TechRadar News

• Prime Video has confirmed when The Wheel of Time season 3 will be released
• The high-fantasy series will return to our screens in March 2025
• Season 3's first trailer teases the potential death of one of its main characters

Amazon has announced that The Wheel of Time season 3 will weave its way onto Prime Video in early 2025.

As revealed during Prime Video's multi-title panel at CCXP 2024 last Saturday (December 7), the high-fantasy series' third chapter will debut on March 13, 2025. The launch date unveiling was also accompanied by the first footage of The Wheel of Time's next installment, with its first teaser suggesting that one of its central characters might not make it to the end of this season.

Potentially big spoilers immediately follow for season 3, so don't scroll on if you're avoiding them.

Season 3's first trailer doesn't reveal too much, but one thing is seemingly clear: Rosamund Pike's Moiraine might not survive The Wheel of Time's next eight-episode entry. Indeed, the iconic Aes Sedai can be heard saying that she's seen "a thousand, thousand futures" as the teaser progresses, before stating that "in every future where I lived, Rand dies". Considering that Josha Stradowski's Rand al'Thor is the so-called Dragon Reborn, aka the individual who possesses the power to save or destroy the world, his survival is key to our heroes potentially triumphing over the evil that threatens them all.

So, what's the solution? It seems that Moiraine is willing to give up her life in order for Rand to continue his quest. Of course, this wouldn't be the first instance in a fantasy show or movie where someone has sacrificed themselves for somebody else. Nevertheless, Moiraine's death would be the one of the best Prime Video shows' biggest so far if it happens. My advice? Don't go searching for answers in The Wheel of Time's source material, because Robert Jordan's book series of the same name spoils what occurs.

What is The Wheel of Time season 3's story about?

The Wheel of Time season 3 may be the show's darkest entry so far (Image credit: Prime Video)

I'm glad you asked! Here's a plot synopsis, courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios: "At the end of season two, after defeating Ishamael, Rand reunites with his friends at Falme and is declared the Dragon Reborn. But in season three, the threats against the Light are multiplying: the White Tower stands divided, the Black Ajah run free, old enemies return to the Two Rivers, and the remaining Forsaken are in hot pursuit of the Dragon… including Lanfear (Natasha O'Keeffe), whose relationship with Rand will mark a crucial choice between Light and Dark for them both.

"As the ties to his past begin to unravel, and his corrupted power grows stronger, Rand becomes increasingly unrecognizable to his closest allies, Moiraine and Egwene (Madeleine Madden). These powerful women, who started the series as teacher and student, must now work together to prevent the Dragon from turning to the Dark… no matter the cost."

Will Rand and Moiraine survive the events of this season? (Image credit: Prime Video)

Well, that sounds ominous. As I said, though, the Dragon Reborn can be a force for good or evil, so there's no guarantee that Rand will walk the right path. His fate and that of the world, then, is yet to be determined.

Joining Stradowski, Pike, O'Keeffe, and Madden on the season 3 cast list are returning series regulars Daniel Henney, Zoe Robins, Marcus Rutherford, Donal Finn, Ceara Coveney, Kate Fleetwood, Ayoola Smart, and Kae Alexander. Rafe Judkins returns as showrunner/executive producer. For more on what I thought of the series' past two seasons, read my The Wheel of Time season 1 review and The Wheel of Time season 2 review.

Early 2025 is already looking like a stacked one for Prime Video, aka one of the world's best streaming services. Joining The Wheel of Time season 3 on the anticipated TV show return front are Invincible season 3 and Reacher season 3, and you can learn more about their next installments below.

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• The Apple Vision Pro could soon support Sony's PSVR 2 controllers
• Apple and Sony are currently in talks to make it happen, rumors suggest
• The benefits could go beyond gaming and and include visionOS apps

The Apple Vision Pro hasn't really taken off in the way the tech giant had hoped, and one reason could be its lackluster gaming support. Right now, you must control games with just your hands and in-air gestures, which is far from ideal in titles where precision and accuracy are key.

That could all change in the near future, though, as Apple is reportedly in talks with Sony to make its PlayStation VR2 controllers compatible with the Vision Pro. That would give Apple fans a much better way to interact with games while using the advanced virtual reality (VR) headset.

In his weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has claimed that Apple and Sony are currently in talks to bring the PlayStation VR2 controllers to the Vision Pro. The two companies originally planned to announce the deal “weeks ago,” Gurman says, but the rollout has reportedly been postponed for the time being.

If Vision Pro users are able to connect Sony’s PlayStation VR2 controllers to Apple’s headset, it could finally help the Vision Pro compete with some of the best VR headsets on the market in terms of gaming features. That could fix a major weakness currently facing Apple’s flagship device.

Benefits beyond gaming

(Image credit: Apple)

It’s not just Sony that Apple is in talks with – Gurman also states that Apple has spoken with game developers about integrating support for Sony’s controllers into their Vision Pro games.

Many games made for Apple’s headset already support standard PlayStation and Xbox controllers, but these devices are designed for living room gaming, not VR headsets. Adding compatibility with the PlayStation VR2 controllers, on the other hand, would add a much more VR-friendly option for gamers.

The benefits of adding hand controller support could be felt beyond gaming. Thanks to the increased accuracy that these controllers bring, anyone doing precise work using the Vision Pro headset – such as editing photos and videos – would benefit from the new control method. And Gurman says Sony’s controllers could also be used to navigate Apple’s visionOS operating system, which some users might prefer to Apple’s current eye- and hand-tracking method.

Funnily enough, Sony recently announced that the PlayStation VR2 would be getting support for hand tracking, presenting a sort of mirror image of what’s apparently happening with the Vision Pro.

