TechRadar News

• Marvel Snap is still not available in the US
• It was caught up in the recent TikTok ban
• Service is expected to resume soon, with affected players receiving compensation

Mobile card game Marvel Snap was one of the unexpected casualties of the US TikTok ban, with the app becoming unavailable early yesterday morning.

“A law banning Marvel Snap has been enacted in the U.S,” reads a message displayed to users in the region. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use Marvel Snap for now. Rest assured, we’re working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!.”

If you’re wondering why it was affected, Marvel Snap was developed by mobile studio Second Dinner and published by Nuverse, a subsidiary of TikTok owner ByteDance. Still, the decision to take the game offline in the US was a “surprise” to the developer, per a recent post to its official X / Twitter account.

Unfortunately, MARVEL SNAP is temporarily unavailable in U.S. app stores and is unavailable to play in the U.S. This outage is a surprise to us and wasn't planned. MARVEL SNAP isn’t going anywhere. We’re actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will…January 19, 2025

TikTok was also briefly unavailable, though service has since resumed in anticipation of an executive order that will be signed by incoming President Donald Trump. That does not appear to be the case for Marvel Snap, however, with many users on social media still reporting that they are completely unable to access the game.

The latest word from Second Dinner is that it has “been working around the clock to bring Marvel Snap back up in the US and hope to have it back online within 24 hours.” We also now know that players will be “compensated for their lost time” so there’s no need to worry about your missed daily challenges if you currently can’t play.

Fingers crossed that the game will be back soon, or we’ll all have to find something else to do while sitting on the toilet.

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• Citrix Session Recording Agent could be blocking your Windows update
• Microsoft and Citrix are both aware of the issue and are investigating
• We’re hoping for a fix, but the temporary workaround is simple

Microsoft has warned devices with version 2411 of Citrix’s Session Recording Agent might be incompatible with its latest January 2025 Patch Tuesday update.

The latest update, available for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices, may fail to install if users have Citrix’s software installed.

Updates download and apply, but then fail to complete. Users are then seeing a warning message which reads: “Something didn't go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes.”

Citrix software is breaking January 2025 Windows update

In a guide for the software update, Microsoft wrote: “Devices that have certain Citrix components installed might be unable to complete installation of the January 2025 Windows security update.”

Citrix is also aware of the issue and promises to be investigating the cause and determining a fix. Home users are not expected to be affected, and not all organizations are likely to be affected given that version 2411 was launched in November 2024.

In the meantime, Citrix says users can avoid the problem and successfully install the January 2025 Windows update by stopping the client and disabling the startup type. When the application is closed, users may install the Patch Tuesday update then re-open their Citrix software.

A company update also provides a set of instructions to circumvent the issue with Powershell or Command Prompt.

The article goes on to explain: “The January 2025 security update is unable to update some of the driver files when 2411 Session Recording is installed. This issue is not observed with earlier versions of Session Recording.”

Although an update to prevent the issue from happening in the first place hasn’t yet been released, the workaround is at least a very simple one. As with any software, users should monitor for updates and install them promptly to iron out issues and prevent any vulnerabilities.

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• Garmin has issued its latest public beta
• The update includes strength and body battery improvements for Garmin users
• It also includes an important fix for heart rate zones on the Forerunner range.

Garmin has recently issued the latest public beta for all of the best Garmin watches, and one fix for Forerunner models might be enough to encourage users to download it for themselves.

Public beta version 22.14 has started rolling out to devices this month. While it brings a hefty Body Battery and Strength workout upgrade to some models, the company has since confirmed it also contains a vital fix for its Forerunner models and heart rate zones.

In its release notes, the company says 22.14 includes a fix for potential crashing when editing HR zones. More importantly, it says that it has fixed an incorrect time in HR zones issue, and an incorrect heart zones issue.

Naturally, malfunctioning HR zones aren't a malady you'd expect from the best running watches on the market, so if you've been having any trouble with your Forerunner, you might want to consider enrolling in the public beta so you can get this latest fix.

Garmin's Forerunner fix

(Image credit: Future)

This fix has been issued for the Garmin Forerunner 165, 255, 265, 955, and 965, the 265 and 965 release also includes a fix for missing app icons in the notification glance. If you have been having HR zone issues on your Forerunner, you can sign up for the public beta on Garmin's website, or wait for the full rollout.

As noted, the new beta also includes a slew of exciting new features Garmin users can expect later this quarter.

Garmin is adding strength workouts into its running and cycling plans so you can supplement endurance training with strength work. It's also bringing its TrueUp feature to Body Battery, so your score will be drawn on metrics and data from multiple devices if you happen to have them.

One of the biggest new additions quietly added to this release is the introduction of passcodes to some Garmin watches, specifically the Fenix 8, Enduro 3, the aforementioned Forerunners, Venu 3, and the Vivoactive 5.

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• Qualcomm and partners will be announcing products "very, very soon"
• Lossless audio over Wi-Fi at up to 24-bit/192kHz
• Rolls back to Bluetooth when Wi-Fi is unavailable or not needed

The best wireless earbuds sound fantastic, but they all face the same limitation: Bluetooth. Bluetooth doesn't have the bandwidth for the highest of hi-res audio streams, and Qualcomm's system to use Wi-Fi as an alternative is finally coming.

The technology is called XPAN, short for 'expanded personal area network', and it uses Wi-Fi to deliver lossless audio that's also very low latency. With Bluetooth, you have to choose between highest quality and lowest latency, but XPAN claims to offer both simultaneously.

The system is part of the Snapdragon Sound technology – particularly the Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform – and that means it won't be coming to iPhones or AirPods any time soon: XPAN requires Snapdragon chips in both the phone/tablet and the headphones.

