News

Every week is a busy week in technology, and the past seven days have been no exception. Just in case you haven't had chance to visit TechRadar every day this week (we'll forgive you), these are the most important stories you need to know about.There's a lot to get through here: more advances in AI, a new number one Bluetooth speaker, and promises of futuristic devices on the way. From phones to satellites, there's a varied selection of stories below.Once you've made it all the way through, you'll be back up to date with all the comings and goings in tech since last weekend – and if the next few days are looking busy too, don't worry, because we'll have another ICYMI for you this time next week.

8. Netflix revealed the date for its Tudum showcase

Netflix Tudum 2025 is less than a month away (Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix has a big content showcase every year called Tudum (the sound the Netflix app makes when it launches) and we now know that the 2025 extravaganza is going to be taking place late on May 31 in the US, and early on June 1 in the UK and Australia.There are plenty of reasons to tune in, based on the Tudum 2025 trailer. We should be getting updates on some of the biggest properties Netflix has, including Stranger Things, Squid Game, and Wednesday, as well as the third movie in the Knives Out franchise.

Read more: Netflix announces May air date for Tudum 2025 – and it'll include news on Stranger Things season 5, Wednesday season 2, Squid Game season 3, and more

7. We reviewed the world’s best Bluetooth speaker

The JBL Flip 7 (Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

JBL has a very strong reputation when it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers, and the brand new Flip 7 only enhances that reputation further: it's just earned itself five stars out of five in our in-depth JBL Flip 7 review, and our writers really don't give out that score easily.The speaker has hugely impressed us in terms of its design, build quality, and battery life, and then of course there's the beautifully punchy and detailed sound too. It offers a much bigger and much better soundscape than you'd expect, given its compact dimensions.

Read more: I reviewed the new JBL Flip 7, and the new Bluetooth speaker boss is better than the old boss

6. Nothing launched another impressive budget phone

We have new CMF products from Nothing (Image credit: Nothing)

Nothing continues to release devices that perfectly balance performance and price, with the latest gadget to catch our eye being the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Yours for just $279 / £219 (around AU$460) from next week, it looks like being one of the best cheap phones of 2025.That's not all, because Nothing also unveiled the CMF Buds 2, Buds 2 Plus, and Buds 2a, which again put more expensive devices to shame in terms of value for money. Not only are these new gadgets attractively priced, they also offer stylish, eye-catching designs.

Read more: Nothing reveals tempting CMF Phone 2 Pro pricing and specs alongside bargain wireless earbuds

5. OpenAI fixed ChatGPT’s ‘annoying’ personality

ChatGPT models are changing again (Image credit: Shutterstock/EI Editorial)

It's always refreshing to see a tech company admit that it's made a mistake, and having noticed that GPT-4o's personality had become "too sycophant-y and annoying", OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promised that fixes were rolling out to correct the issues this week.The core of the problem has been that ChatGPT has been trying too hard to be human, with too many flattering remarks and too many fake-sounding expressions of excitement. It turns out that most of us like our AI companions to admit to their artificiality.

Read more: Sam Altman says OpenAI will fix ChatGPT's 'annoying' new personality – but this viral prompt is a good workaround for now

4. Starlink’s satellite internet got a tempting 'free' offer

Now is a great time to get started with Starlink (Image credit: Starlink)

Starlink's efforts to try and connect the most cut-off and remote parts of the world to the internet continue, and the latest offer from the company waives the hardware setup fee for new subscribers, as long as they commit for at least 12 months to the satellite service.That's a hefty saving of $349 in the US, for example, but not everyone is eligible to get the money off. To begin with, it's only available in "select markets" (check the Starlink website to see if you qualify), and there are some additional terms and conditions attached too.

Read more: Starlink is now offering its satellite internet kit for free on a new plan – but not everyone can get it

3. GTA 6 got delayed until 2026

GTA 6 is no longer coming in 2025 (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Say it ain't so: the most anticipated video game of recent years will no longer be launching this year. Rockstar Games had promised we'd see Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025, but has now announced the title is getting pushed back, and will be unveiled on May 26, 2026.The reasons are the usual ones for this kind of delay, that the fans "expect and deserve" the best possible experience, and so on. Next year we might well find that GTA 6 fans actually deserve to wait a little longer than May – but that remains to be seen.

Read more: Grand Theft Auto 6 release date confirmed, but it's been delayed – here's why

2. New Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses were teased

The current Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (Image credit: Future)

The smart glasses made by Meta and Ray-Ban have helped push this gadget form factor further towards the mainstream, so we're excited to see what comes next: and what comes next will apparently be multiple new versions of the specs, arriving later this year.Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg went on the record in an earnings report to say that the range would "expand" in 2025, and offer some "new technological capabilities". We've also got some ideas about what Zuckerberg could mean, and what improvements we might see.

