TechRadar News

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Old hang-ups

NYT Strands today (game #273) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SEVERE
• CHIT
• CHOIR
• GREED
• LION
• CARD

NYT Strands today (game #273) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Pick up if you're there

NYT Strands today (game #273) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: right, 4th row

Last: left, 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 #273) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #273, are…

• RECEIVER
• SWITCH
• DIAL
• CRADLE
• HANDSET
• RINGER
• SPANGRAM: ROTARYPHONE

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: Perfect

This was another nice Strands puzzle, with a straightforward theme in some ways, but more interesting than some due to both the nostalgia factor and the fact that its era made it harder.

We're talking here about the ROTARYPHONE, a device that those under about 30 will probably only know from TV shows such as Stranger Things. It really does seem incredible that as recently as the 1990s – or certainly the '80s – these were ubiquitous but now they're hardly seen at all. Then again, it seems equally unlikely that people wouldn't be able to contact you on the go, or that only one member of a household could have a telephone conversation at once.

The theme clue here was fairly cryptic, but I spotted RECEIVER by accident and that gave me the concept right away. After that it was a question of raiding my childhood memories of life in a world where you actually had to remember people's phone number…

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 30 November, game #272)

• WIND
• LIFE
• COME
• EASY
• REAL
• BLOWS
• FANTASY
• SPANGRAM: BOHEMIANRHAPSODY

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.

• Micron brings new DDR5 memory to the market
• New memory integrates clock driver directly into the memory modules
• Offers superior performance for heavy computational loads

Micron Technology has announced a new lineup of clock driver DDR5 memory under the Crucial brand, promising improved speed, stability, and performance.

This new generation of memory includes two form factors: CUDIMM (clocked unbuffered dual inline memory modules) for desktops and CSODIMM (clocked small outline dual inline memory modules) for laptops.

The clock driver is integrated directly into the memory modules, setting a new benchmark for high-performance computing.

Speed and stability with DDR5 clock driver integration

With this launch, Micron becomes the first company to release JEDEC-standard DDR5 CUDIMM and CSODIMM modules.

Regular DDR5 memory relies on the CPU's clock driver to maintain performance. However, Micron’s new design places the clock driver on the memory module itself, with the company claiming that the result is a more reliable memory operation and smoother performance, especially under heavy computational loads.

Both modules offer speeds of up to 6,400 MT/s (megatransfers per second), putting them 15% faster than non-clock-driver-based DDR5 and more than twice the speed of DDR4.

The new DDR5 memory modules have been validated for use with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), with Intel certifying these modules for capacities up to 64GB, with plans to support even higher configurations - up to 256GB- on future AI-powered PCs and workstations.

The Crucial DDR5 CUDIMM and CSODIMM modules are available for immediate purchase in 16GB capacities through Crucial’s website, backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

Higher-capacity options, including 64GB modules, are expected to hit the market through distribution channels during the first half of 2025. These larger-capacity modules will allow users to build systems with total memory capacities of up to 256GB, providing more flexibility for intensive tasks.

“As AI takes flight, a memory paradigm shift is needed to keep pace with unprecedented system performance requirements,” said Dinesh Bahal, corporate vice president and general manager of Micron’s Commercial Products Group.

“Micron is shipping the industry’s first JEDEC-standard, commercially available DDR5 CUDIMM and CSODIMM solutions to power fast, out-of-the-box speeds for AI PCs and high-end workstations. With this new category, we are arming the ecosystem with next-generation memory solutions to future-proof today’s devices for tomorrow’s AI workloads."

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• Western Digital unveils new HDD storage options for businesses
• 32TB UltraSMR and 26TB ePMR CMR are the world's highest capacity ePMR HDDs
• Built for scalability, efficiency, and long lasting with 5 year warranty

Western Digital has unveiled new advancements in hard drive technology which it says align with the burgeoning needs of AI and data-intensive applications.

The company has recently launched the new 32TB UltraSMR HDD and 26TB ePMR CMR HDD.

These new hard drives, equipped with innovative features like OptiNAND and ArmorCache offer scalable, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for hyperscalers, cloud service providers (CSPs), and enterprises.

Cutting-edge 11-disk design for maximum efficiency

The 32TB Ultrastar DC HC690 SMR HDD is the industry’s highest-capacity HDD to date, using cutting-edge UltraSMR technology to support deep content storage at scale. On the other hand, the 26TB Ultrastar DC HC590 CMR HDD offers a drop-in replacement for enterprises looking to grow their data capacity without compromising on performance or reliability.

The 32TB UltraSMR HDD offers up to 257 MiB/s sequential performance and using just 5.5W of power while idle making it ideal for "warm" and "cold" data storage tiers, helping businesses optimize their energy consumption while scaling their storage needs. Meanwhile, the 26TB CMR HDD features a sustained transfer rate of up to 288 MiB/s and consumes just 5.6W in idle mode, making it a reliable option for mission-critical environments.

Their 11-disk design is the first of its kind to be commercially available and increases the storage capacity without increasing the physical size of the drives, making them highly efficient for modern data centers.

Western Digital integrates the new HDDs into the Ultrastar Data60 and Data102 hybrid storage platforms which can accommodate up to 102 drives, offering up to 3.26 petabytes of raw capacity. The company also uses IsoVibe and ArcticFlow to reduce vibration and optimize cooling.

The 26TB WD Gold SATA HDDs offer a decent balance for system integrators and resellers. Drawing from the Ultrastar HDD platform, these drives are tailored for small and medium businesses who require reliable, high-performance storage, and feature up to 2.5 million hours mean time between failure (MTBF) and a five-year warranty.

“Our CMR and UltraSMR technology isn't just breaking records—it’s giving customers the efficiency and TCO benefits they’ve been asking for, and we’re not done yet,” said Ravi Pendekanti, SVP of Product Management, HDD Business Unit, Western Digital.

“By delivering the industry’s highest ePMR capacities available today, we are ensuring that our customers have the storage efficiency, scalability, reliability and unmatched value they need to stay ahead."

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• Game of Thrones' "The Mountain" lifted 282.624PB of data weighing 996 pounds
• Phison's 122.88TB drives powered the load, requiring 2,316 units
• VDURA and Phison donated $2,000 to support Atlanta families

HPC storage supplier VDURA (previously known as Panasas) and SSD manufacturer Phison recently partnered up at SC24 in Atlanta to answer that age of old question – how much data can "The Mountain" from Game of Thrones lift? (Don’t pretend for one second that you haven’t wondered that yourself).