The first earbuds with XPAN were predicted to launch before the end of 2024, but of course that didn't happen. However, products are imminent: Qualcomm has confirmed to Android Authority that it and its hardware partners will be announcing new headphones "very, very soon".

What sound quality does XPAN deliver?

XPAN promises 24-bit/192kHz lossless audio, and says that power consumption for lossless at 96kHz is identical to that for a lossy Bluetooth stream at the same sampling rate.

24-bit/192kHz is very high resolution. Even the mighty LDAC audio codec tops out at 96kHz, and while aptX Adaptive is also capable of 96kHz, the quality varies by signal strength (hence the "adaptive" bit) and its first generation was only 24-bit/48kHz, so any first-gen products have the same limit.

According to Qualcomm, the new XPAN system will enable you to roam freely around your home without having to stay close to your smartphone or tablet, and if you go out of range of your Wi-Fi network and have your phone on you, your headphones will roll back to Bluetooth.

The main benefit, though, is going to be audio quality. Whether it's hi-res audio, a game soundtrack or just a phone call, the next generation of wireless headphones will potentially sound just as good as some of the best wired headphones.

We've seen Wi-Fi streaming on some of the best wireless headphones already, including the Sonos Ace and the HED Unity Wi-Fi headphones – but it's always extremely power hungry and often awkward to use. Qualcomm's system may fix that… it's just a shame you might need a specific phone and headphones combination to make it work.

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There's no better way to start 2025 than talking about the future of tech in the beautiful city of Barcelona, and you can take part too. That's because Techradar will be hosting a live Future Panel Discussion at ISE 2025 in Barcelona on the 4th of February where our panel of experts will reveal the innovations that matter most and where they're going to take us next.

That's not the only reason to attend ISE 2025, although we think it's a pretty good one. ISE is the leading event for the AV industry, and this year's event will feature ground-breaking product launches, expert insights and inspiring keynotes from across the industry. And it's all taking place in Barcelona, whose historic buildings will be transformed with astonishing projection mapping displays for the duration of the event.

(Image credit: ISE) How you can discover the future

The exciting live panel discussion will be followed by a live audience Q&A on the future of tech, and it'll be hosted by our very own managing editor of lifestyle, Josephine Watson. She'll be joined by a panel of the most insightful futurists and technology experts including the globally acclaimed digital analyst and visionary Brian Solis; the innovative multimedia artist, ISE 2025 keynote speaker and chosen artists for this year’s projection mapping at world-heritage Casa Batlló Quayola; Sarah Cox, Founder and Managing Director of Neutral Human; and Fardad Zabetian, global business technologist and CEO of KUDO, whose AI-based real-time language interpretation will be used across the ISE's many stages and events.

The panel discussion will ask the experts: what will the world look like in 20 or 30 years time? How will technology shape our world and evolve around us – and what effects will it have on the live events, concerts and sports of the future? How will technology transform our lives for the better?

(Image credit: ISE) Connection restored

ISE is where the future happens, and its 2024 event was a real record-breaker: 74,000 people from 162 countries came to see innovation in person, the most visitors in the event's 20-year history. And this year's event promises to be even better, with cutting-edge tech from over 1,600 exhibitors and an exceptional content programme too. From smart home tech to high-end audio, education and learning solutions to projectors, it's where you can get up close and personal with the very latest tech and get expert insight from industry insiders too.

ISE is much more than a trade show forum. It's where the audiovisual, systems integration, lighting, live events and IT industries all come together, and when you factor in its online audience as well as its in-person attendees it has an audience impact of over 1.387 billion people.

People come to ISE for three key reasons: to be inspired; to explore trends and developments in the industry for their professional development; and to discover new equipment, products, services and suppliers. It's an exceptional event, and it's exceptionally affordable too.

(Image credit: ISE) See the future for less as an ISE Early Bird

Your attendee ticket to ISE 2025 covers all four days and gives you access to ISE 2025's many attractions, including:

• Eight halls, seven Technology Zones
• Innovation Park
• Discovery Zone
• Audio Demo Rooms and the Outdoor Sound Experience
• ISE 2025 Keynotes (Tuesday & Wednesday)
• Free-to-attend sessions on the ISE Live Events Stage, AVIXA Xchange LIVE, the CEDIA Smart Home Technology Stage and Congreso AVIXA
• A free public transport pass, collected on-site
• And much much more…

An attendee ticket is normally just €215, but: use the code ISE2025trmag on the registration page here and you can get your ticket for free.

Once you've registered for the show you can then choose to add a Content Day Pass for as little as €385, which gives you access to all Summits and Track Sessions for that day, or an All-Conference Pass, which gives you access to all Summits, Track Sessions and the Smart Home Technology Conference too. Details of both kinds of conference passes are available online here.

• Half of Brits aren’t even familiar with data centers, report finds
• Three in five know they play a role in hybrid work
• Further education could increase public trust in data centers

Despite efforts to propel the country’s artificial intelligence capabilities, new research from Telehouse has revealed more than half (51%) of Brits aren’t even familiar with the term ‘data center.’

Even the people who have heard of data centers aren’t necessarily clued up on the role they play in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and even cloud storage.

Two in three (67%) don’t understand the role date centers play, and two in five (42%) are unaware of the scale of people, applications and data supported by such campuses.

British citizens aren’t clued up on data centers

The trend paints a troubling picture for Britain’s intentions to become an AI leader – Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wants to make the UK a global leader in artificial intelligence.

In 2024, data centers became classified as Critical National Infrastructure, giving them extra protections and monitoring, and recent years have seen an increase in government focus on data centers, coinciding with AI investments and other plans to expand digital infrastructure. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner recently approved a £670 million data center project in Buckinghamshire which will occupy land on a green belt.

However, although two in three (59%) of the 2,000 UK consumers surveyed acknowledged that data centers are important for remote working, 19% are unsure how the facilities actually support their remote work.