Sony has never sold the PlayStation VR2 controllers as standalone units, and they have always been included with the PlayStation VR2 headset. That means Sony would need to start producing and packaging them on their own, but Gurman believes this is only a “hiccup” in the process rather than a major issue.

With work apparently well underway on bringing Sony’s controllers to the Vision Pro, we could soon see a solution to one of the main problems holding Apple’s headset back. Whether it’s enough to turn it into a mainstream success, though, remains to be seen.

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Finished the new Apple TV Plus movie Fly Me To The Moon starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum? Great, because there's another film hot on its heels that's packing just as much star power.

Apple's streaming service released the official trailer for The Gorge over the weekend, and it looks very different to its most recent romantic comedy. The sci-fi mystery thriller sees Anya Taylor-Joy (Queen's Gambit) and Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick) as guards at the gates of what they've been told is hell.

The two trained operatives are tasked with keeping whatever evil lurks inside the titular gorge from escaping and the world's most deadly secret, well, a secret. It sounds like a hell of a job and one that will need a lot of fire power to get done right. Take a look at the action-packed trailer below.

What can we expect from The Gorge?

The action is interspersed with plenty of mystery and sci-fi thrills, and there's also a sprinkling of romance to be had as we watch the characters get to know each other from a distance, even though they've been told not to interact.

One clip from the trailer even shows them playing a game of chess, using binoculars to see the movement of each other's pieces (Queen's Gambit star Taylor-Joy might have a bit of an advantage there). However, their unlikely relationship is interrupted when one of them falls into the gorge. Will all hell break loose? Is this the next best Apple TV Plus movie? We'll have to wait until next year to find out.

Alongside Taylor-Joy and Teller, The Gorge stars Sigourney Weaver (Alien), Sope Dirisu (Slow Horses; Black Mirror) and William Houston (Wednesday). In the director's chair is Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone; Doctor Strange) with Zach Dean (The Tomorrow War; Fast X) writing the screenplay.

The Gorge is set to premiere on February 14, 2025, on Apple TV Plus, aka one of the world's best streaming services.

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• Apple is purportedly ‘investigating’ a 5G modem for its Macs
• The modem won’t be in Macs until 2026, or maybe even later
• Its own modem would bring down costs making 5G viable for Macs

Apple is mulling over finally adding a cellular modem to its Macs, after that prospect has been floating around the rumor mill for some time.

A cellular (5G) modem would mean that MacBooks could hook up to mobile broadband when on the move, as opposed to having to find public Wi-Fi somewhere or be tethered to an iPhone.

The rumor comes from a reliable source regarding Apple’s inner machinations, Mark Gurman, in an article for Bloomberg (via MacRumors).

Gurman believes Apple is ‘investigating’ the idea of a 5G modem in its Macs, but that such a model won’t be here next year – it’ll be 2026 at the earliest (or maybe even later).

The chip will be a custom-built 5G modem that Apple is readying for certain iPhone and iPad models next year, including the rumored iPhone 17 Air (also referred to as the iPhone 17 Slim). It’ll first be deployed on lower-end devices to test the waters before coming to the more heavyweight iOS hardware.

Apple’s 5G chip will replace the Qualcomm modems that it uses in iOS devices now, and in theory, if the firm’s own modems prove to be a success, they’ll come to Macs as well as the flagship iPhone and iPad models.

While the first generation of Apple’s modem will probably be a relatively modest piece of tech, Gurman believes that the company is planning to outgun Qualcomm’s modems by the third generation.

That might be a realistic ambition if Apple can achieve a similar success to that witnessed with the transition from Intel processors in Macs to its own M-series chips.

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: Bringing down the costs

As MacRumors points out, Gurman has previously said that Macs with 5G modems probably wouldn’t debut until 2028, so that timeframe has possibly been moved up. 'Possibly' is the key word there, as 2026 is mentioned as the earliest year we might see cellular-toting Macs, so it could well be more like 2027 before these devices turn up. If at all – Apple could always kick this plan further down the road, too.

You might well be wondering: why has it taken so long for Apple to get this modem-for-Mac plan on the table? Well, mainly because of the costly expense of paying Qualcomm for the necessary modems (and associated tech patent fees) if this were to be done right now – something that’ll be mitigated considerably when Apple has its own 5G modem.

Certainly, a 5G modem isn’t on everyone’s Mac wishlist, as you’ll need to stump up for the necessary mobile data subscription to use it, of course. But it’s going to be a tempting prospect for those who spend a lot of time on the move with their MacBook, and definitely a useful option to have. Note that 5G will, of course, be an optional addition, and not something you’ll get on the entry-level models.

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• Prime Video has debuted the official trailer for Invincible's third season
• The new teaser arrives ahead of season 3's release in February 2025
• Its footage teases new superheroes, returning villains, and who'll betray Mark Grayson next

Invincible season 3's official trailer is finally here and, despite what's come before, the hit animated show's next chapter might be its darkest yet.

Debuting at CCXP 2024 in Brazil last Saturday (December 7), the teaser contains melodrama aplenty and moments that foreshadow some awful events to come. Full spoilers immediately follow for Invincible season 2, as well as storylines from the comics that'll be covered in season 3, so turn back now if you don't want to have anything ruined ahead of time.

As I noted in an article discussing what a new poster for Invincible season 3 teased, Mark will end his working relationship with Cecil Stedman in the Prime Video series' next outing. Indeed, the Global Defense Agency's (GDA) shady boss has, unbeknownst to Mark, been working alongside evil scientist D.A. Sinclair to create an army of ReAnimen with the view to using these mechanical zombies as a last line of defense against anyone who threatens humanity. Someone like, oh, I don't know, the son of Omni-Man (that'll be Mark, for anyone unaware) who may follow in his father's footsteps and try to conquer Earth for the Viltrumite empire.

