TechRadar News

• Windows 10 adoption has dropped to nearly one in two devices (54.2%)
• Windows 11 could even finally overtake in the coming months
• AI PCs are also boosting sales, report claims

Windows 11 is finally starting to pick up some real momentum as the flagship OS continues on its long journey to overtake Windows 10 – a milestone that could happen within the next few months.

A significant uptick in the first few months of 2025 means that Windows 11 adoption now stands at 42.7% (as of March 2025), with Windows 10 installs dropping to 54.2% (via Statcounter)

If recent trends continue, it’s possible that Windows 10 adoption could fall below 50% next month – Windows 11 overtaking Windows 10 might not be that far behind, either.

Windows 11 set to overtake Windows 10?

The sudden growth is largely due to the looming Windows 10 end of support, which arrived in October 2024, leading to widespread enterprise upgrades to avoid disruption.

Exploring 2024 as a whole, industry analysts from Canalys noted the use of aggressive holiday discounts to get consumers to spend more after a fairly stagnant year. The twelve-month period saw a mediocre 3.9% increase in PC shipments globally, but the firm remained optimistic for the year ahead.

“The PC market is set for accelerating growth, primarily driven by commercial demand as businesses prepare for the end of Windows 10,” noted Principal Analyst Ishan Dutt.

Enterprises are in the midst of refreshing hardware in order to make more systems compatible with Windows 11, though user interest has been fairly low with the OS featuring few stand-out apps and must-haves.

Since the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft has been busy shoehorning endless AI features into desktops and laptops across the globe in the hope that consumers and businesses might be more keen to upgrade, not to miss out, hence the emergence of a new category of PC – the Copilot PC.

AI-capable PCs accounted for nearly one in four (23%) of all PCs in the final three months of 2024; Canalys anticipates this figure to stand at 35% for 2025.

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• DOGE reportedly planning a “mega API” to be created in a hackathon
• The API will streamline tax data sharing for the IRS
• Trump’s executive order aims to stop waste, fraud and abuse

Elon Musk’s brainchild government agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is reportedly planning a ‘hackathon’ to build a “mega API” for accessing IRS data in a major streamlining move.

According to Wired, the goal is to centralize IRS data into a single-cloud hosting platform that could become the “read center of all IRS systems,” and unnamed sources cited by Wired have already named one potential partner.

“Palantir… has been brought up consistently by DOGE representatives as a possible candidate,” Wired’s sources say.

Musk wants to make an IRS “mega API”

Palantir Technologies, which currently has a market cap of $173.5 billion, notably counts Peter Thiel among its co-founders – a known associate of Musk.

The firm’s main clients include US government agencies, but some private sector firms are also customers.

“Dozens” of IRS engineers are being invited to a Washington DC hackathon event to collaborate on the API, and it’s believed that the API has a short timeline of just 30 days – something that insiders believe is both unrealistic and potentially harmful.

With the API, DOGE hopes to collate core sensitive data like names, addresses, SSNs, tax returns and employment details.

It could considerably streamline inter-departmental data sharing, however critics argue that it could present a major security risk, describing it as “an open door controlled by Musk for all American's most sensitive information with none of the rules that normally secure that data.”

On March 20, 2025, Trump signed an executive order to banish information silos, with the aim of “stopping waste, fraud and abuse.” The order appeared to focus on the IRS, declaring an interest in “eliminating bureaucratic duplication and inefficiency while enhancing the Government’s ability to detect overpayments and fraud.”

The White House has not yet shared any plans for the rumored hackathon.

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Ooft. To say that the reviews of Y2K on Max haven't been great might be an understatement: Decider.com said it's "the movie equivalent of the sentence, 'hey, remember the Sneaker Pimps?'" and that the screenplay is "flimsy and sloppy".

According to Empire, the problem is that the film "leans too heavily on nostalgia; it's concerned far more with familiar products and pop-culture details than with how its characters might behave". Part comedy, part drama, it doesn't quite commit to either and falls flat as a result, meaning it's not one of the best Max movies.

That's a shame, because the premise sounded fun. But there are plenty of more entertaining options on Max right now, so here are three very different movies that should excite and delight instead.

Logan

You know the drill: Hugh Jackman, adamantium claws, Patrick Stewart as Professor X. It's "the best Wolverine movie yet," Empire says, "grown-up, ballsy, character-driven and grounded."

The final Wolverine movie is "a poignant study of ageing and infirmity," The Guardian says. "What happens when superheroes get old? Actually, what happens when, like many non-superheroes, they arrive at late middle-age without a partner, in ill health, and with an ageing parent to look after?"

That's not to say this isn't also a great action movie. It is, but it has brains as well as brawn: think Unforgiven with claws.

Land of the Lost

Bear with me on this one, because while many people piled on the movie – RogerEbert.com notes that it "inspires fervent hatred" – and the 27% Rotten Tomatoes rating is the sort of thing you tend to see next to a Jennifer Lopez film, Ebert reckons this "deranged" movie is worth a watch.

Will Ferrell is Dr Rick Marshall, who invents a machine that can import fossil fuels from a parallel dimension. Naturally he uses that machine to transport him and his friends into that parallel dimension, the dinosaur-packed Land of the Lost. As Ebert says, the film is packed with "deliriously fake locations, props and special effects", and he found it an absolute blast to watch.

Is it a five-star movie? Absolutely not. But as The Guardian says, "It is very surreal, absurd, and often quite gross, with loads of very arch and knowing gags." Lower your expectations and I think you'll laugh a lot.

Severance (2006)

No, not the TV show: this is a horror comedy about office culture in which a team-building retreat is stalked by a brutal killer. Danny Dyer's in it, which gives you an idea of the target market: this is a Saturday night beers on the couch movie, a slashy stabby film that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The broadsheets didn't like it, but then it isn't really aimed at their critics; it's a movie for readers of sites like PopHorror, who found it "wicked and funny". Common Sense Media warns that it's definitely not for kids thanks to being "full of explicit, grotesque violence and outrageous injuries", and that's exactly the kind of thing the folks on r/horror like about it: it's "funny as f--- with lots of gore as well," says one happy viewer.