“We realise there’s a significant knowledge gap regarding data centres and their impact on digital lives," noted Telehouse Europe EVP and GM Mark Pestridge.

Pestridge hopes education around data centers will bridge the knowledge divide and therefore increase public trust in digital infrastructure.

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The first ransomware attack took place in 1989 and was made possible by the floppy disk. It wasn’t until cryptocurrencies and ‘untraceable’ payments came along in the 2010s, however, that its prevalence as an attack method exploded.

The growth of cryptocurrency is just one of several major trends that has influenced the ransomware landscape. Elsewhere for example, international relations has played a part. Attackers and victims quite rarely live in the same country, so dealing with the criminals requires cross-border law enforcement collaboration. The US and Russia began working together to address gangs based in Russia before the Ukraine war put an end to that cooperation.

But one of the biggest influences on the state of ransomware in the relatively short period since it really arrived just over ten years ago has been cyber insurance. Though not always to the benefit of victims, years of policy changes and updated requirements for cover have seen it make organizations much more resilient in the long run.

If ransomware is a new phenomenon, so too is cyber insurance

I remember speaking to an insurance company just over ten years ago. They’d just started offering cyber insurance policies but at that point, they were yet to receive a claim.

But as the number of ransomware attacks rocketed, organizations eagerly took out cyber polices to protect themselves. Ransomware attack methods and the ransoms demanded were very different then to how they are today. In the early 2010s the most common ransomware businesses faced were low-cost, mass-market type attacks like CryptoLocker. The ransom demanded by the attackers was just a few hundred dollars.

As attacks became more common, there were significant changes in how criminals operated. ‘Ransomware as a Service’ emerged as a product, offering would-be cyber criminals, without the skills to develop malware themselves, the chance to buy an off-the-shelf kit. Attacks also became more targeted – focusing on industries with weaker cyber defenses such as manufacturing, government and healthcare, where the impact of downtime would be much higher.

Pay up, recover or fail

Historically, victims of ransomware faced a choice: pay the ransom, often hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds, usually by claiming on their cyber insurance policy, or attempt to recover themselves.

Without being able to rely on recovery methods such as backups, some businesses had no option but to pay criminals. In other instances, victims had to weigh the cost of the ransom against the cost of their own recovery, which can quickly become expensive. For example, there are the direct costs like cyber forensic experts, IT consultancies and the likely cost of overtime for your own teams. Then there are business impacts to consider such as lost income, fines from regulators and the long-term costs that come with damage to your reputation.

The majority of organizations chose to pay the ransom and subsequently fed into the vicious cycle of more attacks and more payouts.

While this is bad news for all parties, the pain was felt acutely by the cyber insurers who found suddenly that their fast-selling product was coming back to bite them and exposing them to massive losses.

The biggest problem for businesses was the fact that they weren’t addressing the root cause of attacks. Instead of taking steps to improve their defenses and put processes in place to aid recovery, they found themselves vulnerable and in a position where they had little choice but to pay a ransom.

Insurers responded in the two ways that you’d most expect in this situation: they increased the price of the product and raised their requirements to obtain cover.

When you take out home insurance for example, you answer questions about the security of your home and its various entrance points. But when it comes to obtaining cyber cover, businesses today have far more to account for.

• Cyber insurance questionnaires, once of no great depth, now assess businesses in each of the following areas: Segregation of production and backup data
• Encryption of backups
• Last date of disaster recovery testing
• Annual budget for IT and cyber security
• Whether a business has previously suffered a ransomware attack
• How quickly critical updates are deployed, and whether any software is used beyond end of life

The key difference is that insurers are taking greater care to assess whether or not the company applying for cover is secure and able to respond to a cyber-attack. For them, the best customers are those who are unlikely to make a claim. In the event that they do need to claim, the customer has the capability to respond and bring themselves back online quickly, limiting their costs and leading to a smaller payout.

Crucially, insurance companies also began discouraging payments wherever possible.

These changes had a significant impact on the state of play. Organizations improved both their preventative security measures and their ability to respond. Suddenly, businesses sought to implement immutable backups and segregation of operations and began carrying out frequent DR testing.

The resulting shift is already visible across businesses. More organizations than ever have cyber insurance but fewer are making claims. Instead, businesses are recovering themselves.

The here and now

Taking each attack in isolation, paying a ransom can seem a more attractive option. Paying can mean less downtime, less reputational damage (assuming it is kept under wraps) and a lower overall cost to the business.

Ultimately however, paying will only lead to more attacks. The ransomware problem can’t be improved in isolation, but instead requires a collaborative effort to address the benefits for attackers.

While outright bans on payment are frequently discussed by regulators, they have almost always been abandoned. The only successful ban has prevented payments to known terrorist organisations. The difficulty lies in setting a rule that is effective but doesn’t lead to businesses incurring crippling costs, failing and causing job losses. Cyber insurers originally began influencing the market by discouraging organizations from paying out, and instead encouraging them to improve their response.

Cyber insurance has succeeded where regulation has mostly failed. It has undoubtedly been the most significant positive factor in improving ransomware response and the overall cyber resilience of businesses.

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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

Cybercriminals today are consistently working to find new ways to trap potential victims. From masquerading themselves as legitimate users in a network or using new and evolving techniques to slip past detection mechanisms, the array of sophisticated tools in the arsenals of threat actors continues to grow.

And the timing of attacks is also crucial. A survey of nearly 1,000 security professionals found that 86% of companies targeted by ransomware were attacked on a holiday or weekend, while three quarters of the ransomware victims suffered an attack during a major corporate event, such as a merger, acquisition or IPO. Clearly, ransomware groups are striking outside of normal business hours, looking to take advantage of enterprise defenses that are likely to be either lowered or entirely offline.