It isn't just the titular human-Viltrumite hybrid who ends his association with Cecil. As Invincible's latest footage suggests, some of Mark's fellow Guardians of the Globe will also walk away from the GDA after a tense Marvel-esque civil war showdown with those who are still loyal to Cecil. In the source material, Rex Splode, Robot, Monster Girl, and Bulletproof quit the Guardians alongside Mark, and it seems they'll do likewise in Amazon's R-rated animated adaptation.

Say hello to Kid Omni-Man, Multi-Paul, and Mark's comics-accurate new suit

Looking fresh, Mark! (Image credit: Prime Video)

There's plenty more that one of the best Prime Video shows' latest trailers reveals. New heroes will emerge to help Mark, such as his younger half-brother Oliver, who officially becomes Kid Omni-Man next season. However, considering season 3 will see Kid Omni-Man take on the Mauler Twins, and given what long-time Invincible fans know about this particular duel from the comics, maybe Kid Omni-Man won't be as morally righteous as his elder sibling.

But I digress. Season 3 will also see the return of villains including Titan, Battle Beast, and Doc Seismic, the re-emergence of Darkwing 2.0, the debut of Dupli-Kate's twin brother Multi-Paul, Allen trying to convince Nolan to break out of Viltrumite jail and join the Coalition of Planets' fight against his own tyrannical race, and a new, "serious" – Mark's words, not mine – supersuit for the eponymous hero. Unfortunately, there's still no footage confirming when Mark and long-time love interest Eve will get together. Don't make me wait another season to find out if they do, Amazon!

Need a reminder of what happened last season? Read my Invincible season 2 ending explained article to see where the adult-oriented show left off and the story threads it needs to pick up soon. And, by "soon", I mean it, because Invincible season 3 launches on Prime Video with a three-episode premiere on February 6, 2025. New episodes will air weekly after that until the finale on March 13.

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• Leak teases Samsung's version of Google's Audio Magic Editor
• Would make it easier to clean up noise in your video's audio
• Could launch with the Galaxy S25 early next year

We've seen a barrage of AI tools and features arrive on our phones this year, with one of the coolest being an upgrade to a standout Pixel 8 feature, Audio Magic Eraser, debuting on the Google Pixel 9 – and now it seems that Samsung wants to copy Google’s homework.

Audio Magic Eraser is an AI tool which, as the name suggests, is an audio version of Google’s Magic Eraser for photos. Instead of removing or moving elements of your picture, it allows you to adjust the audio track of a recorded video by modulating the volume of speech from different subjects, wind noise, and background noise.

Now prolific Samsung leaker Ice Universe has posted to Weibo (spotted by Android Authority, and translated from Chinese) saying that the next version of One UI 7 will include Samsung’s version of Google’s Audio Eraser – sharing a screenshot which shows how you can adjust the audio of a video shot at a concert.

As with all leaks we should take this one with a pinch of salt, not least because Ice Universe doesn’t share precisely where their knowledge and access to the feature comes from, explaining in their post that there’s “No need to look for it in Beta1, it's not there. Only I have it.”

What else do the Galaxy S25s have in store for us?

The Galaxy S24 Ultra's sucessor might get a new name (Image credit: Samsung)

Though if Audio Eraser is indeed on the way, the big question is when will we get the next version of Samsung’s One UI? Ideally the Audio Magic Eraser would drop when the Samsung Galaxy S25 flagships debut early next year, with rumors and Samsung’s traditional release schedule suggesting a launch in January.

However, as has been the case with phone releases, it’s possible that new tools will first be S25-exclusive before making their way to older compatible devices – so those of you rocking a Samsung Galaxy S24 or Galaxy Z Flip 6 might need to hold out for Samsung’s Audio Eraser appear on your device.

Beyond an AI Audio Editor, leaks tease a few other updates for the soon-to-launch phones: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could instead launch as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Note, the new phones might each use a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and the base S25 model could have 12GB of RAM to facilitate more and better onboard AI features.

As soon as we know more about the new Samsung handsets we’ll be sure to update you with all the latest info, and once they’ve launched we'll be posting our in-depth reviews, to help you decide whether any of the S25 phones are the next best smartphone for you.

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• OnePlus has shared two photos showing the front of the OnePlus Ace 5
• This is expected to launch as the OnePlus 13R outside China
• It looks almost identical to the OnePlus 13

OnePlus loves to show off its devices before fully announcing them, and the upcoming OnePlus 13R is no exception, as the company has just posted photos showing the front of the phone.

Or rather, a OnePlus exec has posted photos of the OnePlus Ace 5 on Weibo (via NotebookCheck), but based on past form, it’s expected that the Ace 5 will launch outside China as the OnePlus 13R.

In any case, the images – one of which you can see above, and another below – were accompanied by text noting that this phone has a metal frame and slim bezels. You can also see that it has a flat screen, a punch-hole selfie camera, what appear to be power and volume buttons on the right edge, and an alert slider on the left edge.

(Image credit: OnePlus) High-end design paired with a mid-range chipset

In all, this phone looks exactly like the device we previously saw in a leaked OnePlus 13R image, and it looks very much like the standard OnePlus 13, too.

Visually, then, it might be hard to tell that this isn’t a high-end phone, but in fact, the OnePlus 13R will be a mid-range alternative to the flagship OnePlus 13.

For one thing, we’re hearing that it will be powered by the year-old (but still powerful) Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, previously found in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and OnePlus 12. The OnePlus 13, meanwhile, has the latest model – the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

That could be one of the very few spec compromises here, though, with previous leaks suggesting the OnePlus 13R will also have a 6.78-inch 1264 x 2780 AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 6,000mAh battery with 80W charging, 12GB of RAM, and a triple-lens rear camera, with two 50MP sensors and an 8MP one.

