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Polls show some Democrats aren't excited to vote for Vice President Harris. On Saturday, Michelle Obama railed against “the lie that we do not know who Kamala is or what she stands for."

(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski)

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 #1007) - 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 #1007) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1007) - 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 #1007) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1007) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• C

• S

• B

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

Quordle today (game #1007) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1007, are…

• STUNG
• CLOUT
• SOWER
• BASIS

Today's Quordle serves up a complicated collection of words that may well cause people some difficulties. It was a game that I didn't even try to solve in seven guesses, the best I can ever do with my strategy of playing three set start words; I added BEFOG as an unofficial fourth start word, because I could see there were too many possibilities (and not information) for any of the four answers.

BEFOG gave me the G for STUNG, which could also have been STUNK at that time, plus the B for BASIS. I still needed to spot the repeated S in the latter, but as it turned out there was nothing else that fit.

CLOUT was not so bad, but SOWER… well, it's not exactly a common word, is it? I was certainly glad to get home with a guess to spare, at any rate.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1007) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1007, are…

• CHARM
• STACK
• CREAM
• UNFIT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1006, Saturday 26 October: DUCHY, CANNY, BLOCK, SMART
• Quordle #1005, Friday 25 October: PRANK, EXIST, RUDDY, PICKY
• Quordle #1004, Thursday 24 October: DAIRY, RALLY, CURLY, LABEL
• Quordle #1003, Wednesday 23 October: DROSS, ANNEX, GRAVE, BROKE
• Quordle #1002, Tuesday 22 October: ADORE, SMITH, AFOOT, LUCID
• Quordle #1001, Monday 21 October: TREAD, NINTH, GRIEF, UNSET
• Quordle #1000, Sunday 20 October: CORAL, WHOSE, HEIST, SOAPY
• Quordle #999, Saturday 19 October: GUSTY, BROKE, ENJOY, HAZEL
• Quordle #998, Friday 18 October: PUPIL, MOCHA, EGRET, NATAL
• Quordle #997, Thursday 17 October: BUILD, BIRTH, LURCH, SASSY
• Quordle #996, Wednesday 16 October: EERIE, SMIRK, HUNCH, EMBED
• Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
• Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
• Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
• Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO
• Quordle #991, Friday 11 October: RINSE, ANIME, PUSHY, ZEBRA
• Quordle #990, Thursday 10 October: UNTIL, MARSH, METAL, WINDY
• Quordle #989, Wednesday 9 October: TRIAL, HUSKY, DOWNY, TRADE
• Quordle #988, Tuesday 8 October: TROUT, HATER, BARGE, DOZEN
• Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Best of the best

NYT Strands today (game #238) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• FILE
• HIDE
• REAR
• CLASP
• PART
• PROP

NYT Strands today (game #238) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• __ of the __

NYT Strands today (game #238) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 3rd row

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

NYT Strands today (game #238) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #238, are…

• CLASS
• PARTY
• LITTER
• LIFE
• CREAM
• CROP
• HEAD
• PICK
• SPANGRAM: PERFECTPAIR

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Perfect

Wow, this was far harder than the average Strands puzzle. And far more conceptual than many of the most recent games, which have essentially been related words about a topic you may or may not have had experience with. In contrast, this is all about language, really – all eight words are of the format __ of the __, for instance CREAM of the CROP or LIFE of the PARTY, with the first being the 'best' example of the second.

I had no idea what was going on for roughly half of the game, uncovering words at regular intervals but failing to spot any kind of connection between them – or between them and the theme clue of 'Best of the best'. It was only when I found LIFE that it started to make sense. I already had PARTY, and those two words obviously went together. When I found CREAM and then CROP in quick succession it was clear what I needed to do, and I was able to come up with the remaining words without any issues after that. But it's a challenging one, for sure.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 26 October, game #237)

• ARIA
• BALLAD
• SHANTY
• JINGLE
• LULLABY
• SPIRITUAL
• SPANGRAM: VOCALMUSIC

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.