I'm now imagining a mashup of Severance the show and Severance the movie. Paging Ben Stiller...

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• Nothing just teased gadgets in its CMF sub-brand
• The highlight is the CMF Phone 2 Pro
• We're also getting new CMF Buds 2, Buds 2a, and Buds 2 Plus

Nothing announced it will soon reveal the CMF Phone 2 Pro alongside the new CMF Buds 2, Buds 2a, and Buds 2 Plus. However, it leaves us more confused than ever about its other release plans and with one big question: where's the new watch?

In an email we received and in a post on social media, Nothing revealed that on April 28, 2025, at 9 am ET / 2 pm BST / 11 pm AEST, it’ll showcase the four devices under its CMF brand.

CMF gadgets – which stands for Color, Material, and Finish – are usually more budget-friendly by skimping on some high-end specs without compromising Nothing’s design standards.

What makes this reveal kinda weird is Nothing yet again has skipped the base model – just like it recently did by releasing the Phone 3a and 3a Pro before even announcing the regular Phone 3. In this instance, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is coming out before the CMF Phone 2 got a regular model, and before the CMF Phone 1 could get a Pro.

It also didn’t tease a new CMF Watch. The CMF Watch Pro 2 was showcased alongside its phone and earbuds last year, and while it wasn’t the perfect smart watch, it was an excellent budget pick. We’re disappointed it doesn't look to be getting a follow-up for now.

New wonderful things.Featuring CMF Phone 2 Pro, alongside a trio of buds – Buds 2, Buds 2a or Buds 2 Plus.28 April, 2:00 BST. pic.twitter.com/1CIlMae2umApril 7, 2025

CMF Phone 2 Pro camera upgrade incoming?

Enough focusing on the tech we didn’t see, however. Let’s focus on the announcements we did get.

Beyond the names, there’s not a lot to go on, but we think Nothing has at least teased a camera upgrade for its upcoming CMF Phone 2 Pro.

That’s based on a section of the short video clip it shared with the announcement. In it, four circles appear – two identical gray ones stacked above each other – and to the left of them, a smaller gray one above an even smaller orange dot.

This looks a lot like the classic three-camera array you’ll find on the back of any self-respecting Pro-tier smartphone – usually a main, ultra-wide, and Telephoto lens setup.

It looks an awful lot like this phone back (Image credit: Future)

The rest of the clip just simply spells out ‘Phone’ in dots before flashing ‘Phone 2 Pro’ onscreen, followed by the April 27, 2025, reveal date, and finally showing 'CMF by Nothing'. So we don’t get any more tech teases, but we expect Nothing will provide a few more teases in the run-up to the announcement.

An announcement that isn’t too far away. So we won’t be left in the dark about the latest Nothing release for much longer – and as soon as it showcases the new tech, you can be sure we’ll be ready to tell you all about it.

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• Cereal giant KW Kellogg has suffered a data breach
• Fortunately, so far, only four people seem to be affected
• This could be connected to recent Cleo File Transfer breaches

Cereal giant WK Kellogg was hit with a data breach early in 2025, which has affected an unknown number of people.

CyberNews reports breach notifications were sent to Attorney General’s offices in Maine and New Hampshire, but these claim only four people were affected between the two states.

The servers affected by the breach were used to transfer employee records to WK Kellogg’s HR service vendors, meaning it’s likely some data exposed includes personally identifiable information (PII). This could leave those affected at risk of identity theft and fraud, so WK Kellogg is rightly offering a year of credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to those affected in the breach.

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A familiar story

The breach reportedly originated through a third party vendor, file transfer service Cleo, which was also used in a suspected C10p ransomware attack against Sam’s Club in late March of 2025.

This incident saw attackers allegedly intercept the personal data of around 100,000 employees, and was part of a much wider campaign by the C10p group in which at least two dozen organizations were compromised through the file service vulnerability.

It’s not yet clear if the WK Kellogg breach is a ransomware attack or if the same group behind the incident - and the company did not immediately respond with any comment.

WK Kellogg is far from alone though, as third-party data breaches have become a major security concern, with almost all companies in Europe (98%) experiencing a third-party breach in the last year, compared to just 18% of organizations suffering a direct breach.

In the age of globalization, it’s almost impossible to run a business without collaborating with third-parties, so knowing your vendor and being confident in managing the risks they come with is key to keeping your information secure.

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• Musk promised a tri-motor version with over 500 miles of range
• The max range proved around 350 miles, leaving quite the shortfall
• Range-extending battery pack was designed to combat this

The Tesla Cybertruck's range-extending battery pack appears to have disappeared from the company's online store, prompting speculation that the long-promised accessory has been canned.

When the Tesla Cybertruck first launched, Elon Musk promised an impressively potent Cyberbeast tri-motor model that would not only deliver a 0-60mph sprint time of just 2.6 seconds but would also offer over 500 miles between recharge stops. Not long after launch, the world learned that this wasn’t the case – it was more like 300 miles.

But Tesla unveiled a Band-Aid in the form of a removable, range-extending battery back that would see the electric range tickle 470 miles or more… so long as you were willing to give up a third of the polygonal pick-up’s bed.

Just like the long-promised Roadster, Musk’s company was willing to take a $2,000 deposit (around £1,600 / AU$3,300) for the $16,000 (about £12,500 / AU$27,000) battery pack, but we are yet to see it materialize. However, Tesla has been able to adjust those originally promised range figures down from 470 miles to 445 miles.

Now, Electrek reports that Tesla has removed the battery option from its online configurator entirely, suggesting that the project might have been scrapped, or at least that the company isn’t willing to accept any more deposits.

Many online critics are suggesting the range extending battery was always vaporware, or that uptake has been so small, it doesn’t make financial sense for Tesla to actually put it into production.

