TechRadar News

Naughty Dog's next game will see the return of The Last of Us star Troy Baker

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 06:20

Actor Troy Baker will star in Naughty Dog's next game
The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann has confirmed Baker's involvement
Naughty Dog has yet to officially announce its next game

The Last of Us star Troy Baker has confirmed he will be involved in Naughty Dog's next game.

The news comes from a recent GQ interview, where the actor best known for his role as Joel Miller in The Last of Us and Sam Drake in Uncharted: A Thief's End discussed his life's work and his upcoming projects.

In terms of what next, in 2025, Baker will star in Judas, the next game from BioShock creator Ken Levine, but the actor was also able to confirm that he will be reuniting with The Last of Us director and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann and be featured in the studio's next game.

GQ was also able to verify Baker's return with Druckmann, who said, "In a heartbeat I would always work with Troy."

At this time, we have no idea what role Baker will star in as Naughty Dog has yet to officially announce its new game.

Last month, new insider information about the secret project was reported by MinnMax founder Ben Hanson, who claimed a source "very in the know, who worked on the game" shared that fans "aren't ready" for the studio's next project and that it will feature "a lot of player freedom".

Neil Druckmann also confirmed earlier this year that there are "multiple single-player" projects are in development at Naughty Dog, saying, "I promise you, we will not be The Last of Us studio forever".

In December 2023, Naughty Dog canceled its The Last of Us Online game after concerns that it would impact the studio’s future single-player games, a project that was reportedly in development for four years.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded release date prediction and what to expect

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 06:17

Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded is likely right around the corner, adding new maps, a new Zombies main mission, and more.

Even without extra Season One Reloaded content, we're having a blast with Black Ops 6, landing it a place on our list of the best FPS games to play in 2024. This upcoming midseason update will freshen things up somewhat, giving players a new shotgun, and sniper rifle to work towards.

While we don't yet have a confirmed date, there has been a tease of sorts which likely places Season One Reloaded in early December.

Here's what we know about Black Ops Season 1 Reloaded so far, including a look at the rumored release date, as well as what might be added. As we hear more from Activision, this page will be updated.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded release date prediction

(Image credit: Activision)

The Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded release date is rumored to be December 12, according to a tweet by Treyarch announcing the arrival of the new Citadelle Des Morts Zombies map.

Generally, all of the midseason content arrives at once in Call of Duty, meaning it's likely that Citadelle Des Morts will be a part of Reloaded.

#CitadelleDesMorts ⚔️ 2024.12.05 ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/XiCQqmUtk2November 22, 2024

Activision is yet to fully announce Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded or its release date. Until then, we'll be keeping an eye out for a full blog post and will update this page once it goes live.

Black Ops 6 Season One Reloaded - what's being added?

(Image credit: Activision)

Activision has now announced the highlights for what'll be added to Black Ops 6 as part of Season 1 Reloaded. This includes new maps, a new Zombies mission, and new weapons. Here's a brief summary of what's being added:

Maps: Racket, Hacienda, Nuketown Holiday, Citadelle Des Mortes
Wildcard: High Roller
Weapons: AMR MOD 4, MAELSTROM, Cleaver
Modes: Prop Hunt
Bundle: Brightmare
Warzone: BR Ranked Play

For a full breakdown of Black Ops 6 Season 1, head on over to the Call of Duty blog. This includes some content marked as in-season, which is likely to arrive as part of Season One Reloaded.

TCL's first portable projector is an affordable all-rounder with Google TV

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:38

TCL has revealed its first mobile projector, the Projector A1
It's an affordable offering that has built-in Google TV smarts
It also has 8W speakers with Dolby Audio and costs just $499

TCL, famed for its TVs, has moved into a new category: portable projectors. The new TCL Projector A1 is a low-priced mobile projector with built-in speakers, Wi-Fi and Google TV.

The Projector A1 is a full HD 1080p offering that delivers 360 ISO lumens of brightness, with a screen size from 45 inches to 120 inches.

The LCD projector includes automatic focus and keystone adjustment for easy setup, and its dual 8W speakers let you use the device as a Bluetooth speaker as well as to providing the soundtrack to your streaming shows and movies.

Another bonus with the TCL Projector A1 is that it's powered by Google TV, including Google Assistant for voice search and smart home control, while the audio is handled by Dolby Audio processing.

Chromecast is supported too, and the Wi-Fi is 802.11a/b/g/n – not cutting edge, then, but fine given the display resolution.

A new potential bargain?

(Image credit: TCL)

There are some nice additional touches in the Projector A1, including a clever handle – TCL calls it VersaGrip – that is adjustable for comfort and also turns into a stand.

The projector is fairly portable too, coming in at 5.5lbs (about 2.5kg) with compact dimensions of 5.0in x 7.6in x 10.4in (or 127mm x 193 x 264mm).

As you'd expect from TCL, the new Projector A1 is priced keenly: it's available now with an MSRP of $499 (around £395 / AU$770).

That's significantly cheaper than our current budget pick in our guide to the best portable projectors, the LG CineBeam Q, although that model does have a higher specification and resolution than the TCL.

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Google Meet's new update will finally help all of us look a little better on our morning video call

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:27

Automatic framing is coming to all Google Meet users
The Feature will automatically position you in the center of the video frame
Framing can be adjusted at any time, and will even work with virtual backgrounds

Looking your best on the morning team video call could soon be a lot easier thanks to a new update coming to Google Meet.

The video conferencing platform has revealed its automatic framing tool will be coming to all Google Workspace platform tiers, giving more users a better depiction of themselves whilst on a call.

The tool helps automatically center users in the middle of the screen when joining a video call or meeting, meaning they are properly framed and as visible as possible.