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 #504) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FRESH
• PRINCE
• BEL
• AIR
• QUALITY
• BAR
• CUTE
• MERMAID
• LUX
• WISE
• TRAMP
• MOOD
• FEELING
• SMART
• MOLE
• RASCALS

NYT Connections today (game #504) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• Yellow: Giving it some attitude
• Green: Atmosphere
• Blue: Quantities
• Purple: [small] blank

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 #504) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SASSY
• GREEN: AMBIENCE
• BLUE: UNITS
• PURPLE: THE LITTLE ___

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

NYT Connections today (game #504) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #504, are…

• YELLOW: SASSY CUTE, FRESH, SMART, WISE
• GREEN: AMBIENCE AIR, FEELING, MOOD, QUALITY
• BLUE: UNITS BAR, BEL, LUX, MOLE
• PURPLE: THE LITTLE ___ MERMAID, PRINCE, RASCALS, TRAMP

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

This is a reasonably tricky Connections puzzle, and one that has nothing to do with Will Smith, despite the first four words in the grid reading FRESH PRINCE BEL AIR. Of course the first thing I do every time I play is to use the shuffle function in order to remove any NYT misdirection that might be in there. I'm not sure if it works, because seeing those four words in different places might well suggestion a connection to me – so I have to be careful to look at the board both before and after I shuffle. I take it all too seriously, yes,

Surprisingly, I solved purple first today; the blank connection there, of LITTLE (TRAMP, PRINCE, MERMAID, RASCALS) was fairly obvious, whereas the blue group of BAR, BEL, LUX and MOLE was much more difficult. Yellow and green were both pretty tricky for the supposedly easiest groups, too, so it took me a while to get all of the answers.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 26 October, game #503)

• YELLOW: FLUSTER FAZE, RATTLE, RUFFLE, THROW
• GREEN: SERIES OF MESSAGES CHAIN, CHAT, CONVERSATION, THREAD
• BLUE: PLACES TO LIE/SIT THAT MOVE CRADLE, HAMMOCK, ROCKER, SWING
• PURPLE: CYLINDER-SHAPED THINGS CAN, ROLLER, SILO, SPOOL

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.

Having tested ereaders for about seven years now, it's fair to say I've tried most models from the mainstream brands – Amazon Kindle, Kobo, reMarkable, Onyx Boox and PocketBook. These companies make some of the best ereaders and writing tablets, but I am partial to a Kobo because of the user interface and the fact that I can borrow ebooks from public libraries in Sydney, Australia (where I am based). I also have a Kobo Plus subscription.

At present, my daily e-ink device is the Kobo Elipsa 2E – I prefer the writing features over the Kindle Scribe and its interface is far more streamlined than any Onyx Boox device I've tested. It also gets me a screen light that the reMarkable 2 doesn't, so I can read in bed at night or jot down an idea at 2am without turning on the lights.

However, if you were to ask me for a recommendation for an e-paper writing tablet, I'd probably suggest anything but the Elipsa 2E for one simple reason – how the Kobo Stylus 2 feels on the screen. If Kobo can fix one little hardware bit, I dare say all the writing tablets from the Japanese-Canadian brand – the Libra Colour, the Kobo Sage and the Elipsa 2E – would become my most-recommended devices.

That little hardware bit is the stylus' tip or nib.

The Kindle Scribe (left) uses a softer plastic tip for its Pen compared to a hard, conical nib on the Kobo Stylus 2 (right) (Image credit: TechRadar / Sharmishta Sarkar) Softly does it

While most brands use plastic for the styli tips, the Kobo Stylus 2 has a harder point than the ones on Amazon's Basic and Premium Pens, Onyx Boox's Pen Plus, and reMarkable's Markers. The softer plastic makes gliding over the various E Ink screens of the respective writing tablets very smooth, and this is particularly true for the 2022 Kindle Scribe (we are yet to fully test the new 2024 Kindle Scribe).

The Kobo Stylus 2, on the other hand, creates a lot more friction than any other brand I've tested. It's not quite reminiscent of a pen – fountain or ballpoint – on paper because it feels like you are actually writing on a sheet of plastic. Let me be clear, though – the overall writing experience on the Elipsa 2E, the Kobo Libra Colour, even the Sage, isn't too bad; it's just that the other brands do it better.