Read more: Mark Zuckerberg confirms new Ray-Ban smart glasses are coming 'later this year' – here are the 3 pairs I think we’ll see

1. ChatGPT got a dangerously useful shopping upgrade

Going shopping with ChatGPT (Image credit: OpenAI)

ChatGPT announced a big upgrade to its online shopping skills this week, with the idea being that you can have a natural, interactive conversation with the AI about the products you want and the budget you've got, and get some suitable buying options in return.We've already tested out the new features, and they have the potential to completely transform the way we shop online – assuming you trust AI to pick out the right items for you. If you'd rather do more of the research yourself, you might still prefer the old ways.

Read more: I've seen ChatGPT's new shopping features in action, and this could be the game changer we've been waiting for

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Over 700 Epson projectors transform walls into moving, responsive works of living digital artteamLab Phenomena redefines immersive art by blending environmental feedback with human interactionWet and Dry zones let visitors shape, touch, and move through responsive visual landscapes

The largest digital art experience in the world has been unveiled in Abu Dhabi, showcasing a fusion of interactive storytelling, cutting-edge projection, and immersive design.Over 700 Epson projectors were integrated into the expansive 17,000-square-metre teamLab Phenomena exhibition to create a visual landscape that turns art into a dynamic environment reacting to its surroundings.The launch event matched the exhibition’s scale, featuring 6,000 synchronized drones lighting up the sky in what is believed to be the region’s largest aerial display, accompanied by a special musical composition from Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi.

Technology meets environment in living art

The exhibition features two sections: the Wet Zone and the Dry Zone. Through fluid-like digital environments that react to touch and motion, visitors can have up-close, personal experiences with changing landscapes in the Wet Zone.Conversely, the Dry Zone encourages movement through interactive areas where artwork changes in real time in response to each visitor's presence.The artworks are not simple static objects but phenomena shaped by the environment itself. This dynamic quality is what makes teamLab’s work unique and places immense demands on the visual hardware powering it.“Even if people immerse themselves physically into the artwork, the artwork will remain intact, capable of naturally restoring itself even if disrupted,” said teamLab founder, Toshiyuki Inoko.To meet the technical demands of this exhibition, Epson supplied an array of high-brightness projectors, showcasing not just creative brilliance but also what the best business projectors and best portable projector solutions can achieve when integrated with immersive design.This effort is not a standalone attraction. It forms part of a larger vision for the Saadiyat Cultural District, which is set to include institutions like the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the Zayed National Museum.“teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is a groundbreaking cultural landmark that redefines immersive art experiences on a global scale,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.The visual fidelity and real-time responsiveness of teamLab Phenomena could not be realized without advanced projection and display systems. In a digital art space this large and complex, having powerful computer systems is essential for backstage coordination and real-time content control.

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References to Galaxy S25 FE firmware have appearedThe phone could launch in September or OctoberIt may well come with an Exynos processor inside

As our Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review will tell you, these 'Fan Edition' takes on the flagship models often hit the sweet spot when it comes to price and performance – and it seems we're getting a Galaxy S25 FE model in the not-too-distant future.The team over at SamMobile has discovered evidence that work has begun on the firmware for the Galaxy S25 FE, the lowest level of software that operates underneath Android (known as One UI on Samsung handsets of course).Now this doesn't really tell us anything about the phone itself: just that Samsung remains committed to the FE series and should be unveiling the Galaxy S25 version sooner rather than later. The US unlocked variant has the model number SM-S731U and uses firmware version S731USQU0AYDH, according to the digging done by SamMobile.The thinking is that the phone will run One UI 8 (based on Android 16) out of the box. While One UI 7 is only just making its way out to the majority of Samsung handsets, we've already seen indications that One UI 8 is in testing.

So when will we see it?

The Galaxy S25 launched in January (Image credit: Future)

It's not easy to predict a potential launch date for the Galaxy S25 FE. We know that last year's model launched in September, and that the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE was unveiled in October 2023, so there are some clues there.Most likely, this upcoming phone will also show up in September or October, but first we're going to have the launches of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, which are expected to be happening sometime during July.We haven't heard many rumors around the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE to this point, but there has been talk that it will come with one of Samsung's own Exynos processors. All the other handsets in the Galaxy S25 series use Qualcomm Snapdragon silicon, but we're still waiting for full details on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.Speaking of the Galaxy S25 Edge, that should be the next handset that's launched by Samsung. Most tipsters are predicting that we're going to see the phone unveiled in full on Tuesday, May 13, after we first got a glimpse of it in January.

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Volkswagen has recalled 2025 ID.Buzz electric vans, because their rear seats are only configured for two people but are wide enough to fit three. According to the NHTSA note (PDF) found by Electrek, Volkswagen is recalling 5,637 vehicles, which were manufactured between September 18, 2024 and February 11, 2025. The removable third-row of the 2025 ID.Buzz are only fitted with seatbelts for two people. However, its seating surface width exceeds the value specified for two occupants under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, which sets the standards to reduce the number of deaths in the event of a crash.

In other words, the third row of the 2025 ID.Buzz is wide enough to require three seatbelts. As it is, it'll be very easy to fit a third person in, and they will have no protection while the vehicle is on the road, increasing their likelihood of getting injured or dying if they get into an accident. Volkswagen intends to fix the issue by installing permanent "unpadded trim parts" to limit the surface width where passengers can sit on the rear bench. The 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz electric van was released in the US in November 2024 and has a starting price of $60,000. It has an EPA-estimated range of 234 miles on a full charge and comes in several possible color schemes.

