news,technology

Avengers: Doomsday – key information– Due to be released in May 2026– Officially in production as of late March– No trailer released yet– 27-strong cast confirmed so far– No firm details about its plot– Two big comic book series offer clues about its story– Will set up events to come in Avengers: Secret Wars– Might impact Spider-Man 4's story, too

Avengers: Doomsday has a lot – and I mean a lot – riding on it ahead of its May 1, 2026 launch.The next Marvel team-up movie has already promised us plenty. Still with the comic book giant's cinematic universe spluttering at various points over the last six years, Avengers 5 needs to be a huge hit for the Disney subsidiary. Otherwise, interest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) could really start to wane.So, what do we know about it thus far? Below, I've rounded up the latest and most important information on Doomsday. That includes its confirmed cast, possible story details, how it'll set up future MCU projects, and more. Potential spoilers follow, so proceed at your own risk.

Avengers: Doomsday release date

Just announced in Hall H: The Russo Brothers return to direct Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Only in theaters May 2026. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/oqnSwWKnYnJuly 28, 2024

Avengers: Doomsday will be released in theaters worldwide on May 1, 2026. The movie's official launch date was one of nine big reveals at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.The Marvel Phase 6 film was confirmed to be in full production on March 28, too. That announcement was made following the culmination of a five-hour-plus livestream that unveiled the first members of its ensemble cast (more on this later).

Avengers: Doomsday trailer – is there one?

275 million views. 50+ trending topics. 27 chairs. 5+ hours.One massive thank you to the greatest fans in the universe. pic.twitter.com/uS6hrX8ZypMarch 28, 2025

No. There won't be a full trailer for a long time, either.Marvel could release a snippet or two of footage at Comic-Con 2025 (July 24 to 27) or this year's D23 Expo (August 29 to 31). Given the secrecy that'll surround this project, though, I'd be amazed if we see or hear anything from a story and/or footage perspective until December 2025 or January 2026 at the earliest.

Avengers: Doomsday confirmed cast

#AvengersDoomsday. Now in production. pic.twitter.com/G84UVU8HOcMarch 26, 2025

Here's the 27-strong cast for Avengers: Doomsday that's been announced so far:

Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Victor von DoomPedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister FantasticVanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/The Invisible WomanJoseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/The Human TorchEbon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The ThingChris Hemsworth as ThorTom Hiddleston as LokiAnthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain AmericaDanny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres/FalconSebastian Stan as James 'Bucky' Barnes/The Winter SoldierFlorence Pugh as Yelena BelovaDavid Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red GuardianWyatt Russell as John Walker/US AgentHannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/GhostLewis Pullman as Bob Reynolds/SentryPaul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-ManSimu Liu as Shang-ChiLetitia Wright as Shuri/Black PantherWinston Duke as M'BakuTenoch Huerta Meija as NamorPatrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/Professor XIan McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/MagnetoJames Marsden as Scott Summers/CyclopsKelsey Grammar as Henry 'Hank' McCoy/BeastRebecca Romijn as Raven Darkholme/MystiqueAlan Cumming as Kurt Wagner/NightcrawlerChanning Tatum as Remy LeBeau/Gambit

The headline news is that Downey Jr, who played Tony Stark and his superhero alias Iron Man between 2008 and 2019, is back in the MCU. With Stark sacrificing himself in Avengers: Endgame, it seemed that the actor responsible for kickstarting Marvel Studios' shared universe had run out of comic book movie road.However, following a crowd-cheering reveal (or a desperate Hail Mary move, depending on who you ask) at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Downey Jr announced his MCU return as Doctor Victor von Doom. One of Marvel's most iconic villains and long-time adversary of The Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics, Doom will be the primary antagonist of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel Avengers: Secret Wars.It's unclear how Marvel plans to introduce Doom to the MCU – or, rather, the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse (MCM). Some fans believe he'll be a multiversal variant of Tony Stark, one who followed a darker path than the MCU's more heroic counterpart. Others believe Downey Jr's take on Doom won't be dissimilar to the God Emperor form he takes in 2015's 'Secret Wars' comic book series (more on this in the plot section).Regardless, nobody knows how Doom will work his way into the MCU. He could do so alongside The Fantastic Four if, as predicted, their universe is destroyed by Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Alternatively, Doom could already exist in the MCU without anyone knowing, or show up from one of the multiverse's other realities. Simply put, your guess is as good as mine.

Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, and Daredevil weren't part of the first raft of Doomsday cast reveals (Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios/Disney+)

As for the rest of Avengers 5's cast, 26 more members were confirmed via a lengthy livestream event on March 26. Some inclusions spoiled what'll happen in the next Marvel Phase 5 film – that being Thunderbolts* – while others were surprise additions to Doomsday's roster, including the return of legacy X-Men characters from 20th Century Fox's defunct mutant-centric comic book movie universe.There were many notable absentees from the aforementioned list, but Marvel insists "there's always room for more" cast announcements in the near future. Marvel chief Kevin Feige doubled down on this during Disney's CinemaCon 2025 panel, too (per ScreenRant). One of those individuals may be another MCU returnee, too, with former Captain America star Chris Evans rumored to have signed on.Three actors have seemingly ruled themselves out of appearing, though – Halle Berry, Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen. Cumberbatch has claimed Doctor Strange will only show up in Secret Wars. Olsen has seemingly denied that Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch is in either of the next Avengers movies. Halle Berry (per the Black Girl Nerds podcast) says she won't be reprising Ororo Monroe/Storm, either.Will we learn more about other cast additions at Comic-Con or D23 Expo? Maybe. For now, read about the 17 Marvel heroes I want to see added to Doomsday's cast, and what directors Joe and Anthony Russo say about whether we'll see any other Marvel heroes from Disney+ shows appear in Avengers 5.

Avengers: Doomsday story speculation

Marvel is keeping a very tight lid on Doomsday's story (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Potential spoilers follow for Avengers: Doomsday's plot.

Unsurprisingly, Doomsday's story brief hasn't been revealed yet. However, we have some idea of what might happen.For starters, Joe and Anthony Russo have confirmed that, while Doomsday and Secret Wars will close out the Multiverse Saga, they're actually telling "a beginning story" with Avengers 5 and 6. According to Marvel chief Kevin Feige, this will set the stage for the MCU's exciting future that'll be all about the X-Men.The next two Avengers flicks will take inspiration from both 'Secret Wars' comic book series, too. The MCU hasn't directly adapted many Marvel Comics storylines, but that doesn't mean they won't influence the story that'll be told in Doomsday and Secret Wars.Nonetheless, I won't spoil anything about either comic book run here. You can read the previously linked-to article for some spoiler-based details if you wish, or take advantage of our exclusive Marvel Unlimited App deal below, which will allow you to read both comic series for 'free'.

Marvel Unlimited monthly subscription: was $9.99 per month now $4.99 at MarvelThe ultimate digital comics subscription for Marvel fans is offering new and returning customers 50% off their first month, which is much cheaper than a streaming subscription to watch all the best superhero movies. To gain access to a library of more than 30,000 comics, use the code 'SPIDEY50' at checkout. You're able to use the Marvel Unlimited app on all iOS and Android devices, including the web, too. But, be quick – the deal expires on May 5!View Deal

Speaking of spoilers, Marvel detectives think they've solved the case of Avengers: Doomsday's story – and it's all down to the shadow cast by a director's chair in an image taken after the film's cast livestream reveal.In March, it appeared that other story elements and cast announcements had been ruined by apparent concept art for Doomsday and Secret Wars leaked online. According to the Russo brothers, though, that artwork doesn't spoil anything significant about the films. Read into that what you will.As for previous MCU projects that may set the scene for Avengers 5's plot, Captain America 4 director Julius Onah suggested that Brave New World might have laid the groundwork for Doomsday's narrative. You can learn more about what that may entail in that article and my Captain America 4 ending explained piece.Based on Beast's cameo appearance in The Marvels' mid-credits scene, that much-maligned Marvel film could have a part to play in establishing Avengers: Doomsday's story.Lastly, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which takes flight in theaters on July 25, is the final MCU film to be released before Doomsday. Given the group's ties to Doctor Doom, it's as inevitable as Thanos that it'll leave some plot threads unresolved to be picked up in Avengers 5. Based on the Thunderbolts team's inclusion in the latter's cast, expect Doomsday to build on the ending to that group's big-screen debut, too.