Google Meet framing

Automatic framing was launched by Google Workspace back in 2022, but until now has only been available on selected tiers. Going forward, it will be on by default for all users, and there is no admin control required.

"Depending on their camera placement, some meeting participants might be less visible than others," the company noted in a Google Workspace update blog post. "With automatic framing, Google Meet will automatically center your video before joining a meeting to help ensure equal visibility for all participants."

The feature kicks in before a user joins the call, but can be re-adjusted at any time during a meeting by the user if they want to refresh how they look, by hovering over the video tile and clicking reframe.

The tool will also now work better with virtual backgrounds, which previously may have affected how a user is framed while on a call. Google says Meet will, "continuously keep you centered when using a virtual background, ensuring your background is fixed and not constantly reframing which can be distracting."

The news is the latest in a series of recent updates for Google Meet in recent weeks as it looks to become more helpful and intuitive for users everywhere.

This includes a new picture-in-picture feed, which automatically opens when navigating into a different tab - useful for those who may have to search for relevant information or data from different sources.

Google's Gemini AI platform will also now automatically take notes during a meeting, letting users "drop the pen" and focus more clearly on the meeting instead of splitting focus between listening and taking notes on video conferencing calls.

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Apple Shortcuts just got baked-in ChatGPT search to give you powerful new iPhone automations

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:19

OpenAI recently updated ChatGPT so it can search the internet
This feature has now been added to Apple’s Shortcuts app
It unlocks new superpowers for your iPhone automations

At the WWDC 2024 conference in June, Apple told us it would be integrating ChatGPT into its own Apple Intelligence system to bring powerful artificial intelligence (AI) to Apple devices. What you might not know is that ChatGPT’s brand-new search feature is also working its way into one of Apple’s best apps, bringing even more capable automation to the iPhone and iPad.

As spotted by MacRumors, Apple’s Shortcuts app includes a new “Open SearchGPT” option nestled among its other ChatGPT commands. This means you can use ChatGPT’s search capabilities to find relevant information online with just a few taps.

OpenAI enabled ChatGPT to search the web in late October, saying that this addition worked “in a much better way” than the chatbot’s previous lookup abilities. It can include links to relevant web searches, add useful context to your results, and it works with follow-up questions to supplement your results with more information.

Apple’s Shortcuts app, meanwhile, lets you create multi-step automations that can carry out a wide range of tasks for you, which can potentially save you a lot of time and effort if the actions are tedious to perform manually.

Shortcuts can also be activated automatically at specified times of day or when you arrive at certain locations. Combine that with ChatGPT’s new ability to search the internet and you could create some very potent workflows – and change the way you search on your iPhone entirely.

Coming to free users soon

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Ascannio)

Right now, you’ll need a paid-for ChatGPT Plus or ChatGPT Teams subscription in order to use SearchGPT.

That won’t be the case forever, though, as OpenAI says it plans to extend the feature to free users “over the coming months.” Note that you’ll also need to have downloaded the latest version of the ChatGPT app on your iPhone or iPad in order to get the SearchGPT function in Shortcuts.

You might be wondering where Siri figures in all this, since Apple announced at WWDC that Siri would be able to tap into ChatGPT if needed. Well, the iOS 18.2 beta lets Siri hand off to ChatGPT in certain situations – for instance, if you start your Siri request with the phrase “Ask ChatGPT,” you’ll go straight through to OpenAI’s chatbot.

However, iOS 18.2 isn’t expected to launch to the general public until early December. If you don’t want to wait that long to get ChatGPT built into your iOS experience, SearchGPT’s Shortcuts integration might be your best bet.

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Big, baffling design changes are reportedly planned for the iPhone 17 series

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:18

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could switch from titanium to aluminum
The upcoming Pro models might also have a larger camera bump than current models
The iPhone 17 Air could be too thin for a SIM card slot

Apple might be taking a backwards step when it comes to the design of the iPhone 17 series, as a new report suggests the company will equip all four phones with an aluminum frame.

This report is a subscriber-only article at The Information, but it's been summarized by 9to5Mac, and this is one of many design changes detailed in it.

Apple already uses aluminum for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, but the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max instead have a titanium frame, which is generally considered to be a more premium material, so it seems odd that the company would switch them to aluminum.

According to this report though it’s not just the frames that will be aluminum – in the case of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the top half of the back will also be aluminum, with the bottom half being glass, as wireless charging doesn’t work through a metal back.

That sounds like a huge change from the all-glass rears of the current models, and the report adds that the Pro and Pro Max models will also have a larger rectangular camera bump, and that this too will be aluminum rather than the '3D glass' of current models.

A larger camera bump also doesn’t sound appealing, but it could be a sign that improved cameras are planned for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Current leaks suggest a new 48MP telephoto camera could be included, so perhaps that’s the reason.

The rumored move to aluminum is more baffling, especially since this would give the Pro models one less differentiator from the standard ones. But perhaps it’s for cost or environmental reasons.

The iPhone 17 Air could also sport a questionable design

The iPhone 17 Air could be a lot slimmer than the iPhone 16 (Image credit: Future)

The report also details the rumored iPhone 17 Air, and those details have been summarized by 9to5Mac in a separate article. In any case, the report says that Apple is aiming for this to be between 5mm and 6mm thick, which would make it a lot slimmer than the 7.8mm iPhone 16.

However, Apple is apparently “finding it hard to fit the battery and thermal materials into the device.” That chimes with an earlier leak, though that report stated that as a result, the iPhone 17 Air would be thicker than 6mm. So we’re not sure which leak is right, or if either of them is.

This new report adds that current prototypes have just one earpiece speaker, while other iPhones have two, and that – as other leaks have suggested – the iPhone 17 Air will have just one rear camera. This will apparently be housed in a “large, centered camera bump.”