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who played Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in GoT (and is probably best known for gouging out the eyes of Pedro Pascal’s character in a memorable, and gory, fight scene), lifted a record-setting 282.624PB of data, weighing 996 pounds (425kg).

Phison’s recently launched PCIe Gen5 122.88TB Pascari D205V drives formed the core of the massive data load (to save you firing up your calculator, that equates to around 2,316 drives). Rogue Fitness Equipment provided the lifting bar and additional equipment, while customized Silver Dollar Boxes, designed by 2017 America’s Strongest Man Jerry Pritchett, housed the drives.

Largest amount of data ever lifted

“With our latest product update, VDURA can offer our pioneering, legacy industry expertise with a new agility to meet the evolving needs of AI and HPC infrastructures,” said VDURA CEO Ken Claffey.

“We are excited to make our mark in a big way as a leader in the industry known for our strength and durability. Today, we set a new record for the largest amount of data ever lifted. Going forward, we are setting the industry standard for reliability and scalability, with the strength to support our customers and their evolving workloads.”

Michael Wu, General Manager and President of Phison US, added, “We’re proud to partner with VDURA to support this record-setting lift with our ultra-capacity Pascari drives. Phison recently unveiled the first PCIe Gen5 122.88TB class drives, and now alongside VDURA we are again pioneers in a new milestone to showcase the true impact of mixing optimal strength, durability and capacity.”

The event also highlighted community engagement, with VDURA and Phison donating $1,000 each to the Atlanta Community Food Bank, helping provide over 6,000 meals for local families in need. You can watch the data lift in the video below.

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VPN usage in Pakistan has never been so high, the government is set to introduce a new policy that could potentially ban the use of "unregistered" services starting today, November 30, 2024.

People in Pakistan have been turning en masse to VPN services throughout 2024 as they look for a way to bypass growing censorship online. WhatsApp is just the latest social media platform currently blocked in the country. The block came two days after authorities restricted Bluesky amid a surge in popularity worldwide. X, Facebook, and Instagram also can't be accessed without a VPN.

I've spoken with some experts to understand what's at stake and discover everything you might need to know to retain internet freedoms in the country.

How to avoid disruption in Pakistan

• Set up a manual VPN
• Contact VPN support teams
• Rotate VPN providers

If you experience some issues downloading or using your VPN app in the next days or weeks, Gytis Malinauskas, Head of Legal at Surfshark suggests setting up a manual VPN connection. You'll likely find the details on how to do this on specific devices on your provider's website such as this step-by-step guide from Surfshark. Remember, you'll still need a VPN account to do this.

If this doesn't work, contact your provider's support team for assistance. "Our team is continuously working to provide our users with privacy and security solutions even in regions with challenging internet landscapes," Malinauskas explains.

Proton VPN has been recording spike in VPN sign-ups from Pakistan since the beginning of the year, with the most recent increase reaching +2860% over baseline on November 26, 2024. (Image credit: Proton)

Both Malinauskas and Simon Migliano, Head of Research at Top10VPN, also recommend rotating through multiple VPN providers.

Are free VPNs a solution?

Potentially. I suggest checking out our best free VPN page to get all the most secure freebies – PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN are today's top picks.

"It's likely to be a bit of a lottery, at least at first," Migliano told TechRadar. "Based on the recent test runs of Pakistan's new firewall, I'm expecting VPN blocks to be much more widespread from November 30. But as we've seen in countries with a much more mature internet censorship regime, such as China and Iran, it's near-impossible to block all the VPNs, all the time."

It's worth keeping in mind that the legal grounds for using a VPN to bypass restrictions in Pakistan after November 30 aren't yet clear. Commenting on this point, Migliano said: "Using an unregistered VPN in Pakistan after the deadline will be a risky proposition, depending on how strictly the authorities enforce the new rules."

Alternatives to using a VPN in Pakistan

• Tor Browser
• Proxy Services
• SmartDNS service

VPNs may be the most widespread and easy-to-use circumventing tools out there, but certainly aren't the only way to bypass internet blocks, bans, and other geo-restrictions.

Tor Browser is probably the best VPN alternative you could use. Completely free to use, Tor is even considered a more secure option as it reroutes your internet connections (and data in transit) through at least three encrypted layers. This boosted encryption, however, can considerably slow down your connection speed.

It's near-impossible to block all the VPNs, all the time

Simon Migliano, Top10VPN

Proxy services are another effective method of spoofing your IP address to trick your ISP (internet service provider) into thinking you're browsing from a completely different country within a couple of clicks.

The downside here is that, unlike VPNs, proxies don't encrypt your internet connections, making them less secure overall. As Pakistan's firewall is expected to boost online surveillance, too, I recommend keeping this method as a last resort – especially now as it's not clear the risk of bypassing the government's imposed online restrictions.

You can also use a SmartDNS service to bypass geo-restriction online with ease. Again, these services do not offer the same level of protection as VPNs, meaning they don't encrypt your data. Worse still, a SmartDNS doesn't even change your IP but simply reroutes information about your location instead.

Why is Pakistan restricting VPN usage?

The government first shared plans to regulate the use of VPNs back in August to curb VPN misuse. Authorities later deemed unregistered VPNs a "security risk" for Pakistan as they can be used to access "sensitive data."

Under the new policy, using a VPN is still permitted for legitimate purposes such as banking, foreign missions, corporate enterprises, universities, IT companies, call centers, and freelance professionals.

This is why the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been urging businesses and freelance workers to register their VPN services by the November 30 deadline to avoid disruption.

The debate is still ongoing, however, on whether or not commercial VPN usage should also be blocked. That said, VPNs have often been a target during the year, with residents facing temporary connectivity issues starting in February (when the ex-Twitter was first restricted).

Do you know?

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The best VPN apps are security software that encrypts your internet connections to prevent snooping. They also spoof your real IP address location to boost anonymity and grant access to otherwise geo-restricted content.

Not only a new stringent policy, VPN censorship is also expected to worsen as the government beefs up its filter technology.

As Al Jazeera reported, Pakistan's government has implemented a China-like firewall, which was first tested in mid-July. This system not only can allow authorities to better monitor online traffic but also control the use of popular apps more efficiently.

Most notably, the new Pakistan firewall "has the ability to block VPNs" – a Ministry of Defence official, familiar with the new deployments, told Al Jazeera.

At the time of writing, it's still early to determine the full impact all this has on people using VPNs to keep accessing the free web. Experts, however, are worried by this surge in internet censorship.

"Attempts to tighten online surveillance always raise concerns about digital privacy and freedom of expression," Gytis Malinauskas, Head of Legal at Surfshark, told TechRadar. "This could also worsen the digital divide and inequalities between those who can access unfiltered information and those who cannot."

