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It's finally here! I'm so excited about the follow-up to Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, which happens to be one of my favorite zombie movies of all time. It joins the likes of Prime Video's number one movie Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End as recent undead tales we've been excited to watch.

It's got everything you could want: an impressively desolate London cityscape, a bit of humor, and plenty of dark moments too, with the always brilliant Cillian Murphy leading the cast. So imagine my surprise when he popped up in the 28 Years Later trailer. Only this time he looks very different.

When we last saw Murphy's Jim character, he had survived to the end of the first movie, 28 Days Later. While he didn't appear in the second, 28 Weeks Later, he's made a surprise cameo appearance in the third movie. And, well, he has certainly seen better days!

Take a look at the trailer for the new movie below.

What do we know about 28 Years Later?

Cillian Murphy makes a surprise return in 28 Years Later. (Image credit: Sony Pictures)

28 Years Later will release in theatres on June 20, 2025, so we've got a bit of a wait! But don't worry, there's plenty coming up and you can check out the most exciting new movies coming to theaters in December 2024 while you wait for the horror movie to arrive.

The plot follows a group of survivors who must navigate the terrifying world that has once again been ravaged by those infected with the now iconic Rage Virus, which spiraled out of control in the first movie and apparently isn't going anywhere.

This time, the cast is led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes, so we've got another star-studded line-up to look forward to. I'm so excited to dive back into this universe again.

While it's too early for a streaming release, in an ideal world the sequel would arrive on Disney Plus alongside 28 Weeks Later, but that's not guaranteed considering the original movie is not available to stream there. So, we'll have to see if it arrives on one of the best streaming services over the coming months.

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• Nvidia’s acquisition of Mellanox Technologies is being investigated by China
• The second-biggest company in the world will cooperate with regulators
• China’s probe comes just days after the US intensifies restrictions

The recent run of high-profile antitrust investigations could be set to intensify even further with the launch of a Chinese-backed anti-monopoly investigation into Nvidia.

The country's probe focuses on alleged violations linked to Nvidia's near-$7 billion acquisition of networking company Mellanox Technologies in 2020.

While tech giants across the globe are all facing regulatory scrutiny, the timing of the investigation handily lines up with tightened US restrictions on China's access to advanced semiconductors, marking the escalation of the ongoing US-China tech war.

China launches its own Nvidia investigation

The news was announced by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, with Beijing’s State Administration for Market Regulation saying the chipmaker failed to provide new product information to rivals within 90 days of availability to Nvidia, something it was required to do as part of the deal.

The probe comes not long after the US added even more Chinese companies to its entities list. In response, the country has curbed some mineral exports, including antimony, gallium and germanium, which are all used in the production of advanced semiconductors in the US.

Center for Strategic and International Studies researcher James Lewis said (via BBC): “The timing is not a coincidence… It's mainly a message to the US government - the Chinese have decided they're not just going to take sanction after sanction.”

Nvidia has already confirmed it would be “happy to answer any questions regulators may have about our business.”

A company spokesperson added: “Nvidia wins on merit, as reflected in our benchmark results and value to customers, and customers can choose whatever solution is best for them… We work hard to provide the best products we can in every region and honor our commitments everywhere we do business.”

After becoming the world's most valuable company on two separate occasions, Nvidia has slipped back into second place, with a market cap of $3.399 trillion, second only to Apple.

The company’s early entry to the AI chips market has allowed it to benefit from off-the-scale interest in the technology, with Nvidia shares rising from $16.27 prior to ChatGPT’s public preview launch to $138.81 now, marking a colossal 753% increase.

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Like most people I was as little confused when OpenAI announced a $200 (£157, AU$313) ChatGPT Pro tier since its previous paid-for subscription was a comparatively small $20 (£16 AU$30) a month for ChatGPT Plus. You can of course, continue to use ChatGPT for free on the free tier.

$200 was a big jump up and at the time of announcement because it offered only modest advantages over ChatGPT Plus. For your $200 you got access to o1 pro mode, which is a version of the latest o1 LLM from OpenAI that uses more compute to think harder and provide better answers. To me, $200 seems like a lot of extra cash for harder thinking.

Sure, if you’re involved in research-level activities, or need what OpenAI describes as the “more reliably accurate and comprehensive responses, especially in areas like data science, programming, and case law analysis”, then maybe you do need it. To me it seems like that's such a small subset of the ChatGPT user base that it felt that ChatGPT Pro was simply being used a price anchor. A price anchor is essentially a marketing device designed to make your other pricing levels look competitive. Compared to a $200 ChatGPT Pro subscription, a $20 ChatGPT Plus subscription suddenly looks like very good value.

Sora enables you to create video from text prompts with ease. (Image credit: Future)

However, yesterday OpenAI released Sora (or more specifically Sora Turbo, the latest and fastest version so far), its frankly, amazing AI video generation tool, and it’s changed everything. If you haven’t seen Sora before then just look at the videos it's capable of producing, like this foam seahorse:

To use Sora you simply type in what you'd like to see, and it generates the video for you. Sora is only available on a paid ChatGPT subscription and it works on a credit system. On a ChatGPT Plus subscription you get up to 50 priority videos a month. That's 1,000 credits. Your videos are limited to 720p resolution and five seconds in duration. While that’s enough for you to explore video creation it’s nowhere near enough for you to make anything serious.