Most of that sounds quite impressive, so if the price is right, then the OnePlus 13R could give the likes of the iPhone SE 4 and Google Pixel 9a – both of which are also expected next year – a run for their money.

We should find out exactly how good the OnePlus 13R is soon, as it will probably launch in January or February based on past form, and knowing OnePlus, the company will likely reveal more details about it before then.

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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 #1050) - 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 #1050) - 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 3.

Quordle today (game #1050) - 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 #1050) - 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 #1050) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• F

• S

• B

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

Quordle today (game #1050) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1050, are…

• TITAN
• FORTE
• SPEED
• BRIAR

Quordleheads who look at my guesses today will immediately ascertain that I did not have a clue what I was doing and wasted turns without a clear goal or strategy.

I knew that my last word couldn’t begin with an F, but I couldn’t think of any other words that ended in IAR, which had to be my last three letters.

Somehow I got there, scraped through, and claimed victory from the jaws of defeat through sheer dint off just carrying on, but it hardly warrants a victory lap of the office, the brushing of imaginary dust from one's shoulders, and fist bump explosions with my imaginary friends.

In brief, this is not my FORTE, but I got there, somehow.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1050) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1050, are…

• POSIT
• FELON
• BOOST
• CROCK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• 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
• Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST

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 #547) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• RAY
• FACTOR
• LIGHTER
• STAIN
• MICROSCOPE
• GAMES
• CONSIDERATION
• MAGNIFYING GLASS
• REFLECTION
• MATCHES
• SLIDE
• THOUGHT
• FLINT
• FILES
• SCRUTINY
• SPECIMEN

NYT Connections today (game #547) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Ponder this 
• GREEN: It’s going to burn
• BLUE: In the lab
• PURPLE: The truth is out there

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 #547) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DELIBERATION 
• GREEN: USED IN STARTING A FIRE 
• BLUE: USED TO VIEW A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE 
• PURPLE: WORDS AFTER "X" 

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

NYT Connections today (game #547) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #547, are…

• 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

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

It’s getting near that Christmas family quiz time again, so here’s a quick 1980s pop trivia question for you inspired by today’s Connections: How many people can you name who are mentioned in Billy Joel’s hit We Didn’t Start The Fire?

I’ll leave that with you.

Before you look it up: Bonus self-satisfaction points if you get any in the correct order.

USED TO START A FIRE was the first thing to leap out from the grid, although I did initially think MAGNIFYING GLASS and MICROSCOPE belonged together.

Of the WORDS AFTER X it was FILES that I saw first, ahead of the more obvious RAY. Possibly, because I'm still holding a candle (or should that be lighter) for Scully. Surely, the easiest Purple group seen for a couple of weeks. DELIBERATION didn’t take much THOUGHT either – well not as much as trying to remember what Billy rhymed with Charles de Gaulle.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 8 December, game #546)

• YELLOW: PUNCH BELT, BLOW, SLUG, SOCK
• GREEN: CRAM SANDWICH, SHOEHORN, SQUEEZE, WEDGE
• BLUE: COMPANIES NAMED AFTER ANIMALS CATERPILLAR, DOVE, GREYHOUND, PUMA
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF MUSIC GENRES INDY, METTLE, SEOUL, WRAP

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Quiet at first

NYT Strands today (game #281) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SLAP
• POEM
• NOISEY
• MILE
• SMELT
• PONY

NYT Strands today (game #281) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• What’s an aphthong?

NYT Strands today (game #281) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 4th row

Second: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #281) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #281, are…

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

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 hints

After seeing the clue and spotting the word Noisey in the grid, it appeared that today’s Strands was about sounds; instead Noisey and Noise just helped get closer to a hint – something that was much needed with today's SILENT LETTER theme.

Even after working out the connecting theme once I'd been gifted WRAP, I still struggled to find these dreaded aphthongs – you could say it gnawed at me and momentarily turned me into a psycho ready to wreak havoc on the pseudo Strands setters, pterodactyl style – but then I connected the Spangram snake, untwisted my knickers and all was good with the world.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 8 December, game #280)

• FACE
• HANDS
• BEZEL
• CROWN
• LUXURY
• DIGITAL
• ANALOG
• SPANGRAM: WATCHWORDS

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.

What's better than giving great gifts? Giving great gifts that you got for a great price. And that's what Back Market brings you this festive season. Whether you're looking for a stunning smartphone, a set of headphones, a PlayStation, a PC, a Nintendo Switch or a smartwatch, you can get them all for exceptionally low prices at Back Market.

How low? Up to 50% off new prices in the UK, and up to 70% in the US. So whether you're buying for friends, family or for yourself, there's never been a better way to fill up Santa's sleigh with gifts – and prices – that slay.

Serious savings on tempting tech gifts

If you're buying for young family or the young at heart, Nintendo's Switch is guaranteed to delight gamers of every stripe. It's down to just $157.24 in the US and £157 in the UK, with the standard Switch down to just $239 in the US and £249.98 in the UK.

The Switch OLED 64GB is just $270 compared to $349 new; in the UK it's down from £314.99 to just £252. And there are some fantastic deals on consoles too. The PlayStation 5 is down from £479.99 to just £350 in the UK, and in the US it's down to $419.

If you're buying for a student, for your own studies or for your creative projects you probably know that Macs are brilliant buys – but they're usually very expensive too. Not at Back Market. The astonishingly fast M2 MacBook Air 13" with a massive 1TB of storage is just $965, down from $1,899. And the M3 13" is down from $1,299 to just $999. In the UK, the M1 MacBook Air 13" is down from £999 to an incredible £496.65.