Whatever the real reason, you can likely chalk it up as another one of Musk’s promises that he and the company has failed to deliver on.

Analysis: Over-promising and under-delivering rarely works

(Image credit: Tesla)

Full Self-Driving, a flying Roadster with rocket thrusters, Hyperloop... the list of Elon Musk’s promises keeps growing – and while it has historically been a great tool in getting investors excited about future plans, the tactic is starting to wear thin with customers.

It is all well and good signaling an intent to push forward with futuristic technologies, but over-promising and under-delivering on product is a surefire way of knocking customer confidence.

A recent article by Forbes has dubbed the Cybertruck the auto industry’s “biggest flop in decades”, after claiming the $82,000 EV has a “lousy reputation” for recalls, while Musk’s predicted 250,000 annual sales looked more like 40,000 in 2024.

Earlier this year, further reports surfaced that inventory for Cybertruck was building up as the original customer demand slowed.

Couple this with the growing resentment for Tesla in the US, owing to Elon Musk’s dabbling in politics, and the outlook doesn’t look great for the Cybertruck in general – especially as it has such an intrinsic link with Musk and, as a result, has been the target of numerous attacks by protestors.

It was always supposed to be a halo model, designed to get people talking, but Tesla didn’t back it up with a solid, reliable product.

Instead, it has suffered numerous recalls, garnered a reputation for being unsafe and doesn’t do even half of what was promised at launch. We are yet to see it wade like a boat, the rear-bed tents were lame, and a 70mph real-world range test by Inside EVs revealed that Cybertruck manages 304 miles, while the Cyberbeast version can handle around 300 miles.

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• The OnePlus Watch 3 is finally launching this month
• It was delayed two months because of a typo on the back that said 'Meda in China'
• Earliest pre-orders are now expected to ship April 15

After a two-month delay to its launch owing to a rather embarrassing typo on the back of the device, the OnePlus Watch 3 finally looks set to launch in the coming days, according to the company's website.

As we reported a few weeks ago, the OnePlus Watch 3 looks set to be one of the best Android smartwatches of 2025, thanks to its impressive battery life. However, its original February release date had to be scrapped because the earliest models said 'Meda in China' rather than 'Made in China' on the back.

As we mentioned at the time, there is some good news: customers will get a small discount and possibly even a free set of earbuds, depending on location. Now, OnePlus' website indicates that the earliest pre-orders will start arriving on April 15.

OnePlus in the US appears to have the earliest times, with priority orders arriving on April 15 and standard delivery coming on April 17. In the UK, those dates are April 16 and April 22, respectively. Sadly, there's still no update on a release window for Australia, although the device is listed on the website.

EU orders have estimated delivery times of April 23 and 28 for the aforementioned priority and standard options, too.

OnePlus Watch 3 is finally here

The typo in question... whoops! (Image credit: Future)

Just shy of two months is a long time to wait for a smartwatch that gets updated annually, but as per our review, the OnePlus Watch 3 is definitely worth the wait. It's not perfect – the size is rather large, and there are some sleep tracking quirks – but it has the best Wear OS battery life on the market, all of Google's third-party apps, and some great new features.

OnePlus has also confirmed that there will be a smaller version and LTE support for territories other than China coming later this year, and some OnePlus pages (Germany for example) already have size and connectivity option fields in anticipation of the new models.

If you want to wait, it looks like you'll be able to buy a OnePlus Watch 3 from April 15. However, I'd strongly recommend pre-ordering one if you're interested in getting your hands on that discount and some freebies, too. Most customers can expect at least 10% off, a new strap, and possibly even a pair of OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro.

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• Microsoft admitted to publishing the wrong price increases on April 1
• They were rectified on April 4 and documentation is now up-to-date
• The 5% price hike only affects monthly subscriptions

Microsoft has acknowledged and apologized after publishing the wrong prices for a number of its most popular software products.

Taking to an online support page, the correction for the prices previous published on April 1 was made on April 4, when Microsoft admitted, “all Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Partners” had been misled.

Microsoft’s error affected annual commitment monthly billing plans for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales and Microsoft 3465 Copilot for Service, and did not correctly reflect the changes announced in November 2024.

Microsoft software price errors

“The April license-based price lists that was released on April 1, 2025, included incorrect pricing for annual commitment monthly billing plans for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales, and Microsoft 365 Copilot for Service,” the note reads.

“As per the announcement in December 2024 regarding Flexible billing for Microsoft 365 Copilot, the prices should have been 5% higher for monthly billing,” the correction continues.

Back in November 2024, Microsoft announced it would be raising the prices of these three Copilot variants by around 5%, with some small fluctuations depending on local currencies.

Microsoft 365, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security, Windows 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Services, Microsoft Power Platform and Other Online Services also got the same 5% treatment, while Teams Phone got a hefy $10/month price rise – its first since launching in 2017 – but they appear not to have been midpublished this month.

We noted at the time any customers wanting to avoid the price hikes could pay annually, because the 5% increases were to affect the monthly subscriptions only. The convenience of more flexible pricing, then, comes at a cost.

The support page confirms the price errors have now been corrected in the Partner Center catalog, and revised price lists are also available for download.

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• US GSA has decommissioned 14,000 tapes and an unknown amount of tape drives
• The data was moved to a new, unknown media platform that appears to have WORM capabilities
• US GSA claims to save $1M per year (or about $70 per year per tape).

The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) boasting the IT team of the US Gerneral Services Administration (GSA) “just saved $1M per year by converting 14,000 magnetic tapes (70 yr old technology for information storage) to permanent modern digital records.”

The comment doesn’t include any context as to what tape technology was used (reel-to-reel or cartridge), how long it took to transfer the data from the tapes and what the new storage technology replacing the tape is.

The word “permanent” leads us to believe that it is a “Write Once, Read Many” solution (WORM) where once written, the data cannot be modified.