But once you change to a ChatGPT Pro subscription you get up to 500 priority videos a month (that’s 10,000 credits) with the ability to create unlimited ‘relaxed videos’ at up to 1080p resolution, 20 seconds in duration and with five concurrent generations. You can also download videos without a watermark.

That means that after you use up all your priority generation videos in a given month you can still generate unlimited videos, but you move into ‘relaxed mode’ where you will have to wait longer for video generation.

This is where a ChatGPT Pro subscription suddenly makes sense. Without it you simply can’t use your Sora-created video professionally. Equally, you could argue the fact that ChatGPT Plus users, who are after all paying for the service, don’t get to remove the watermark from their videos, and are limited to 720p and five-second clips, is a bit unfair.

So, while a $200 ChatGPT Pro started off looking like really bad value, the release of Sora has revealed exactly why you'd want to pay that much a month for a subscription. You can call it unfair if you like, but at least it makes sense now.

More excitingly, we're not done yet. OpenAI has another nine days of releases left in its 12 Days of OpenAI event, so it's quite possible that even more value will be added to a ChatGPT Pro subscription before it's over. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

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• Microsoft Edge now loads features like Favorites 40% faster, thanks to the new WebUI 2.0 framework
• Performance improvements make Edge more efficient for low-spec PCs, reducing resource demands compared to Chrome
• Microsoft aims to enhance Edge further, benefiting users with faster browsing, especially on older hardware

Microsoft has just made some important updates to its Edge browser, making it faster, more responsive, and more efficient even if you’re using a less powerful computer. These changes are thanks to Microsoft incorporating a new system, called the WebUI 2.0 framework, which will help the browser load things like buttons, menus, and settings much more quickly.

Here’s what that means for the latest versions of Edge in Windows 11.

When you use the browser after these changes, things like the ‘Favorites’ bar and the ‘Browser Essentials’ section will open much faster. These reduced loading times are due to the new framework, with Microsoft claiming that

the ‘Favorites’ bar opens 40% faster and the ‘Browser Essentials’ loads 42% faster than before, as reported by PCWorld.

If you’re using a PC with lower specs, such as one with less RAM or with an older hard drive instead of a modern SSD, you’ll also see performance improvements. This could give people using a budget PC that may be classed as ‘lower performance’ or an older device an extra reason to consider using Edge over other browsers like Google Chrome - which has become infamous because of its high RAM demands.

(Image credit: Microsoft) Credit where credit is due for Microsoft

That’s not all the good news, as Microsoft has plans to keep improving parts of Edge by incorporating the WebUI 2.0 framework. In the next few months, you can expect to have a faster, smoother loading experience in Edge overall as Microsoft.

This will make Edge a more appealing choice, especially for everyday users and people who don’t have the most powerful PCs. As tech companies push ahead to offer novelties like AI-powered features, I want to give Microsoft credit for improvements like this that will improve the user experience of people who continue to use older or lower-end hardware.

Using fewer resources and still delivering a solid browser experience might make someone think twice about using Edge as their browser of choice. I think improvements like this are what can convince someone to convert, and hopefully a more popular Edge inspires Google’s Chrome team to also continue improving its rival browser, especially when it comes to how it uses your PC’s resources. That could lead to better browser choices overall which benefits users in the end whether they choose Edge or something else.

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• A leaked roadmap says Apple will ditch the MacBook Pro’s notch in 2026
• The 2026 MacBook Pro will also get an OLED screen, multiple sources claim
• The roadmap leaks data for many other upcoming Apple products

The MacBook Pro’s notch – the black pill-shaped cutout at the top of the laptop’s screen – is a necessary annoyance that houses the cameras and sensors that are required for the device’s webcam. But it looks like it’s on the way out, with a leaked roadmap suggesting that Apple will replace it with a circular holepunch-style silhouette as soon as 2026.

That information comes from leaker Jukanlosreve on X, who claims to have sourced the detail from industry analysts Omdia. It was revealed as part of a product roadmap that predicts a range of changes coming to Apple’s best MacBooks and iPads over the next few years.

When it comes to the MacBook Pro, the roadmap predicts it will offer options with 14.3-inch and 16.3-inch displays (up from the current 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch sizes). These screens will apparently have rounded corners and a “Hole Cut.”

That might seem like a mysterious detail, but it makes a lot more sense when you compare it to the MacBook Air, which the roadmap says will have a “Notch Cut” on its display.

In other words, the “Hole Cut” reference is talking about the notch – which will seemingly be replaced by a hole-shaped cutout in the future.

Exciting changes on the horizon

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

This MacBook Pro depicted in the roadmap will reportedly arrive in 2026 and will also feature a Tandem OLED display, much like the current iPad Pro. The use of this panel type in the iPad Pro allowed Apple to offer better screen performance and slim down the device at the same time, so there’s hope that Apple might be able to bring similar changes to the MacBook Pro.

In fact, that idea mirrors reports from elsewhere (including from Omdia), which have claimed that the OLED MacBook Pro will see a significant redesign when it lands in 2026. Apple hasn’t overhauled the MacBook Pro’s aesthetic since 2021 and typically waits four or five years between redesigns, so the MacBook Pro is due for a new look.