Threat actors exercise patience to increase their chance of success

With holidays and weekends providing downtime for most of the working population, it presents a big challenge for most organizations. While most organizations run a security operations center (SOC) on a 24/7/365 basis, we know that many reduce SOC staffing during holidays and weekends – often by as much as 50%. A minority don’t staff their SOC at all during these periods, leaving the doors wide open for attackers. By leaving SOCs understaffed, enterprises increase the likelihood of threat actors being able to carry out successful cyberattacks.

There are numerous examples available to dissect. For instance, the disruptive ransomware attack on Transport for London took place on a Sunday. In the US, meanwhile, the ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline in 2021 occurred over Mother’s Day Weekend. Once they have gained access to a company network, ransomware gangs are typically patient and methodical with their attack strategies, often laying low for weeks, cementing their foothold and elevating privileges while scouting out key data and business apps to potentially encrypt as part of an extortion plot.

SOC staffing doesn’t align with attack patterns

Unfortunately, SOC staffing often doesn’t align with the attack patterns we are seeing, and there are several reasons for that. Work-life balance is important in many organizations and businesses don’t feel that full staffing is necessary considering most employees work weekday schedules. There is also the common misconception that hackers won’t target businesses of a certain size or type – and many organizations feel safe because they haven’t been targeted before. Furthermore, staffing a SOC 24/7/365 is a significant challenge. Maintaining around-the-clock coverage can require 15-20 team members at a minimum.

This creates a costly dilemma. What starts out as a simple commitment to improving security can snowball into a huge operational expense. To reduce those expenses, many organizations opt to scale back by cutting personnel or limiting hours of coverage, thinking that threats are less likely to occur outside of normal working hours. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Just as burglars avoid well-patrolled daytime areas, threat actors also look to carry out attacks when fewer eyes are watching. Assuming that you’re safe out-of-hours provides threat actors with open doors for attack. Instead, enterprises must always assume that attacks are imminent, ensuring that their SOC is not under resourced at any point. I call it having an assumed breach mindset. Never wax, never wane, hackers are persistent and never take time off.

Improving focus on identity security

It’s not just about having the right resources in place, but also using those resources in the most logical and effective ways possible, focusing on those areas that are of the greatest vulnerability or pose the most significant potential impact. Here, identity management must take priority. Today, the identity system has become the new perimeter of enterprise security, with 90% of ransomware attacks ending in identity system compromise.

Active Directory (AD), which forms the foundations of identity and access management for the vast majority of organizations globally, is a particularly common vulnerability that threat actors are consistently working to exploit. As a technology that was originally released in 1999, many companies are now faced with managing outdated AD configurations and excessive user privileges that can be exploited relatively easily. Couple this with the fact that AD often lack sufficient monitoring and security auditing, and it can be a challenge for firms to detect unusual or malicious activities quickly enough.

Attackers know about these problems better than anyone else. They know that if they’re successfully able to compromise AD, they’ll gain control of the keys to an organization's kingdom, providing them access to sensitive data and critical systems. Unfortunately, however, this an area that typically seems to be underestimated or overlooked. Many organizations either don’t have an identity recovery plan at all, or their recovery plan has concerning gaps. Not taking cyberattacks into account, not testing for identity vulnerabilities and testing recovery plans only quarterly or less frequently are common mistakes that can prove costly in case of an attack.

What’s the solution?

For enterprises, it is vital to address these shortcomings, ensuring that key vulnerabilities such as AD are protected and that the security guard isn’t dropped out-of-hours when threat actors are looking to make the most of understaffed SOCs. Businesses must see security as a central part of their business resilience strategy. Just like safety, financial and reputational risk, security can be the difference between an enterprise excelling or collapsing in the face of a catastrophic, game-changing incident.

To achieve this, there are several steps for enterprises to take:

1. Have a plan in place: Starting from scratch in the event of a catastrophe isn’t a good place to be. By preparing for potential scenarios ahead of time and testing the protocols on a regular basis, enterprises can more quickly and effectively respond should those situations become a reality.
2. Use budgets wisely: This isn’t necessarily about throwing more money at the problem. It’s about using the budgets that you do have to greatest effect, ensuring that existing resources are scrutinized and optimized.
3. Adopt ITDR: For organizations looking to use limited resources effectively, identity threat detection and response (ITDR) can be an incredibly useful tool, providing key capabilities such as automated auditing and alerting, attack pattern detection, and the rollback or suspension of unusual changes in AD.
4. Enhance productivity through automation: This automated support can also help enterprises to support the skilled security staff that they do have, freeing up engineers to spend time on more interesting, higher value-tasks.

By taking these steps to optimize security performance and leverage automation, organizations can simultaneously bridge the gaps that currently exist in both their SOC staffing and identity security capabilities, enabling them to better protect against, identify, respond to and recover from attacks – regardless of whether they strike on a Tuesday or a Sunday.

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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

With the global, regular use of generative AI nearly doubling over the last year, according to McKinsey, rapid adoption has created a new lucrative target for cybercriminals. While 'off-the-shelf' solutions have made up a great deal of this adoption, organizations seeing the power of fine-tuned, business-specific responses have directed a great deal of budget towards training their own AI models.

Continuous innovations, like agentic AI, mean adoption is only increasing. The considerable autonomy agentic AI possess allows it to can make decisions, plan actions and learn from its experiences within the specific context of a business, making it applicable across business functions.

However, amid the excitement around AI are considerable cybersecurity risks that all too often aren’t being considered. By adopting any new software solution, businesses are introducing a new attack vector for cybercriminals. The problem with in-house developed AI models is that they are essentially a repository for a company's most valuable data, ranging from intellectual property, customer and employee data, and trade secrets, making it a highly attractive target.

This software runs off hardware likely housed in a data center, so business leaders need to ensure they are equipped with the right tools to have control over all aspects of their network to ensure sensitive company data is safe in the new attack vectors they are adopting.