In addition, the allusion to how old the technology (70 years old) leaves us to guess whether the actual platform being replaced is 70 years old (very unlikely) or whether the technology it is based on, is 70 years old.

(ed: As a reminder, the first hard drive launched in 1956 and the first NAND (the basic component of the SSD) appeared in 1987).

Using old technology in itself makes perfect sense in many mission critical situations: after all, why change something that’s not broken?

The US Strategic Automated Command and Control System or SACCS, which is the US nuclear force’s internal communication system only got rid of 8-inch floppy disk drives in 2019, because it worked very well till then.

And 65-year old programming language COBOL is still used by thousands of major organizations worldwide and at the last count, was handling $3 trillion worth of transactions every single day (or more than $1 quadrillion dollars per year).

So does tape have a future in 2025?

You bet! Tape is still very much relevant to this day to large organizations and hyperscalers. It may have all but disappeared from the consumer market but it is the only media that has proven longevity at scale.

Linear Tape-Open (LTO) is the main format on the market and is backed by tech giants such as Fuji, Sony, HPE and IBM, so hardly a platform that will vanish overnight.

The LTO organisation, which oversees LTO, has published a roadmap for the next 15 years with the expectation that tape capacity will rise from a native capacity of 18TB to up to 576TB, a 32x increase.

Pipedream? Well, IBM and Fujifilm demoed a tape prototype with a capacity of 580TB back in … December 2020. So chances that a 576TB tape will launch when market conditions dictate it, are very high.

Other than its reliability, tape is also far cheaper than any other media, doesn’t consume power and can be airgapped for enhanced protection against ransomware attacks.

You can also physically make it WORM), which makes it read only and magnetic tapes are impervious to natural and man-made EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse).

Forget about SSD (too expensive) and optical disks (limited shelf life), right now, there’s only one winner when it comes to data archiving, cold storage (or planning to store 25,000 movies) and that’s good ol’ tape.

There are competitors on the horizon for tape though. Cerabyte, a startup backed by a CIA proxy and Pure Storage, is planning a 10PB cartridge that last for 5000 years. Microsoft has been working on Project Silica for almost 10 years now while DNA storage has the potential to upend the entire data storage market. Other candidates include 5D memory crystal, rare-earth crystal, fluo-ray discs,

They are all unproven though and will take years before reaching go to market status. So despite tape being 70-year old, it is a septuagenerian that is alive and kicking ass, powering 30PB libraries and very much looking forward to turning 100.

TechRadar Pro has contacted five organizations that have a major interest in digital tape technologies for comment.

One of the players told us: One may consider the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) for competing storage mediums, in which LTO Tape demonstrates significantly lower cost than cloud or disk, primarily due to reduced energy costs over 5-10 years..

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• JMGO N1S 4K is a new portable 4K laser projector
• 1,100 lumens, and up to 200 inches at a 1.2:1 throw ratio
• $1,299 / about £1,005 / AU$2,155

If you're in the market for one of the best portable projectors, one of the most tempting models is the LG Cinebeam Q with its 120-inch, 4K projection and $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,499 price tag at launch (now largely available under £1,000/$1,000). But it's just got some serious competition in the form of the similarly priced JMGO N1S 4K.

Like the LG, it produces big images from a small footprint. But it's capable of projecting 4K at up to 200 inches compared to the LG's 120 inches. Okay, that's not quite the double we mentioned in the headline, but it's close enough – it's a lot of inches for a compact beamer.

(Image credit: JMGO) JMGO N1S 4K: key features and price

This is a portable player measuring just 7.3 x 6.5 x 7.5 inches (18.5 x 16.5 x 19.1 cm), but there's no battery so you'll need to find somewhere to plug it in. Because it doesn't need to worry about battery life, it's impressively bright, putting out a claimed 1,100 ISO lumens – the LG Cinebeam Q, for comparison, is 500 ANSI lumens.

You might notice there's a difference there – ISO lumens versus ANSI lumens. But a rating in ISO lumens is generally brighter than ANSI lumens, so actually the difference appears (on paper) to be even wider than it first looks.

The sound system is decent given the small size of the devices, cramming in 10W speakers and a small bass unit, and the N1S is compatible with both Dolby Audio and DTS-HD.

You can adjust the projection angle up to 127 degrees using the stand that doubles as a handle, and there's promised 110% coverage of BT.2020 color, a 1,600:1 full on/full off contrast ratio, and HDR10.

There's MEMC motion smoothing, an HDMI 2.1 port with eARC, and it runs Google TV with support for both Google Assistant and Google Cast. For gamers there's 1080p 60Hz support with a reasonable 17ms input lag.

Officially the N1S 4K will retail at $1,299 in the US and €1,399 in the EU (roughly £1,006 / AU$2,155). But at the moment it's being discounted heavily for US users with a price of just $999. It's unclear whether that's a permanent price adjustment or just a limited-time offer.

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• Peacemaker season 2's official release date has been announced
• The hit DC Comics TV show was already confirmed to arrive this August
• 10 seconds of new footage have been unveiled as part of a new HBO sizzle reel trailer

It's official: Peacemaker season 2 will finally make its Max debut on August 21, 2025.

The incredibly popular comic book TV series, whose first season set records on HBO Max in mid-2022 before its rebranding to Max almost one year later, will arrive just over a month after James Gunn's Superman movie has flown into theaters.

Counting the days until Peace on Earth. I just finished the DI & Mix on the Season Premiere yesterday and wow it’s one of my favorite things ever. DC Studios’ #Peacemaker Season 2 coming soon only on @StreamOnMax August 21. pic.twitter.com/df3yOcCsdnApril 7, 2025

We already knew Peacemaker season 2 was due to arrive this August. And, taking to X/Twitter yesterday (April 6), Gunn, who co-runs DC Studios alongside Peter Safran confirmed the DC Universe (DCU) show's sophomore season would arrive in the latter part of that month.

A new round of footage, which you can watch in the above tweet or via the Max sizzle reel trailer below, accompanied the season 2 launch date, too.