The roadmap leaked by Jukanlosreve contained some other interesting tidbits. It alleges that an iPad Air with OLED display will launch in 2027, for example, and that Apple will release its long-awaited foldable device the following year. If the roadmap is to be believed, there are a lot of enticing Apple products just over the horizon.

That said, we have to take Jukanlosreve’s word that this roadmap is genuine and accurate. But some of the details have been backed up by other reliable sources. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has also touted 2026 for the launch of the redesigned OLED MacBook Pro, while display industry analyst Ross Young agreed with almost all of the roadmap’s details.

Both Gurman and Young have very strong track records when it comes to Apple leaks and predictions, which lends weight to Omdia’s roadmap. Nothing is guaranteed, but if you’ve been waiting to finally be rid of the MacBook Pro’s notch, 2026 could be the date to mark in your calendar.

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• Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country could receive new trailers at The Game Awards 2024
• Borderlands 4 will showcase new gameplay and a cinematic sequence
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2K has announced that Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country will be at The Game Awards 2024 on December 13.

The annual awards ceremony is just days away and, like every year, fans can expect some of the biggest reveals for future game releases. However, ahead of the event, we now have official confirmation that Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country will receive new trailers.

"Prepare yourselves! We’re about to crank things up to the next f**king level at The Game Awards. Who's ready to get their first look at the most ambitious Borderlands yet?!" Gearbox said on X / Twitter.

Borderlands 4 was announced this summer during Gamescom Opening Night Live with a short teaser trailer and is expected to launch in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford also shared a post confirming that the upcoming trailer will feature gameplay, as well as "a sick, never-before-seen original cinematic sequence depicting a moment that occurs about halfway between the end of Borderlands 3 and the beginning of Borderlands 4."

With an appearance guaranteed at The Game Awards, we could also potentially receive a release date alongside the gameplay.

As for Mafia: The Old Country, developer Hangar 13 shared a post confirming its attendance, suggesting we can also expect its first gameplay trailer following its August announcement.

The Old Country is also set to launch in 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

The Game Awards nominees were announced last month with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree being the first ever downloadable content (DLC) to be up for a Game of the Year award.

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Marvel Rivals codes can be used to redeem exclusive rewards like costumes and Chromium. Currently, there's a handful of rewards to earn, some of which require you to be playing on a specific platform. Even so, there's likely to be more Marvel Rivals codes in the future, so you'll want to keep up to date with every active code currently live in the game.

In terms of Heroes, Marvel Rivals is absolutely full to the brim. There are 33 Heroes to choose from, each having their own play style, abilities and look. There are alternate costumes for characters like Iron Man and Peni Parker, with great nods to iconic comic runs. Collecting these alternate costumes is part of Marvel Rivals' appeal, making it a new contender for our best crossplay games list.

Here are all of the active Marvel Rivals codes for December 2024. As more codes are released, we'll be sure to add them to this page. For now, there's an awesome Iron Man costume to pick up, alongside some info on how to redeem codes in-game.

Marvel Rivals codes for December 2024

(Image credit: Marvel Games)

Below, you'll find a list of the active Marvel Rivals codes for December 2024:

• Iron Man: Armor Model 42 - nwarh4k3xqy (expires: 5/3/2025 at 23:59 UTC)
• Spider-Man: Scarlet Spider - free for PlayStation players
• Marvel Rivals S0 Bundle - free PlayStation Plus exclusive

As new Marvel Rivals codes come out, we'll add them to the list above. To stay up to date, we recommend following the Marvel Rivals Twitter account.

Marvel Rivals Scarlet Spider skin - how to redeem

(Image credit: Marvel Games)

To redeem the Scarlet Spider costume in Marvel Rivals, you will need to be playing on PlayStation:

• Head to the PS Store
• Search for "Marvel Rivals"
• Open the game's page, and scroll down to "add-ons"
• You can then scroll to the right to find the free Scarlet Spider costume

(Image credit: Marvel Games) Marvel Rivals S0 Bundle - how to redeem

(Image credit: Marvel Games)

If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can pick up the S0 Bundle at no extra cost. It contains the following:

• Peni Parker VEN#m: Costume
• Peni Parker VEN#m: MVP
• Peni Parker VEN#m: Spray
• Peni Parker VEN#m: Nameplate
• 300 Chrono Tokens

To redeem this bundle, just head to the PlayStation Store, search for Marvel Rivals, and scroll through the add-on content.

How to redeem Marvel Rivals codes

(Image credit: Marvel Games)

To redeem a code in Marvel Rivals, you just need to do the following:

• Load up the game, and head into the settings menu
• Select "Bundle Code"
• Enter your bundle code, and press "USE"
• This will redeem your rewards

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• Oracle Cloud reveals new deal to train Meta’s AI models on its services
• Oracle Cloud will look to enhance the training and deployment of Llama LLM family
• Partnership comes as revenue growth fails to meet targets

Oracle has signed a deal with Meta that will see the latter use Oracle Cloud to enhance the training and deployment of its Llama LLM family.

"We just signed an agreement with Meta – for them to use Oracle's AI Cloud Infrastructure – and collaborate with Oracle on the development of AI Agents based on Meta's Llama models," CTO Larry Ellison confirmed.