• Garmin users have been seeing crashes for months
• A faulty firmware update is thought to be to blame
• Garmin says a fix is coming, but we don't know when

Pick up one of the best Garmin watches on the market, and you could reasonably expect to have many years of trouble-free, wrist-based computing ahead of you – but it seems many Garmin users are currently experiencing issues with crashing watch faces.

As per Tech-Issues Today and Android Police, these problems have been plaguing users for months, but have recently spread to more Garmin models. The random crashes apparently throw up an "IQ" logo on the screen with an orange exclamation mark, and then the watch stops working.

The Garmin Venu 3 and Garmin Forerunner 965 models are specifically mentioned, but it doesn't seem as though any watch is safe. Based on the multiple posts that can be found on Reddit and the official Garmin forums, it looks as though this is now affecting a significant number of users.

According to the user reports, the general consensus is that some kind of buggy firmware update is to blame. It sounds like it breaks the method used by the Connect IQ platform to save data, which then crashes the smartwatch.

A fix is coming

The Garmin Forerunner 965 is one of the watches mentioned (Image credit: Future)

For the time being, all you can do if you've been affected by this is to restart your watch. This won't permanently resolve the issue, and you may see continuing crashes after that, but there's no other option right now.

One bit of good news is that Garmin is aware of what's going on and is trying to do something about it, as per a reply to one of the complaints on Reddit. For now, we don't have any sort of timeline about when an updated firmware version might roll out – which leaves users in a rather frustrating limbo.

It's also a case of better late than never: one developer has apparently logged hundreds of thousands of crashes in their app since August. That's a lot of annoying people using Garmin watches, and trying to save their fitness data to the watch only to have it fail and require a restart.

We've been consistently impressed with Garmin watches down the years, and they regularly feature on our list of the best smartwatches around – but these are the kind of problems that shouldn't be happening.

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• Inkscape releases 1.4 update for its Adobe Illustrator alternative
• New functionality and features allow it to be better integrated into workflows
• Quality of life changes have been made to tools to increase productivity

Inkscape, one of the most intriguing free Adobe Illustrator alternative, has released its latest update, introducing a range of new tools, improvements, and changes aimed at enhancing user experience and productivity.

Version 1.4 also expands extension and file compatibility to improve workflow integration, including a new filter gallery dialogue, allowing users to browse through a variety of filter previews, categories, and even search for specific filters.

It also adds new modular grids and brings improvements to axonometric grids, allowing designers to set grid angles by ratio for isometric designs.

New features and improved functionality

New updates to swatches gives users quick access to layout controls, color searching, and compatibility with multiple palette file formats as well as bringing more color palette formats, including CIELAB, Adobe Color Book, and Adobe Swatch Exchange.

The Toolbar has also been refined, ensuring that important options remain visible even in smaller windows. The node tool shortcuts have also been revised, offering better control when working with paths, and node deletion behavior has been adjusted to provide more flexibility.

This update also includes a unified font browser, which can be activated in the preferences. The SVG Font Editor has also been revamped, giving users more control over creating and adjusting custom fonts. For those familiar with CSS, Inkscape 1.4 allows customization of on-canvas handles, including the ability to change their size, shape, and color.

Inkscape 1.4 also expands its file compatibility allowing users to work across different design platforms. In addition, it upgrades the PDF export feature, and it now supports internal links.

New extensions have been enabled, including support for an enhanced QR code generator that now supports multi-line text. For Linux users, newly installed fonts are now available immediately without restarting the software.

Via Phoronix

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Both movies and TV shows populate the list of everything leaving Netflix in December, but fear not, there's not many on the way out. Luckily, we're also avoiding the loss of any of our picks for the best Netflix movies, and we're not overly disappointed to see Space Jam: A New Legacy leaving the streamer, considering in our full review we said it "isn't the sequel the original deserved".

As is the case each month, Netflix's list of leavers isn't overly long, and compared to everything new on Netflix in December 2024, it's a fair exchange. We'd hate to see one of the best streaming services losing a load of content, and thankfully we don't have to. But, as we wrap up 2024, there's not long left to catch the selection of titles on Netflix below before they depart.

Everything leaving Netflix in December 2024

Leaving on December 1

Ali (movie)
Battle Kitty season 1
Blood and Bone (movie)
The Boss Baby: Get That Baby! (movie)
Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pie (movie)
Captain Underpants Epic Choice-o-Rama (movie)
Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal (movie)
Cat Burglar (movie)
Choose Love (movie)
The Devil's Own (movie)
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (movie)
Doing Hard Time (movie)
Escape The Undertaker (movie)
Frances Ha (movie)
Glengarry Glen Ross (movie)
Headspace: Unwind Your Mind (movie)
Hunder Killer (movie)
It Chapter Two (movie)
Johnny Test's Ultimate Meatloaf Quest (movie)
The Last Kids on Earth: Happy Apocalypse to You (TV show)
The Little Things (movie)
National Security (movie)
Point Break (movie)
Space Jam: A New Legacy (movie)
Spirit Riding Free: Ride Along Adventure (TV show)
Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout (movie)
To Leslie (movie)
Trivia Quest season 1 (TV show)
Triviaverse (TV show)
Troy (movie)
We Lost Our Human (TV show)
What to Expect When You're Expecting (movie)

Leaving on December 2

White Girl (movie)

Leaving on December 3

The Commuter (movie)

Leaving on December 6

Reminiscence (movie)

Leaving on December 7

Trolls (movie)
Voltron: Legendary Defender seasons 1-8 (TV show)

Leaving on December 16

Darkest Hour (movie)
Mortal Kombat (movie)

Leaving on December 20

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (movie)

Leaving on December 25

The Flash (movie)

Leaving on December 31

Royal Pains seasons 1-8 (TV show)

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• Creature Commandos' showrunner Dean Lorey says he's "excited" to be helming the DCU's first-ever project
• The adult animated series arrives seven months before James Gunn's Superman movie flies into theaters
• Lorey believes Gunn and Peter Safran "care deeply" about the cinematic universe they're developing

Creature Commandos' showrunner has admitted he's "thrilled" to be overseeing the first project in James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU).

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Dean Lorey, who's also one of the Max series' executive producers, said he wasn't worried about ensuring the DCU gets off to the best possible start. Instead, Lorey views Creature Commandos as the first of many "exciting" projects that are in works under the guidance of Gunn and his fellow DC Studios chief Peter Safran.

