144Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync), ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming, as well as a True Game Mode.

Panasonic W95B mini-LED TV

(Image credit: Panasonic )

The Panasonic W95B is the mini-LED entry in Panasonic's 2025 TV lineup. It will be available in 55, 65, 75 and 85-inch sizes in both the US and UK.

The W95B features a mini-LED panel that will deliver enhanced contrast, better black levels and better detail than previous mini-LED models, according to Panasonic. With 2.5x more local dimming zones than the W95A (this depends on screen size), the W95B promises better backlight control, resulting in an overall better picture.

The W95B will feature the same HCX Pro AI Processor MKII found in the Z95B. It will support Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ formats, along with a Precision Detail feature that "unlocks more from Dolby Vision content".

The W95B is also well suited for gaming, with 4K 144Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming, which is also supported at 144Hz.

The W95B's built-in sound system has yet to be confirmed, but we do there is a 20W subwoofer included.

Panasonic W70B LED TV

(Image credit: Panasonic )

The Panasonic W70B will be available in the US in 43, 50, 55, 65, 70, 75 and 85-inch sizes.

The W70B uses an LED panel and supports 4K HDR formats including HDR10+ (though this is decoded), HDR10 and HLG. It will also feature MEMC for fast-paced images and sports viewing.

There are four HDMI ports for connectivity, though there is no confirmation as to whether any of these will support HDMI 2.1 for gaming.

The W70B will feature voice control as part of Fire TV, which can be exectuted using the Alexa voice remote.

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And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok for the latest from the CES show floor!

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 #1080) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

* 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 #1080) - 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 0.

Quordle today (game #1080) - 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 #1080) - 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 #1080) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• M

• S

• R

• V

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

Quordle today (game #1080) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1080, are…

• MINCE
• SADLY
• RISEN
• VOUCH

A fail for me today after a string of successes. I was left with a choice between VOUCH and Couch and went with the latter.

Of course it shouldn’t have come to this. If I’d have been more vigilant I would have solved RISEN a lot more quickly, after failing to spot I’d already got the letter N.

SADLY it was not to be for me, but how did you get on?

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1080) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1080, are…

• KNEEL
• EVICT
• FERAL
• APHID

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST
• Quordle #1075, Friday 3 January: PERKY, QUARK, NAVEL, SHEEN
• Quordle #1074, Thursday 2 January: UNIFY, SWORE, DEPOT, INTRO
• Quordle #1073, Wednesday 1 January: CLING, SUITE, WORRY, TONIC
• Quordle #1072, Tuesday 31 December: PLUMP, TUBER, IRATE, ICILY
• Quordle #1071, Monday 30 December: TODDY, GROIN, GROWN, VERVE
• Quordle #1070, Sunday 29 December: PURER, SPLAT, RABID, EMCEE
• Quordle #1069, Saturday 28 December: BUNCH, LABOR, TRIPE, BUNNY
• Quordle #1068, Friday 27 December: BRAWL, LYING, ORGAN, CRONY
• Quordle #1067, Thursday 26 December: TATTY, OVERT, FLOUR, SWEPT
• 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

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Time for an upgrade

NYT Strands today (game #311) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• VIOLA
• SANE
• SHINE
• NOTE
• BACON
• LANCE

NYT Strands today (game #311) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Cookery refit

NYT Strands today (game #311) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 2nd row

Last side: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #311) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #311, are…

• OVEN
• SINK
• ISLAND
• BACKSPLASH
• COUNTERTOP
• SPANGRAM: KITCHEN REMODEL

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

In a previous career I had to interview people about their kitchens. It was usually celebrities, who would be offered a discount on a swanky new ISLAND, SPLASHBACK, etc and in return they had to talk about their KITCHEN REMODEL to a nobody from a homes magazine.

It was a terrible situation. I had zero interest in kitchens, they had zero interest in talking about kitchens, but they had made a pact and somehow we got through it. After exhausting every possible angle on what they liked about their new kitchens we would go on to topics that I hoped would inject some color into the finished article – a humorous anecdote about burnt meal, a weird smell it took years to identify, a leaky tap, anything – but after a while I gave up.