Interestingly, the report also says that Apple hasn’t found a way to fit a physical SIM card slot into the iPhone 17 Air, so if it is this slim at launch then it might be eSIM-only. Apple has already made that move with other iPhones in the US, but units in some countries such as the UK include both an eSIM and a SIM card slot. The bigger issue would be China, where eSIMs aren’t supported.

Finally, current prototype units of the iPhone 17 Air apparently use Apple’s in-house 5G modem, and this is said to be slower and less reliable than the Qualcomm modems that current iPhones use. It also apparently doesn’t support faster mmWave 5G, though it’s possible that by the time the iPhone 17 Air launches, Apple will have improved its modem.

Still, for now this sounds like it could be an enormously compromised device if this report is accurate. We should find out how accurate it is in September, as that’s when the iPhone 17 series – including the iPhone 17 Air – is likely to launch.

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Arcane co-creator says 'I can neither confirm or deny' if a big Jinx season 2 finale fan theory is true, but I think his reaction says otherwise

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:15

One of Arcane's co-creators has responded to a big season 2 finale fan-theory concerning Jinx
Christian Linke wouldn't confirm if Vi's sister is still alive
However, while Linke's words said one thing, his reaction said something else

Full spoilers immediately follow for Arcane's season 2 finale.

Arcane co-creator Christian Linke has implied that, despite what happens in the season 2 finale, Jinx is still alive.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar after the Netflix show's final episodes aired last Saturday (November 23), Linke suggested that Arcane's deuteragonist didn't die. While Linke said he could "neither confirm or deny" that this was the case, the fact that he shuffled nervously in his seat and raised a wry smile all but confirmed that Jinx didn't perish in this season's ninth and final entry.

Did you spot the purple, Shimmer-like streak heading for one of the Hexgate tower's air ducts before Jinx's bomb went off? (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

There's plenty of evidence to suggest that Jinx lives to fight another day, too, which I previously covered in my Arcane season 2 act 3 ending explained piece. For starters, as Jinx detonates her Hextech bomb to kill Warwick and seemingly sacrifice herself, Jinx appears to use her Shimmer-based super-speed powers to avoid the explosion. Indeed, a unmistakable streak of purple, i.e., the color of Jinx's Shimmer abilities, can be seen in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment mere milliseconds before the bomb goes off.

Her whole story is about turning from the bumbling, little sister into someone who takes responsibility

Christian Linke, Arcane co-creator

In one of the best Netflix shows' final few scenes, Caitlyn is seen combing the Kiramman family archives while she fidgets with the monkey head of another of JInx's homemade explosive devices. As she browses these records, she finds the schematics for Piltover's Hexgate tower, which Jinx and Warwick fell down before the former detonated her bomb. Zooming in on the blueprint's air duct and cooling system section, Caitlyn raises a smile. Clearly, Caitlyn was trawling through the archives to find the tower's designs to work out if Jinx could have survived. Based on her smirk, it's evident that she believes Vi's younger sibling did.

The last two pieces of evidence come in Arcane season 2's final scene. The most obvious one is the Jinx-style 'The End' title card that flashes on the screen before the end credits roll, and which indicates that Jinx's story isn't over. Even more importantly, though, the series' final shot shows an airship flying to an unknown region of Runeterra. Why is this significant? In Arcane's very first episode, the child version of Jinx – then known as Powder – sees an airship and says "one day, I'm going to ride one of those things". Considering that the airship in season 2's final episode is identical to the one that Powder sees in the animated show's premiere, it doesn't take a genius to deduce that Jinx is flying the airship in the League of Legends (LoL) adaptation's final chapter.

I'm convinced Jinx is the individual who's flying this airship (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

Armed with these clues, I asked Linke if he could confirm whether Jinx was alive, and if she was the individual who was flying the airship. As I mentioned, Linke didn't give me a definitive answer, with Arcane's co-showrunner choosing instead to speak about Jinx's redemption-based character arc that was teased in season 2's final trailer. His body language, though, practically confirmed that Zaun's self-appointed 'big, fat hero' is not only alive, but also managed to break the cycle of violence she was trapped in and walk (or, rather, fly) away to start a new life.

"I can neither confirm or deny [the Jinx is alive]," Linke coyly replied. "I will say this: her whole story is about turning from the little, bumbling sister into someone who is able to take responsibility and do what a big sister needs to do.

"Isha is really that example for Jinx. She [Jinx] is starting to understand what it's like to be responsible, and to be able to grow and be stronger. Even in that scene [involving Vi, Jinx, and Warwick], there's something where VI is incapable of kind of sacrificing the ones she loves and leaving them behind. Jinx has a moment where she has grown and she's capable of stepping in, and it's a big decision that's important for her. So, that's I guess, where I'll leave it."

Even if Jinx is still kicking around, it's unlikely that we'll see her again. Arcane's second and final season wraps up Jinx and Vi's story, as well as that of Piltover and Zaun. That's in spite of rumors that Arcane was supposed to run for five seasons, too – with Linke and fellow creator Alex Yee telling me it was "never the plan" for Arcane to last that long.

Regardless, there are plenty of other LoL movies and TV shows in the works that will explore more regions of Runeterra and focus on other LoL champions. I'll have more to share on that front in another exclusive later today, so be sure to check back with TechRadar soon. For now, see why Arcane's creators have insinuated that it'll be a long time before the hit series' follow-up projects are released.

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Nothing Phone 3 benchmarks just leaked – and may have revealed a key spec

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:08

The Nothing Phone 3 may have been spotted in a new leak
Benchmark stats point to a new mid-range handset
The phone is due to launch sometime in 2025

It's been quite the wait for the Nothing Phone 3 – with the phone pushed back to 2025 to allow more time for additional AI features to be developed – but a new benchmark leak suggests the handset will be turning up sooner rather than later.