That said, I think the harder nib might also mean there may not be as much wear and tear compared to the softer pen tips. When I initially started using the Elipsa 2E, I found the Stylus 2 tip began to show signs of wear quite quickly (within days), but it plateaued out after that and, in the year that I've been using it, it hasn't gotten any worse.

That could be because I don't apply as much pressure on pens when writing as I've seen other people do. Take my colleague's experience as an example – Philip uses the reMarkable 2 for notes and "burns through the plastic pen nubs [sic] quicker than expected". So he turned to third-party titanium alternatives which, unfortunately, ended up being a "pen-destroying mistake". I have another friend who wore through the reMarkable's Marker Plus tip in about two months, nearly flattening it! This might sound like a reMarkable thing, but I have seen similar conditions on Kindle Scribe Pens.

The original Kobo Stylus with 2 buttons and no eraser (Image credit: TechRadar) The pen is mightier

Kobo is no stranger to redesigning its digital pen. The first iteration of the Kobo Stylus was a AAAA battery-powered pen, which meant it was a little on the heavy side. Moreover, most people would likely have a spare AA or AAA battery lying around, not necessarily a AAAA. So not only did you need to take into consideration the ongoing cost of nib replacement, but also the battery.

This older pen didn't feature an eraser on the top, but had a button on the side (or is that 'length' on a cylindrical object?) close to where the thumb would be. It also had a second button close to it for using as a highlighter.

The Kobo Stylus 2, which debuted with the Elipsa 2E in April 2023, was a significant improvement over its predecessor. Gone is the battery; instead a USB-C port helps keep it topped up, so it's both lighter and a wee bit thinner in comparison. There's an eraser at the top of the Stylus 2, so it features just one button for highlighting. I also love the touch of white on the eraser – it adds a little something to the design aesthetic I think.

If Kobo is still keen on innovations, the one change I'd really like to see is a softer nib for a potential Stylus 3 that offers a smoother writing experience. Although I hope it doesn't come at the cost of needing to replace it often.

You might also like...

• Amazon completely revamps its Kindle range, releasing 4 new models in 2024
• Amazon's color Kindle is too late to the party – I'm firmly in camp Kobo now
• Ebook vs paper: which reading medium is better for the environment?

Spanish rivals meet, with Los Blancos on the brink of history.

Loongson is a major player in China, creating domestic chips for the past 22 years with the goal of providing affordable alternatives to Intel and AMD products. Historically, however, there has always been a noticeable performance gap between its homegrown CPUs and those from outside China.

Now, Fast Technology reports Loongson has been working hard behind the scenes to close that gap and is preparing to launch a trio of fourth-generation CPUs, collectively known as the "Three Musketeers."

Loongson’s first-generation chips included the 3A1000 and 3B1500, followed by the second-generation 3A2000 and 3A3000, and then the third-generation 3A4000, 3A5000, and 3C5000/S/D. The fourth-generation chips are the Loongson 3A6000, 3B6000M, and 3C6000.

Tock-Tock2-Tick

“Loongson follows a development principle based on independently researching core IP to improve single-core general-purpose performance. It adopts a strategy similar to Intel's former 'Tick-Tock' development approach, where 'Tick' refers to process iteration and 'Tock' to architecture and design optimization," Fast Technology's report added.

For this new generation, Loongson has adopted a "Tock-Tock2-Tick" approach, meaning “two rounds of design optimizations before a process iteration,” aiming to maximize the performance of existing mature processes, which are roughly comparable to the international 7nm level.

The Loongson 3A6000 is already available, but very little is currently known about the 3B6000M besides the fact it will integrate GPGPU graphics and computing cores. The 3C6000 server processor has reportedly returned for sample testing and is expected to ship in Q4 2024. What's particularly interesting is that Loongson has developed upgraded versions of the Three Musketeers - the 3A6600, 3B6600, and 3C6600 - as part of the second "Tock."