When Gunn announced the DCU's first 11 films and TV shows in January 2023, many people expected the former Marvel writer-director to lead off with a tentpole movie starring one of DC's most iconic heroes like Superman or Batman. Cue many surprised looks, then, when Creature Commandos was officially revealed as the first DCU project that would be released.

Creature Commandos will precede Gunn's Superman movie, which lands in theaters in July 2025 (Image credit: Max/DC Studios)

Given the sharp decline in fan sentiment and engagement towards the DCU's predecessor, aka the now-defunct DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it's a fascinating move for a TV show to spearhead version 2.0 of Warner Bros' superhero-based cinematic universe. The fact that Creature Commandos stars a wider variety of supervillains and anti-heroes, some of whom may be considered B-tier characters by DC diehards and casual viewers alike, makes it all the more curious that the R-rated show is at the forefront of DCU Chapter One's announced projects.

I'm really glad to be a representative of what's to come

Dean Lorey, Creature Commandos showrunner

Nevertheless, Lorey believes long-time DC comic book enthusiasts and general audiences alike will tune in to get a taste of the universe that Gunn and Safran have built. Biased though he may be, Lorey is confident that viewers will stick around to watch the entire series, too.

"I'm exciting to be leading the charge," Lorey replied when I asked if he was nervous about Creature Commandos releasing before Gunn's Superman movie, which arrives next July, does. "I think we deliver the goods and that the show is terrific. Obviously, I'm biased, but I love the show and I'm really glad to be a representative of what's to come.

"I haven't seen [any footage of] Superman. I haven't read its script, but I'm sure it's wonderful. I know James, and I feel like he and Peter care deeply about quality. They want scripts polished and ready to go before [entering full] production. It's a different way of approaching a cinematic world and, honestly, I'm thrilled to be at the forefront of it."

I'll be covering Creature Commandos, which debuts on Max on December 5, in more detail, and have more exclusives to bring you, in the run-up to release and as new episodes drop. In the meantime, read more of my DCU-based coverage below.

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• A new Slim model is expected to join the Galaxy S25 range
• It looks as though the phone will be available worldwide
• The initial Galaxy S25 launch is expected to happen in January

Alongside the expected trio of Samsung Galaxy S25 phones, it's been rumored that we're also going to get a new 'Slim' version of the phone – and a new leak suggests this new variant is going to be available worldwide.

This comes from the discovery of a model number by reporter Erencan Yılmaz (via SamMobile): the number has a B on the end of it, which is used for handsets that Samsung plans to sell in all the regions that it operates in.

In other words, this won't be a situation like we have with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, which is only available in Samsung's home country of South Korea – at least as far as direct retail sales are concerned.

The same model number discovery – the full code is SM-S937B/DS, by the way – indicates the Galaxy S25 Slim is going to come with dual SIM support, which isn't a surprise. You'll be able to use it to manage two numbers in tandem.

What we know so far

Galaxy S25 Slim's Global version has been revealed! The smartphone will have the model number SM-S937B/DS. The “B” in the model number indicates a Global version and the “DS” part confirms Dual SIM Card support. pic.twitter.com/lwXlhIdvfWNovember 28, 2024

All the indications so far point to the Galaxy S25 Slim being something along the lines of a Galaxy S25 FE (Fan Edition) – that is, a more affordable version of the main flagships that arrives sometime later in the year.

So why call it the Slim instead? Well, one reason might be that we're apparently going to get an iPhone 17 Slim (or iPhone 17 Air) next year, with the focus very much on the thinness and the lightness of the handset.

Samsung could follow suit. We've also heard that the phone might arrive with a superior camera setup to the standard Galaxy S25, but other than that not too many details have leaked about what it's going to bring with it.

Perhaps our Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review might offer a few clues – as this is perhaps the phone that the Slim model is replacing. The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra should launch first of all, sometime in January.

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• Researchers have developed a new AI video generator
• Generator creates several low-resolution stages before generating a high-resolution final
• AI generator has been made fully open source for individual and commercial use

A team of researchers from Peking University, Kuaishou Technology, and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications have made major strides in the field of AI video generation.

They have developed a new AI model, Pyramid Flow, capable of generating high-resolution virtual video imagery at 768p.

Unlike many proprietary AI models developed in recent years, the creators of Pyramid Flow have made their model open source, giving developers and users free access to the underlying technology.

A breakthrough in AI video generation?

The Pyramid Flow model takes a different approach from many of its predecessors by generating videos in multiple low-resolution stages before producing a high-resolution final output.

This method reduces the computing power needed to run the model, making it more cost-effective for users. The team claims that the model can produce a five-second video clip at 384p resolution in just 56 seconds.

Pyramid Flow is also available as open source software with the developers making the model freely accessible under the MIT License, which means anyone can download, modify, and use the code for personal or commercial purposes.

Along with the model itself, the researchers have posted several sample videos demonstrating the quality of Pyramid Flow’s output. The results show highly realistic, detailed imagery, including examples such as underwater explosions creating bubbles and splashing water. Furthermore, the datasets used to train Pyramid Flow, which consist of about 10 million short videos, are also available to the public.

The use of open-source datasets in AI video generation has been a contentious issue, with some critics claiming that such practices violate the rights of copyright holders.

The research team behind Pyramid Flow has not specifically addressed these concerns, but they do suggest that the model could be a useful tool for fine-tuning open-source material, potentially reducing the need to rely on third-party sources.

Via TechXplore

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As everything new on Hulu in December arrives onto the platform, unfortunately it's some of the best Hulu movies that suffer the consequences, leaving the streamer to make room. In more fortunate news, you won't see a single one of the best Hulu shows heading into the departure lounge. As history repeats itself though, in December we'll have to wave goodbye to some of Hulu's titles.

As one of the best streaming services, Hulu has to keep content fresh in the highly competitive streaming landscape. Though there's only just over 30 movies leaving the platform, there is the loss of three of the Alien franchise movies. Although they're not particularly festive watches for this time of year. Prometheus remains, if you want to call it a Christmas movie, of sorts.

In the holiday spirit though, the movies leaving the platform are making way for some iconic festive titles, amongst others. We're ready to hunker down and watch some movies over the holidays, but we don't want to face disappointment if there's titles missing on our Christmas watchlist, and we don't want you to either. Here's everything leaving Hulu in December.