Volkswagen

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/volkswagen-recalls-5700-idbuzz-electric-vans-because-their-seats-are-too-spacious-120034140.html?src=rss

Full spoilers follow for Thunderbolts* and various other MCU projects.

"Marvel has a villain problem". It's a criticism that's been hurled at the comic book giant's cinematic juggernaut for years.And with good reason. Between 2008 and 2017 (or, rather, from Iron Man to Thor: Ragnarok), the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was as much of a graveyard for its supervillains as it was a multi-billion dollar-spinning franchise.Aside from the odd Big Bad who survived due to their fan popularity (Loki) or status as an anti-hero rather than a full-blown villain (Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier), Marvel Studios didn't think twice about killing those who opposed some of the best superhero movies' protagonists.That all changed with Thanos' arrival. Not only did the Infinity Saga's primary nemesis actually live to fight another day by the end of Avengers: Infinity War – a film he was arguably the main character of – but he also did the unthinkable: he won. Indeed, he bested Earth's Mightiest Heroes and successfully carried out his plan to wipe out half of all life in the known universe.

Thanos was the first real Big Bad who not only survived the events of an MCU movie, but also achieved his goal (Image credit: Marvel)

Okay, he met his end a year later in Avengers: Endgame, but Thanos' introduction was a watershed moment for the MCU because it proved Marvel villains didn't need to be one-and-done scenarios.Since then, Marvel has been far more selective with the villains it kills off. Spider-Man: No Way Home, WandaVision, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Captain America: Brave New World... more villains have survived the events of these MCU movies and Disney+ shows, as well as other Phase 4 and 5 projects, than those in Phases 1, 2, and 3.Now, when someone from the comic titan's never-ending rogues gallery bites the dust, there's a valid excuse to bump them off. Take Deadpool and Wolverine's Cassandra Nova, for example. If the titular odd couple hadn't killed her, she would've destroyed the multiverse, so she had to be disposed of. Nonetheless, these days, Marvel villain deaths are the exception rather than the norm.

Marvel's Thunderbolts* film continued the comic giant's recent trend of not killing its primary villain (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

All of which brings me to Marvel's Thunderbolts* movie and the two feature films – The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Avengers: Doomsday – that'll come after it.The final Marvel Phase 5 movie, which has just landed in theaters worldwide, Thunderbolts* follows in many of its recent forebears' footsteps by not killing its primary antagonist. Though The Void, aka the darker half of Lewis Pullman's Bob Reynolds/Sentry, is more of an antagonistic force – one who Reynolds and his fellow misfits must nonetheless overcome to save the day – than the outright villain of Thunderbolts*. The fact that Pullman was one of the initial 27-strong cast confirmed to appear in Doomsday also spoiled how this film would end. After all, Reynolds wouldn't be part of Doomsday's cast if he and his superpowered alter-egos perished in Thunderbolts*.But I digress. The point is, Marvel's latest big-screen offering is another example of its desire to keep villains and/or antagonistic figures around who can still serve a purpose.

Predictably, Marvel is keeping schtum on the plot of Avengers: Doomsday (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

That gives me hope, then, that the bad guys due to appear in First Steps and Doomsday – Ralph Ineson's Galactus and Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Victor von Doom – might not be unceremoniously dumped soon after their MCU debuts.The chances are that one or both antagonists won't make it out of these movies alive. Somehow, The Fantastic Four might find a way to beat the planet-devouring cosmic being. According to The Fantastic Four: First Steps' official trailer, Galactus has marked this version of Earth – remember, Marvel's First Family will exist in a different universe for much of this film – for destruction, but that doesn't mean he'll succeed in his endeavor.Meanwhile, Avengers: Secret Wars, which is expected to bring down the curtain on the Marvel Multiverse Saga, will likely see a seemingly infinite number of MCU heroes, plus legacy characters from Fox's defunct X-Men film franchise and previous Sony Spider-Man movie series, work together to defeat Doom. That could lead to the reinstallation of the MCU in its current form or, as some fans have predicted, a hard reset that reboots Marvel's money-printing franchise for a new generation of heroes, villains, and viewers alike.

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But, what if Marvel does the unthinkable? What if it doesn't just keep Galactus and Doom around for the long haul but, in a world-first for its cinematic franchise, also delivers back-to-back films where the villains win?Alright, it's highly probable that Doom will be victorious by the time Avengers 5's end credits roll. Much like Infinity War and Endgame, Doomsday and Secret Wars are being approached as a two-part tale, with directors Joe and Anthony Russo seeking inspiration from both of Marvel's 'Secret Wars' comic book storylines.The third and fourth Avengers movies are proof that if Earth's Mightiest Heroes are divided, they will fail to stop an existential threat. Based on what Thunderbolts* post-credits scene suggests – read my Thunderbolts* ending explained piece for more details – plus rumors that Doomsday will be an Avengers vs X-Men film in all but name, it's possible Doom will conquer all because its heroes are too busy fighting among themselves to unify and take him down.