While the latest shots from the DCU Chapter One project don't give away about its plot, they indicate we're in for another laugh-out-loud, action-packed entry in season 2 of The Suicide Squad TV spin-off.

Indeed, whether it's John Cena's titular character doing his best Frank Drebin impression by giving someone a thumbs up as carnage erupts behind him, what appears to be Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr leaping off a rooftop and crashing through a window, or Peacemaker finally being labeled a superhero (by one of his besties, to be fair), it seems we're in for another wild ride in one of the best Max shows' next chapter.

Want to learn more about the hit HBO TV Original ahead of its return? Read our dedicated hub on Peacemaker season 2 or find out why Grillo's Flag Sr will be "on a mission" for justice in Peacemaker's second season.

A super summer for DC Comics fans

Don't forget to look up this July (Image credit: DC Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures)

After a slow start to life as the reboot of the polarizing DC Extended Universe, Gunn and Safran's DCU will finally kick into gear in a span of just six short weeks in mid-2025.

Until now, only one DCU project – the first season of adult animated show Creature Commandos – has actually been released. Even then, it's only seen the light of day in specific countries where Max is available. For instance, while it launched in the US in December 2024, UK and Australian viewers are still waiting for it to land on their shores.

Thankfully, DC Comics' global fanbase will be spoiled this summer (or winter, for southern hemisphere dwellers) with two projects that are part of DCU Chapter One, otherwise known as 'Gods and Monsters'.

As I mentioned, Superman's latest big-screen revival will take flight first, with one of 2025's most anticipated new movies launching globally on July 11. Just over a month later, Peacemaker's sophomore outing will be released on Max (US and Australia) and Sky/Now TV (UK). I, for one, am hoping the long wait for new projects set in the DCU will be worth it.

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Payday should be a moment of relief. A time to settle bills and breathe easy, but for customers on February's payday, it was anything but relaxing. Widespread mobile app crashes left millions unable to access their online banking, causing frustration and chaos when they needed their money the most.

For customers relying on these apps to access their salaries, pay bills, and manage finances, the disruption was more than an inconvenience, but a crisis. With only 23% of Brits trusting finance apps, incidents like this only deepen the skepticism. But why did this happen, and how can banks ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Out-of-date legacy systems under pressure

As banking shifts from branches to mobile and internet banking, legacy systems face mounting pressure to interact seamlessly with third-party services, and support a wide range of devices and software versions, from cloud services and APIs to mobile platforms. This intricate web of dependencies massively increases the risk of failure, especially during peak periods like payday. Without a structured approach to change, even minor updates can trigger outages.

To reduce these risks, banks need to introduce changes progressively and in a controlled manner. Uncontrolled deployments can cause widespread outages and damage customer trust which is something no bank can afford to lose. The solution? A DevOps approach designed to stabilize the system and protect the customer experience.

DevOps for banking stability

To prevent major disruptions, and strengthen the resilience of banking applications, DevOps best practices must be integrated into the development and deployment process.

1. Progressive rollouts prevent widespread failure

Deploying new features or updates to all users simultaneously can be a recipe for disaster. Instead, progressive rollouts ensure a controlled, phased introduction of changes, starting with a small segment—perhaps 1%, then increase to 5%, and 10%—moving to the next group only when confident in the stability of the code.

By gradually introducing changes, banks can check performance and detect potential issues before they impact the entire customer base. Controlled rollouts means fewer surprises and happier customers.

2. Automated monitoring and instant rollbacks for reliability

You can’t fix what you can’t see. Automated monitoring tools can track key performance indicators (KPIs), such as response times, error rates, and system load in real time, providing immediate alerts when something goes wrong.

The ability to instantly rollback to a previous version is critical, ideally within 200 milliseconds or less. This keeps banking apps reliable, even during high traffic periods.

3. Rapid adjustments without downtime

Not all changes require a full-scale code deployment. Runtime configuration management allows developers to make real-time adjustments without redeploying the entire application.

This means if an issue arises with a new feature, banks can instantly disable it without taking down the entire application. Such flexibility is crucial for maintaining uptime and ensuring a seamless customer experience, even in unpredictable situations.

4. Targeted segments for customized experience

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in banking. Customers use different devices, operating systems, and network environments, so why treat them all the same.

By segmenting users based on key attributes, banks can tailor updates to specific groups. This allows them to optimize the user experience, mitigate risk, and enhance security, without disrupting the entire customer base.

The future of resilient banking apps

Payday is a crucial, recurring event worldwide, and banking apps have become essential gateway for consumers to manage their finances. In fact in the UK alone, 37% of UK residents check their current account balance daily. This is proof that reliable digital banking is no longer a convenience, but an exception.

Banks cannot afford another payday failure. By embracing DevOps best practices—progressive rollouts, automated monitoring, and real-time configuration management—they can ensure the events of February’s payday aren’t repeated.

DevOps best practices from progressive rollouts to automated monitoring, runtime configuration management, and targeted segmentation, can guide banks through the innovation process without compromising the reliability of their platforms. Reliable apps build confident customers and it’s time for banks to deliver on that promise.

We list the best mobile payment app.

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

By the title alone, I know some of you are questioning my technical knowledge and gaming prowess. But hear me out: wireless peripherals aren't what they used to be. They're much better.

Wireless keyboards, mice, and other accessories like gaming headsets have come a very long way in the last few years. Despite a massive market share in favor of wired hardware, wireless is slowly but surely creeping up to become king of the PC accessory hill.

I used to swear by the benefits of a wired mouse and keyboard - what about the battery life? And that awful latency? But the more I used them, the more I see wireless peripherals for their upsides.

Here's why I trust them to get the job done, and why you should too.

Battery life really isn't that big of a deal

Most peripherals will warn you before they run out of juice nowadays. (Image credit: Future)

Whenever this debate comes up, there are a few main drawbacks of wireless peripherals people tend to point to. Chief among them is usually battery life - and it makes sense, because wired peripherals have literally infinite battery life.