The 3B6600, which is scheduled for tape-out in the first half of next year, will reportedly also integrate GPGPU graphics and computing cores, like the 3B6000M.

Loongson’s fourth-generation CPUs will integrate high-speed PCIe interfaces, “allowing connections to dedicated graphics cards, network cards, RAID array cards, and more, with a weak southbridge connected via PCIe,” Fast Technology added.

More from TechRadar Pro

• These are the fastest CPUs
• Chinese MIPS rival to Intel and AMD set to launch a 128-core server CPU
• China's CPU rival to Intel and AMD is rapidly catching up on a key metric

If you're looking for extra support in a much firmer mattress, then we may have just the thing for you. The Titan Plus by Brooklyn Bedding has what you're looking for and a lot more.

The Washington Post Building in Washington, D.C., on June 5.'/>

In a joint column, 17 Post columnists called the paper's decision not to endorse a presidential candidate a "terrible mistake."

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik)

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam review: two-minute review

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is suitably priced at $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$129. It offers a range of customizable features and can rotate and tilt, providing a good insight into the goings-on at home.

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is available in black and white for all regions, but the US has the added benefit of Blush, Charcoal, and Starlight color options, too. As the name suggests, the rotating and pivoting mount beneath the camera allowed 360-degree panning and 169-degree tilting, providing a larger viewing area than static cameras.

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam has many things in common with the Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), which at the time of writing holds the top spot in our selection of the best indoor security cameras. Although its days may be numbered, as the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam can do the same job, plus is capable of viewing a far wider area.

The privacy cover worked well, cutting off the camera feed and audio instantly whenever required, then sending word via the Ring app, meaning I’d know straight away if it was being tampered with.

(Image credit: Future)

There is no way to store recordings locally, so if one wanted to see an occurrence after the fact, paying for a subscription would be the only way to do this. Without a subscription, the Ring app can still send instant notifications, show a live view, and access the two-way talk feature.

The pan and tilt functions worked well, and I got a clear view thanks to the 1080p HD resolution, but the Color Night Vision didn’t live up to its name. Unlike some cheaper cameras, the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam had no problem handling movement, with no visible pixelation or lag, but it’s a real shame that the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is missing motion-tracking.

The audio wasn’t exceptional, but I was still impressed with the quality on the live view and recorded footage; conversations were easy to decipher and I didn’t find the sound not aligning with the image at any point.

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam isn’t the cheapest option out there, but it’s suitably priced for the features and app support it offers. It’s regrettable that there’s no way to store footage locally so an extra fee is required for access, and that Ring has missed a trick by not including a motion-tracking function, but overall it’s good value for money.

If you’re in the market for something different, such as an outdoor-suitable camera or one with motion tracking, we have some highly-rated recommendations in our pick of the best security cameras.

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam review: price and availability

• List price: $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$129
• Availability: US, UK, and Australia
• Release date: mid 2024

Released in 2024, the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam has a list price of $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$129, putting it toward the premium end for a single indoor camera. However, with its ability to sync with multiple other Ring home security devices, great picture quality, and good audio, it’s not overpriced. The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is available at Amazon, Ring, and other third-party retailers.

Something to bear in mind when considering the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is that there is no option to store recordings locally, so if you want to review footage after the event has happened, you’ll need to pay for a subscription. You do get a complementary 30-day subscription to Protect Plus, though. If you intend to use your Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam without a subscription, you’ll still have access to Instant notifications, the live view, and the two-way talk feature via the Ring app or website, plus a one-year limited warranty.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam subscription options

Ring Protect Basic:
Up to 180 days of video storage, download up to 50 videos at once, snapshot capture, package alerts, person alerts, and rich notifications.
Price: $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.99 per month, or, $49.99 / AU$49.95 per year per, Ring device.

Ring Protect Plus:
Has the same benefits as Protect Basic, plus (no pun intended) advanced video features, enhanced notifications, Home and Away modes, and extended warranties.
Price: $10 / £8 / AU$15 per month, or $100 / AU$150 per year. Covers all Ring devices at one location in the UK and Australia, or all Ring Home cameras and doorbells at one location in the US.