The Geekbench listing was spotted by GSMArena, and based on the scores and the internal spec references, the Nothing Phone 3 could be more of a mid-range phone than a flagship: it looks as though the processor inside is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3.

That would be a step down from the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 3 fitted inside the Nothing Phone 2, but this could just be one of several variants. It's very possible that more powerful, higher-end versions of the Nothing Phone 3 are in the pipeline too.

The listing also tells us there'll be 8GB of RAM here, with Android 15 and Nothing OS 3.0 for the software – though as always with these benchmark leaks, don't assume anything is confirmed until Nothing gets around to making the handset(s) official.

What comes next

The Nothing Phone 2a (Image credit: Future / James Ide)

You can catch up on the recent history of Nothing phones by reading our Nothing Phone 2 review, Nothing Phone 2a review, and Nothing Phone 2a Plus review. Those phones came out in July 2023, March 2024, and July 2024 respectively.

The Phone 2a and Phone 2a Plus are very much mid-range handsets, so it would be something of a surprise if the Nothing Phone 3 (or one of its variants) was too – it seems more likely that we'd get a Nothing Phone 3a as a follow-up.

We haven't heard too much about the Nothing Phone 3 so far, beyond that it'll feature plenty of AI. A couple of codenames have leaked, and according to insiders the Nothing Phone 3 will in fact offer performance close to flagship levels.

The GSMArena article does predict that a premium Nothing Phone 3 Pro is indeed on the way, so that might be the true successor to the Nothing Phone 2 – rather than the model referenced in this benchmark.

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Windows 11 24H2’s latest bugs are proving a nightmare for PC gamers (again) and are stopping some Dell laptops from shutting down

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:05

Windows 11 24H2 has run into yet more bugs
They affect Ubisoft games and cause them to freeze up in a nasty way
There’s also a bug with an encryption app hitting Dell’s laptops

Windows 11 24H2 seems to run into more and more problems as the update continues to roll out, and here’s another bunch of fresh issues which upgraders have encountered.

For starters, one of the most recent bugs to rear its head represents a spot of trouble for PC gamers (again), as flagged up on Microsoft’s release health status dashboard.

This one relates to problems with Ubisoft games whereby some titles can become “unresponsive while starting, loading or during active gameplay” with this resulting in a black screen crash in some cases.

The games affected are as follows:

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Assassin’s Creed Origins
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Star Wars Outlaws
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

We’re told that Ubisoft has released a patch for Star Wars Outlaws that means the game will no longer freeze up, but players might still encounter technical hitches in terms of unspecified ‘performance issues,’ so we can guess that means some bouts of sluggish frame rates, perhaps.

On top of that, there’s another gremlin causing havoc in 24H2 for some USB devices, mainly USB standalone scanners, as Microsoft again explains in its dashboard.

Windows Latest also spotted that Dolby Digital sound won’t work in Windows 11 24H2, with a fresh install, that is, as the Dolby Audio decoders aren’t preinstalled in the OS as of 24H2. So, in this case, you’ll need to manually install them.

Finally, the tech site also noticed that there’s a bug with Dell PCs with a certain app that means they won’t hibernate or shut down, a pretty major clanger it has to be said.

This happens when Windows 11 24H2 is installed on a Dell machine with an older version of the Dell Encryption app, as confirmed by the laptop maker itself.

In a support document, Dell tells us: “Dell Encryption v11.9 and earlier are not compatible with 24H2 and should not be installed to those computers.”

Note that this app is something you’ll see in a business setting, so the odds are that this isn’t one you’ll have to worry about – but it’s still something to be aware of, given the impact here, if you have a Dell notebook for working from home, for example.

(Image credit: Ubisoft/LucasFilm Games) Analysis: Hell for Dell, and Ubisoft too

So, for those who do have such a Dell laptop, you need to be careful here, as failing to shut down the PC is a pretty critical bug. What’s more worrying here is that as Windows Latest observes, Microsoft hasn’t yet placed a hold on the 24H2 update for PCs running Dell Encryption v11.9 or earlier – normally, these systems should be blocked from the upgrade due to this incompatibility problem.

At least this was the case at the time of writing, and the current advice is to make sure you have Dell Encryption v11.10 (or better) installed before you grab the 24H2 update. Your Dell PC may have already updated that app, with any luck, but we wouldn’t take that for granted.

The good news is that the bug more likely to affect our readers – with the Ubisoft games – does have an upgrade block in place. So, if you have the mentioned games installed, the 24H2 update won’t be offered to you. Also, don’t try to fudge your way around that compatibility block by manually installing 24H2 (by using, say, the media creation tool), as that will end in tears (or your PC games crashing, rather).

As mentioned at the outset, there are a growing number of problems with the 24H2 update, so we can’t imagine the rollout will be opening up to a lot more PCs anytime soon. Microsoft has a lot of fixing to do here, work that’s already happening to be fair.

Companies want to get serious on AI, but their workers don't have the skills

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 05:01

Workers’ AI skills are a barrier to successful AI adoption
Legacy infrastructure is also causing a problem
Companies want clearer government guidance

British businesses are struggling to see returns from their AI investments due to the ongoing skills gap, new research has claimed.

Three in five (59%) companies in the UK and Ireland surveyed by NTT Data believe their employees lack the necessary skills for them to benefit from the transformative potential of AI.

However, workers may not be entirely at fault, with more than a quarter (27%) of UK&I organizations yet to establish expert generative AI teams, equating to 10% higher than the global average.