How much of a shock would it be if The Fantastic Four were defeated in their first MCU movie? (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

First Steps' narrative outcome is less certain. Again, thanks to Thunderbolts* end credits stinger, we already know that The Fantastic Four will appear in the MCU by the end of one of 2025's most anticipated new movies. How and why they traverse the multiverse to get there, though, is a mystery that First Steps will solve.Right now, the prevailing theory among fans is that the iconic quartet will regrettably flee their utopian universe because they can't save it. Some MCU devotees believe they'll be forced to run because of Doom, who may destroy their reality to prevent the spread of Incursions – a cataclysmic event where two universes collide and one destroys the other – that were first introduced in Doctor Strange 2.Other observers predict Galactus will follow through on his plan to consume the Earth that The Fantastic Four call home. The group will try to stop him but fail. Knowing they can either escape with their lives or perish alongside their world, they make the difficult but selfish decision to disappear into the night.

Will Downey Jr's Doctor Doom adopt this pose if and when he wins the day in Avengers: Doomsday? (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios/Marvel Studios)

I'm hoping for the latter outcome. Indeed, it makes an incredibly tragic backstory for Reed Richards and company upon their MCU arrival; one they could try to redeem themselves with by helping the MCU's current hero roster defeat Doom. Not only that, Galactus' victory would also be a better fit for the direction I want Marvel to go in with First Steps and Doomsday – i.e. releasing two movies in relatively quick succession where the bad guy triumphs.We've already had a situation where a villain wins the day in one film but is ultimately defeated in the next with Infinity War and Endgame. In my view, it would be baffling if Marvel played the same card with Doomsday and Secret Wars as it did with the aforementioned pair.Despite the recent turbulence the MCU has been buffeted by, fans will turn up in their droves to watch the next Avengers movies. Wouldn't it be even more fantastic, then, if they did so knowing that, having watched The Fantastic Four lose in First Steps, they witness Downey Jr's Doom similarly be victorious?Neither the MCU nor its fanbase would have seen the likes of villains securing victories in back-to-back movies. Your next two films are a golden opportunity to surprise us all and do just that, Marvel. My advice? Don't mess it up.

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Looking for a different day?A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 3 (game #692).

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 Connections hints.What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #693) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

CHEWYNOODLECARSDARTHJAMВОВАTOUGHSHREDSOLODRYSUGARBLUTOTEAGENUSSTRINGYMILK

NYT Connections today (game #693) - hint #1 - group hints

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

YELLOW: (Very) well doneGREEN: Grab your plectrum BLUE: Syrups optionalPURPLE: Altered space

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 #693) - hint #2 - group answers

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

YELLOW: QUALITIES OF OVERCOOKED MEAT GREEN: PLAY SOME ELECTRIC GUITAR BLUE: INGREDIENTS IN BUBBLE TEA PURPLE: PLANETS/ DWARF PLANET WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED

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

NYT Connections today (game #693) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #693, are…

YELLOW: QUALITIES OF OVERCOOKED MEAT CHEWY, DRY, STRINGY, TOUGHGREEN: PLAY SOME ELECTRIC GUITAR JAM, NOODLE, SHRED, SOLOBLUE: INGREDIENTS IN BUBBLE TEA BOBA, MILK, SUGAR, TEAPURPLE: PLANETS/ DWARF PLANET WITH FIRST LETTER CHANGED BLUTO, CARS, DARTH, GENUS

My rating: ModerateMy score: 1 mistake

I’m not sure I would describe CHEWY, DRY, STRINGY, and TOUGH as “QUALITIES”, but it was thinking about eating something unpleasant that led me to linking them together. It just wasn’t OVERCOOKED MEAT that I had in mind.I used to work in the meat department at a large supermarket and it was the animals I worked alongside that put me off meat for 15 years, rather than the thought of erm, eating animals.Lab-grown meat, untouched by humans and farmed by robots, cannot arrive quickly enough as far as I’m concerned.My mistake came in thinking that we were looking for the elements of a classic English teatime, rather than the INGREDIENTS IN A BUBBLE TEA – so I had JAM (like one spreads on one’s scones) instead of BOBA.Having eliminated this, I was able to put another meaning of jam, along with some other things people who enjoy butchering music like doing with their electric guitars.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, May 3, game #692)

YELLOW: AWESOME DOPE, FIRE, LIT, SICKGREEN: DEFEAT SOUNDLY CREAM, LICK, PASTE, SMOKEBLUE: "WILL" CONTRACTIONS WITHOUT THE APOSTROPHE HELL, ILL, SHELL, WELLPURPLE: URL ENDINGS PLUS A LETTER COMP, MILK, NETI, ORGO

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.