The challenge to existing frameworks

The fact is that many businesses' existing security setups aren't currently fit for purpose. For years, IT departments have viewed cybersecurity as a compliance hurdle rather than a way to protect company data. This has led to an over-reliance on perimeter defenses and single sign-on solutions, which can create a false sense of security for organizations that believe compliance is equal to security.

Software solutions and more traditional approaches to data security, such as firewalls, still have a place in protecting a company's data security, but a greater depth of defense is required to ensure operations run smoothly. AI, while powerful, is still a type of software running on hardware typically found in a data center. Data centers are complex and sensitive environments. Factors such as power requirements, cooling systems, and physical security make these facilities prime targets. Moreover, the nature of AI development and deployment requires frequent access and updates. This necessitates strict control over who can access these systems and when. Organisations need to ensure they have the right framework in place to ensure their AI models run correctly and are protected at all levels of operation.

Physical segmentation: establishing control and defense

Many will already have some of the components required in place. What the majority are missing is a first and last layer of defense which can be establish via physical network segmentation. Through a hardware-based approach, physical network segmentation enables users to segment all digital assets remotely, instantly and without using the internet. Through the press of a button, from anywhere in the world, organizations can use this technology to physically isolate their chosen segment from the overall network, disconnecting it from the internet. This technology acts as a guardian for AI, controlling access and ensuring its benefits can be reaped. For businesses using AI, it can offer the following benefits:

1. Improved security and reduced risk

In the context of protecting an AI model, this type of protection can act as a guardian, preventing a business’ own AI being poisoned, and preventing the use of AI for malicious purposes. 

With no connection to the internet, physical network segmentation can be used to disconnect the model, preventing a cyber-attack or unwanted access. This will hide assets from view and enhance an organizations' existing depth of defense. For AI models, network segmentation can be used to keep components offline until needed, massively reducing the window of time a hacker has to access the software.

Organizations may be hesitant to adopt this approach, assuming it would cause interruptions in operations. But this doesn’t have to be the case. The key is implementing a process that lays out clever and well-considered timing. A generative AI model doesn't necessarily need to be connected to the internet 24/7 to perform well. A connection is required during a short window when users send a prompt. Once sent, the model can be disconnected and reconnected once the response has been generated and needs to be sent back. This short period of time is not nearly enough for a cybercriminal to clone the model and get their hands on sensitive company data. In terms of user experience, the time taken to connect and reconnect should be short enough that humans will not be aware of a delay.

2. Aiding regulatory compliance

Governments worldwide are adapting to the sensitivity of data. With AI models housing such an array of sensitive data, all eyes are on businesses to prove they are doing everything possible to prevent an attack or breach. With a lack of AI specific regulation, it’s hard to know where to start. Physical network segmentation can support overall compliance because there is no better effort than keeping sensitive data completely off the internet or physically separating it when attacked. 

3. Effective incident response and recovery

In the case of a cyber-attack, reactive network segmentation can be used to impede attack propagation and isolate compromised assets and data quickly, effectively preventing further access for hackers. During the recovery process, leaders will have the ability to then rapidly reconnect previously isolated, known safe, segments after an attack making it possible to ensure AI models can be used as soon as possible and ensure the restoration of services.

Looking ahead

With more and more AI models trained in-house, cybercriminals will more than likely start to target these repositories of sensitive data. Once they have access to the AI, all sorts of havoc can be caused by the ability to clone the data, poison the model to generate harmful responses or lock it down with ransomware, causing significant company damage.

Organizations need to be able to confidently leverage the power of AI without compromising on security. By implementing a framework that allows the individual control of zones through network segmentation, business leaders will be able to not only mitigate threats, but also establish effective response and recovery processes while ensuring maximum performance business wide.

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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

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 #589) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• COOKIE
• BEAR
• SPINACH
• SHOULDER
• CROOK
• ANCHOR
• ELBOW
• CHEAT
• PIPE
• HANDLE
• BEND
• FOREARM
• FITTED
• ANGLE
• ASSUME
• BALANCE

NYT Connections today (game #589) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Control the situation
• GREEN: You go around these 
• PURPLE: Add a word that rhymes with “neat”
• BLUE: Musclebound sailorman

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 #589) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: TAKE ON, AS A RESPONSIBILITY 
• GREEN: CORNERS 
• PURPLE: SHEET 
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH POPEYE 

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

NYT Connections today (game #589) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #589, are…

• YELLOW: TAKE ON, AS A RESPONSIBILITY ASSUME, BEAR, HANDLE, SHOULDER
• GREEN: CORNERS ANGLE, BEND, CROOK, ELBOW
• PURPLE: SHEET BALANCE, CHEAT, COOKIE, FITTED
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH POPEYE ANCHOR, FOREARM, PIPE, SPINACH

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

SPINACH will forever be ASSOCIATED WITH POPEYE – the leafy veg giving him superhuman strength and giving parents across the generations an example of why you should eat your greens. But I could have looked at the other three words forever and I’d have never got the link – FOREARM? – congratulations to anyone who worked out that one.

Interestingly, bicep tears or ruptures caused by people attempting to mirror his bulging muscles are called Popeye Deformity. What a legacy.

Meanwhile, before wrestling with Purple and Blue, I got obsessed thinking one group of words had to be about plumbing and although you can get pipes that come in an ELBOW shape and SHOULDER sounded like a specialized type of PIPE too, I was overthinking the obvious CORNERS.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 19 January, game #588)

• YELLOW: FUND KITTY, POOL, POT, PURSE
• GREEN: COURT FILING ACTION, CASE, CLAIM, SUIT
• BLUE: LANDFORMS BASIN, BLUFF, CAPE, PLAIN
• PURPLE: THEY HAVE RAYS AQUARIUM, GEOMETRY, SUN, TAMPA BAY

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.