UK businesses are falling behind on AI

"As we move beyond experimentation, a tension emerges: move too fast, and we risk unintended circumstances; move too slow and we fall behind," noted NTT DATA Group CEO Yutaka Sasaki.

Almost all (99%) of the organizations surveyed plan to further their GenAI investments, with hopes that the technology would have a material impact on things like productivity and efficiency, sustainability, compliance, business processes, security and employee experience.

Two-thirds (67%) of global respondents believe their employees lack the right skills to work with GenAI, and even more (72%) noted that they don’t have a GenAI usage policy for workers. Furthermore, companies are calling on governments to introduce clearer regulations on AI.

Limited perception of value, limited awareness, user resistance and concerns surrounding GenAI’s safety and security were highlighted as key obstacles to the technology’s adoption.

There are other hurdles beyond worker skills that are preventing companies from going head-first into AI, too. Nine in 10 said that legacy infrastructure hinders the effective use of AI, with most CIOs and CTOs acknowledging that cloud-based solutions are the most practical method to support such applications.

Sasaki added: “The future is clear. Generative AI is more than just another tool – it’s a transformative force.” However, as AI matures, it’s increasingly apparent that the right foundations are critical before companies can consider any form of investment.

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How to choose productivity tools that optimize efficiency and ROI

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 01:40

Today Chief Innovation Officers (CIOs) are faced with a myriad of decisions to make on a daily basis, as they seek to reduce costs, maintain workflow efficiency and improve service offerings through new digital tools - whether that be implementing new automation strategies or sourcing tools to support the businesses’ digital transformation efforts.

For many CIOs simply weighing up the pros and cons between different software vendors and the tools on offer, can be a challenge within itself, with others caught up in current contracts unsure of how to maximize their value.

Choosing between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace productivity/collaboration tools, for example, is a tough decision for many. Both services boast a variety of features, and it can be difficult to decide which is the best fit for your organization to optimize its efficiency and return the best value for money.

So, where to start?

Maximizing value from your current platform

To get the most out of existing technology, regardless of provider, it is important to look for opportunities to bundle features and remove tools you don’t need; consider functionalities such as comms platforms, identity and access management, Single Sign On, file storage, telephony, data visualization, EUC cybersecurity, and even EUC hardware. Businesses can look at periodic or automated harvesting of licenses to limit unnecessary new purchases. For businesses that have yet to implement this, there is often up to a 20% opportunity to harvest users to avoid new purchases and maximize value from the existing platform.

Knowing when the time is right to reevaluate

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 may have comparable license prices for standard users, but to effectively evaluate the cost of either platform, it is important to compare the total cost of your wider tech stack.

For a more nuanced review, it is important to review user profiles, employee mix (full-time or part-time, for instance), hiring seasonality, and turnover. For example, Microsoft offers a more modular license model for specific roles in a business environment (for instance, F vs E, M365 vs O365, and any combination of add-ons), which can drive significant cost reductions if you are currently only utilizing a single license type. The cost of fully migrating between platforms can be considerable – anywhere from one to three times your annual license cost plus internal resource effort.

One-year or three-year contract agreements?

When it comes to managing costs and selecting a productivity tool that will ensure optimum efficiency for your business it is also important to consider the contract agreement. If you look at Google and Microsoft’s agreement plans, for example, Google's one-year agreement is similar to the three-year, but it may take away discounting in exchange for the flexibility of a shorter commitment.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s one-year New Commerce Experience (NCE) or Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) is even more flexible, allowing for month-to-month commitments. This can be advantageous for seasonal license requirements or mid-year reductions. That said, if you are using the NCE/CSP, it is vital to review usage monthly. Businesses often sign up for the monthly NCE/CSP at a higher unit price for the added flexibility, without taking advantage of the true-down opportunities.

Both Google and Microsoft's three-year agreements are typically more suitable for larger enterprises with a consistent or growing employee base. Advantages include better overall unit pricing and longer-term price protection. One key difference is that Microsoft's Enterprise Agreement also allows clients to true-down their subscription licenses at the anniversary of the three-year agreement.

Understanding Cloud spend to leverage negotiations

Another recommendation would be for companies to leverage their entire Microsoft or Google spend and footprint during negotiations, especially to see if they can co-term their various agreements.

While cloud teams typically rely on reservations, savings plans, and forecasts to optimize their commitments, companies should make sure they understand any advantages they can use in their licensing models. For example, Azure's “bring your own license” may make buying Server or SQL through EA more advantageous than on-demand.

Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini pricing?

Microsoft Copilot (powered by OpenAI's advanced LLMs, such as GPT-4) and Google Gemini (powered by Google's AI technologies) both aim to boost user productivity through AI integrations within their respective ecosystems. They offer a comprehensive list of features, such as content generation, summarization, analysis, and contextual suggestions to empower teams and create efficiencies.

Microsoft and Google are currently offering fixed per-user prices for each AI module, allowing businesses to pick and choose which users can use the AI functionality. The list price for each AI module is similar to that of the productivity license (Workspace or Microsoft 365), effectively doubling your monthly spend. However, many of these new add-on products, for example, GCP’s Anthropic, Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Co-pilot, Microsoft Power Automate, are effectively being used as ‘sweeteners’ during negotiations to help secure improved discounting on core products.

In order to reduce costs and optimize efficiency across the business, CIOs need to be able to understand the options they have before proceeding, particularly when it comes to productivity tools, to avoid unnecessary headaches and lengthy contract agreements. Without understanding the features and benefits new digital tools provide and the costs associated, many CIOs unknowingly agree to contracts which could cost them more than what they’re already paying and be less efficient.

Before looking into new digital platforms or services, especially productivity tools, it is important to reevaluate the current service and identify if improvements can be made to maximize value to avoid purchasing anything new. If this isn’t an option, then CIOs need to identify when the time is right to change and whether it is more valuable to agree to one or three-year contract agreements.