There's more good news. Those prices don't include trade-ins, which are available on many items and which bring the price you pay down even more.

(Image credit: Back Market) Big bass for low, low prices

If you're looking for the perfect present for a music fan, nothing beats Beats headphones – and nothing beats Back Market's prices on Beats headphones such as the brilliant Beats Studio3 wireless headphones. They're down from $349 to $147.49. In the UK, where they cost even more to buy new, the discount is bigger still: instead of £599 new, you can pick up a pair of Studio 3 for just £199.99. And there are lots more headphone and earbuds deals where they came from, for customers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Beautiful prices on beauty and grooming gadgets

Back Market has some brilliant beauty buys, such as the Wazor professional 1875W hair dryer; that's reduced from £99 to a much happier £25. The Remington AS7051 Styling Brush is down from £69.99 to just £22. And there are great deals on a wide range of hair dryers and styling tools, such as the Shark HD440 Curling Iron – down from £289 to £230 – and the GHD Helios hair dryer, £145 compared to £170 new.

There are plenty of grooming tools for beards and stubble too. Remington electric shavers are down from £60 to £29.99, Panasonic's smart ER-GB42 electronic shaver is just £31 compared to £99 new, and the Remington HC4255 shaver is down from £91.06 to just £38.99. And if you want to cleanly and effectively remove body hair there are tons of options including Braun's clever Silk-épil 5 5-820 epilator, shaver and bikini line kit. That's usually £156.04 but at Back Market it's just £85 – and once again you can trade in existing health and beauty products to get the price down even further.

(Image credit: Back Market) Home is where the heart is

For UK shoppers, Back Market also delivers great deals on practical presents. There are some absolutely eye-popping discounts on coffee machines such as the fantastic Sage The Barista Express Impress, winner of multiple rave reviews: that's down from £729.95 to just £469.99.

And if you fancy treating yourself to the gift of time you can get great prices on powerful, speedy vacuum cleaners such as the Henry HVR2000-11, down from £154 to £114, and the Shark cordless stick IZ202U, with a whopping £250 off the new price. That's down to just £250.

We're barely scratching the surface of the deals you can find on Back Market for everything from air fryers to hair dryers. It's a fantastic place to shop this festive season, and all year round.

Why Back Market is better

Back Market is the leading global marketplace for refurbished electronics, devices and accessories. And it doesn't just save you money. It helps cut your environmental footprint too. When you buy refurbished tech, you're massively reducing the amount of water, energy and raw materials needed to deliver your new-to-you device.

If you haven't bought refurbished before, we think you'll be impressed. Refurbished gives you all the benefits of buying pre-loved – but without the risks of receiving a locked phone, a dead battery or a dodgy history. Any faults have already been spotted and sorted, with the device getting a full inspection by industry professionals before it's sent on to you. Not only that, but you also get a 30-day return policy and a year's warranty for extra piece of mind.

When you see the huge savings you can get on Back Market we think you'll be an instant fan. And there's another reason to love buying refurbished: you can buy with a clean conscience. When you buy refurbished, you're getting a device with up to 92% fewer CO2 emissions than the same product sold new.

(Image credit: Back Market) Save serious sums on great gifts

Whether you're looking for a phone, a PlayStation, headphones or hair clippers, simply browse the Back Market listings until you find the product you'd like for the price you'd like to pay.

Back Market products are classed into categories: Fair, Good, Excellent or for phones, Premium.

No matter what category you choose, every gadget Back Market sells is fully guaranteed and 100% functional. But if you're not too fussed about getting a gadget with a pristine appearance you can save even more cash by opting for Good or Fair. Items marked as Fair may have a few minor cosmetic imperfections and signs of use but the savings are massive. Good ones cost a little more but look great, while Excellent are even better. And if you'd rather get a phone that looks factory-fresh, Premium is the tag for you.

When it comes to making serious savings this festive season, there's only one place to go-ho-ho for great gifts at great prices. Click here to visit Back Market for US shoppers, and click here for Back Market UK.

• South Korean citizens were hit with a zero-click malware from the North
• The malware used pop-up ads to install payloads
• Keyloggers and other malicious surveillance software was also installed

North Korean state-linked hacker ScarCruft recently conducted a large-scale cyber-espionage campaign using an Internet Explorer zero-day flaw to deploy RokRAT malware, experts have warned.

The group, also known as APT37 or RedEyes, is a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group known for cyber-espionage activities.

This group typically focuses on South Korean human rights activists, defectors, and political entities in Europe.

Internet Explorer Zero-Day flaw exploited

Over the years, ScarCruft has developed a reputation for using advanced techniques such as phishing, watering hole attacks, and exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in software to infiltrate systems and steal sensitive information.

Their latest campaign, dubbed "Code on Toast," was revealed in a joint report by South Korea's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and AhnLab (ASEC). This campaign used a unique method involving toast pop-up ads to deliver zero-click malware infections.

The innovative aspect of this campaign lies in how ScarCruft used toast notifications - small pop-up ads displayed by antivirus software or free utility programs - to spread their malware.

ScarCruft compromised a domestic advertising agency’s server in South Korea to push malicious "Toast ads" through a popular but unnamed free software used by many South Koreans.

These malicious ads included a specially crafted iframe that triggered a JavaScript file named ‘ad_toast,’ which executed the Internet Explorer zero-day exploit. By using this zero-click method, ScarCruft was able to silently infect systems without user interaction.