Where can I stream the other Avengers movies?

Avengers: Endgame is one of four Avengers films you can stream on Disney+ (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

The only place to watch the Avengers movies is on Disney+.The superteam's first four films – 2012's Avengers Assemble, 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, and 2019's Avengers: Endgame – are available exclusively on one of the world's best streaming services. So, you'll need to sign up for an account to stream them at home.See how much a subscription will cost you via our Disney+ price guide, or check out our Disney+ free trial page to see if you can try before you buy.

How will Avengers: Doomsday set up Secret Wars and other Marvel projects?

Avengers: Secret Wars is currently slated to arrive one year after Doomsday (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

I can't tell you how Avengers: Doomsday will impact the MCU.What I can say, though, is that it'll definitely set up events to come in Avengers: Secret Wars. That film, which will bring the Multiverse Saga to a close, will arrive in theaters in May 2027. Just like Infinity War set up events to come in Endgame, the fifth Avengers movie will directly affect the plot of its sequel, so expect Doomsday to establish what'll play out in Secret Wars.That isn't the only film that may be impacted. Spider-Man 4, which was recently christened Spider-Man: Brand New Day, bisects the next two Avengers movies. It's due out on July 31, 2026.If Brand New Day's events run concurrent to Doomsday – just as Ant-Man and the Wasp did with Infinity War – its story isn't likely to be influenced by events elsewhere. However, if the webslinger's next big-screen adventure takes place after Avengers 5, there's no question that it won't pick up some loose plot threads from that superhero flick. While we wait for more concrete details, read my Spider-Man 4 hub for the latest news and rumors.

For more Marvel coverage, read my guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, see if you agree with my ranking of the best Marvel movies and/or which MCU films made it onto my best superhero movies list.

Jamie Siminoff, who founded Ring and started the company in his garage, is back at Amazon after leaving the company as its CEO in 2023. Siminoff joined Amazon when the e-commerce website acquired Ring in 2018, but he left in 2023 and founded another startup that he sold to lock maker Latch Inc. When he left Amazon two years ago, he said that invention was his true passion. Now, he's taking on the role as the vice president in charge of not just Ring, but also Amazon's smart home camera unit Blink, the company's in-garage delivery operations called Key and the Amazon Sidewalk low-bandwith, long-range shared network.

Siminoff is replacing Elizabeth Hamren, who took over his role two years ago. Hamren used to be the COO of Discord and was also an executive at Microsoft and at Meta. According to Bloomberg, she's still looking for new opportunities from inside and outside the company.

In a post welcoming him back posted on the Amazon website, Siminoff briefly and broadly talked about his plans for the divisions he's heading. He plans to focus on security, on making people feel their "homes are safe, even when they’re thousands of miles away." Siminoff also wants to make sure Amazon's experiences related to home security "work seamlessly across different types of devices." In addition, he talked about how he's going to explore the use of artificial intelligence in Amazon's products and services in the future. "The AI transformation happening right now is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and I think we’re super well positioned with helpful and practical AI features like Smart Video Search," he said. "It's just the start here — we're just scratching the surface of what we can do with AI — and I look forward to digging into this with the team even more."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ring-founder-jamie-siminoff-is-back-at-amazon-to-run-its-video-doorbell-unit-130009731.html?src=rss

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, April 5 (game #664).