"Oracle Cloud Infrastructure trains several of the world's most important generative AI models because we are faster and less expensive than other clouds...Oracle trained AI models and AI Agents will improve the rate of scientific discovery, economic development and corporate growth throughout the world. The scale of the opportunity is unimaginable."

Oracle to support Meta’s AI efforts

Meta’s decision to use Oracle Cloud comes as Oracle CEO Safra Catz praised the company’s record-breaking cloud infrastructure growth, driven by continued demand for AI, which requires large amounts of computing power.

Despite announcing a healthy 9% year-over-year increase in quarterly revenue, shares in Oracle are down, marking a lack of investor confidence.

On the whole, Oracle’s second-quarter results were a mixed bag. Quarterly revenue rose 9% year-over-year to $14.06 billion, however analysts had previously anticipated this figure would stand at $14.1 billion. Adjusted earnings per share also fell short of the anticipated $1.48 by one cent.

Making up more than three-quarters (77%) of the company’s entire revenue was its cloud business, which saw revenue rise by 12% to $10.81 billion.

Catz boasted: “Record level AI demand drove Oracle Cloud Infrastructure revenue up 52% in Q2, a much higher growth rate than any of our hyperscale cloud infrastructure competitors.” She added that GPU consumption was up 336% in the three-month period.

However, the outlook remains precarious, with the company forecasting revenue growth of 7% to 9% in the current quarter, falling short once again of analysts’ expectations.

TechRadar Pro has asked Oracle and Meta for more details on the deal, but neither company immediately responded to our email.

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Jeremy Allen White is swapping the kitchen for Tatooine as Disney casts him in the upcoming Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu. Directed by Jon Favreau and co-written with Lucasfilm creative director Dave Filoni, the movie will bring the characters of one of the best Disney Plus shows - The Mandalorian - to the big screen on May 22, 2026.

Following the success of his role in FX’s The Bear, White will be making his feature franchise debut in The Mandalorian and Grogu as the son of intergalactic crime boss Jabba the Hut. But whether or not he’ll be in human-form or voicing a CGI reptilian-like creature like his father is still in question.

According to Deadline, his role appears to be integral to the plot, starring alongside core cast members Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, The Last of Us) and Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Ghostbusters).

(Image credit: Disney)

When it comes to the movie's plot, details are still under wraps, however, Variety's report of White’s casting states that it “provides the first real glimpse for what could be in store for the titular bounty hunter”. In The Mandalorian series, its events take place following Jabba the Hut’s demise in The Return of the Jedi (1983) while miniseries The Book of Boba Fett delves into the underworld where its titular character fights for Jabba’s old territory. From Variety’s point of view, it hints at a possible return of Boba Fett in Favreau’s upcoming feature.

As it stands, neither Lucasfilm nor White have provided comment on the latest casting addition, nor have they spared any details regarding plot - despite the movie being announced at the D23 Expo 2024 back in August. If anything, we should give White the benefit of the doubt as he has been working non-stop since his Emmy win for his role as Carmy in one of the best Hulu shows, The Bear. Just yesterday (December 9) he received another acting nomination for the 2025 Golden Globes, all while filming for the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere where he’s playing the role of Springsteen.

Since Disney Plus became the home of all things Star Wars, the franchise has been enriched with spin-off series one after the other – more recently Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. However The Mandalorian and Grogu marks the first feature movie in the franchise since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, which wasn’t a particularly well-received final insert to the franchise. Hopefully, Favreau and Filoni’s experience with creating successful Disney Plus series will be an advantage to the movie franchise’s next steps.

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The last Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S software update of 2024 is here, and this one is a doozy. Update v72 promises a suite of improvements to various features of your VR headset, as well as a massive upgrade to the Windows remote desktop feature that should make it easier than ever to bring your PC desktop to VR.

Let’s start with that headline feature: easier Windows 11 PC connections. Once you’ve followed the setup steps (we’ll run you through those in a second) Meta says you’ll just have to look at your Windows 11 PC and you’ll get a prompt to pair with your VR headset so you can more seamlessly start a virtual desktop session.

Now for the setup. To get started, boot up your PC running Windows 11 22H2 or later (after checking it meets the hardware requirements) and visit the Microsoft Store to download the Mixed Reality Link app, then set it up.

(Image credit: Meta)

Keeping your PC unlocked, boot up your Meta Quest 3 or 3S headset, open the Settings menu and look for Advanced settings; within this submenu, find and enable the 'Pair to PC with Microsoft Mixed Reality Link' experimental feature.

Your headset should then detect your PC automatically and show you a pairing prompt, but if it doesn’t you can pair the devices manually by opening your Quest headset’s Remote Desktop app and selecting 'Add a new device'. Once you’ve followed the prompts you’ll be paired – and in future you can pair your headset with this PC simply by looking at your PC and tapping the 'Connect' button above the keyboard, or using the Remote Desktop app.

I was put off the idea of working in VR after trying it back in 2023, but this update, and the improvements the Meta Quest 3 affords in terms of comfort and image quality over the Quest Pro, might convince we to give it another try.

Making your virtual life easier

Update v72’s other improvements aren’t as stand-out, but they will make various features more reliable or easier to use.

Helping with the improved productivity tool we highlighted above, v72 has made your Quest headset better at recognizing keyboards so you can use them in VR with the help of a 'dynamic passthrough window.'