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 #1092) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

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

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1092) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1092) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1092) - 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 #1092) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• T

• T

• R

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

Quordle today (game #1092) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1092, are…

• SIXTY
• THONG
• TATTY
• ROBIN

A pleasing Quordle victory today. I convinced myself that the T in the first word had to be the fourth letter and took a chance with SIXTH, which unlocked SIXTY.

I could have got ROBIN quicker, as it was obvious after the first two guesses that the word began RO, but my attention was elsewhere and as is often the case I was locked in trying to solve the first word.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1092) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1092, are…

• ROWER
• CAMEL
• CURVE
• CREEK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• 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

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Curiouser and curiouser!

NYT Strands today (game #323) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• THAT
• TILL
• BONE
• PART
• TONE

NYT Strands today (game #323) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Lewis Carroll fantasy

NYT Strands today (game #323) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 5th column

Last side: bottom, 1st column

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

NYT Strands today (game #323) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #323, are…

• HATTER
• RABBIT
• CROQUET
• DORMOUSE
• CATERPILLAR
• SPANGRAM: WONDERLAND

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

Anyone unfamiliar with the work of Lewis Carroll would have had a very curious experience trying to fathom today’s theme. CROQUET? CATERPILLAR?

It took me a couple of hints and the WONDERLAND Spangram before it made sense.

Alice In Wonderland is classed as a fantasy, but I always thought of it as a horror – I can handle zombies, vampires, and mutants, but the thought of a playing-card soldier chills me to the bones. I’m not alone: this children’s classic was turned into a horror film – Alice In Terrorland – a couple of years ago, although it’s 3% Rotten Tomatoes rating suggests that it wasn’t the greatest of ideas.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 19 January, game #322)

• SPAM
• SENT
• INBOX
• TRASH
• DRAFTS
• STARRED
• SNOOZED
• SPANGRAM: EMAIL LABEL

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.

• Softbank is apparently looking to buy Ampere Computing
• Japanese tech giant already owns Graphcore and Arm
• Experts say Softbank's ambition would be to rival global hyperscalers

SoftBank, the majority stakeholder in Arm, is reportedly in talks to acquire Ampere Computing (via Bnnbloomberg).

Ampere, known for its data center chips built on Arm architecture, has garnered attention for its advanced chips, including the 192-core Polaris and the upcoming 256-core Magnetrix.

The deal is currently uncertain but highlights SoftBank’s ambitions to challenge processor industry giants like AMD and Intel amid the ongoing boom in AI investment.

Ampere's strategic significance

Ampere Computing, backed by Oracle, is a pivotal player in the AI and data center chip market, and acquiring it would undoubtedly bolster Arm’s push beyond licensing chip designs to becoming a full-fledged chipmaker.

Ampere’s expertise could also enhance Arm’s push into the lucrative data center market, aligning with CEO Rene Haas’s vision of expanding the company’s presence in this sector.

Ampere processors are designed to handle demanding data center workloads, a critical capability as industries increasingly rely on AI-driven solutions. Combining Softbank Graphcore’s AI accelerators with Ampere’s processors could enable SoftBank to build competitive systems for that sector.

The potential acquisition comes with some caveats for either company. Ampere has been preparing for an IPO, indicating its interest in maintaining independence, while Softbank will have to convince Oracle and the Carlyle Group, both significant stakeholders in Ampere, to ratify the deal.

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• The AI boom is spurring an energy crisis: is there a sustainable way out?
• Data center demand is booming - but we don't have the power to deal with it
• We've also listed the best AI tools right now

• Kioxia reveals new project called AiSAQ which wants to substitute RAM with SSDs for AI data processing
• Bigger (read: 100TB+) SSDs could improve RAG at a lower cost than using memory only
• No timeline has been given, but expect Kioxia's rivals to offer similar tech

Large language models often generate plausible but factually incorrect outputs - in other words, they make stuff up. These "hallucination"s can damage reliability in information-critical tasks such as medical diagnosis, legal analysis, financial reporting, and scientific research.

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) mitigates this issue by integrating external data sources, allowing LLMs to access real-time information during generation, reducing errors, and, by grounding outputs in current data, improving contextual accuracy. Implementing RAG effectively requires substantial memory and storage resources, and this is particularly true for large-scale vector data and indices. Traditionally, this data has been stored in DRAM, which, while fast, is both expensive and limited in capacity.

To address these challenges, ServeTheHome reports that at this year’s CES, Japanese memory giant Kioxia introduced AiSAQ - All-in-Storage Approximate Nearest Neighbor Search (ANNS) with Product Quantization - that uses high-capacity SSDs to store vector data and indices. Kioxia claims AiSAQ significantly reduces DRAM usage compared to DiskANN, offering a more cost-effective and scalable approach for supporting large AI models.

More accessible and cost-effective

(Image credit: Kioxia)

Shifting to SSD-based storage allows for the handling of larger datasets without the high costs associated with extensive DRAM use.

While accessing data from SSDs may introduce slight latency compared to DRAM, the trade-off includes lower system costs and improved scalability, which can support better model performance and accuracy as larger datasets provide a richer foundation for learning and inference.

By using high-capacity SSDs, AiSAQ addresses the storage demands of RAG while contributing to the broader goal of making advanced AI technologies more accessible and cost-effective. Kioxia hasn't revealed when it plans to bring AiSAQ to market, but its safe to bet rivals like Micron and SK Hynix will have something similar in the works.

ServeTheHome concludes, “Everything is AI these days, and Kioxia is pushing this as well. Realistically, RAG is going to be an important part of many applications, and if there is an application that needs to access lots of data, but it is not used as frequently, this would be a great opportunity for something like Kioxia AiSAQ.”