The high-severity vulnerability in Internet Explorer used in this attack is tracked as CVE-2024-38178 and has been given a severity score of 7.5. The flaw exists in Internet Explorer’s JScript9.dll file, part of its Chakra engine, and allows remote code execution if exploited. Despite Internet Explorer’s official retirement in 2022, many of its components remain embedded in Windows or third-party software, making them ripe targets for exploitation.

ScarCruft’s use of the CVE-2024-38178 vulnerability in this campaign is particularly alarming because it closely resembles a previous exploit they used in 2022 for CVE-2022-41128. The only difference in the new attack is an additional three lines of code designed to bypass Microsoft’s earlier security patches.

Once the vulnerability is exploited, ScarCruft delivers RokRAT malware to the infected systems. RokRAT is primarily used to exfiltrate sensitive data with the malware targeting files with specific extensions like .doc, .xls, .ppt, and others, sending them to a Yandex cloud every 30 minutes. In addition to file exfiltration, RokRAT has surveillance capabilities, including keylogging, clipboard monitoring, and screenshot capture every three minutes.

The infection process consists of four stages, with each payload injected into the ‘explorer.exe’ process to evade detection. If popular antivirus tools like Avast or Symantec are found on the system, the malware is instead injected into a random executable from the C:\Windows\system32 folder. Persistence is maintained by placing a final payload, ‘rubyw.exe,’ in the Windows startup and scheduling it to run every four minutes.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Chinese firms are driving LED adoption in cinemas globally
• Challenging established tech giants like Samsung and LG
• LED screens show global promise, only 0.5% penetration to date

Whole international companies such as Samsung and LG currently dominate the LED cinema screen market, that looks set to change as Chinese companies, buoyed by domestic success, begin driving the global adoption of LED cinema technology.

A recent report from TrendForce claims LED cinema screens are gaining traction in China, driven by supportive government policies.

Leading companies like China Film Global Technology Limited (CFGDC), HUAXIA LEYARD, QSTECH, Unilumin, and LOPU are actively promoting LED cinema solutions domestically and in overseas markets, including North America, Europe, Japan, and South Korea.

Plenty of room for growth

TrendForce notes that China Film Group Corporation (CFGC) recently announced that a cinema in Dinkelsbühl, Germany, had purchased 10 of its CINITY projection systems, creating a fully LED-based cinema experience. LEYARD has installed LED screens in over 20 international cinemas, including locations in France, the US, and Spain.

Earlier in 2024, Rio-tech and Timewaying introduced HeyLED screens, measuring 10 meters (32.8 feet) wide and 5.5 meters (18 feet) high, to a cinema in Romania.

These screens, which eliminate the need for traditional projectors, have gained traction in Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Meanwhile, LOPU’s transparent LED cinema screens are also attracting interest from international investors and at CinemaCon in April 2024, Cineappo showcased its VLED products, reporting strong interest from global cinema operators.

We’ve previously written about Unilumin, which created a giant display at Xinjiekou International Cinema in Nanjing Deji Plaza, China. Its 20.48 meter (67 feet) wide by 10.8 meter (35 feet) high screen serves as an alternative to IMAX and uses the UCine LED film projection system. Unilumin has also installed screens at the Regency Theater in Los Angeles and the San Ya cinema in Hainan province.

TrendForce projects global LED installations will reach 160 units this year. With only 0.5% market penetration for LED cinema screens so far, there is substantial room for growth, and Chinese companies are evidently eager to capitalize on the opportunity.

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• Valve could be making a streaming box
• Hints found in the Steam Deck code
• No indications of a launch date yet

It might be five years since the Nvidia Shield last had a refresh – see our Nvidia Shield (2019) review for details – but the device remains one of the best streaming boxes in the business. We're now hearing it may get a new competitor, courtesy of Valve.

As per a Reddit thread analyzing changes to the Steam Deck code (via XDA Developers), it looks as though the software used on the portable console could soon be adapted to run on a streaming box connected to a television.

You'd then have a lightweight, versatile device that could both play games and stream video and audio to the big screen – much like the Nvidia Shield does. This is mostly speculation at this point, but we could definitely see it happening.

There are references in the code to an AMD 8540U processor, though this may only be referring to a prototype device, so the configuration could change. That would certainly offer more power than the current Steam Deck specs.

HDMI and Android

The Valve Steam Deck (Image credit: Valve)

According to the tipster who spotted the code change, extra support for HDMI control is being added – and the changes match some of the code seen on ChromeOS devices, suggesting support for both Android and web apps.

Apart from that, there are no real details about what could be coming. We don't know anything in terms of dimensions or pricing, and there's no indication here about how long it's going to be before the product is announced (if it ever is).

Go all the way back to our Nvidia Shield (2015) review, and you'll see that it's always been an impressively versatile device. It's earned itself a relatively small but loyal group of users, though we haven't seen any signs that we'll ever get a new model.

What we did get a couple of months ago was the first software update for the Nvidia Shield in a year – though it was intended to squash some outstanding bugs on the streaming box, rather than add any new features.

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• Lyve Cloud offers scalable, secure, S3-compatible object storage
• Infrequent access tier offers cost-efficient storage for rarely used data
• Affordable at $3.75/TB, ensures security, durability, and flexibility

First launched back in 2021, Seagate’s Lyve cloud storage is a scalable, S3-compatible object storage platform designed to help enterprises manage, store, and access their data efficiently, offering high durability, low latency, and predictable pricing.

In a bid to help enterprises manage long-term data retention, Seagate has introduced a new, affordable “infrequent access" tier for its service which can provide cost-efficient storage for data that is accessed infrequently, while maintaining instant availability and eliminating retrieval fees.

Melyssa Banda, senior vice president of Edge Storage and Services at Seagate, said, “Nearly 65% of our customers are actively seeking an archive tier that is economical and provides both flexibility and customer choice to their S3 offering. Now our cloud object storage users can easily scale storage resources to accommodate their growing and evolving data requirements.”