Hand tracking 2.3 is rolling out as well; Meta promises it is more stable, accurate and easier to use than version 2.2, with it highlighting some of the improvements in a comparison video it has released:

Following the Instagram app for Meta Quest launch in October, Meta has now released Instagram Direct Messenger support for Quest – so you can access the Instagram messaging service within the VR app.

And if you’re looking for a VR post to share on Instagram, the new and improved Media Gallery app for Horizon OS promises to make it easier to browse your virtual snaps and screen recordings so you can find something to post.

Last but not least, live captions are coming to calls made via the People app, so people with hearing loss or who are hard of hearing can more easily communicate with friends via their Quest headset. To turn it on you can find it in either the Accessibility tab of the Horizon OS Settings menu, or in the Settings menu for the People app.

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• The long-rumored iPhone SE 4 could launch soon, according to new rumors
• LG Innotek has reportedly began production of camera modules for the new phone, which normally occurs three months before launch
• The new SE is also tipped to borrow the display from the iPhone 13

The long-rumored iPhone SE 4 may be right around the corner and pack a previously unexpected camera upgrade, if a new crop of rumors are to be believed.

According to Korean news outlet ETNEWS (via Google Translate), LG Innotek will supply both the rear single-lens camera module and front-facing selfie camera for the upcoming phone, and make use of previously used components to keep costs down.

The new SE having just one rear camera would be nothing new, but the report also suggests that this rear snapper will be a 48MP lens, in line with the main camera on the iPhone 14 Pro models and the entire iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 lineups. Should the report prove correct about the use of previously used components, this would likely be the exact same camera as found on these earlier phones.

We had previously expected the rumored new iPhone SE to ship with a 12MP single-lens rear camera, in line with the current third-generation model. However, the ETNEWS report suggests the new iPhone SE will feature the same 12MP selfie camera as the current model.

As BGR notes, a prior report from Korean news outlet Aju News suggests that LG typically supplies camera modules for phones around three months before release.

This would suggest a release date of March 2025 for the iPhone SE 4, which fits with the previous releases in the series, all of which were unveiled in March or April of their respective years.

The report also corroborates prior rumors concerning the display the iPhone SE 4 could ship with by suggesting the new phone will borrow the 6.1-inch LTPS OLED panel from the iPhone 13. This probably means a resolution of 1170 x 2532 and a refresh rate of 60Hz – pleasantly sharp, though most budget phones come with a 90Hz or even 120Hz refresh rate these days.

Apple has reportedly divided its orders for the new display between LG Innotek and Chinese manufacturer BOE, and the use of a previously-developed panel tracks with the component cost-cutting strategy suggested by ETNEWS.

Incidentally, the use of this display would almost definitely result in an iPhone 14-style form factor for the new phone, as has been previously suggested.

Apple has yet to reveal any official information about the iPhone SE 4, and likely won’t until the phone is ready for release.

My analysis

Hype for the iPhone SE 4 is heating up, and for good reason – if these types of rumors continue, we could be looking at one of the best cheap phones (and more importantly best-value phones) Apple has ever produced.

Apple's mobile camera systems are famous for their quality and point-and-shoot reliability, so fitting the cheapest phone in the lineup with a modernized 48MP camera would be a pro-consumer move by any measure.

For most people, this would offer more than enough photography capability – I mean, how many people really use their phone's ultra-wide camera anyway?

And even I, as a noted lover of ridiculously large phone camera systems, reckon I'd be happy with a single 48MP snapper in most situations.

As well as the iPhone 13's display, we expect to see the iPhone SE 4 ship with essentially identical specs to the iPhone 16, in order to support Apple Intelligence.

Think about it – a compact AI phone with a great camera looped into the Apple ecosystem, likely for less than $500 / £500 / AU$900? This coming year could see the iPhone SE become a real competitor, rather than just a blast of nostalgia.

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One of AMD’s incoming Strix Halo chips has been spotted in a benchmark for the first time, and this is the flagship APU in fact, indicating that as rumors suggest, these Ryzen laptop processors are nearing release.

VideoCardz noticed the Geekbench result for a 16-core (Zen 5) Strix Halo chip with Radeon 8060S integrated graphics.

The APU – which is AMD’s fancy name for an all-in-one processor with an integrated GPU and NPU – is called the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395, and is shown as boosting up to 5.1GHz.

As for the actual benchmark result, the test run is Vulkan performance, which interestingly is a graphics metric. However, the score of 67,004 is slower than expected – but there’s a reason for that, which I’ll discuss next.

(Image credit: Canva) Analysis: GPU performance and workstation-only worries

That’s a relatively disappointing score, because as VideoCardz points out, the RX 7600 desktop graphics card hits about 90,000 in that test. The hope is that the Radeon 8060S integrated GPU in the Strix Halo flagship will be able to get a lot closer to the RX 7600 than this, based on prerelease hype – which has compared it to an Nvidia RTX 4070 discrete mobile GPU in the past – and it might well do, in the end.

Remember, this is still an early sample chip, so the finished Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395 will undoubtedly run faster. It’s too soon to make judgments, especially based on just a single leak (from Geekbench – which is hardly the first pick for graphics benchmarks, of course).

This leak is more about the fact that the Strix Halo flagship is floating around being tested, rather than the actual result itself. It’s another hefty hint that the rumors of AMD launching the new range of APUs at CES 2025 are correct.