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 #665) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

TRASHPIZZACABLEREMOTECOOLWATERHIPRESISTANCECURRENTSPIKE LEEDOVETAILGASRESERVEDVOLTAGEDISTANTCHARGE

NYT Connections today (game #665) - hint #1 - group hints

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

YELLOW: StandoffishGREEN: Vital servicesBLUE: Power measurementsPURPLE: Common word rhymes with “point”

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 #665) - hint #2 - group answers

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

YELLOW: ALOOFGREEN: UTILITIES BLUE: WHAT AN ELECTROMETER MEASURES PURPLE: __ JOINT

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

NYT Connections today (game #665) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #665, are…

YELLOW: ALOOF COOL, DISTANT, REMOTE, RESERVEDGREEN: UTILITIES CABLE, GAS, TRASH, WATERBLUE: WHAT AN ELECTROMETER MEASURES CHARGE, CURRENT, RESISTANCE, VOLTAGEPURPLE: __ JOINT DOVETAIL, HIP, PIZZA, SPIKE LEE

My rating: ModerateMy score: 2 mistakes

A solid performance from me today, but I did make two mistakes. They both came in trying to organize what would become WHAT AN ELECTROMETER MEASURES.I convinced myself we were looking for something to do with charging electric cars, so I had CHARGE, CURRENT, CABLE and VOLTAGE before trying REMOTE too. I eventually decided to abandon it altogether.Fortunately, the other three groups came together quite easily despite a few US-UK linguistic differences.This was a rare turn where I saw the purple group first. SPIKE LEE was the giveaway (whose Do The Right Thing movie featured a PIZZA joint), while DOVETAIL is permanently edged in my memory from school and my major life achievement of making a spice rack that lasted about two weeks, collapsing under the pressure of a jar of oregano.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, 5 April, game #664)

YELLOW: EMPLOY CONTRACT, ENGAGE, RETAIN, SIGNGREEN: PARTS OF A WEBSITE BANNER, HEADER, MENU, SIDEBARBLUE: MAGAZINES BILLBOARD, PEOPLE, STAR, TIMEPURPLE: ENDING WITH MEDIEVAL WEAPONS CROSSWORD, GRIMACE, RAINBOW, SEMBLANCE

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 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, April 5 (game #398).

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 #399) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… The feeling is mutual

NYT Strands today (game #399) - hint #2 - clue words

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

LEMONGNOMELIKEZEROGAMESSHAME

NYT Strands today (game #399) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?• Spangram has 8 letters

NYT Strands today (game #399) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?First side: left, 5th rowLast side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #399) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #399, are…

CLICKRELATEMESHCONNECTVIBEHARMONIZEAGREESPANGRAM: GET ALONG

My rating: EasyMy score: Perfect

A very easy wordsearch today which fit perfectly with the theme — I was sad not to find simpatico, one of my favorite words which would most definitely HARMONIZE with the others.When we think about things that GET ALONG we are usually thinking about people – friends and family (well, mainly friends).But it’s true of animals too, particularly pets. My two cats didn’t get on for about two years, but some truce appears to have been agreed and now they sleep squished up against each other.It can also be true of technology, of course – for years Macs and Windows did not talk to each other, now the lines between them are blurred and I work seamlessly across both systems. Well, sort of seamlessly.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 5 April, game #398)

SWEEPROUTRALLYUPSETCOMEBACKTHREEPEATSPANGRAM: GAMECHANGERS

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.

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, April 5 (game #1167).