Everything leaving Hulu in December 2024

Leaving on December 1

The Devil Conspiracy (movie)

Leaving on December 2

White Elephant (movie)

Leaving on December 4

Last Looks (movie)

Leaving on December 7

Proximity (movie)

Leaving on December 8

Aporia (movie)

Leaving on December 9

Offseason (movie)

Leaving on December 10

Rogue (movie)

Leaving on December 14

Mistletoe & Menorahs (movie)

Leaving on December 19

The Creator (movie)

Leaving on December 23

The Hummingbird Project (movie)

Leaving on December 25

The Equalizer 2 (movie)

Leaving on December 31

A Dog’s Way Home (movie)
A Little White Lie (movie)
Alien (movie)
Alien 3 (movie)
Alien Resurrection (movie)
Barbarians (movie)
Crime Story (movie)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (movie)
Escape Room (movie)
Falling for Figaro (movie)
The Family Stone (movie)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (movie)
Juno (movie)
Luis & the Aliens (movie)
The Marine (movie)
The Ritual Killer (movie)
The Sitter (movie)
Tombstone (movie)
28 Weeks Later (movie)
The Waterboy (movie)
When In Rome (movie)
You Again (movie)

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You may have spent a lot of the past week taking advantage of the best Black Friday deals, and as a result missed some of the major tech stories that the TechRadar team has been reporting on – but this round-up is here to fix that.

Even with all of the holiday sales madness going on, it's been another hectic week in the world of technology. We've had the biggest tease of Spotify Wrapped 2024 yet, we've seen more leaks of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and we've had Apple's best apps of 2024.

There's lots more to dig into besides those stories too, so sit back and let us be your guide to all of the important happenings in tech over the last seven days. Once you're done, you can also check out the best new movies and shows to stream this weekend.

7. B&O revealed its stunning new wireless earbuds

The new B&O Beoplay Elevent (Image credit: B&O)

We love a quality pair of wireless earbuds here at TechRadar, and the new Beoplay Eleven from Bang & Olufsen certainly fit the bill: inspired by jewelry, apparently, these earbuds and their accompanying case really look the part, even before you get to the audio quality.

While we haven't heard them for ourselves yet, you get active noise cancelling here, plus eight hours of battery life and IP57 waterproofing. They're yours for $499 / £429 / €499 / AU$910, and they're on sale from December 17 – click through below for all the details.

• Read more: Bang & Olufsen unveils beautiful ANC wireless earbuds that are the prettiest I've seen for years

6. Windows Recall launched – and ran into teething issues

Microsoft is still having problems with Windows Recall (Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Windows Recall continues to have a rough start: the upcoming AI-powered feature is designed to log your computing activities to make it easier to retrace your steps and find old information again, but some users suspect it may be a little too intrusive.

Having previously been pulled because of privacy worries, the feature has now been put back into testing – only to run into a series of frustrating bugs. The advice from Microsoft, if you can believe it, is to turn your computer off and then turn it back on again.

• Read more: Windows 11 Recall is misbehaving in testing, and the fix for the biggest issue is an age-old favorite – turn it off, then back on again

5. Arcane makers promised to learn from Netflix’s ‘rushed’ second season

Arcane has reached the end of its two-season run (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

Fans weren't too happy with the way the second season of Arcane ended on Netflix, but show co-creator Christian Linke has told TechRadar he "understands and respects" the complaints in an exclusive interview – and that lessons are going to be learned.

In other words, don't expect the same mistakes to be made with the various Arcane sequel projects now in development. Linke also gave us plenty of insight into the production process of a show like this, which ranks as one of the best shows on Netflix recently.

• Read more: Arcane co-creator vows 'we will learn from it' after fan frustrations of the Netflix show's 'rushed' final season

4. OpenAI Sora was leaked by protestors

The Sora AI video creator leaked this week (Image credit: Kol Tregaskes / X)

You may remember the OpenAI Sora video generator being teased by the ChatGPT maker earlier this year. The tool was announced amid a wave of hype back in February, but only selected creators were invited to test out the software. As we approach the end of the year, it's still not open to the public.

That changed briefly this week, when a group of disgruntled Sora testers made the tool available to everyone – before the leak was shut down by OpenAI. Those behind the leak are reportedly upset with their work being used for free, and OpenAI's positive PR spin. Expect to see a lot more tussles like this in 2025.

• Read more: OpenAI's Sora video generator (briefly) leaked in protest by early users

3. Apple revealed its favorite apps of 2024

Apple has a lot of good app picks for 2024 (Image credit: Lux / Procreate / Lumy)

When it comes to choosing the best iPhone apps of 2024, Apple knows what it's talking about – so we'd encourage you to check out its newly-announced top picks (below). You might find one or two (or more) apps in the list are worth a place on your own home screen.

We've got apps and games for the iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch here as well as selections for the iPhone, and the categories cover everything from video editing and AI-enhanced music production, to planning vacations and tracking your daily jog. It's an excellent list.

• Read more: These are the 9 best iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch apps of 2024, according to Apple

2. Spotify Wrapped 2024 is now ‘right around the corner’

We're now very close to Spotify Wrapped 2024 (Image credit: Spotify / Apple)

Brace yourself for Spotify Wrapped 2024, because Spotify itself says this year's recap now "right around the corner" – so you (and everyone else) should be seeing the annual look back on your music streaming year inside the Spotify apps across the next few days.

We don't yet know what's going to be included in Spotify Wrapped 2024, but it's no doubt going to include the usual overview of the artists, albums, and tracks you've listened to most over the past 12 months. Keep updating and refreshing your Spotify app over the next week to make sure Wrapped lands safely.

• Read more: Your Spotify Wrapped 2024 is imminent, official teaser reveals – here's when to expect it

1. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leaked in a big way

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

If you don't want any spoilers for the expected January launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, look away now: the latest set of leaks around the phone have given us a very good look at the Ultra model, including the more rounded corners and upgraded cameras.

Add in more leaked photos and a specs reveal from a regulatory certification process, and we're probably going to know everything there is to know about this phone before it gets unveiled. It's likely that One UI 7, based on Android 15, will launch in full in January too.

• Read more: Leaked Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra video claims to show 'absolutely stunning' new design

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• Dell expands its range of PowerEdge servers to help with AI workloads
• Integrating AMD processors, some of the solutions offer big boosts to efficiency
• New servers will be available for purchase soon

Dell is looking to address the growing need for scalable, flexible and high performance infrastructure with a new PowerEdge server portfolio.

By integrating the latest AMD 5th Generation EPYC processors and advanced cooling systems, Dell is equipping enterprises with the tools needed to stay competitive.

The PowerEdge XE7745 server will be released in January 2025, while the PowerEdge R6715, R7715, R6725, and R7725 servers will be available as early as November 2024.