However, perhaps everyone should temper their expectations a little in some respects. Yes, the Strix Halo flagship’s Radeon GPU has 40 CUs and is based on a refreshed take of RDNA 3 (dubbed RDNA 3.5) – compared to 32 CUs and vanilla RDNA 3 in the RX 7600 – but the latter is still a discrete desktop GPU, and integrated solutions are clearly more limited in terms of design and thermals.

We will just have to see how performance shakes out when it comes to reviews, of course, or indeed further leaks. What I’m betting we can all agree on, most likely, is that name, which seems very clunky – but it also carries another worrying hint.

The ‘Pro’ in the name (Ryzen AI Max+ Pro 395) indicates that this is a workstation part. Now, there could be a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (non-Pro) counterpart for thin-and-light gaming laptops that come with the same CPU and GPU configuration – or, as previous chatter on the grapevine has suggested, AMD might reserve this flagship APU for workstations only.

Gaming notebooks may only get a lesser Ryzen AI Max+ chip, and this is a hint that this is the case, albeit an admittedly thin one. Again, all we can do is keep watching the leaks, but we’ll likely find out at CES 2025 with that big Strix Halo reveal: will it be workstation-only, or not, for the flagship?

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• Amazon and Intuit team up to integrate sales data directly into QuickBooks
• Mid-2025 launch will initially only be available to US sellers
• The company claims to have supported millions of independent sellers

Amazon has announced plans to team up with accounting software giant Intuit to make it even easier for sellers on its platform to keep track of their finances thanks to some handy integrations between the two services.

From the middle of 2025, sellers in the US will be able to integrate their sales and inventory data straight into Intuit QuickBooks through Amazon Seller Central in order to simplify and streamline their bookkeeping.

The partnership between the two companies will also give Amazon sellers access to QuickBooks’ accounting tools in order to share real-time insights into profitability, cash flow and tax estimates.

Amazon chooses QuickBooks as its preferred partner

The ecommerce giant shared: “The expanded Amazon-Intuit partnership will give sellers the ability to bring their existing Amazon data into Intuit products and experiences—ultimately making it easier for sellers to understand and optimize profitability, manage cash flow, access capital, and simplify taxes with confidence.”

Amazon acknowledged that Intuit has been an important customer of its cloud business, AWS, since 2013.

“Together with Intuit, we’re working to equip our selling partners with additional financial tools and access to capital to help them scale efficiently," AWS VP of Worldwide Selling Partner Services Dharmesh Mehta added.

Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi boasted “businesses that use Intuit’s QuickBooks platform have a nearly 20-point higher success rate than those who don’t.” AI enhancements to its platform have also helped to improve the experience.

The financial impact of the collaboration remains undisclosed, however given the companies’ histories, it’s possible that a two-way deal will see both Amazon and Intuit benefit from the collaboration.

More broadly, the company claims to have contributed more than $1 trillion to the entire US GDP since 2010, including supporting 1.8 million jobs exclusively for independent sellers using the platform.

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• Electrica Group said it recently discovered, and remedied, a cyberattack
• Romanian Energy Ministry confirms ransomware attack
• No groups have yet claimed responsibility for the attack

Romanian energy supplier Electrica Group has confirmed suffering a cyberattack in the latest incident to hit major institutions in the country.

In a press announcement, the company said it was investigating an “ongoing cyberattack” together with the local law enforcement.

The news comes days after Romania's government was forced to cancel elections after its systems were allegedly targeted over 85,000 times by cyberattacks.

Confirmation from the Energy Ministry

"We want to emphasize that the Group's critical systems have not been affected, and any disruptions in interaction with our consumers are the result of protective measures for internal infrastructure," Electrica CEO Alexandru Aurelian Chirita was cited saying.

"These measures are temporary and are designed to ensure the security of the entire system. Our primary priority remains maintaining continuity in the distribution and supply of electricity, as well as protecting the managed personal data and the operational data of all entities within Electrica Group."

The company did not detail the attack, its nature, goal, or the identity of the threat actors, however media were notified by the country’s Ministry of Energy that this was most likely, a ransomware attack.

"Initial investigations show that it was a ransomware attack. The network equipment has been removed and is not affected," Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja allegedly said. "The SCADA systems of Distributie Electric Power Romania are fully functional and insulated, and our technical teams, together with our security partners, are already on the ground to eliminate any risk."

Electrica Group is one of Romania's largest energy companies, focusing on electricity distribution, supply, and renewable energy production. It serves approximately 3.93 million households across 18 counties, covering about 40.7% of Romania's territory.

In 2023, the company reported revenues of RON 13.33 billion ($2.93 billion), slightly lower than the previous year due to decreased electricity consumption nationally. The group is actively investing in modernizing its network, integrating renewable energy, and improving operational efficiency, with projects worth over 777 million RON completed last year.

Via BleepingComputer

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• We now have the full specs of the forthcoming Boox Note Max
• The E Ink device will have an A4-sized, 13.3-inch screen
• The Note Max is expected to launch early next year

Onyx has been teasing a new Boox Note Max E Ink notebook for a couple of months now, and has just published the full specs of the device online – and based on the details listed here, it could be the note-taking slate I've been waiting a long time for.