Looking for a different day?A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, May 3 (game #1195).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1196) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

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

Quordle today (game #1196) - 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 #1196) - 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 #1196) - 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 #1196) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?• P• S• S• C

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

Quordle today (game #1196) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1196, are…

PINCHSMOKESCARYCANNY

A total of 15 percent of five-letter words begin with the letter S, so it’s no surprise that today’s Quordle featured two of them.It is also a good reason to use one of them as a start word, which helped me no end today, giving me a headstart with SMOKE and SCARY.Despite roaring through today’s puzzle pretty quickly I still tripped up by guessing SCARF – a case of going with a bad hunch, instead of the data.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1196) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1196, are…

GRASSCURIOEMBERSWILL

Quordle answers: The past 20

Quordle #1195, Saturday, 3 May: PLUSH, VERGE, WROTE, CONDOQuordle #1194, Friday, 2 May: CAUSE, RISEN, MACAW, SMELTQuordle #1193, Thursday, 1 May: IDIOM, EXILE, SPOOF, DRAPEQuordle #1192, Wednesday, 30 April: BATON, TORSO, ANNEX, DROWNQuordle #1191, Tuesday, 29 April: HOVER, HENCE, OCTAL, COPSEQuordle #1190, Monday, 28 April: JAUNT, ALLOW, FRUIT, BURNTQuordle #1189, Sunday, 27 April: PRIOR, YOUTH, CREDO, CHIDEQuordle #1188, Saturday, 26 April: LINGO, LOCUS, THROW, CLICKQuordle #1187, Friday, 25 April: SHALT, WRATH, MAMBO, HUMPHQuordle #1186, Thursday, 24 April: CHOKE, COLOR, FRAME, CAIRNQuordle #1185, Wednesday, 23 April: VALET, PUPAL, CREEP, DRIFTQuordle #1184, Tuesday, 22 April: POUTY, CHEST, BROOM, TEPEEQuordle #1183, Monday, 21 April: SHARD, PRINT, SUMAC, LEACHQuordle #1182, Sunday, 20 April: DINER, HORDE, SHONE, FUGUEQuordle #1181, Saturday, 19 April: GRADE, LAUGH, RAINY, EXULTQuordle #1180, Friday, 18 April: DEBUT, GLADE, BASTE, PESTOQuordle #1179, Thursday, 17 April: SPRAY, RAMEN, SHELF, COURTQuordle #1178, Wednesday 16 April: STUMP, GRAFT, CHORD, INPUTQuordle #1177, Tuesday 15 April: SLEET, MERIT, HARSH, FORAYQuordle #1176, Monday 14 April: DRAWL, CROOK, ACTOR, LANCE

Looking for a different day?A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, May 3 (game #426).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #427) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Star Wars: A New Hope

NYT Strands today (game #427) - hint #2 - clue words

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

POLENINEREINNAMEREALWARBLE

NYT Strands today (game #427) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?• Spangram has 12 letters

NYT Strands today (game #427) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?First side: top, 1st columnLast side: bottom, 8th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #427) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #427, are…

PLANETEMPIRESPACELONGTIMEGALAXYREBELSPANGRAM: OPENING CRAWL

My rating: EasyMy score: Perfect

I was wondering about the reason behind this edition of Strands and then I noticed the date on my laptop screen.Fortunately, you didn’t have to be a Star Wars fanatic to enjoy today’s search, which instead pays tribute to the OPENING CRAWL, the introductory piece of floating text that became a signature of all the Star Wars movies.In the 1977 original version, the text, which begins “A LONG TIME ago, in a GALAXY far, far away…”, was designed to sync with John Williams’s main theme, with each new paragraph timing with a new section of music.Sadly, this subtle effect was lost when the movie was retitled “A New Hope” and subsequently became chapter four of the nine-part Luke Skywalker saga and the insignificant seed of the sprawling 99-part franchise.For all the hooplah that was to follow, that opening crawl was a reminder of the power of words to set the imagination flowing and transport us to another dimension. May the fourth be with you.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, May 3, game #426)

GAUZETAPESYRINGESTETHOSCOPETHERMOMETERSPANGRAM: DOCTORS KIT

What is NYT Strands?Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.

In a few months, you'll no longer be able to rent a Nintendo 3DS to guide you around the Louvre and tell you about the pieces exhibited in it. The website Nintendo Everything has spotted a notice in Louvre's official website, stating that the Nintendo 3DS console audio guides "will go out of operation in September 2025." It also stated that the 3DS will be replaced by a new system, but the museum has yet to reveal more details about it. Is the Louvre swapping the 3DS for the Switch or a more traditional audioguide device? Guess we'll find out in a few months.

The Louvre has been offering Nintendo 3DS audio guides since 2012 as a €6 rental. It can tell you about exhibits in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. It can also tell you about the history of the palace and not just the artworks inside it, as well as give you access to high-resolution images of select artwork so you can zoom in and see the smallest details. But if you've ever gotten lost inside big museums, you may perhaps consider its geolocation tracking capability its best feature. The Louvre is massive, and with 782,910 square feet of space to explore, it's very much possible to lose your way and not find an exit when you need it the most.