Ring Protect Pro (currently US only):
Offers everything in Protect Plus, as well as 24/7 alarm monitoring, alarm cellular backup, 24/7 backup internet with optional extra data, digital security by Eero Secure, and Ring Edge with local video storage. Please note an additional purchase of the Ring Alarm Pro is required to make use of some of these benefits.
Price: $10 per month or $100 per year, for all Ring devices at one location, US only.

(Image credit: Future) Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam review: specifications Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam review: design and features

• 360-degree panning and 169-degree tilting
• Efficient privacy cover
• No motion-tracking

In the UK and Australia, the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is available in either black or white. I’m a little jealous of our friends over the pond because in the US there are additional options like Blush, Charcoal, and Starlight, which is a cream color.

Setting up the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam was blissfully quick and simple, in essence, all I needed to do was install the Ring app, scan the barcode on the back of the camera, connect it to my phone via Bluetooth, and then connect it to the Wi-Fi. Voila.

Unsurprisingly, as Ring is owned by Amazon, the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam can be linked to an Amazon account, and accessed through devices like the Amazon Show 8 (3rd gen).

Being able to access the camera through a browser is a big plus in my book because it enabled me to see the live view and recorded footage on a bigger screen. I had no problem viewing things on my phone though, as it was easy to zoom into areas on the app, on both live and recorded footage.

(Image credit: Future)

The camera itself doesn’t look dissimilar to the Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), except now it has the new mount that allows it to, you guessed it, pan and tilt, offering a far broader coverage when viewing live. The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam has a couple of placement options, either on a flat surface, or attached to the wall or ceiling using the included mounting plate, bracket, raw plugs, and screws.

I was surprised there isn't a motion tracking feature on the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam; some older and cheaper indoor cameras have this function. It’s curious to me that the camera has the benefit of being able to see almost anywhere, but there’s no way for it to be set to track a potential intruder (or a mischievous pet) unless it’s moved manually using the directional arrows through the app.

Despite this, the motion sensors proved effective on the lowest sensitivity setting out of the three available. I would quickly get a ping on my phone and Apple Watch whenever a person was spotted in the space, and I was able to set privacy and activity zones so that I wouldn’t get constant notifications when I was testing the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam in our busy office.

(Image credit: Future)

Customizable home and away modes are available as part of the Plus subscription, so I could change the settings using just one button on the dashboard. By default, Home mode is set to stop detection motion, and recording, and Away mode enables these settings again.

The attached privacy cover was easy to open and close, instantly disconnecting the video and microphone feed when shut and notifying me whenever it was shut or reopened. In addition to this, for added privacy, there was another handy feature available that enabled me to disable the microphone at all times so only visual footage was captured.

In all, the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is feature-packed and well-designed, but I can’t help but wonder why Ring neglected to include a motion-tracking feature, considering the scope of view this camera has to offer.

• Design and features score: 4 / 5

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam review: performance

• Good quality audio and video
• Notifications kept me well informed
• Efficient activity and privacy zones

The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam kept me in the loop with all the comings and goings at home and in the office, and once I’d mastered the settings, I could pretty much be left to do its own thing.

Speaking of the settings, the app wasn’t the most user-friendly in that respect, but otherwise, it’s responsive and worked well. There seemed to be a few ways to access similar things, and occasionally it took some hunting around to find a specific setting that I wanted to change.

Setting up the privacy and activity zones was straightforward; unlike some other cameras that can be limited to square zones, the Ring app offers a six-point selection area, so I had a bit more control to fit the zones around awkward spaces. There was one occasion when the app had a wobble, and got stuck on updating the snapshot to apply the zones onto, but the simple trick of turning the app off and on again solved the issue. These zones did their jobs well in action and helped to stop constant notifications of a person being detected, as I was working within view of the camera.

(Image credit: Future)

The recordings were easy to access through the history button on the dashboard. Each recording was labeled; for example, it stated if it was recorded through live view, or a person was detected, and the device the recording came from, which would come in handy if I had a complete Ring setup. The event history can easily be filtered from tabs at the top of the screen, making it easy to view certain event types, such as motion or person detection, device types including alarms and smart lighting, and single devices.