We've rated the best collaboration platform for teams.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Categories: Technology

How to choose productivity tools that optimize efficiency and ROI

Tue, 11/26/2024 - 01:40

Today Chief Innovation Officers (CIOs) are faced with a myriad of decisions to make on a daily basis, as they seek to reduce costs, maintain workflow efficiency and improve service offerings through new digital tools - whether that be implementing new automation strategies or sourcing tools to support the businesses’ digital transformation efforts.

For many CIOs simply weighing up the pros and cons between different software vendors and the tools on offer, can be a challenge within itself, with others caught up in current contracts unsure of how to maximize their value.

Choosing between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace productivity/collaboration tools, for example, is a tough decision for many. Both services boast a variety of features, and it can be difficult to decide which is the best fit for your organization to optimize its efficiency and return the best value for money.

So, where to start?

Maximizing value from your current platform

To get the most out of existing technology, regardless of provider, it is important to look for opportunities to bundle features and remove tools you don’t need; consider functionalities such as comms platforms, identity and access management, Single Sign On, file storage, telephony, data visualization, EUC cybersecurity, and even EUC hardware. Businesses can look at periodic or automated harvesting of licenses to limit unnecessary new purchases. For businesses that have yet to implement this, there is often up to a 20% opportunity to harvest users to avoid new purchases and maximize value from the existing platform.

Knowing when the time is right to reevaluate

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 may have comparable license prices for standard users, but to effectively evaluate the cost of either platform, it is important to compare the total cost of your wider tech stack.

For a more nuanced review, it is important to review user profiles, employee mix (full-time or part-time, for instance), hiring seasonality, and turnover. For example, Microsoft offers a more modular license model for specific roles in a business environment (for instance, F vs E, M365 vs O365, and any combination of add-ons), which can drive significant cost reductions if you are currently only utilizing a single license type. The cost of fully migrating between platforms can be considerable – anywhere from one to three times your annual license cost plus internal resource effort.

One-year or three-year contract agreements?

When it comes to managing costs and selecting a productivity tool that will ensure optimum efficiency for your business it is also important to consider the contract agreement. If you look at Google and Microsoft’s agreement plans, for example, Google's one-year agreement is similar to the three-year, but it may take away discounting in exchange for the flexibility of a shorter commitment.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s one-year New Commerce Experience (NCE) or Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) is even more flexible, allowing for month-to-month commitments. This can be advantageous for seasonal license requirements or mid-year reductions. That said, if you are using the NCE/CSP, it is vital to review usage monthly. Businesses often sign up for the monthly NCE/CSP at a higher unit price for the added flexibility, without taking advantage of the true-down opportunities.

Both Google and Microsoft's three-year agreements are typically more suitable for larger enterprises with a consistent or growing employee base. Advantages include better overall unit pricing and longer-term price protection. One key difference is that Microsoft's Enterprise Agreement also allows clients to true-down their subscription licenses at the anniversary of the three-year agreement.

Understanding Cloud spend to leverage negotiations

Another recommendation would be for companies to leverage their entire Microsoft or Google spend and footprint during negotiations, especially to see if they can co-term their various agreements.

While cloud teams typically rely on reservations, savings plans, and forecasts to optimize their commitments, companies should make sure they understand any advantages they can use in their licensing models. For example, Azure's “bring your own license” may make buying Server or SQL through EA more advantageous than on-demand.

Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini pricing?

Microsoft Copilot (powered by OpenAI's advanced LLMs, such as GPT-4) and Google Gemini (powered by Google's AI technologies) both aim to boost user productivity through AI integrations within their respective ecosystems. They offer a comprehensive list of features, such as content generation, summarization, analysis, and contextual suggestions to empower teams and create efficiencies.

Microsoft and Google are currently offering fixed per-user prices for each AI module, allowing businesses to pick and choose which users can use the AI functionality. The list price for each AI module is similar to that of the productivity license (Workspace or Microsoft 365), effectively doubling your monthly spend. However, many of these new add-on products, for example, GCP’s Anthropic, Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Co-pilot, Microsoft Power Automate, are effectively being used as ‘sweeteners’ during negotiations to help secure improved discounting on core products.

In order to reduce costs and optimize efficiency across the business, CIOs need to be able to understand the options they have before proceeding, particularly when it comes to productivity tools, to avoid unnecessary headaches and lengthy contract agreements. Without understanding the features and benefits new digital tools provide and the costs associated, many CIOs unknowingly agree to contracts which could cost them more than what they’re already paying and be less efficient.

Before looking into new digital platforms or services, especially productivity tools, it is important to reevaluate the current service and identify if improvements can be made to maximize value to avoid purchasing anything new. If this isn’t an option, then CIOs need to identify when the time is right to change and whether it is more valuable to agree to one or three-year contract agreements.

We've rated the best collaboration platform for teams.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Categories: Technology

This voice controlled AI might one day replace your mouse and keyboard

Mon, 11/25/2024 - 20:30

Anthropic's experiments with giving Claude AI control of your computer are taking a new tone, literally. Voice control could potentially change how you get your device to operate. The AI assistant developer has teamed with Hume AI and its new Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) 2 to give Claude a grasp of the emotion behind our words and responds in kind.

That's about more than just matching your vibe in a conversation. It smooths the connection between what you say and how Claude can control your computer. Essentially, EVI 2 turns your voice into text and sends it to Claude. Claude then controls the computer, moving the mouse, clicking buttons, and even taking screenshots. Claude then uses plain language to explain its process, text that EVI turns into natural-sounding, human-like speech. It's both a conversation and a way to complete tasks on a computer without a mouse or keyboard.