But what if I told you wireless peripherals today have essentially the same thing?

First off, the vast majority of wireless mice and keyboards sync up with customization software like Razer Synapse and Logitech G HUB. These apps have built-in reminder notifications that alert you when it's time to charge up.

And on top of that, many peripherals that have RGB will also give you a visual indication, like red flashing lights, when you're running low on juice. Going one step further, most of the best wireless gaming mice have auto-off functions, which power the mouse down after a certain period of inactivity.

The Logitech PowerPlay mouse pad charges your wireless mouse while you play.

Here's the real kicker though: almost all wireless mice today can also be used in a 'wired' configuration, because you can simply continue using them while you work or play.

That "battery anxiety" I felt right around the time I switched pretty much disappeared completely once I came to this realization.

If my mouse battery is running low, I take a few seconds to plug it in and keep it pushing. Once the battery is full, I unplug and enjoy the freedom of a wireless setup.

No cable drag making my setup feel "off," no worrying about the wire being the right length or turning into cable cobwebs, just my wireless companion and the task at hand.

Plus, nowadays you can even get a fancy mouse pad that charges your wireless mouse as you use it (like the Logitech PowerPlay), which is honestly just as much of a flex as it is a brilliant idea.

Is wireless latency still a problem in 2025?

You're more likely to feel other types of latency, like render latency, before you'll ever feel input lag from switching to wireless accessories. (Image credit: ASUS)

I would argue that for the vast majority of gamers, and for nearly every productivity user, the latency of modern-day wireless peripherals isn't noticeable.

You won't jump from the bottom of the leaderboard to the top because you went from a 1ms response time on a wired keyboard to 2ms response time on a wireless board.

To put it in perspective, it takes a single frame just under 7ms to render on a 144Hz monitor.

I thought the latency would be a total nonstarter for wireless peripherals, but as I kept testing them, I honestly can't say I felt any hint of difference between mice like the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 Lightspeed and wired competitors like the Razer Viper Ultralight (which, while a few years older, was my daily go-to wired option) while playing competitive online titles like Counter-Strike 2.

Connectivity may be more of an issue

Spotty Bluetooth connectivity remains an issue with some peripherals. (Image credit: Pixabay)

OK, if you're looking for a "gotcha," this is where you could get one over on me. Some wireless peripherals are just plain bad in the connectivity department.

Getting a spotty mouse or keyboard can certainly leave a bad first impression. It's no fun dealing with random connection drops while you're trying your best to win.

I find this usually crops up when dealing with Bluetooth or shoddy software (and is sometimes fixed with a simple firmware update, but we shouldn't have to wait around on that after spending our hard-earned money.)

This is almost never a problem with wired mice, and it is something to consider. But if you go with one of our wireless picks for the best gaming keyboards, which we've gone hands-on with and can attest to each of their connectivity reliability, you won't have that problem. Check out our other roundups too, like the best wireless gaming headsets for more ideas.

And where possible, I would use a 2.4GHz receiver over Bluetooth for the best connection. That said, a solid suite of Bluetooth accessories can free up a ton of USB ports, which are stretched thin nowadays on even the best gaming laptops.

The benefits of going wireless

Whether you're after a spiffy setup or better consistency hitting your shots, going cordless can help. (Image credit: Future)

As I've touched on throughout this article, there's a number of upsides to going wireless. Here are the main benefits I've seen:

• A cleaner desk setup (no cable clutter)
• Better freedom of movement
• No cable drag
• Easy portability
• Bluetooth Multipoint functionality
• Access to the latest sensors and switches
• More free USB ports

And there are even a few more niche benefits like long-range capabilities if you like to connect a mouse or keyboard to your console for easy browsing.

The biggest upsides I've seen are definitely the cleaner desk aesthetics and eliminating cable drag (which also goes hand in hand with better freedom of movement). I don't have to tug on my mouse cord to get it to the right length or take my headphones off when I get up to grab a drink.

It's also pretty convenient to just toss your wireless gear straight into a backpack without having to worry about spooling up wires and fretting about the USB connection getting damaged in transit.

Plus, as more companies focus on making wireless gear, the latest sensors, switches, and software are centered around this form factor, meaning some wireless gear is actually more efficient than wired counterparts in the latency and durability departments.

Now, I'm not saying you have to throw your entire setup in the dumpster just because it has a few wires hanging off of it. But if you've been avoiding the switch because "wireless is worse," I think it's time to reevaluate.

The benefits outweigh the few downsides for me, and since making the switch to a cordless cleaner setup, I haven't looked back.

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• DeepSeek is just one of the many reasons China's AI growth simply didn't materialize
• Up to 80% of new data center capacity hasn't been used according to local sources
• Should this capacity hit the wider market, it could cause a major headache to data center developers

China’s AI infrastructure boom is faltering, as according to a report in MIT Technology Review, the country built hundreds of data centers to support its AI ambitions, but many are now sitting unused.

Billions were invested by both state and private entities in 2023 and 2024, with the expectation that demand for GPU rentals would keep growing, but uptake has in fact dropped off, and as a result many operators are now struggling to survive.

Much of the early momentum was driven by hype. The government, keen for China to become a global leader in AI, encouraged local officials to fast-track data center construction with the result that more than 500 projects were announced nationwide, and at least 150 were completed by the end of 2024, according to state-affiliated sources. However, MIT Technology Review says local publications are reporting that up to 80% of this new computing capacity remains idle.

Selling off GPUs

Location is also a problem, MIT Technology Review notes. Facilities built in central and western China, where electricity is cheap, now face issues meeting latency requirements. In cities like Zhengzhou, operators are reportedly even giving away free compute vouchers in an attempt to lure users.

In some regions, developers began selling off GPUs after failing to secure long-term clients.

Xiao Li, a data center project manager who spoke with MIT Technology Review, said many WeChat groups that once boasted about Nvidia chip deals have gone quiet. “It seems like everyone is selling, but few are buying,” he noted.