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 #1168) - 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 #1168) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1168) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1168) - 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 #1168) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?• A• G• S• S

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

Quordle today (game #1168) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1168, are…

AMBERGAUZESTORESLICK

My slip up was picking a common word (GAUGE) instead of an uncommon one with a rare letter – GAUZE.It’s fun when it comes off, but these choices tend not to work in the long run. In this case, though, I’m kicking myself as with the letters I had remaining these were the only two options.AMBER took me a while to get and I almost typed in an incorrect word just to release some more clues, but I got there eventually. A slow day.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1168) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1168, are…

SCOWLSWINERIGIDGHOUL

Quordle answers: The past 20

Quordle #1167, Saturday 5 April: GUSTY, VAULT, WHINE, BEGATQuordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTEQuordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLYQuordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLEQuordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECTQuordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACEQuordle #1161, Sunday 30 March: CRIME, DRINK, CLOVE, TRUERQuordle #1160, Saturday 29 March: LATER, ODDLY, CUMIN, AGREEQuordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FRONDQuordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKEQuordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIADQuordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAINQuordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALLQuordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADIIQuordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLYQuordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISSQuordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCHQuordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNICQuordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINKQuordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEER

Another Walmart Google TV box has been spottedThis could be the Walmart Onn 4K PlusThe device has apparently been part of an early testing program

We know there are no more Google Chromecasts on the way – with the Google TV Streamer acting as the replacement in Google's own smart home line-up – and it looks as though Walmart has another Chromecasting box in the pipeline.Following on from the Walmart Onn 4K Pro we saw released last year, there are now signs of a Walmart Onn 4K Plus over at Home Tester Club (via 9to5Google). Multiple reviews have been left of the gadget, together with images of the packaging and its contents.It seems the device may have been released early as part of a limited testing program, before being properly unveiled by Walmart. The feedback on the Walmart Onn 4K Plus seems to be mostly positive, with praise for its simplicity and low price.That price isn't specifically mentioned, so we'll have to wait for clarity on that. The 2024 Walmart Onn 4K Pro costs $49.88, while the standard Onn box is a mere $19.88, so it should be between those two points (these gadgets aren't available internationally).

Smart specs

Google is now focused on the Google TV Streamer (Image credit: Google)

There are some hints at the specs of the Walmart Onn 4K Plus from the reviews and the images. As well as 4K video output with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, we've also got 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage.As for the chipset, it's said to be a quad-core chip with a G310 V2 GPU, which the 9to5Google team thinks could be the Amlogic S905X5M – that's a newer chip than the one found in the Onn 4K Pro that Walmart sells.The Pro box does have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage though. This new device seems to be more of a replacement for the basic Onn box that launched back in 2023, and is now rather outdated with 2GB of RAM and a mere 8GB of storage on board.We haven't heard anything officially from Walmart as yet, but given that there's now a month's worth of reviews of the Onn 4K Plus online, it shouldn't be too long before the streaming gadget is out and available to buy with Google TV on board.

You might also like

Google TV is testing AI news summaries on the home pageXiaomi's Google TV Streamer rival gets a new processorGoogle TV just lost some more of its free streaming channels

This Chinese laptop vendor tried to innovate with a touchpad that can be docked inside the keyboard The device also has two screens and uses a more powerful Core i3-1215U CPU unlike a lot of rivals It can accommodate up to 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD and costs far less than I'd expect

You can find all manner of unusual tech products on AliExpress, including tablets with insane battery capacity and mini workstations with colorful fans - our latest find is an incredibly affordable dual-screen laptop with some brilliant hidden touches.Produced by Topton (which also made the mini workstation above), this dual-screen laptop features two 10.95-inch IPS touchscreens (1920x1200) that can fold and unfold to create a combined 15.5-inch display area.The screens can be arranged either side by side in landscape mode or stacked vertically in portrait mode, depending on your preference.