Nintendo's Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto demonstrated how the 3DS worked as a Louvre audio guide and location tracker over a decade ago, and you can watch it below.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/the-louvre-will-stop-renting-out-nintendo-3ds-audio-guides-in-september-150057520.html?src=rss

Fraudulent chargebacks are no longer rare, they're a rising epidemic draining billions from merchantsFirst-party fraud is booming because banking apps make it easy to lie and win refundsMastercard says businesses face 324 million chargebacks by 2028 if nothing changes fast

Fraudulent chargebacks are fast becoming a major financial and operational burden for global businesses, new research has warned.A Mastercard-sponsored study by Datos Insights estimates sellers will lose $15 billion to fraudulent chargebacks in 2025.The total volume of chargebacks is projected to reach $33.79 billion this year and rise to $41.69 billion by 2028. These fraudulent disputes have far-reaching implications that affect everyone from merchants to consumers.

Digital growth comes with new risks

The increase in digital and card-not-present transactions has made online shopping faster and easier, but it has also made it more vulnerable. More purchases made via ecommerce platforms mean more chargeback claims.Ironically, 45% of chargebacks stem from "first-party" claims, where valid customers fraudulently deny transactions. This is aided by the ease with which malicious actors can contest charges via banking apps, even without solid proof.Mastercard believes that if nothing is done quickly, there will be 324 million chargebacks by 2028, up from 261 million in 2025. Unfortunately, a system created to protect consumers is now being abused.Chargebacks are more than just a financial hassle for online companies, particularly those that use even the best ecommerce platform. On average, the chargeback value per dispute for some industries exceeds $120.Businesses, especially SMEs, cannot handle this cost, and so to save time, many sellers dismiss low-value claims, but these losses mount quickly. They are now forced to decide whether to bear the loss or invest heavily in cybersecurity and dispute resolution procedures. Either way, they will spend more money, which will eventually lead to higher prices or even worse outcomes.The Mastercard data shows that 46% of SMEs have experienced a cyberattack, with severe outcomes: 18% filed for bankruptcy, and 17% shut down entirely. Cybersecurity is now seen as essential, with 62% of SMEs making it a top budget priority and around 80% calling it critical to daily operations.The solution? Advanced AI tools. Automated alerts, clear transaction labels, and detailed digital receipts enable smarter dispute handling. Mastercard notes that businesses using these tools now win more than half of their representation cases, where they contest chargebacks with evidence.Businesses need to collaborate with the best merchant service and payment gateway providers to curb this threat because, without intervention, the costs will inevitably fall on everyday shoppers in the form of higher prices and slower service.

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The Sony WH-1000XM6 could be out in the next couple of weeksThey may go back to the older folding designIt seems likely that they'll cost more than the WH-1000XM5

When it comes to the best over-ear headphones you can buy, our current list features both the WH-1000XM4 and the WH-1000XM5 from Sony – and it looks as though the Sony WH-1000XM6 pair are going to be unveiled before too long.As per The Walkman Blog (via Notebookcheck), the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are set to be announced in the first or second week of May. However, it might be the middle of June before you can actually order them online or find them in shops.The same source says the price will be around $479. As you'll see from a read of our Sony WH-1000XM5 review, the current headphones launched at $399 / £380 / AU$649 (though they're now cheaper) – so we're looking at quite a substantial price hike.Bearing in mind that the WH-1000XM5 headphones made their debut in May 2022, the follow-up pair have been a long time coming. The model before that, the Sony WH-1000XM4, were unveiled all the way back in August 2020.

What we think we know so far

The non-folding WH-1000XM5 headphones (Image credit: Future)

There's one other tidbit of information from this leak: the WH-1000XM6 headphones will apparently fold, unlike the WH-1000XM5 we have now. It's a return to the design of earlier models, including the WH-1000XM4 and the Sony WH-1000XM3.It's a lot more information about a pair of headphones we haven't really heard too much about so far, despite their launch apparently being imminent. One leak that has emerged suggests the color options are going to be black, platinum silver, and midnight blue.Another leak from the start of the year pointed to improved Bluetooth capabilities and perhaps a redesigned and stronger hinge. Our expectations are pretty high, considering we've been waiting for these headphones for three years now.As we've also seen the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones make their way through regulatory filings, it seems very likely that they're going to be unveiled in the coming weeks – and we will of course let you know as soon as anything is official.

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The idea has been hanging in the air for a few years (pun very much intended), and now it’s finally happened: DJI has killed off its long-running Phantom drone.The company recently announced that, as of 1 June 2025, it’ll be suspending after-sales support and servicing for its Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced drones. This means there’ll be no more official technical support or product maintenance for these two models – and that doesn’t come as a great surprise, given that neither of them has been in production since 2018. It’s just the way of the consumer electronics world: things move quickly, nothing lasts forever, and resources need to be directed towards newer products.Still, when a product line as iconic as the Phantom comes to an end, it feels like a momentous occasion. After all, this is the drone series that truly popularized and democratized aerial photography and videography, taking them from something only experts and professionals could undertake into hobbies available to anyone with a few hundred pounds to spare.DJI launched the line in January 2013 with the original Phantom (later known as the Phantom 1), a distinctive white quadcopter that used a GPS-based navigation to hover steadily in place. It didn’t include a built-in camera but could accommodate an optional GoPro Hero.By the end of the year, its successor the Phantom 2 Vision had arrived, complete with a gimbal-mounted camera capable of capturing 14MP photos and 1080p video plus the ability to deliver a live feed directly to the pilot’s smartphone, which would be mounted on the remote controller.