PowerEdge servers for enterprise AI workloads

One of the new offerings is the Dell PowerEdge XE7745 which is designed to support up to eight double-width or 16 single-width PCIe GPUs, utilizing AMD's 5th Generation EPYC processors. It comes in a 4U air-cooled chassis and is engineered specifically for AI inferencing, model fine-tuning, and high-performance computing (HPC). The server also features eight additional Gen 5.0 PCIe slots for network connectivity.

In addition, the PowerEdge R6725 and R7725 servers also use AMD 5th Generation EPYC processors and offer greater scalability for enterprises. Ptomized to handle high-demand workloads, Dell claims the R7725 server can deliver up to a 66% performance increase and a 33% boost in efficiency at the higher end of the performance spectrum.

All three of these platforms are capable of supporting up to 50% more cores, with a reported 37% improvement in performance per core. These performance upgrades offer enterprises the potential to consolidate older infrastructure, reducing the need for multiple servers and cutting CPU power consumption by up to 65%.

Dell has also introduced the PowerEdge R6715 and R7715 servers, both powered by AMD’s 5th Generation EPYC processors. These servers bring further efficiency gains and offer up to 37% more drive capacity, increasing storage density. These single-socket servers support various configurations, with up to 24 DIMMs (Dual In-line Memory Modules) to maximize performance.

Dell Technologies will continue supporting the latest AMD Instinct accelerators and IT teams will also benefit from the updated Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC). One key addition is Dell Generative AI Solutions with AMD, which integrates the PowerEdge XE9680 server and AMD Instinct MI300X accelerators, which aim to accelerate AI inferencing and customization, particularly in areas such as retrieval augmented generation (RAG), with these systems reducing time-to-value by up to 86%.

Also, the Dell Enterprise Hub on Hugging Face now supports the PowerEdge XE9680 server, allowing for easier deployment of models such as Llama and Mixtral. These models are optimized to enhance AI inferencing performance and leverage Hugging Face's Text Generation Inference (TGI) back-end.

“By integrating AMD technology into the latest Dell servers, AI solutions and services through the Dell AI Factory, we’re providing the performance and efficiencies enterprises need today and in the future,” said Arthur Lewis, president, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies.

“Together with AMD, we are setting new standards in AI performance, giving enterprises powerful and cost-effective solutions essential for modern data-driven environments," Lewis concluded.

Via HPCwire

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• Music report reveals revenues now higher than global box office receipts
• The value of music sales and streaming has nearly doubled in a decade
• Revenues are growing 11% year on year, but artists aren't profiting

Here's a pair of facts we never thought we'd see: music is now a bigger business than cinema and vinyl is about to overtake CDs. That's according to a new report by Spotify's former chief economist (via MusicRadar), who's been tracking the value of the music business for a decade.

Will Page has spent ten years calculating the value of music copyrights and performing rights, which are the rights that generate payments when music is pressed onto records, streamed over Spotify or played on the radio. And the value of those copyrights has increased from $25 billion in 2014 to $45.5 billion now.

The movie business, by comparison, is a $33.2 billion business (see below). While music has soared movies have declined: box office revenues peaked globally in 2019 at $41.9 billion.

As the bar chart above shows, cinema is still struggling to recover from pandemic closures, whereas the value of music copyright has soared. That said, the comparison isn't a direct like-for-like, with live music also likely still recovering from forced closures a few years ago. (Image credit: IFPI Global Music Report, CISAC Global Collections Report, Music & Copyright and Will Page)

Music revenues aren't necessarily going to artists – most of the music money goes to multiple middlemen; not all musicians who play music wrote it, and writing music is where the most valuable copyrights are – but the report details some fascinating trends.

The vinyl revival

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

In the US alone, Page says, vinyl will bring in $1 billion for record labels in 2024. That means vinyl revenues are about to overtake CDs, not just in the US but globally.

There's been a shift in how music generates money too. In 2023, revenues from live music performances overtook those for public performance licensing, which is when commercial premises such as shops or hotels pay a license to play music to their patrons.

Digital streaming, unsurprisingly, is now exceeding radio and other broadcasting; the latter used to account for over 50% compared to streaming's 5%, but streaming is the bigger money maker now.

And interestingly, there's been a significant increase in "glocalization". That's where artists from around the world sing in their own languages but have big hits elsewhere. For example, Colombian artists make more money from US streaming than they do from the entire Colombian music industry.

It's fascinating stuff, and you can get your music geek on by reading the full report.

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The Samsung Galaxy S25 series has been extensively leaked at this point, and along with information on the likely Samsung Galaxy S25 specs and Samsung Galaxy S25 price, we’ve also heard details of the possible colors.

Below, you’ll find every color that’s been leaked so far for the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, along with any accompanying imagery we've seen, and our analysis of how likely we might be to see it.

We’ll also be updating this article any time we hear additional Samsung Galaxy S25 colors news, so be sure to check back soon.

Samsung Galaxy S25 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus colors

Samsung typically sells standard and Plus Galaxy S models in the same colors, so we predict that any color the Samsung Galaxy S25 is available in, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus will be sold in too. Below, you’ll find the shades that have been leaked so far.

Note though that the Samsung Galaxy S24 is only available in seven shades, while eight colors have leaked below, so there’s a good chance at least one of these won’t be happening.

Moon Night Blue

A leaked image of a Galaxy S25 SIM card tray (Image credit: Roland Quandt)

Moon Night Blue is one shade we’ll apparently get the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus in, and this color was first leaked by Ross Young, who has a decent track record.

Since then though, we’ve also seen leaked images of SIM card trays supposedly for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, courtesy of leaker Roland Quandt, one of which comes in a dark blue color, as you can see above.

Moon Night Blue certainly sounds dark, so these are probably one and the same, and with two reputable sources having leaked this shade we’d say it’s likely to feature. We hope it does too, because dark blue is an interesting color option.

Silver Shadow Image 1 of 2

A Samsung Galaxy S24 in Marble Gray (Image credit: Samsung)Image 2 of 2

A leaked image of a Galaxy S25 SIM card tray (Image credit: Roland Quandt)

Ross Young also mentioned a Silver Shadow shade for the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus, and this could be the same color as the leaked SIM card tray, pictured above. It could also perhaps look similar to the Marble Gray Samsung Galaxy S24.

If so, this would be a fairly understated and plain shade, but with a smart appearance that could appeal to a lot of people.

Sparking Blue / Sparkling Blue Image 1 of 3

A leaked image of a Samsung Galaxy S25 in blue (Image credit: Tarun Vats)Image 2 of 3

A leaked image of a Galaxy S25 SIM card tray (Image credit: Roland Quandt)Image 3 of 3

A Samsung Galaxy S24 in Sapphire Blue (Image credit: Samsung)

Ross Young also mentioned a Sparking Blue shade, and we’ve seen exactly how that might look in the leaked Galaxy S25 image above, shared by Tarun Vats, though they instead call it Sparkling Blue, so we’re not certain which name is right.