Fortunately nobody really cared about the words in these articles, it was all about the photos – which always made them look like how kitchens in heaven would look: perfect, gleaming and untouched by anyone interested in doing some cooking.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, 7 January, game #310)

• GAGA
• BIRD
• MARMALADE
• BUNNY
• FINGER
• LIBERTY
• SLIPPER
• SPANGRAM: LADIES

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #577) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PICK
• MEMORY
• LIMB
• BISCUIT
• TRUNK
• DRUMSTICK
• CORN
• BRANCH
• EAR
• WING
• STAINED
• BOW
• LINCOLN
• MALLET
• TUSK
• DIVISION

NYT Connections today (game #577) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Departments 
• GREEN: Play a tune with these
• BLUE: Think Dumbo
• PURPLE: 00s rock groups 

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 #577) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SECTION 
• GREEN: ACCESSORIES FOR PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT 
• BLUE: DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF AN ELEPHANT 
• PURPLE: WORDS MISSPELLED IN NU METAL BAND NAMES 

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

NYT Connections today (game #577) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #577, are…

• YELLOW: SECTION BRANCH, DIVISION, LIMB, WING
• GREEN: ACCESSORIES FOR PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT BOW, DRUMSTICK, MALLET, PICK
• BLUE: DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF AN ELEPHANT EAR, MEMORY, TRUNK, TUSK
• PURPLE: WORDS MISSPELLED IN NU METAL BAND NAMES BISCUIT, CORN, LINCOLN, STAINED

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

The first thing I thought when I saw LIMB and BISCUIT beside each other on the grid was that would be a good name for a rap-rock covers band, but did I think it could be a Connections group? No I did not. I just thought it was one of their jokes.

Instead, I convinced myself that DRUMSTICK, CORN, PICK and BISCUIT were all things you’d find at a KFC. Which is sort of true, although that wouldn’t be a particularly exciting order.

I saw sense in the end after spotting the four words that made up SECTION and ACCESSORIES FOR PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT, but still got DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF AN ELEPHANT ahead of Nu Metal misspellings.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, 7 January, game #576)

• YELLOW: VOCAL MUSIC A CAPPELLA, BARBERSHOP, DOO-WOP, MADRIGAL
• GREEN: A HANDFUL OF A FEW, CERTAIN, SOME, VARIOUS
• BLUE: BOOK SUBTITLES A LIFE, A NOVEL, ESSAYS, PART ONE
• PURPLE: _ IS _ (IS _) A DEAL, A ROSE, ENOUGH, LOVE

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.

• Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 50q QC comes equipped with Snapdragon X or Snapdragon X Plus CPU
• It offers up to 16GB of RAM and has a small footprint
• However I am puzzled by the decision to offer USB 2.0 ports though

Lenovo has introduced the ThinkCentre neo 50q QC, a compact desktop designed for SMBs seeking powerful performance and AI-driven productivity in a minimalistic form factor.

Announced at CES 2025, this tiny 1-liter desktop is powered by the Snapdragon X and Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processors, bringing the latest Copilot+ PC features and advanced AI capabilities to small workspaces.

The ThinkCentre neo 50q QC is designed for multitasking and efficient data handling, with up to 45 TOPS dedicated to AI tasks, making it well-suited for AI-assisted workloads and business productivity tools. Its Qualcomm Adreno GPU provides efficient graphics performance for everyday tasks, while up to 16GB of LPDDR5x memory ensures smooth multitasking. Storage options include up to two SSDs, allowing for a potential capacity of 2TB.

Plenty of ports

(Image credit: Lenovo)

Measuring just 7.2 x 7.05 x 1.44 inches (182.9 x 179 x 36.5mm) and weighing 2.45 lbs (1.113 kg), Lenovo says the ThinkCentre neo 50q QC will fit seamlessly into any professional workspace.

Despite its tiny size, the ThinkCentre neo 50q QC offers a decent selection of ports. The front panel includes one USB 3.2 Gen 2, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, and a combo audio jack.

The rear panel provides two additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, two USB 2.0 ports (no, I don’t know why either), HDMI 2.1 TMDS, DisplayPort 1.4a, and an RJ-45 Ethernet port. Wireless connectivity is provided in the form of Wi-Fi 6E.

Sustainability is a key focus for Lenovo, as it is for all PC makers, and the ThinkCentre neo 50q QC has a thermal shell that incorporates 60% recycled plastic. 30% Ocean Bound Plastic is used in both the thermal shell and system bag. The device is also TCO Certified, ENERGY STAR-rated, and EPEAT Gold registered.

Along with most of the other new products announced at this year's CES, ThinkCentre neo 50q QC, will be available to buy from February 2025. It will have an expected starting price of $849.

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