I was pleased with the picture quality on the live view and recorded footage. A slight fisheye distortion was present toward the edges due to the wide lens, but apart from this, the images looked clear and high-quality. The camera handled movement well, with no lag or pixelation.

I tested out the siren, which was easily enabled by pushing a button on the app via the device's home screen; this caused the camera to make a loud security alarm sound, which I imagine could be capable of scaring off an unwanted guest.

(Image credit: Future)

The name Color Night Vision is a little misleading; in low light, say, when shutting the blinds and turning off the lights in the office, it enhanced the colors on the live view really well, but we had the ambient light from our monitors to help this along. In full darkness, the feed is black and white just like many other night-vision-enabled cameras. The image quality is still great, but it is not in color like the name of this feature suggests.

I was pleased with the audio quality, other than a little bit of tinniness. Words and activities were easy to identify, and I didn’t experience any issues with the alignment of the audio and footage; whereas with past cameras I’ve encountered misalignments between what’s happening on screen and the audio recordings.

Overall, the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam did a great job, though I’d have preferred to have the ability to track motions, rather than staying static. A decent amount of customization options were available for me to fine-tune, and it detected and recorded everything I expected it to, providing me with a high-quality visual and satisfactory audio representation of what had been going on in its vicinity.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam? Buy it if...

You want a good view
With the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, you get a better view of its surroundings thanks to its 360-degree rotation and 169-degree tilting, making it a better option than static cameras for keeping an eye on things.

You want a built-in alarm
If you’re looking at the live view and you spot something untoward, this camera has a siren built in that can be enabled through a button on the app. It makes a lot of noise, so should make for a good deterrent.

You want to see the details
The picture quality is really good on the live view and recordings, and it’s possible to zoom in with both. The footage didn’t display any lag or pixelation from movement either, which is a big plus.

Don't buy it if...

You require motion-tracking
Surprisingly, the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam doesn’t have motion-tracking capabilities. Considering its impressive viewing range when moved manually, it seems that Ring really missed a trick here.

You don’t want to pay a subscription fee
While the subscription makes sense if you have a range of Ring security devices, giving access to stored footage in one place, if you want a one-off camera for a single purpose, it would be beneficial to have a local storage option such as a microSD card.

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam review: Also consider

Wyze Cam v3
A good alternative if you want to store footage without needing to pay, the Wyze Cam v3 has the added benefit of local storage of up to 128GB via a microSD card. However, the footage is limited to twelve seconds without a subscription. It also offers sound detection, though its sensitivity is limited, and audio quality was unsatisfactory. It also has IP65-rated water resistance and a rubber sleeve around the camera's inlet, so it can be used outdoors too. You can see the full review of the Wyze Cam v3 here.

Imou Rex 3D
Another alternative with local storage is the IMOU Rex 3D. It offers 355-degree rotation plus 90-degree tilt capabilities, so is a great option to consider if you’re looking for well-performing motion tracking, something that the Ring Pan–Tilt Indoor Cam is sadly lacking. Unfortunately, this camera only appears to be available in the UK at present, although it looks to be available from third-party retailers in the US. Why not take a look at how the Imou Rex 3D performed in the full review?

How I tested the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam

• I tested it for a week at home and in a busy office
• I tested the sound and video quality, live and recorded
• I tested the ease of setup, usability, privacy settings, and motion detection

I reviewed how easy the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam was to set up, and tested its panning and tilting capabilities.

I tested the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam in our busy TechRadar reviews office along with a quieter area of my home to establish how sensitive the motion detection was, and how efficient the privacy and activity zones were.

I tested the frequency of notifications and reviewed live and recorded footage, paying close attention to the visual and sound quality, and evaluating how well the camera handled movement.

I observed how well the Night Color Vision worked in different environments, testing how well it performed in darkness and with varying levels of ambient lighting.

I compared the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam against our previous camera reviews, and benchmarked it against other indoor cameras I am currently testing.

Read more about how we test.