Should this capacity hit the wider market, it could cause a major headache to data center developers, flooding an already soft sector with even more supply and pushing prices down further.

One reason for the drop in demand is the rise of DeepSeek, which upended the global tech economy when it launched in January 2025.

Its open source reasoning model, R1, matches the performance of ChatGPT o1 but at a lower cost, shifting interest away from model training and toward inference - the real-time use of AI models, which requires different infrastructure.

Many of the data centers built during the rush were designed for large-scale training, not the low-latency demands of real-time reasoning.

Despite the oversupply, the Chinese government reportedly remains committed. Central authorities held an AI symposium in early 2025, and firms like Alibaba and TikTok owner ByteDance have announced major investments.

For many early data center investors however, expectations have collapsed. The infrastructure was built, but the demand it was meant to supply simply hasn’t arrived.

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• A look at the unbelievable Nvidia GPU that powers DeepSeek's AI global ambition
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• Here's another leaked look at the iPhone 17 Air
• It could be significantly thinner than the iPhone 17 Pro Max
• Four iPhones are expected in September

If you're counting down the days, you'll know we're about 150 days or so away from the launch of the iPhone 17 series, and a freshly leaked image of two dummy units gives us an idea of the difference in thickness between two of these phones.

Dummy units are non-working mock-ups of handsets based on schematics sourced from the supply chain, and well-known tipster @MajinBuOfficial has posted a picture of two of them: the iPhone 17 Air next to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

If you've been following the rumors to date, you'll know the iPhone 17 Air is set to replace the iPhone 16 Plus in Apple's flagship line-up. It's said to measure a mere 5.84 mm front to back, if the leaks we've seen are accurate.

And you can really see that thinness on show here. If the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the same thickness as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, then it'll measure 8.3 mm front to back, which makes the Pro Max some 42% thicker than the Air.

Here's what's coming

iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max in comparison pic.twitter.com/KrGlUXDuUYApril 5, 2025

These dummy units don't really tell us too much more about what's coming, but it's an interesting visual comparison. Indeed, we've already seen quite a few dummy unit leaks showing off the designs of the 2025 iPhone series.

Alongside the two phones featured in this image, it's also very likely that we'll get a standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro. The Pro and the Pro Max are apparently in line for a RAM bump as well as other upgrades.

In a reply to the original dummy unit image post, industry analyst Ross Young reiterated his prediction that the iPhone 17 Air is going to come with a 6.55-inch screen, along with the standard iPhone features such as MagSafe.

If Apple sticks to its usual schedule, all these phones should be showing up sometime in September. Before that, we've got the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where we're likely to hear more about iOS 19.

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #1168).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 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 #1169) - 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 #1169) - 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 #1169) - 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 #1169) - 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 #1169) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• S

• B

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1169) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1169, are…

• BROTH
• SHOUT
• BRUTE
• CABIN

I tweaked my start words a little today in the belief that the perfect calibration of letters is out there somewhere.

It made no difference whatsoever. I was still caught out by a 50/50 choice, but as often happens one wrong word leads to a correct one.

Meanwhile, I continue to fall to pieces doing the Daily Sequence. I'm convinced it's getting harder.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1169) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1169, are…

• TEMPO
• DOUGH
• TEARY
• TABBY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1168, Sunday 6 April: AMBER, GAUZE, STORE, SLICK
• Quordle #1167, Saturday 5 April: GUSTY, VAULT, WHINE, BEGAT
• Quordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTE
• Quordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLY
• Quordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLE
• Quordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECT
• Quordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACE
• Quordle #1161, Sunday 30 March: CRIME, DRINK, CLOVE, TRUER
• Quordle #1160, Saturday 29 March: LATER, ODDLY, CUMIN, AGREE
• Quordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FROND
• Quordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKE
• Quordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIAD
• Quordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAIN
• Quordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALL
• Quordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADII
• Quordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLY
• Quordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISS
• Quordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCH
• Quordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNIC
• Quordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #665).

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 Connections hints.

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 #666) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• POUND
• LOCKER
• LEVEL
• CRATER
• NAIL
• HILLS
• САРЕ
• HANGER
• PULSE
• HAMMER
• BEAT
• GORGE
• BALL
• RIDGE
• PRINT
• THUMP

NYT Connections today (game #666) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Palpitate
• GREEN: Geography
• BLUE: Putting art on the wall
• PURPLE: Begin with a body part

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 #666) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: THROB 
• GREEN: LANDFORMS 
• BLUE: PICTURE HANGING NEEDS 
• PURPLE: FOOT__ 

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

NYT Connections today (game #666) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #666, are…

• YELLOW: THROB BEAT, POUND, PULSE, THUMP
• GREEN: LANDFORMS CAPE, CRATER, GORGE, RIDGE
• BLUE: PICTURE HANGING NEEDS HAMMER, HANGER, LEVEL, NAIL
• PURPLE: FOOT__ BALL, HILLS, LOCKER, PRINT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

A very frustrating round of Connections for me. I got LANDFORMS easily enough, managing to avoid including HILLS, but then fell for all the traps.

I put together HAMMER, POUND, BEAT, and THUMP thinking we were looking for words that describe being hit. With “one away” I switched to PULSE. Annoyingly HAMMER still would have worked, as it could also describe a heart throbbing quickly.

With just two groups left I thought I was on safe ground, but even though I realized that we were looking for words that describe hanging a picture, I had PRINT instead of LEVEL.