A truly visionary drone

The DJI Phantom 2 Vision and its pioneering 1080p camera in action (Image credit: DJI)

Back in early 2014, the Phantom 2 Vision became the first drone I ever reviewed. Or ever flew, for that matter. I’d been writing about cameras and photography for a few years already, but the idea of being able to take a camera up into the sky and gain an entirely new perspective on the world felt incredibly fresh and exciting.I was living in New York at the time and often took this (rather ungainly) white quadcopter soaring above the parks, playgrounds, streets, buildings of my neighborhood in Brooklyn, and even over the East River.The footage looks extremely rough these days, but at the time there was nothing else like it out there. It felt crazy and more than a little transgressive to be flying above the city capturing HD video – like the Phantom had given me access to a secret world that very few others had cottoned onto yet. I never quite had the guts to fly it among the skyscrapers and packed streets of Manhattan, even if the drone laws back then were a lot less strict than they are today.

Few non-techy people even knew about the existence of consumer camera drones in 2014, and I’d often have to field questions from intrigued passers-by – which could be difficult to answer adequately whilst simultaneously trying to keep a drone that had nothing in the way of anti-collision technology in the air.I crashed several review samples of this and other Phantoms over the following years (sorry, DJI PR people!), not only in New York but when I eventually returned home to the UK – memorably ploughing one straight into a tree seconds after informing a curious dog-walker that “these things are pretty much impossible to crash”.The Phantoms did get less accident prone over the years, incorporating more and more of the autopiloting and obstacle avoidance technology that we’ve come to take for granted in today’s DJI drones. They also saw the introduction of better cameras, gimbals to keep those cameras dead level with the horizon, and batteries that went on for far longer than the Phantom 2’s stingy 15-minute lifespan.

The DJI Phantom 4 Advanced: a much more capable drone than the early Phantoms, but still a little too large by modern standards

By the time the Phantom 4 Advanced arrived in 2017, the range was capable of capturing 4K video and flying for almost 30 minutes on a charge. However, it soon became clear that DJI’s priorities were shifting to its folding drones like the Mavic and later Mini and Air series. And why not? For all the Phantom’s charms and lightweight build, its inability to fold down to a conveniently portable size made it a pain to carry, whereas the Mavic, Air and Mini series will easily fit into a backpack – or even a pocket, in the Mini’s case.DJI's drones dominate practical every drone category today, from the feature-packed sub-250g Mini 4 Pro, to the triple camera Mavic 3 Pro, with others offering superb value such as the Mini 4K beginner drone.It is probably an apt time, then, for the Phantom to fade away into darkness like the spirit for which it’s named. But even if it’s gone, I’ll certainly never forget those early days of the range. It was a truly ground-breaking product that essentially built the consumer drone market from nothing. Godspeed, DJI Phantom – and may your props never stop spinning.

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It’s the first Saturday of May, which means Free Comic Book Day is here, and this year, even Tamagotchi is getting in on the fun. Bandai has released a limited edition comic for the event, and it sports the new moniker that’s been fueling fan speculation for months: Tamagotchi Paradise. The comic will only be available in physical form, so if you want one, you’ll have to take a trip to your local comic store to pick it up. You can find participating shops using the FCBD store locator.

Internet sleuths first spotted a trademark filing for Tamagotchi Paradise earlier this year, sparking theories about the company’s plans for an upcoming device. The comic doesn’t outright confirm anything — there’s no official statement about whether the device and previously unseen characters pictured in its pages will be brought to market — but it sure does seem to suggest that something really cool is on the way.

Per the Tamagotchi website:

For the first time, you'll explore a new Tamagotchi Planet, a vibrant, magical world.

Meet brand-new Tamagotchi friends as they live, grow, and thrive on their home planet! You'll discover how they navigate their everyday lives in this whimsical world, interacting with their environment, forming bonds, and experiencing their own unique challenges. It's an inside look at their adorable existence in Tamagotchi Paradise.