First reviewed October 2024

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, whose real name is Durk Banks, was arrested in Florida on federal charges that he paid for the attempted 2022 revenge killing of rapper Quando Rondo at a gas station.

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Fire pits bring the heat, but they are about much more than that.

After Apple’s reveal of the M4 chip earlier this year, and its significant performance improvements (which we discuss at length in our M4 iPad Pro review), all eyes are now on what the company has in store for its Mac and MacBook devices, which at the moment are still using M3 chips.

We’ve just had the biggest hint yet that M4-powered Macs are about to drop thanks to Apple's VP of Worldwide Marketing, Greg Joswiak, who teased on X that an upcoming ‘week of announcements’ is set to kick off on Monday, October 28. Along with recent rumors surrounding production of the M4 MacBook Air, it looks like it could be a very exciting week for Apple fans - so here’s what we expect to see.

M4 MacBook Pro

(Image credit: Romancev768)

With Apple’s M4 Pro and Max chips yet to be unveiled, this upcoming showcase could be the ideal opportunity to show off the powerful M4 variants, especially as the M4 MacBook Pro 14-inch and 16-inch models will almost certainly be revealed, with Apple hopefully highlighting the major performance leap from the previous M3 Pro and Max chips.

Russian YouTuber Wylascom supposedly leaked a new model of the MacBook Pro that comes with the standard M4 chip, which if legitimate, means the base configuration of the laptop will utilize a 10-core CPU and GPU just like the M4 iPad Pro, as opposed to the M3’s 8-core CPU, potentially indicating a new focus on Apple Intelligence (the company’s fledgling attempt at artificial intelligence) - though Wylascom’s info should of course be taken with a grain of salt.

The one change over last year’s M3 version we do hope to see is that the base model of any new MacBook Pro comes with at least 16GB of unified memory rather than 8GB - this will be highly beneficial for gaming, which is becoming a prominent new focus for Mac devices with recent releases like the Resident Evil 4 remake. Of course, any laptop that’s marketed at content creators and professionals in 2024 really shouldn’t be coming with just 8GB of memory.

M4 Mac mini

Expected alongside the M4 MacBook Pro reveal is a redesigned M4 Mac mini, with Apple’s plans to make it the smallest computer it has made - at least, as reported by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (who has a strong reputation as a reliable leaker of all-things Apple). Its size is expected to be similar to the Apple TV, which should prove to be highly beneficial for those looking for sleek desktop setups.

Fortunately, its unified memory will reportedly be starting at 16GB, and maxing out at 32GB. As we mentioned earlier, 8GB of RAM for Windows PCs and Macs has been criticized as underpowered for a long while, and it will be great to see Apple finally step away from this trend for its M4-powered devices.

M4 iMac

(Image credit: Apple)

Gurman’s reporting (amongst other leaks) has suggested that we’ll also be getting an updated iMac as part of next week’s slate of reveals. Besides the M4 chip itself, there isn’t much we can tell you about the upcoming iMac - although the good news is that Apple is also reportedly ready to unveil its new Magic accessories, which will include a new Magic Mouse.

With the M4 iMac, we would love to see 16GB of unified memory as standard here as well - the M3 model was configurable up to 16GB or 32GB, but the base model only had 8GB, and we really hope that Apple doesn’t repeat this.

Beyond 2024 - M4 MacBook Air

As we mentioned earlier, the M4 MacBook Air is almost definitely still coming - in fact, it’s rumored to be the top priority for Apple’s 2025 release schedule. This makes sense considering the recent poor sales of Mac products, and how popular the MacBook Air is - Apple will likely be keen to announce a new and improved version of its biggest laptop seller as soon as possible (without annoying anyone who has recently bought the M3 model).

As reported by Mark Gurman, the M4 MacBook Air will reportedly remain the same in terms of its design, with the M4 chip being the only major alteration.

This is good news for anyone looking forward to buying a MacBook Air. The difference between 8GB and 16GB unified memory models was very significant on the M3 model, so expect the same to apply to the incoming M4 MacBook Air.