Hume wants AI to feel more natural and intuitive to use. Instead of typing commands or navigating clunky menus, you can have fluid, emotionally intelligent conversations with your devices.

Imagine telling your laptop, “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. Can you organize my to-do list?” and having it respond in a soothing voice with just the right balance of empathy and efficiency while actually talking you through your list and putting it together on the screen in front of you. You can see how it works in the video below.

Voice control

"By integrating Claude with EVI, we've created something truly special. Claude's frontier natural language capabilities and personality complement EVI's expression understanding and empathy, so EVI can “act out” Claude’s responses and generate fluid, context-aware conversations that feel remarkably human,” Hume founder Alan Cowen explained in a blog post. "Claude is very eloquent. It has a really good personality that people enjoy talking to."

It's becoming more common to give generative AI assistants voice interfaces, whether ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode or Microsoft's Copilot Voice. The latest AI models allow for adaptive assistants that can respond when you interrupt and switch topics easily – far more so than earlier voice assistants from Amazon or Google. Combine that with control over your computer, and suddenly, new horizons open. Technology becomes more accessible to people with disabilities or those doing other things with their hands simultaneously, making multitasking easier.

Of course, any kinks will need to be worked out. The equivalent of an AI hallucination could be disastrous if the AI also has control over your files and messaging services. Plus, privacy becomes even more important when the digital equivalent of keystrokes and browser history becomes part of the AI record. Even so, this deal between Hume AI and Anthropic is still a big step for personalizing AI when it comes to computer control.

You might also like

Categories: Technology

This voice controlled AI might one day replace your mouse and keyboard

Mon, 11/25/2024 - 20:30

Anthropic's experiments with giving Claude AI control of your computer are taking a new tone, literally. Voice control could potentially change how you get your device to operate. The AI assistant developer has teamed with Hume AI and its new Empathic Voice Interface (EVI) 2 to give Claude a grasp of the emotion behind our words and responds in kind.

That's about more than just matching your vibe in a conversation. It smooths the connection between what you say and how Claude can control your computer. Essentially, EVI 2 turns your voice into text and sends it to Claude. Claude then controls the computer, moving the mouse, clicking buttons, and even taking screenshots. Claude then uses plain language to explain its process, text that EVI turns into natural-sounding, human-like speech. It's both a conversation and a way to complete tasks on a computer without a mouse or keyboard.

Hume wants AI to feel more natural and intuitive to use. Instead of typing commands or navigating clunky menus, you can have fluid, emotionally intelligent conversations with your devices.

Imagine telling your laptop, “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. Can you organize my to-do list?” and having it respond in a soothing voice with just the right balance of empathy and efficiency while actually talking you through your list and putting it together on the screen in front of you. You can see how it works in the video below.

Voice control

"By integrating Claude with EVI, we've created something truly special. Claude's frontier natural language capabilities and personality complement EVI's expression understanding and empathy, so EVI can “act out” Claude’s responses and generate fluid, context-aware conversations that feel remarkably human,” Hume founder Alan Cowen explained in a blog post. "Claude is very eloquent. It has a really good personality that people enjoy talking to."

It's becoming more common to give generative AI assistants voice interfaces, whether ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode or Microsoft's Copilot Voice. The latest AI models allow for adaptive assistants that can respond when you interrupt and switch topics easily – far more so than earlier voice assistants from Amazon or Google. Combine that with control over your computer, and suddenly, new horizons open. Technology becomes more accessible to people with disabilities or those doing other things with their hands simultaneously, making multitasking easier.

Of course, any kinks will need to be worked out. The equivalent of an AI hallucination could be disastrous if the AI also has control over your files and messaging services. Plus, privacy becomes even more important when the digital equivalent of keystrokes and browser history becomes part of the AI record. Even so, this deal between Hume AI and Anthropic is still a big step for personalizing AI when it comes to computer control.

You might also like

Categories: Technology

NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Tuesday, November 26 (game #534)

Mon, 11/25/2024 - 18:02

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 #534) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

PLAZA
OVERLOOK
BONUS
DISCOUNT
CLUB
PROMOTION
RITZ
ANIMAL
RAISE
TURTLE
GOLDFISH
FORGET
PUG
IGNORE
EQUITY
ELOISE

NYT Connections today (game #534) - hint #1 - group hints

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

Yellow: Better than being fired
Green: Don't think about
Blue: Types of thin, baked food
Purple: Appear in a classic book

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 #534) - hint #2 - group answers

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

YELLOW: GOOD THINGS TO GET AT WORK
GREEN: DISREGARD
BLUE: KINDS OF CRACKERS
PURPLE: FEATURED IN “ELOISE”

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

NYT Connections today (game #534) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #534, are…

YELLOW: GOOD THINGS TO GET AT WORK BONUS, EQUITY, PROMOTION, RAISE
GREEN: DISREGARD DISCOUNT, FORGET, IGNORE, OVERLOOK
BLUE: KINDS OF CRACKERS ANIMAL, CLUB, GOLDFISH, RITZ
PURPLE: FEATURED IN “ELOISE” ELOISE, PLAZA, PUG, TURTLE

My rating: Moderate
My score: Perfect

Before I started writing this today I had no idea who or what ELOISE was. Nothing at all about it had ever crossed my cultural path, to the extent that when the answer popped up it wasn't one of those 'Oh, of course' moments, or even an 'Oh, I've vaguely heard of that' situations, but purely one of 'Er, what's that'. I know now that it was a 1950s illustrated book, but I'm completely baffled as to why it's an answer here. It doesn't even appear to be that famous – the entire first page of Google is about a song with that name or a 2007 movie. I can only imagine that it was a favorite of the NYT puzzle setters. Very strange.