I’m kind of getting Pokémon Snap vibes from it all, which would be a pretty fun and fresh approach to the Tamagotchi universe. But we don't know for sure what any of this means yet. If the purpose of this comic was just to drum up the hype around a new version of the virtual pet toy… well, it’s working. I’m now dying to know more.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/bandai-releases-tamagotchi-paradise-comic-for-free-comic-book-day-and-it-may-hint-at-the-next-device-160602490.html?src=rss

We live in times when tech firms will more often than not leave us disappointed; such is the nature of iterative technology upgrades and product cycles. So I was fully prepared to be disapproved by an attempt to run Death Stranding on my aging MacBook Air 13-inch (M2).Last year, Apple touted how the 2019 game, which originally launched on the PS4, was coming to both macOS and iOS.Now, Death Stranding is a rather attractive open-world game with a good few systems at play, and it has the added need of rendering actors Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux, among others, with solid realism. It’s not a game for a bit of low effort porting, so I’d prepared myself for disappointment.Thanks to the move to in-house Apple silicon, modern Mac and MacBooks have buckets of performance to tap into – be that for battery efficiency or handling a mass of Chrome tabs or some professional video rendering. Of course, one’s mileage varies depending on the generation of chip and whether it’s an M-series with a 'Pro' or 'Max' suffix (those offer the most power).While I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the M2 chip in my MacBook Air, it’s mostly been for how well it handles everyday tasks and sips power – at least compared to Windows laptops I’ve used. It can also run Baldur’s Gate 3, which is no mean feat, and handles the likes of Divinity Original Sin 2 with aplomb.Still, I was concerned that a more graphically ambitious game would prove too much for my MacBook.Reader, I was wrong.

Out-stranding

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

Booting up Death Stranding, I was surprised at how smooth everything felt – there were no odd audio glitches or stutters, as can happen in my experience when running demanding games on Valve’s Steam Deck. Positive first steps, then.Once the game got up and running, and after an oddball opening sequence that’s very much in keeping with the style of director Hideo Kojima, I was dropped into the boots of futuristic delivery man Sam Porter Bridges’ boots.And, to my surprise, the game ran at what I felt was a steady 30 frames per second – sure, not the smooth 60 fps I like, but more than playable. This was at a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and with graphics settings turned up to their highest settings.Now, playing a game with the kind of expansive vistas that Death Stranding sports on a 13.6-inch display isn’t the best way to experience it. But the impressive colors the Retina display on my Air manages, despite being an LCD panel, helped make some of the wet and green landscapes of North America pop with punchy dark greens, blues, yellows, and grays.

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

At 30 fps Death Stranding – at least so far – feels very playable. Plus I’m sure I could squeeze out more if I dig into the graphics settings.It’s also seriously impressive that I’m running a game of this calibre on a fanless laptop, where previously it would take a dedicated games console to kick Death Stranding into gear. So yeah, I was impressed and had to put my skepticism to bed.More than all of that though, is how this shows the promise for proper gaming on MacBooks.

Mac gaming has arrived

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

With Apple's in-house designed chips showcasing that they are more than just great slices of silicon for getting stuff done, and have the graphical grunt for gaming, I could see a decent future for actually gaming on Macs.Now I don’t expect custom Windows PCs to be replaced by Macs, no matter how powerful the latter get. But I do see MacBooks being viable gaming machines if more games are ported over to run on M-series chips, either via the App Store on Stream.I like the idea of a MacBook being a form of secondary device to game on when you don’t want to be hunched over a desktop PC. Or as a machine that goes from work to play when on a trip away from home; perhaps replacing the need to carry the likes of the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, especially when dealing with limited luggage capacity.

(Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)

But beyond that, I think there’s scope for Apple Arcade to be expanded to include games that are made from the ground up to run on M-series chips. This might go against the initial idea behind the ‘Arcade’ moniker, which suggested that the subscription service was able to offer the same games on all manner of Apple devices. But it could open up a new tier of gaming for Macs.There’s a slight wrinkle in that I’ve been waiting for gaming to improve on Macs for a while, what with the introduction of the Metal graphics API, but it’s only just feeling like it's getting to a noteworthy level. So it could be a case that we’ll need to wait a few more years before we see any significant changes.But I’m hopeful for a future where gaming on Mac is less of an afterthought, and the laughable proposition it once was is left thoroughly in the rear mirror.

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Google Gemini is adding nannying to its chatbot skillset. According to a New York Times report, Google will make Gemini available to users under 13, so long as they’re under a parent-managed Google account using Family Link. In an email sent to parents, Google said that kids will get access to Gemini to “ask questions, get homework help and make up stories.” This expanded availability will come with guardrails for its new user base, Google spokesperson Karl Ryan told NYTimes, adding that it would prevent Gemini from offering up unsafe content to kids.

In the email, Google acknowledged that “Gemini can make mistakes” and recommended that parents teach their kids how to fact-check Gemini’s responses. Along with double-checking, Google suggested reminding younger users that Gemini isn’t human and to not enter any sensitive or personal data into conversations. Even with those measures, the email still warned that children could “encounter content you don’t want to see.”

With the staggering pace of AI chatbot adoption, concerns about underage users have been bubbling up to the surface thanks to instances of factually incorrect or suggestive responses. In a report published last week, Common Sense Media warned that AI chatbots were “encouraging harmful behaviors, providing inappropriate content, and potentially exacerbating mental health conditions” for users under 18. Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that Meta’s AI chatbots were able to engage in sexual conversations with minors. On top of dodging unsafe conversations, Google said it won’t use any data from its younger Gemini users to train its AI models. For now, Google said it’s gradually rolling out access to Gemini for supervised accounts.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/kids-under-13-will-soon-get-supervised-access-to-google-gemini-164017036.html?src=rss