This shade can also be seen on a leaked SIM card tray, so between these three leaks it seems highly likely to feature. However, it might not be overly new, as it looks somewhat similar to the Samsung Galaxy S24 in Sapphire Blue.

Sparkling Green Image 1 of 2

A leaked image of the Galaxy S25 in green (Image credit: Tarun Vats)Image 2 of 2

A leaked image of a Galaxy S25 SIM card tray (Image credit: Roland Quandt)

Sparkling Green is another Samsung Galaxy S25 shade that has extensively leaked, with Ross Young mentioning it by that name, Tarun Vats sharing a picture of it, which you can see above, and Roland Quandt sharing a picture of a SIM card tray in a green shade, albeit a slightly different green.

So this again seems a very likely color for the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus.

Midnight Black Image 1 of 2

A Samsung Galaxy S24 in black (Image credit: Samsung)Image 2 of 2

A leaked image of a Galaxy S25 SIM card tray (Image credit: Roland Quandt)

One final shade that might be widely available is Midnight Black, which was also leaked by Ross Young, and included in the SIM card tray leak, as you can see above.

Black is an extremely common and popular smartphone color, so it’s no surprise we might be seeing this, and it could look something like the Onyx Black Samsung Galaxy S24, which you can also see above.

One thing to note though is that Young mentioned this color in relation to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus but not the base model. However, since Samsung usually offers both the standard and Plus models in the same shades, we doubt this would be an exception.

Pink Gold

A Samsung Galaxy S22 in Pink Gold (Image credit: Samsung)

Some or all of the Samsung Galaxy S25 colors above are likely to be widely sold, but based on past form we’d additionally expect a few shades that will be exclusively offered on Samsung’s online store, and Pink Gold is one of these.

This Galaxy S25 shade was also leaked by Ross Young but so far not by anyone else, so we’re less confident of this than the options above. Still, pink gold and variations on that are popular options, and indeed you can get the Samsung Galaxy S22 in a pink gold color, as pictured above, so there’s a good chance we will see this.

Blue/Gold

Another Samsung Galaxy S25 shade that’s likely to be a Samsung store exclusive according to Young is Blue/Gold, which sounds like an interesting and unusual choice, as well as likely being quite different to anything you can get the Samsung Galaxy S24 in.

However, not only has this only been leaked by one source, but there are two other blue shades above, so we’re not sure Samsung would really sell the Galaxy S25 in three versions of blue.

We’d take this with a pinch of salt then, and if it does exist it might lean more towards gold than blue.

Coral Red

A Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in Red (Image credit: Samsung)

The final leaked Samsung Galaxy S25 shade is Coral Red, and this once again comes just from Ross Young, and once again would probably be a Samsung store exclusive if it’s sold at all.

You can’t get any Samsung Galaxy S24 models in a red shade, but the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is available in red, as you can see above, so this might be something like that. In any case, this sounds like it would be one of the brightest and most eye-catching Samsung Galaxy S25 colors if it’s offered.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colors

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will probably be sold in a completely different selection of shades to those above, and leaks have given us a good idea of what.

Titanium Black Image 1 of 2

A leaked Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra render (Image credit: Android Headlines / @OnLeaks)Image 2 of 2

A Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Black (Image credit: Samsung)

Ross Young also leaked some Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra colors, including Titanium Black, and a black Galaxy S25 Ultra shade has additionally been mentioned by leaker @UniverseIce.

So since this has been mentioned by two reputable sources we’d think it’s likely to happen, and it might look something like the black in the leaked Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra render above.

In fact though, you can already get the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Black, so it will probably look near identical to that.

Titanium Blue

A Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Blue (Image credit: Samsung)

Ross Young has also mentioned a Titanium Blue Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra shade, while @UniverseIce just calls it blue, but either way, some version of blue is looking likely.

We don’t have any imagery of this, but it will probably look like the Titanium Blue Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, pictured above.

Titanium Gray

A Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Gray (Image credit: Samsung)

Titanium Gray has also been mentioned by Ross Young as a Galaxy S25 Ultra color, while @UniverseIce refers to one shade just as ‘Titanium,’ which we suspect might be the same thing.

As with Titanium Blue there are no leaked images of this yet, but this is once again a shade you can get the Galaxy S24 Ultra in, as pictured above.

Titanium Silver

A Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in Phantom Silver (Image credit: Samsung)

We’ve also heard of a Titanium Silver option for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from Ross Young, though this one hasn’t been mentioned by any other sources, so we’re less sure whether this color will actually be available or not. It could well be though, especially as silver is a popular, smart, and stylish shade.

It’s also a color that you can’t get the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in, but it could look something like the Phantom Silver Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Titanium Blue/Black

In addition to the shades above (which might be widely available) the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will probably also be available in a few additional colors that can only be purchased from Samsung’s online store, and Titanium Blue/Black is one of them according to Ross Young.

Since Titanium Blue and Titanium Black have both also been mentioned by this source, the Blue/Black option would presumably sit somewhere between them, and it’s not a shade that’s currently available, so it could be quite interesting.

That said, since it has only been mentioned by one source we wouldn’t yet count on seeing it.

Titanium Jade Green Image 1 of 2

A Samsung Galaxy S24 in Jade Green (Image credit: Samsung)Image 2 of 2

A Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Green (Image credit: Samsung)

Titanium Jade Green is another possible Samsung store-exclusive mentioned by Ross Young, while @UniverseIce has similarly mentioned a green shade.

This color would probably look something like the Jade Green Samsung Galaxy S24 or the Titanium Green Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, both of which are pictured above.

Titanium Pink Gold

Finally, Ross Young has mentioned Titanium Pink Gold as a possible Samsung store-exclusive for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and this might look something like the Pink Gold Samsung Galaxy S22 pictured further up.

Pink Gold and Rose Gold shades seem to be widespread in smartphones, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see it show up here.