More from TechRadar Pro

• These are the best SSDs you can buy right now
• And these are the best Large Language Models (LLMs)
• 1200TB SSD modules are in the pipeline thanks to Pure Storage

• The iOS 19 Camera app is rumored to be getting a redesign
• It could be a sign of a wider visual revamp for iOS 19
• The updated look may have been inspired by Apple visionOS

The Camera app is probably one of the most-used iPhone apps for the majority of us, and the rumor is that this key piece of software is going to get a revamp with the roll out of iOS 19 and the iPhone 17 later this year.

According to Front Page Tech (via MacRumors), the Camera app interface will become more fluid, smoothly adapting its layout as different features and options (like panoramic pictures or slow-motion videos) are accessed.

Most of the screen is still taken up with the viewfinder (what you're actually taking a photo of), but options for image and video resolution are going to be easier to access, with drop-down panels appearing at the top of the display.

The interface's fluidity and translucent panels are, as Front Page Tech points out, very reminiscent of the visionOS software that runs on the Apple Vision Pro. The thinking is that the design revamp might apply to the rest of iOS 19 too.

iOS meets visionOS

You may remember there was some chatter around iOS 18 potentially getting a visionOS-inspired redesign last year. That didn't happen, but it seems Apple is still considering making its iPhone software more like its Vision Pro software.

Nothing is certain yet though – even tipster Jon Prosser, in the Front Page Tech video you can see above, isn't sure what's going to happen – but we know Apple will already be working on iOS 19 updates ready for its iPhones.

We should get our first look at iOS 19 sometime in June, when Apple holds its annual WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference). A beta program will probably follow on soon after, with a full release in September to coincide with the iPhone 17 range.

There hasn't been much in the way of rumors or leaks around iOS 19 up till now, though we have heard that any iPhone running iOS 18 will be able to run iOS 19 too. We'll most likely see a host of additional Apple Intelligence upgrades as well.

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• Apple may add extra cooling to the iPhone 17

• Swimlane survey finds many businesses aren't keeping on top of AI energy needs
• Nearly three quarters are aware of the dramatic energy demands needed to train AI models
• Just 13% actively monitor AI energy consumption, which may indicate most used off-premise facilities

As the transition from simple algorithms to advanced models significantly increases energy demands, the adoption of agentic AI, known for its advanced decision-making capabilities, is intensifying concerns over energy consumption, new research has claimed.

A survey by SambaNova Systems, sampling over 2000 business leaders from the United States and Europe, found 70% of business leaders are aware of the substantial energy requirements for training models for AI tools, but only 13% monitor the power consumption of their AI systems.

At the same time, 37.2% of enterprises are facing growing stakeholder pressure to improve energy efficiency, and 42% expect these demands to intensify.

Challenges with AI energy demands

Rising energy costs have become a significant challenge, with 20.3% of businesses identifying them as a pressing issue.

Thankfully, 77.4% of businesses are actively exploring ways to reduce power usage by optimizing their models, adopting energy-efficient hardware, and investing in renewable energy solutions.

However, these efforts are not keeping pace with the rapid expansion of AI systems, leaving many enterprises vulnerable to rising costs and sustainability pressures.

“The findings reveal a stark reality: businesses are rushing to adopt AI, but aren’t prepared to manage its energy impact,” said Rodrigo Liang, SambaNova Systems' CEO.

“Without a proactive approach to more efficient AI hardware and energy consumption, particularly in the face of increasing demand from AI workflows, we risk undermining the very progress AI promises to deliver," he added.

"By 2027, my expectation is that more than 90% of leaders will be concerned about the power demands of AI. As businesses integrate AI, addressing energy efficiency and infrastructure readiness will be essential for long-term success.”

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• This new method could reduce the energy needs of AI applications by 95% — but may also need whole new forms of hardware
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• TikTok can no longer be downloaded in the US
• The app will still let you access your data
• President Trump may reverse the ban decision

It's finally happened: TikTok has been banned in the United States. If you're in the US, you won't find the app available in the Android or iOS app stores, and if you already have the app on your phone you won't be able to use it – except to download your data.

As we've posted on our TikTok ban live blog, attempting to use the app brings up a message saying "you can't use TikTok for now". Your options then are to close the app or to log in and download your data.

There is a strong possibility that the app will be reinstated though. The message goes on: "We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned!"

That sounds like TikTok owner ByteDance is betting big on the incoming president. Yesterday Trump told NBC News that he would "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day reprieve once he takes office, which will be tomorrow (January 20).

Following the law

Apple posted a support document on the TikTok ban. Have never seen one of these before for an app removal. But then again this is all pretty unprecedented. All this for a 48 hour ban. https://t.co/V4XpFhKwoeJanuary 19, 2025

While this might not be the end for TikTok in the US, users there are going to have to go without their fix of short-form videos for a day or two at least. The removal and blocking of the app has been swift and comprehensive.

As noted by Apple analyst and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple has taken the unusual step of publishing a support document for the TikTok ban, which will show up if you try and search for TikTok in the iPhone App Store.

"TikTok and ByteDance Ltd. apps are no longer available in the United States, and visitors to the United States might have limited access to features," explains the document. "Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates."

The long-term fate of TikTok remains uncertain. According to CNBC, Perplexity AI has made a bid to take over the running of TikTok in the US – which may be one way the app can carry on operating in the country.

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The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is one of the best Android smartwatches you can buy right now, and the best Samsung watch (from a specs perspective, anyway) the company has ever made.

Unveiled in 2024, it's a durable and rugged alternative to mainstream Android choices that has proven popular among Android fans looking for a Wear OS answer to the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple has successfully iterated on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and is expected to unveil a new Apple Watch Ultra 3 in 2025, but will Samsung follow suit?