As per the listing (via Notebookcheck), the device is 4.6 mm (0.18 inches) thin, and comes with an A4-sized, 13.3-inch HD E Ink Carta 1300 screen – it runs at a resolution of 3,200 x 2,400 pixels, which is a sharp 300 pixels-per-inch. The slate will support the Boox stylus touch, with 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Under the hood we've got an unnamed 2.8GHz octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage – again, impressive for an e-paper tablet like this. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 are supported, and there are dual speakers and a microphone built in. The battery capacity is listed as 3,700mAh, and the weight as 615 grams (21.7 ounces).

On the software side, the tablet runs a modified version of Android 13, with support for third-party apps. Document types including EPUB, EPUB3, AZW3, CBR, CBZ, PDF, DOCX, PPTX, HTML and TXT can be viewed. The device can show PNG, JPG, BMP, and TIFF images, as well as play WAV and MP3 audio files.

The best Boox yet?

There's a lot you can do with the Boox Note Max (Image credit: Onyx)

While we can't fully judge the Boox Note Max until it's actually out, those specs suggest it'll have a strong claim for being one of the best devices of its type when it launches – and our ReMarkable 2 review and Kindle Scribe review will tell you all about the high bar that the new E Ink slate is going to have to reach.

As someone who's been looking for a device somewhere between a phone and a laptop – but without all the distractions of a Surface Pro or one of the best iPads – the Boox Note Max really appeals. From what we can tell so far, that screen is going to be a pleasure to use, in both its sharpness and responsiveness (though I would've liked a front light, too).

It's the versatility that really stands out here though: support for a wide range of e-book and document formats, and third-party Android apps. Looking at the promo imagery, I'll be able to load up the likes of Gmail, Trello, Evernote, and Notion, without worrying about more distracting apps or games.

The US price has been set at $649.99 (with a stylus), which is roughly £510 / €615 / AU$1,015 with a straight currency conversion (though UK buyers usually have to import Onyx products). As for a launch date, all we know is it will be sometime early in 2025.

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• GTA 6 is set to release in late 2025
• Publishers are reportedly avoiding announcing game releases for that time
• This is due to fears that the GTA 6 launch will negatively affect sales

Rockstar Games has previously confirmed that the highly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to release in 'fall 2025.' Although there is no official date quite yet, we now know that this news still has had quite an impact on other publishers with companies desperate to avoid a release clash.

A recent Bloomberg article states that "anticipation is so high” for GTA 6 that “some competing game publishers are waiting as long as possible to commit to their release dates for the fall”. This is reportedly so that the publishers can know whether GTA 6 will actually hit its current release window and “keep their own games far, far away" if it does.

Given the huge amount of excitement surrounding GTA 6, it’s not difficult to imagine why. Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto 5, released back in 2013 and now has sold roughly 200 million copies as of earlier this year - a figure that puts it right at the top of the list of the best-selling games of all time by most metrics.

The game also came bundled with a multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online, which proved highly popular in its own right and rakes in millions of dollars in revenue each year. It’s not unreasonable to expect that GTA 6 will be just as successful, potentially sapping attention away from other games released around the same time and negatively impacting their sales.

So far we’ve only seen a single trailer for GTA 6, which gave us our first glimpse at its setting - the Miami-inspired fictionalized state of Leonida. According to previous leaks, the game will star two playable protagonists. In terms of platforms, we know that it’s coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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• Cyberpunk 2077 is getting another major update soon
• Update 2.2's livestream is happening on December 10, 2024
• PS5 Pro support and New Game Plus have been ruled out

Surprise! Cyberpunk 2077 is getting yet another update, roughly a year after its last major patch dropped.

Update 2.2 was confirmed by the official Cyberpunk 2077 X / Twitter account. It'll be detailed in an upcoming REDstreams livestream happening later today (December 10) at 8am PST / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET. You can tune into the livestream as it happens over at CD Projekt Red's official Twitch and YouTube channels.

We're not really sure what to expect from Cyberpunk 2077's Update 2.2. Though we do know what not to expect. CD Projekt Red's global community director, Marcin Momot, took to X / Twitter to pour cold water on PS5 Pro support and New Game Plus rumors.

"A lot of questions about whether PS5 Pro support and NG+ are coming with Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.2," Momot wrote. "The answer is no. We do have some other cool stuff in the oven and we’ll talk about it tomorrow during the stream—we hope you’ll like it too!"

In fairness, the developer had already confirmed that PS5 Pro support would not be coming to Cyberpunk 2077. Similarly, New Game Plus would've been a nice-to-have, but it wouldn't really make sense for protagonist V to be kitted out with near-cyberpsycho levels of augmentation at the start of the game.

The good news is that we should expect more than a smattering of bug fixes given that Update 2.2 is having a whole livestream dedicated to it. Major updates prior to this have included apartments for V, vehicle combat, more driving activities and a tie-in quest with the brilliant Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime.

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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 #1051) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

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

Quordle today (game #1051) - 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 #1051) - 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 #1051) - 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 #1051) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• T

• I

• G

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

Quordle today (game #1051) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1051, are…

• BEGAN
• TRIAL
• IDEAL
• GUIDE

I attempted some actual tactics today to beat my dismal Quordle showing so far. I began with one of my favorite start words – STORE (181 5-letter words start with ST, and 1,517 5-letter words end in an E) – and followed it up with the fancy vowel-friendly ADIEU.