Highly affordable

The new tier allows enterprises to move less frequently used data to a lower-cost storage option. Despite the reduced pricing, Seagate insists users retain the same high durability, low latency, and performance guarantees as its standard Lyve cloud object storage service. It also offers enterprise-grade security features, including encryption and immutability.

The infrequent access tier is expected to be particularly beneficial for industries such as healthcare, finance, and media that have large volumes of data that must be preserved but are not accessed regularly. Examples of data suitable for this tier include active archives, compliance and regulatory records, and log data for auditing and historical analysis.

The infrequent access tier is available now via subscription with pricing at $3.75/TB per month ($45/TB a year), potentially allowing organizations to budget more effectively for long-term storage needs. Features include SOC 2, ISO27001, and HIPAA compliance, ensuring secure and reliable data management.

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• The iPhone SE 4 could get an Apple modem
• Better battery life may be one benefit
• More modem upgrades expected in 2026 and 2027

We've been hearing a lot in recent weeks about the iPhone SE 4, which is expected to make an appearance in March 2025 – and a new report backs up what we've heard previously about the handset arriving with a brand new Apple 5G and Wi-Fi modem.

This comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of the more reliable sources when it comes to Apple leaks – and while we've heard this particular rumor before, Gurman adds plenty of detail on top in his article.

The new series of chipsets, which will replace ones made by Qualcomm, have been five years in the making, Gurman says. He also adds that the chips could take until 2027 to fully catch up to the Qualcomm equivalents in terms of performance and features.

In addition, we get the codename of the first modem: Sinope. It's been tested extensively and found to be reliable – but it doesn't quite match the tech in the modems in the current high-end iPhones, and won't support the mmWave type of 5G. It's thought that most users won't notice any difference in cellular speeds, however.

Future upgrades

The iPhone SE 4 will reportedly be based on the iPhone 14, above (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

While Qualcomm may still have the edge in terms of modem tech, there are good reasons for Apple switching to its own modems, as it has done with processors: it means the iPhone as a whole can be built to be more tightly integrated and more efficient, which should mean less of a draw on battery life.

The new modem will reportedly offer better support for dual SIM setups, and reduce the level of radio frequency energy emitted – this isn't a problem for current iPhones, but it'll be even less of a problem in the future.

A second-generation modem should be expected in 2026, according to Gurman, ready for the iPhone 18. That will advance the technology even further, improving download speeds and adding support for mmWave. A third model is predicted for 2027.

It might not be the most important iPhone SE 4 upgrade, but it's a significant one. The upcoming handset is rumored to be the first in the SE series to be ditching the Touch ID home button and adopting the modern iPhone look.

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• China is trying to establish a domestic GPU market
• The idea is to steer away from reliance on sanctioned Nvidia GPUs
• However compatibility and cost is causing significant issues

US export restrictions have targeted China’s access to advanced chips, fearing that cutting-edge technology could bolster China’s military capabilities.

These sanctions have forced the nation to ramp up efforts to develop its own GPU technology, with Chinese start-ups already making significant strides in GPU hardware and software development.

However, the shift from globally recognized Nvidia chips to homegrown alternatives involves extensive engineering, slowing down the progress of AI advancements. Despite China’s progress in this sector, the challenges posed by incompatible systems and technology gaps remain significant.

High cost and complexity

A government-backed think tank in Beijing has therefore suggested that Chinese data centers continue to use Nvidia chips due to the high costs and complexity involved in shifting to domestic alternatives.

Nvidia’s A100 and H100 GPUs, widely used for training AI models, were barred from export to China in August 2022, leading the company to create modified versions like the A800 and H800. However, these chips were also banned by Washington in October 2023, leaving China with limited access to the advanced hardware it had relied on.

Despite the rapid development of Chinese GPU start-ups, the think tank pointed out that transferring AI models from Nvidia hardware to domestic solutions remains challenging due to differences in hardware and software. The extensive engineering required for such a transition would result in significant costs for data centers, making Nvidia chips more appealing despite the limitations on availability.

Even with US sanctions, China’s AI computing power continues to grow at a rapid pace. As of 2023, China’s computing capacity, which includes both central processing units (CPUs) and GPUs, increased by 27 per cent year on year, reaching 230 Eflops.

GPU-based computing power, essential for AI model training and inference, grew even faster, with a 70 per cent increase over the same period. Furthermore, China’s AI hardware landscape has expanded significantly, with over 250 internet data centers (IDCs) either completed or under construction by mid-2023.

These centers are part of a larger push towards “new infrastructure,” backed by local governments, state-owned telecommunications operators, and private investors. However, this rapid build out has also led to concerns about overcapacity and under-utilization.

“If the conditions allow, [data centres] can choose [Nvidia’s] A100 and H100 high-performance computing units. If the need for computing power is limited, they can also choose H20 or alternative domestic solutions,” the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) said in a report on China’s computing power development issued on Sunday.

“The trend of computing power fragmentation is increasingly severe, with GPU average use rates less than 40 per cent…There are big discrepancies on hardware in IDCs, such as in GPUs, AI accelerators and network structures, which made it harder to manage and dispatch hardware resources to accommodate for differential computing needs of AI tasks, further impeding the use rate,” the report added.

Via SCMP

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• Prime Video has finally revealed when Reacher season 3 will be released
• The hugely popular action show will premiere on the streamer next February
• A 30-second teaser confirms Jack Reacher will meet his match in the series' next chapter

Prime Video has confirmed that Reacher season 3 will make its debut on the streaming service in early 2025.