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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 Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

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 #538) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• ROCK
• PALM
• FAST
• MODERN
• NAIL
• SWING
• SCREW
• KNUCKLE
• POCKET
• ACE
• TAP
• SWIPE
• CURVE
• JAZZ
• LIFT
• CRUSH

NYT Connections today (game #538) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Shake your moves
• Green: Take without permission
• Blue: Make a big success of it
• Purple: From the mound

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 #538) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: DANCE STYLES
• GREEN: STEAL
• BLUE: PERFORM WELL ON
• PURPLE: ___BALL PITCHES

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

NYT Connections today (game #538) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #538, are…

• YELLOW: DANCE STYLES JAZZ, MODERN, SWING, TAP
• GREEN: STEAL LIFT, PALM, POCKET, SWIPE
• BLUE: PERFORM WELL ON ACE, CRUSH, NAIL, ROCK
• PURPLE: ___BALL PITCHES CURVE, FAST, KNUCKLE, SCREW

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

The days on which I solve purple are not all that frequent, so I was pleased to NAIL it today. Or maybe I should say to ACE it. Or CRUSH it or ROCK it. Except no, that group – PERFORM WELL – was the blue one that I solved by default, though I think I would have got it if I'd have needed to.

Instead, purple was ___BALL PITCHES, with CURVE, FAST, KNUCKLE and SCREW, and despite previously having complained about how regularly the NYT puts baseball or other mainly US-only sports into Connections, somehow I got this one. Admittedly, it's among the easier purple groups; I made a couple of incorrect guesses before getting it, because SCREW didn't occur to me, but the other three are well known and feature in my preferred sport, cricket, too.

Yellow and green, meanwhile, were both fairly easy, making this a reasonably approachable Connections game overall.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 29 November, game #537)

• YELLOW: UNDERTAKING ENDEAVOR, ENTERPRISE, PROJECT, VENTURE
• GREEN: UNITS HERTZ, MOLE, SECOND, VOLT
• BLUE: M.L.B. TEAM MEMBER NATIONAL, RAY, TIGER, TWIN
• PURPLE: FIRST WORDS OF HBO SHOWS BOARDWALK, CURB, GAME, SILICON

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Yas Queen!

NYT Strands today (game #272) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• BLOW
• BOWL
• POSE
• DOSE
• MOSS
• MOSSY

NYT Strands today (game #272) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Mercuryial

NYT Strands today (game #272) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 3rd row

Last: bottom, 3rd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #272) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #272, are…

• WIND
• LIFE
• COME
• EASY
• REAL
• BLOWS
• FANTASY
• SPANGRAM: BOHEMIANRHAPSODY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 4 hints

Honestly, this one completely baffled me. I've been asking the NYT puzzle setters to make Strands harder for ages, so I'm not complaining when I get a difficult one – but I simply did not make the connection between these words at all until after I'd uncovered the spangram, which was at the very end of my game.

I'm blaming the theme clue here of Yas! Queen, mainly because it meant nothing at all to me. I am old and out of touch and didn't even know this was a phrase, so I was completely thrown by it. Obviously the Queen aspect should have given it away, but no. To add to that, the answers here are all common words, and I didn't put them together mentally to be the lyrics to BOHEMIANRHAPSODY. All my fault, no complaints.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, 29 November, game #271)

• CHILL
• RELAX
• UNWIND
• PAUSE
• LOAF
• LOUNGE
• LUXURIATE
• SPANGRAM: DOWNTIME

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.

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

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 #1041) - 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 #1041) - 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 2.

Quordle today (game #1041) - 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 #1041) - 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 #1041) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• M

• S

• C

• T

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

Quordle today (game #1041) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1041, are…

• MAMMA
• SNUCK
• CRYPT
• TAROT

MAMMA must be one of the worst possible answers to turn up in Quordle (or Wordle). There are very few five-letter words that contain only two letters, but this is one and it nearly tripped me up today. I very much doubt I'm the only one.

Given that TAROT and CRYPT are also challenging answers for different reasons – repeated T in the first, no vowels in the second – this has the potential to be a very tough game of Quordle indeed. I solved it thanks to some luck with my start words, but it required more thought than is often the case.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1041) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1041, are…

• CRIME
• PENCE
• OLIVE
• ANGER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• 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
• Quordle #1028, Sunday 17 November: STATE, BRAWN, SWORE, URBAN
• Quordle #1027, Saturday 16 November: NOTCH, BENCH, BUSED, FOUND
• Quordle #1026, Friday 15 November: PURER, TRUSS, TORCH, FORUM
• Quordle #1025, Thursday 14 November: EXALT, TASTE, CRONY, CLOUT
• Quordle #1024, Wednesday 13 November: YEARN, ELBOW, SURGE, PINEY
• Quordle #1023, Tuesday 12 November: CHORD, ATTIC, OLIVE, EIGHT
• Quordle #1022, Monday 11 November: COPSE, REGAL, GRUNT, GOODY
• Quordle #1021, Sunday 10 November: GROIN, FAULT, FERRY, SUITE

Grok is heading to mobile devices, according to a Wall Street Journal report. xAI CEO Elon Musk is planning to launch a standalone app for his Grok chatbot to compete with OpenAI's ChatGPT and other AI chatbots like Google Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude.

Like the web version of Grok, the mobile app would likely use the Grok-2 model. The most recent iteration of the Grok line of models, Grok-2, offers similar conversational abilities to ChatGPT and other AI chatbots but is boosted with real-time information from X.

Grok is not universally available even from the web, and interacting with the AI chatbot requires a subscription to X Premium or Premium+. Going mobile might change that limitation, opening up at least a limited free-tier version of Grok in an app.

xAI certainly has the capital to pursue both making an app and making it more available. The company has seen a huge influx of investment that sets it up as a rare OpenAI rival with a real chance at carving away users. Setting up a standalone app for Grok suggests xAI has ambitions in that direction. With its own app, xAI can offer Grok to people who may not have an interest in X as a social media platform but who are still intrigued by what an AI chatbot could do for them.

Grok and go

ChatGPT is undoubtedly the most formidable rival Grok would face in the mobile app market, but is hardly the only one. Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and many others are quickly launching and upgrading mobile apps with whatever features and abilities the companies believe will entice more people to download the app.

xAI also has to work out how much appeal Grok will have divorced from its context on X. The ability to search through the social media platform is a major selling point for Grok, but would those who don't care about the controversial social media platform still use Grok? And would those who see value in X not just use Grok on the X app?

The details of the app, like whether it will include the Flux AI image creator, aren't clear, though it would be an obvious feature to add if it's not in the initial rollout. Regardless, the laid-back approach to copyright and trademark evident in Grok might also be a problem as it might open up more chances for people to get in trouble for making images of Mario if Nintendo's copyright infringement hunter Tracer goes after them for infringement, as happened on X.

You might also like

• Grok-2 arrives on X with AI image creation, precious few guardrails, and lots of questions
• A major new Midjourney rival has landed – here’s how to try the open-source Flux
• Nintendo jumps on AI images of Mario shared on X