Despite finding all the vowels in two goes, I still struggled and only scraped home. This was mainly due to ineptitude and blindly entering TRAIL instead of TRIAL. I’m blaming vowel blindness and staying up until 4am binge-watching The Day of the Jackal.

Maybe tomorrow, inspired by arch-assassin Eddie Redmayne, I’ll shoot at my laptop keyboard letters with a high-velocity rifle from the roof of a building 2,000 meters away. It would probably be about as successful.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1051) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1051, are…

• TWINE
• BLAND
• NEWER
• PATIO

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE
• Quordle #1039, Thursday 28 November: GRADE, WORRY, NOISE, DAISY
• Quordle #1038, Wednesday 27 November: HEART, ROGUE, INEPT, UTILE
• Quordle #1037, Tuesday 26 November: PRIED, FAINT, HURRY, WOOER
• Quordle #1036, Monday 25 November: NUDGE, SNOOP, SHACK, DRYLY
• Quordle #1035, Sunday 24 November: CLOTH, CLAMP, PETTY, CHEST
• Quordle #1034, Saturday 23 November: AVOID, PLANT, FILET, TWIRL
• Quordle #1033, Friday 22 November: CUTIE, ALOOF, ETUDE, SILLY
• Quordle #1032, Thursday 21 November: RABBI, EAGER, COUGH, BRASH
• Quordle #1031, Wednesday 20 November: MINTY, TOPAZ, BRUSH, LAPEL

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 #548) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FISH
• CALL
• WANDA
• RAN
• INLAND
• CRUISE
• FUMBLE
• TAXI
• TOUCHDOWN
• DUB
• OLIVIA
• ROOT
• NAME
• RUMMAGE
• TAKEOFF
• LABEL

NYT Connections today (game #548) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Hey mister
• GREEN: Start on the runway
• BLUE: Look in the dark
• PURPLE: Nations with something missing

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 #548) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: GIVE A TITLE TO
• GREEN: PARTS OF A FLIGHT
• BLUE: FEEL AROUND (FOR)
• PURPLE: COUNTRIES MINUS FIRST LETTER

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

NYT Connections today (game #548) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #548, are…

• YELLOW: GIVE A TITLE TO CALL, DUB, LABEL, NAME
• GREEN: PARTS OF A FLIGHT CRUISE, TAKEOFF, TAXI, TOUCHDOWN
• BLUE: FEEL AROUND (FOR) FISH, FUMBLE, ROOT, RUMMAGE
• PURPLE: COUNTRIES MINUS FIRST LETTER INLAND, OLIVIA, RAN, WANDA

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

Things that seem very obvious to American sports fans can be an utter mystery to those of us outside the US. From my rudimentary knowledge of the NFL, I knew that TOUCHDOWN and FUMBLE were football terms but could not decide on another pair. Could it be RUMMAGE, which sort of sounds like 'scrummage' (a term in rugby). FISH? Which possibly describes some unique move where a player puts the ball between their legs and swims up the field? Or maybe it's TAXI, which would involve one player giving the player with the ball a piggyback to the End Zone?

Or maybe this could be one of those cunning Connections red herrings – just like FISH, CALL, and WANDA.

After this initial FUMBLE and dismissing the NFL terms, I connected the dots to land on PARTS OF A FLIGHT and cruised to glory as the rest of the groups slotted into place.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 9 December, game #547)

• YELLOW: DELIBERATION CONSIDERATION, REFLECTION, SCRUTINY, THOUGHT
• GREEN: USED IN STARTING A FIRE FLINT, LIGHTER, MAGNIFYING GLASS, MATCHES
• BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE MICROSCOPE, SLIDE, SPECIMEN, STAIN
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "X" FACTOR, FILES, GAMES, RAY

What is NYT Connections?

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

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

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

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

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

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my 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 #282) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Something to see

NYT Strands today (game #282) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SAME
• RIFLE
• MULE
• SMACK
• PIECE
• FAME

NYT Strands today (game #282) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Big screen wonder

NYT Strands today (game #282) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #282) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #282, are…

• FILM
• FLICK
• MOVIE
• PICTURE
• SHORT
• TALKIE
• FEATURE
• SPANGRAM: CINEMATIC

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

Today’s Spangram reminded me of a few unsavory CINEMATIC experiences at my local Picturehouse Cinema.

I’m not a fan of a crowded theater, so I tend to go and see movies during the daytime whenever I can, but this does also tend to be the time when similarly anti-social/strange people go.

Twice I’ve been the only person in a completely empty screening, when, with 100 seats to choose from, someone has come in seconds before the start of the film and sat down next to me. Maybe I’m magnetic. It happened a few weeks ago when I went to see The Heretic, as if that film is not awkward and creepy enough as it is.

Another time, there was just me and one other person in the room and they stood up for the entire two hours. But the worst was when someone sat directly behind me. All was quiet for 30 minutes, but then I sensed something in my peripheral vision and spied two bare feet balanced on the back of my seat. I could have had fun with it and wedged popcorn between their toes, but instead, I just moved as many rows back as I could.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 9 December, game #280)

• WRAP
• PSALM
• GNOME
• HONESTY
• MNEMONIC
• KNUCKLE
• SPANGRAM: SILENT LETTER

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.