M4 Mac Studio

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, since Apple’s focus is supposedly zeroed in on M4 MacBook Air production for early 2025, the somewhat unloved chunky boy that is the Mac Studio is expected to arrive with M4 at a later date (again, according to Gurman’s sources). The Mac Studio is essentially a powerful mini PC that looks like a bulkier Mac mini, but aimed at creative professionals. It was claimed to be in simultaneous production alongside the MacBook Air, but this has apparently changed - the current expectation is between March and June, so not too long after the MacBook Air.

Do you have a particular Mac product you’re looking forward to? Be sure to let us know on social media - for Apple, the new MacBook Pro is doubtless the main event planned for this incoming ‘week of announcements’, but to be honest we’re more interested in a reimagined Mac mini if it’s truly set to be the smallest computer from Apple.

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• Work on Android in beta form continues
• Android 16 could feature a new notifications trick
• For now it's called Rich Ongoing Notifications

With Android 15 now rolling out to Pixel phones, we can start turning our attention to what's coming with Android 16 – and some digging into the latest beta code for the operating system has revealed a Dynamic Island-style notification system.

This comes from Mishaal Rahman over at Android Authority, and the feature is called Rich Ongoing Notifications. That gives you some idea of what's involved: persistent notifications that show up in the status bar at the top of the screen.

On newer iPhone models, there's a Dynamic Island notification bar that expands to show information such as sports scores, media that's being played, or an arrival time for a cab pickup. It appears Rich Ongoing Notifications will offer something similar.

Evidence of the tweak to notifications has been found in the Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 release, though as usual with betas, there's no guarantee that the feature will make it into a final release or be released in its current form.

Phone chips

How Rich Ongoing Notifications could look (Image credit: Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority)

Here's how it works: apps will be able to put a notification alert or 'chip' in the status bar, with custom text and a custom background color. That chip could then show live information – about a flight arrival time, for example.

For now, the Rich Ongoing Notifications feature hasn't been enabled, though Rahman was able to get it working and create a few mockups showing how the chips would look in action (you can see one of them embedded above).

While this definitely has Dynamic Island vibes about it, the Android Authority report does not that these chips have been around since Android 12, though they've been limited to call handling up to this point.

Expanding the feature to apps and notifications of any kind would mean more flexibility for both developers and users when it comes to getting important information on screen. It's something to keep an eye on during 2025, ahead of the Android 16 launch.

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Samsung has used advanced computer modeling to accelerate the development of Selector-Only Memory (SOM), a new memory technology that combines non-volatility with DRAM-like read/write speeds and stackability.

Building on the company's earlier research in the field, SOM is based on cross-point memory architectures, similar to phase-change memory and resistive RAM (RRAM), where stacked arrays of electrodes are used. Typically, these architectures require a selector transistor or diode to address specific memory cells and prevent unintended electrical pathways.

Samsung has taken a novel approach by exploring chalcogenide-based materials that function as both the selector and the memory element, introducing a new form of non-volatile memory.

A broader search

eeNews Analog reports Samsung researchers will present their findings at this year’s International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), taking place from December 7 to 11, in San Francisco. The South Korean tech giant will discuss how it screened an extensive range of chalcogenide materials for SOM applications.

Samsung says its study explored over 4,000 material combinations, narrowing them down to 18 promising candidates using Ab-initio-based computer modeling (see the diagram at the top of the page). The focus was on improving threshold voltage drift and optimizing the memory window - two key factors in SOM performance.

Traditional SOM research has been limited to the use of Ge, As, and Se chalcogenide systems found in ovonic threshold switches (OTS). However, Samsung says its comprehensive modeling process allowed for a broader search, considering bonding characteristics, thermal stability, and device reliability to enhance performance and efficiency.

In a follow-up IEDM presentation, eeNews Analog reports, IMEC researchers will discuss potential atomic mechanisms, such as local atomic bond rearrangement and atomic segregation, that could explain how the selector component in SOM operates, further influencing threshold voltage - an important factor in memory performance.

More from TechRadar Pro

• Scientists inch closer to holy grail of memory breakthrough
• Candidate for universal memory emerges in race to replace RAM and NAND
• Researchers have created an ultra resistant storage solution

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