Announced during an Amazon presentation at CCXP 2024 in São Paulo, Brazil, Reacher's third installment will premiere on the platform on February 20, 2025. That's a Thursday, for anyone wondering.

That wasn't the only exciting announcement that Prime Video made about Jack Reacher's next outing. Indeed, one of the world's best streaming services also released a first-look teaser for its action series' next chapter, which proves the titular hero will finally meet his match, especially from a height perspective, in season 3.

The 30-second stinger is packed with the kind of adrenaline-fuelled footage we've come to expect from Reacher's TV adaptation. Alan Ritchson's muscular protagonist being a badass? Check. Explosions and gunfire aplenty? Double check. The return of Maria Sten's Frances Neagley? Triple check.

What fans of one of the best Prime Video shows might not have expected, though, is to see the titular man mountain dwarfed by another individual. Well, it turns out Reacher, who stands at 6'5, isn't the tallest and hardest hitting guy around anymore. That award goes to a guy who Reacher calls Paulie – a colossus of a man who'll be portrayed by the 7'2 Olivier Richters, who's famously known as 'The Dutch Giant' in real life. Judging by his ability to not only withstand Reacher's powerful punches, but also knock the eponymous hero to the ground with a single throw of his own, it seems Reacher will have to use all of his nous and skills to defeat this towering foe.

Time to hit the road again, Jack (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

As for Reacher season 3's story, here's a brief plot synopsis, courtesy of Amazon: "Based on Lee Child’s novel Persuader, in the third season of the action-packed series, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise when trying to rescue an undercover DEA informant whose time is running out. There he finds a world of secrecy and violence – and confronts some unfinished business from his own past."

Joining Ritchson, Sten, and Richters on the cast list for Reacher's next entry are Anthony Michael Hall, Sonya Cassidy, Brian Tee, Johnny Berchtold, Robert Montesinos, Daniel David Stewart. Nick Santora (FUBAR, Prison Break) returns as its showrunner and one of the series' executive producing team, which counts Child and Ritchson among its 11-strong team.

Reacher season 3 will launch on Prime Video with a three-episode premiere. New episodes will air weekly until the finale on March 27. That won't be the end of the road for the program's protagonist, though – Indeed, Amazon MGM Studios renewed Reacher for a fourth season in mid-October. As revealed in an Amazon press release, filming will begin on season 4 in 2025.

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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 #1049) - 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 #1049) - 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 #1049) - 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 #1049) - 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 #1049) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• S

• M

• I

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

Quordle today (game #1049) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1049, are…

• BUNCH
• SHINY
• MOULT
• INTRO

After nailing the tactics yesterday – or getting lucky with my Battleships technique – I fell apart today, but I was on the right track with my starter ending in an O.

Some of the best things in life are five letter words that end in O – disco, bongo, mango, erm, photo? Which reminds me of Pablo and his hippo herd. Like many a multi millionaire from the 1980s, the Colombian king narco was fond of displaying his wealth via a collection of exotic animals including four hippos. After he was shot dead, the hippos escaped and rapidly grew to a sizable herd of 166 feral beasts causing havoc and wanton destruction in much the same way as their deceased owner.

The Quordle word that end in O among today’s quartet is the less exciting and more taxing to guess – for me at least – INTRO which was actually my Quordle outro.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1049) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1049, are…

• TAPER
• DRAWL
• JERKY
• MUDDY

Quordle answers: The past 20

• 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
• Quordle #1030, Tuesday 19 November: NINJA, PENCE, PAINT, FOIST
• Quordle #1029, Monday 18 November: ASCOT, BRINK, WEIRD, HOMER

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 #546) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SANDWICH
• CATERPILLAR
• SHOEHORN
• SEOUL
• SLUG
• WRAP
• WEDGE
• SOCK
• PUMA
• BELT
• METTLE
• DOVE
• INDY
• GREYHOUND
• BLOW
• SQUEEZE

NYT Connections today (game #546) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: So you wanna be a boxer?
• Green: No space left
• Blue: Branded creatures
• Purple: Sounds like sounds

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 #546) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PUNCH 
• GREEN: CRAM 
• BLUE: COMPANIES NAMED AFTER ANIMALS
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF MUSIC GENRES

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

NYT Connections today (game #546) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #546, are…

• YELLOW: PUNCH BELT, BLOW, SLUG, SOCK
• GREEN: CRAM SANDWICH, SHOEHORN, SQUEEZE, WEDGE
• BLUE: COMPANIES NAMED AFTER ANIMALS CATERPILLAR, DOVE, GREYHOUND, PUMA
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF MUSIC GENRES INDY, METTLE, SEOUL, WRAP

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today was one of those magical green-light days when Connections made perfect sense. Usually I'm floundering around for the fourth word, falling into the red herring traps, or failing to see the obvious before my eyes. But today it just clicked.

After watching Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson last month, I'm well versed in the rich variety of ways to describe hitting someone – or indeed not hitting someone. That led me to yellow, PUNCH, while green (CRAM) was only a little harder.

As always, blue and purple were harder, but having owned a pair back in the day, it was CATERPILLAR boots I thought of first before the multi-legged insect – making it easy to make the link with other COMPANIES NAMED AFTER ANIMALS with the addition of PUMA, GREYHOUND, and DOVE. Had I not been so familiar with the boot brand, I would have been looking for another insect to go along with SLUG.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 7 December, game #545)

• YELLOW: THINK OF TOGETHER AFFILIATE, ASSOCIATE, EQUATE, RELATE
• GREEN: WAYS TO ATTRACT FISH BAIT, CHUM, FLY, LURE
• BLUE: W.N.B.A. TEAMS LIBERTY, STORM, SUN, WINGS
• PURPLE: LONG___ BOW, FELLOW, HORN, LEGS

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.