Anyway, that was purple, and the good news for me was that it didn't impact my game at all, because I was able to solve the three easier groups instead. I did them in order of difficulty, starting with yellow (GOOD THINGS TO GET AT WORK) and green (DISREGARD), both of which were very simple, before (inevitably) getting stuck on the final groups. Eventually I put RITZ and GOLDFISH together as KINDS OF CRACKERS, and though I wasn't certain about CLUB or ANIMAL I had a hunch that they were right – a hunch of the kind I didn't get about ELOISE, because it had simply never fired a single one of my neurons at any point in the past. But now it has, so I guess that's a positive thing.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 25 November, game #533)

YELLOW: ATTAIN EARN, LAND, SCORE, WIN
GREEN: LARGE GROUP CROWD, FLOCK, HOST, SEA
BLUE: PARTS OF A SHIP ANCHOR, BOW, BRIDGE, DECK
PURPLE: ASSOCIATED PRINCIPLES IN CHINESE PHILOSOPHY EXPANSIVE, LIGHT, MASCULINE, YANG

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.

Categories: Technology

NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Tuesday, November 26 (game #534)

Mon, 11/25/2024 - 18:02

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 #534) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

PLAZA
OVERLOOK
BONUS
DISCOUNT
CLUB
PROMOTION
RITZ
ANIMAL
RAISE
TURTLE
GOLDFISH
FORGET
PUG
IGNORE
EQUITY
ELOISE

NYT Connections today (game #534) - hint #1 - group hints

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

Yellow: Better than being fired
Green: Don't think about
Blue: Types of thin, baked food
Purple: Appear in a classic book

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 #534) - hint #2 - group answers

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

YELLOW: GOOD THINGS TO GET AT WORK
GREEN: DISREGARD
BLUE: KINDS OF CRACKERS
PURPLE: FEATURED IN “ELOISE”

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

NYT Connections today (game #534) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #534, are…

YELLOW: GOOD THINGS TO GET AT WORK BONUS, EQUITY, PROMOTION, RAISE
GREEN: DISREGARD DISCOUNT, FORGET, IGNORE, OVERLOOK
BLUE: KINDS OF CRACKERS ANIMAL, CLUB, GOLDFISH, RITZ
PURPLE: FEATURED IN “ELOISE” ELOISE, PLAZA, PUG, TURTLE

My rating: Moderate
My score: Perfect

Before I started writing this today I had no idea who or what ELOISE was. Nothing at all about it had ever crossed my cultural path, to the extent that when the answer popped up it wasn't one of those 'Oh, of course' moments, or even an 'Oh, I've vaguely heard of that' situations, but purely one of 'Er, what's that'. I know now that it was a 1950s illustrated book, but I'm completely baffled as to why it's an answer here. It doesn't even appear to be that famous – the entire first page of Google is about a song with that name or a 2007 movie. I can only imagine that it was a favorite of the NYT puzzle setters. Very strange.

Anyway, that was purple, and the good news for me was that it didn't impact my game at all, because I was able to solve the three easier groups instead. I did them in order of difficulty, starting with yellow (GOOD THINGS TO GET AT WORK) and green (DISREGARD), both of which were very simple, before (inevitably) getting stuck on the final groups. Eventually I put RITZ and GOLDFISH together as KINDS OF CRACKERS, and though I wasn't certain about CLUB or ANIMAL I had a hunch that they were right – a hunch of the kind I didn't get about ELOISE, because it had simply never fired a single one of my neurons at any point in the past. But now it has, so I guess that's a positive thing.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 25 November, game #533)

YELLOW: ATTAIN EARN, LAND, SCORE, WIN
GREEN: LARGE GROUP CROWD, FLOCK, HOST, SEA
BLUE: PARTS OF A SHIP ANCHOR, BOW, BRIDGE, DECK
PURPLE: ASSOCIATED PRINCIPLES IN CHINESE PHILOSOPHY EXPANSIVE, LIGHT, MASCULINE, YANG

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.

Categories: Technology

Quordle today – hints and answers for Tuesday, November 26 (game #1037)

Mon, 11/25/2024 - 18:02

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 #1037) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 5*.

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

Quordle today (game #1037) - 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 #1037) - 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 #1037) - 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 #1037) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• F

• H

• W

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

Quordle today (game #1037) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1037, are…

PRIED
FAINT
HURRY
WOOER

There are three things that you need to know about today's game. One, I lost. Again. Two, that was my own fault to a large extent, the result of a really stupid mistake, then a poor strategic decision. And three – I'm delighted about it all, because it's a great story (well, to an extent; it's not Catch-22).

That's because the answer I lost on, WOOER, is my nemesis; the only answer I ever failed on Wordle's first 1250-odd games. I'd played it via the original Wordle archive some time after the game launched (and before the NYT unceremoniously shut it down) and was defeated by its combination of being an ER word, having a repeated letter, containing a very unusual format with three vowels in a row, and it being a slightly ridiculous word that people generally don't use in real life.

I think I would have failed it again even if I hadn't have messed up my fourth guess, going for PRIDE when it couldn't be the answer (it was PRIED), but we'll never know. Instead, I'll have to accept another Quordle loss, and another loss to WOOER.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1037) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1037, are…

GECKO
ROUSE
NOBLY
AFTER

Quordle answers: The past 20

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
Quordle #1020, Saturday 9 November: FLUME, THERE, ATOLL, SANER
Quordle #1019, Friday 8 November: DELAY, NAVAL, MOLAR, SWARM
Quordle #1018, Thursday 7 November: REPAY, SYNOD, LOATH, PITHY
Quordle #1017, Wednesday 6 November: SASSY, DRUID, THREW, SLOSH