I should have known when I saw that this was puzzle number 666 that I was in for hellish time. I hope it was better for you.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 6 April, game #665)

• YELLOW: ALOOF COOL, DISTANT, REMOTE, RESERVED
• GREEN: UTILITIES CABLE, GAS, TRASH, WATER
• BLUE: WHAT AN ELECTROMETER MEASURES CHARGE, CURRENT, RESISTANCE, VOLTAGE
• PURPLE: __ JOINT DOVETAIL, HIP, PIZZA, SPIKE LEE

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.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #399).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Half-and-half

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• CRATE
• TRIM
• MICE
• HERD
• CRACK
• PEAK

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 14 letters

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 1st column

Last side: bottom, 6th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #400) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #400, are…

• SATYR
• MERMAN
• GRIFFIN
• CENTAUR
• JACKALOPE
• SPANGRAM: HYBRID CREATURE

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

I found it tricky to get going today and wasn’t helped much when my first Hint gave me SATYR – a mythical beast I had never heard of before.

It wasn’t until the second word that I knew what we were looking for and completed the search after landing the lengthy Spangram.

To save you Googling – and you really may not want to if you value a clean search history – a Satyr is a “comically hideous” man who has the ears of a horse or goat (depending on whether you’re Greek or Roman) and a prominent magical body part he enjoys balancing a wine cup on.

A JACKALOPE, meanwhile, is a horned rabbit-like creature, a MERMAN is the male equivalent of a mermaid, a CENTAUR has the torso and head of a man and the body of a horse; and a GRIFFIN is a mythical combination of a lion and an eagle – but it tastes like chicken.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 6 April, game #399)

• CLICK
• RELATE
• MESH
• CONNECT
• VIBE
• HARMONIZE
• AGREE
• SPANGRAM: GET ALONG

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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

• KTC's H27P3 monitor offers 5K resolution and dual refresh rate modes
• Pro-level color support makes it a good choice for creative users and gamers
• Its spindly stand supports tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments

KTC, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, has been making monitors and TVs since 1995, often as an OEM supplier, with its devices rebranded by better-known international firms - however in recent years, the company has been promoting its own brand more actively, and its latest offering, the H27P3, is a 27-inch 5K display aimed at both creative professionals and gamers.

The H27P3 features a 5120x2880 display with support for both 5K at 60Hz and 2K at 120Hz, giving users the choice between image clarity or higher refresh rates.

The monitor features an IPS panel and claims full coverage of the sRGB color space, along with 99% DCI-P3 and 99% Adobe RGB. A peak brightness of 500 nits and HDR400 certification suggests decent handling of HDR content. The static contrast ratio is listed at 2000:1. For those concerned about accuracy, KTC says it supports 1.07 billion colors (8-bit + FRC) with a Delta E below 1. Response time is 7ms.

Competitively priced

Physically, the screen - which KTC says consumes less than 168W at peak draw - measures 613mm wide, 453mm high (including stand), and is a svelte 77mm thick.

The monitor weighs 3.75kg and its ergonomic stand supports tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments.

I’m personally not a huge fan of the stand if I'm honest - it looks a bit spindly for my tastes, takes up more desk space than it needs to, and doesn’t offer much in terms of style or (I'd imagine) stability - but you may disagree.

Ports include a 65W USB-C for display and charging, DisplayPort, HDMI, and two USB-A ports. Included in the box are a power cable, a USB-C cable, DisplayPort cable, a power adapter, and a screwdriver.

Priced at around 3,599 yuan in Asia (roughly $565), the H27P3 undercuts several high-resolution alternatives while still promising pro-level color accuracy and refresh flexibility. For daily creative work and a spot of gaming on the side, it looks to be a reasonable choice.

(Image credit: IT Home)

Via IT Home

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Fruity coffees are having a bit of a moment – not just beans with a hint of cherry or blackcurrant brought out by careful roasting, but coffee with actual fruit added in some way. One particularly interesting example I tried recently was a double-fermented coffee, where the coffee cherries (the fruit that contains the coffee bean) have been allowed to mature along with passionfruit before being processed.

The flavor of the passionfruit is infused into the beans, and the result is delicious – particularly when brewed cold overnight and served over ice. Some people call it cheating, but I call it tasty.

Nespresso has also got in on the act with a new Vertuo pod packed full of ground arabica beans, with added flavors of strawberry and white chocolate. I'd typically think of coffee as fruity (lending itself well to being drunk black) or chocolatey (which tends to work well with milk), so I was very curious to see how this unusual mix would work.

The coffee has white chocolate and strawberry flavors added after roasting (Image credit: Future)

The launch follows Nespresso's debut of energy-boosting 'functional' coffees, with extras like added caffeine (derived from coffee beans that have been decaffeinated) and B-vitamins. Those turned out to be quite delicious, and I'm a particular fan of the caramel-scented Ginseng Delight, so I was hoping for another pleasant surprise.

I've also been turned onto sweetened coffee by the Jura J10 espresso machine, which has an attachment that infuses syrup into milk as it's dispensed, and has earned itself a place in our guide to the best coffee makers.

Strawberries and cream... and coffee

With that in mind, I dropped one of the candy-striped strawberry and white chocolate pods into my trusty Nespresso Vertuo Pop (which ranks highly in our roundup of the best Nespresso machines thanks to its compact design and budget-friendly price) and hit the button to start brewing.

The white chocolate and strawberry capsules are Nespresso's 230ml 'mug' size (Image credit: Future)

The resulting coffee – a blend of arabica beans from Brazil and Colombia with extra flavors added after roasting – was a surprise, but a pleasant one. The added aromas don't overpower the taste of the coffee, but complement it.

I found that the strawberry was the more noticeable of the two, and it adds a freshness to the drink's flavor before the creamier base notes of sweet vanilla become apparent.

These capsules are Nespresso's 'mug' size, which means they create 230ml of coffee – enough to completely fill my glass cups – so I had to take a few sips before I could experiment with stirring in a little milk. I was a bit worried that the fruit might clash with dairy, but if anything it was even better.

The flavor works well alone, or with milk (unlike a typical fruity coffee) (Image credit: Future)

Next time I'll use a larger mug and add some steamed milk to make a giant strawberry latte. I think, like my dual-fermented passionfruit coffee, it will also work well chilled over ice. I've got some experimenting to do.

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