The Galaxy Watch Ultra has by all accounts been a success story, and it seems almost inconceivable that Samsung isn't cooking up something behind the scenes to iterate on the first generation.

That being said, leaks and rumors are scant (if not non-existent), so right now all we can do is speculate and talk about what we'd like to see in a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

With that in mind, here are some of our ideas.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra: Cut to the chase

• What is it? A prospective second-generation Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
• When could it launch? As soon as 2025
• How much could it cost? Current pricing is $649 / £599 / AU$1,299, unlikely to change much

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Price and release date predictions

(Image credit: Future)

There are no rumors about the release date or pricing of a potential Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, but we can make a few predictions.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra is $649 / £599 / AU$1,299, one of the biggest draws of the watch is that it undercuts the Apple Watch, and it's unlikely that Samsung would upend this successful formula by raising the price. As such, we'd expect a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 to cost in the region of the current model.

As for release date, rival Apple launched its Apple Watch Ultra 2 just one year after the first iteration, so there's precedent here for a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 as early as 2025. Specifically, the Galaxy Watch Ultra was unveiled at last year's Unpacked on July 10, 2024, so if you're betting on a one-year upgrade cycle, pencil in July 2025.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: Leaks and rumors

(Image credit: Future)

There are no leaks or rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, but we know Samsung has some exciting things in the pipeline.

Perhaps the most exciting development is Samsung's new solid-state battery tech. The company might well have cracked denser solid-state batteries for wearables like the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. However, this technology isn't expected to go into production until 2026, so wouldn't be ready in time for our speculated 2025. If the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 arrives in 2026 instead of this year, it could well feature the technology.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: What we want to see

(Image credit: Future)

We've actually already discussed at length some of the features the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 should steal from the Apple Watch Ultra, but here's a recap of some of the things we'd like to see in the next Galaxy Watch Ultra.

1. Digital Crown

The lack of digital crown is a big miss on the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and was one point we picked up on during our review. It would make scrolling on the Ultra a lot easier, especially in inclement weather, dirt, or while wearing gloves.

2. A slimmer chassis

As an Apple Watch Ultra 2 user, I find the Galaxy Watch Ultra to be quite bulky, and I'd love to see the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 be slightly less chunky than its forebear.

3. Squircle display

While I appreciate the circle display is a hallmark of Samsung watches, the circular display inside the square chassis looks a bit strange in my opinion. It makes the bezels appear larger than they actually are, and makes the screen look smaller by comparison. A squircle display akin to the Apple Watch Ultra would be an excellent upgrade.

4. Watersports

The Galaxy Watch Ultra can't keep up with the Apple Watch Ultra 2's water sports prowess, it's not rated as highly for water resistance and doesn't come with a temperature sensor or depth gauge, both of which would be a welcome addition for diving and snorkeling.

5. Ultra watch faces

The Apple Watch Ultra boasts a richer and more attractive set of Ultra-dedicated watch faces, something Samsung could dig into by bringing more Ultra-exclusive faces to the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: The verdict

Without leaks and rumors to point to a solid device, the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is just a pipe dream at this stage, but there are plenty of ways Samsung could improve the watch and make the second generation successful. When that will be remains anyone's guess.

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 #1091) - 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 #1091) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1091) - 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 #1091) - 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 #1091) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• W

• R

• S

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1091) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1091, are…

• WREST
• RINSE
• SCOUR
• CANNY

Normal service is resumed. After crashing out yesterday I was pleased just to complete today’s Quordle.

Things were looking good when I got SCOUR after three guesses, but the other three words didn’t come as easily. Fortunately, it was all relatively stress-free as I had all the letters for RINSE.

Meanwhile, I blitzed through the Daily Sequence, getting the words in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th rounds. I don’t know how that happened, but it feels a long way off from occurring in the Classic format, at least on a regular basis.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1091) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1091, are…

• ACTOR
• FETCH
• ELBOW
• SWILL

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1090, Friday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• 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

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 #588) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SUN
• POOL
• ACTION
• AQUARIUM
• CLAIM
• GEOMETRY
• BLUFF
• SUIT
• САРЕ
• PURSE
• TAMPA BAY
• KITTY
• PLAIN
• CASE
• POT
• BASIN

NYT Connections today (game #588) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Finances in one place
• GREEN: You’ve been served
• BLUE: Landscape
• PURPLE: Everybody loves these

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 #588) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FUND 
• GREEN: COURT FILING 
• BLUE: LANDFORMS 
• PURPLE: THEY HAVE RAYS 

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

NYT Connections today (game #588) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #588, are…

• YELLOW: FUND KITTY, POOL, POT, PURSE
• GREEN: COURT FILING ACTION, CASE, CLAIM, SUIT
• BLUE: LANDFORMS BASIN, BLUFF, CAPE, PLAIN
• PURPLE: THEY HAVE RAYS AQUARIUM, GEOMETRY, SUN, TAMPA BAY

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

For the first time in ages I got today’s groups in order of difficulty. Although when I say “got”, none of us get the last group, do we? That happens by default after we switch off the brain and just click on the remaining four words – occasionally kidding ourselves with an “of course!” as if really we knew what the connection was before we clicked on submit.

Today’s Purple group was a great one – linking four different types of RAYS. Not that all AQUARIUMs have RAYS. A fact I know from my many vacations ruined by European weather, where a rainy day would mean a trip to the local indoor attractions, which usually meant queuing up to look at some crabs in a bucket. Happy days.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 18 January, game #587)

• YELLOW: DESIRE DRIVE, IMPULSE, ITCH, URGE
• GREEN: BARB SPINE, SPUR, STICKER, THORN
• BLUE: INFO ON A RECORD ALBUM, ARTIST, LABEL, TRACK
• PURPLE: TURN THE ___ CORNER, PAGE, TABLES, TIDE

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.