Choice of CPUs

Although there are other laptops with vertically stacked screens - most notably the GPD Duo and the Lenovo ThinkBook Flip - Topton’s model is the most affordable we’ve seen.It also has something else that really makes it stand out from the competition - a hidden touchpad that pops out from the keyboard. In addition, the laptop’s cover folds into as a stand, which I really like.The twin displays offer 100% sRGB coverage for cinema-quality color, support for 1.07 billion colors, and high brightness. They are also EyeSafe 2.0 certified.Buyers can choose between two configurations - one powered by an Intel Core i3-1215U with 6 cores and 8 threads, and another using an Intel Alder Lake-N N100 with 4 cores and 4 threads. The Core i3 model includes an 11.55V 3000mAh battery offering 2–4 hours of use, while the N100 variant features a larger 7.7V 5000mAh battery rated for 3–4 hours.Both versions run Windows 11 and support up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage.Pricing ranges from $368 to $721 depending on the specifications. Connectivity options include USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, an additional USB 3.0 Type-C, and a USB 3.0 Type-A port. Wireless connectivity comes in the form of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.The laptops come with a 1.0MP front-facing camera, dual 1W speakers, and a G-sensor for screen orientation. Despite the dual-screen layout, the laptops remain lightweight at 1.2kg and measure just 259x175x23mm.

(Image credit: Topton)

You might also like

These are the best business laptops you can buy right nowAnd these are best laptops for gaming and workWith a pair of OLED screens, GPD Duo may be the best mobile workstation ever

UK-based Jaguar Land Rover says it’s pausing shipments to the US after President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on passenger vehicles and other auto imports. The pause will be in effect this month, the Associated Press reports. While the full impact of the tariffs remains to be seen, analysts have said the move could ultimately drive up the cost of new and even used cars.

“The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands,” Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement to AP. “As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

Trump’s tariffs go well beyond the auto industry, and we’re only seeing the beginning of how the US’ trading partners will respond. The president announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on “all countries” this week, and some will face even higher “reciprocal” tariffs. Among the immediate effects, Nintendo has delayed pre-orders of the new Switch 2 in the US.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/jaguar-land-rover-pauses-us-shipments-while-it-figures-out-a-plan-for-trumps-tariffs-172512506.html?src=rss

Arm says Neoverse powers nearly half of 2025 hyperscaler compute shipments AI growth makes power-efficiency essential for hyperscale data centers AWS, Google, Microsoft are leading shift from x86 to Arm infrastructure

Arm says its Neoverse platform is becoming the architecture of choice for the cloud, as the likes of AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and others drive a broader shift away from x86 in the data center.Mohamed Awad, SVP and GM of the Infrastructure Business at Arm, says power efficiency and scalability are redefining infrastructure at hyperscale. “Just over six years ago, we launched Arm Neoverse for the next-generation of cloud infrastructure, recognizing a world where delivering new levels of scalable performance on top of Arm’s flexible and power-efficient compute platform could enable a systemic shift in the capabilities and costs of the data center ecosystem,” he explained.“Fast forward to today, the adoption of Neoverse has reached new heights: close to 50 percent of the compute shipped to top hyperscalers in 2025 will be Arm-based,” he added. Much of this momentum can, inevitably, be attributed to the rise of AI.

AI servers set to grow by 300 percent

AI is reshaping cloud infrastructure, driving explosive growth in compute demand and forcing hyperscalers to prioritize power efficiency at massive scale. Data centers are being designed in gigawatts, not megawatts, making efficiency a requirement rather than a differentiator, something that has been central to Arm's architecture for decades.That's not the only reason for the architecture's success of course."The Arm compute platform is additionally giving our partners the flexibility to create a new generation of customized, differentiated silicon solutions for AI. For example, Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell superchip for AI-based infrastructure combines Nvidia’s Blackwell GPU accelerated computing architecture with the Arm Neoverse-based Grace CPU, integrated with an extraordinarily high bandwidth, coherent mesh network – a system tailor-made to achieve unmatched performance for AI workloads," Awad says.With ten of the world’s largest hyperscalers developing and deploying Arm-based chips, the future looks bright for the company - but that dynamic could shift if, as rumored, Arm decides to produce its own silicon.Speculation on that front gained signifcant momentum after Arm’s Japanese owner, SoftBank, acquired Arm-based chipmaker Ampere for $6.5 billion, raising concerns that Arm could end up competing directly with its partners in the fast-growing data center market.

You might also like

Softbank buying Ampere for $6.5 billion and could integrate it with ArmIs an AMD Arm superchip in the works?Arm wants to build its own CPU server for hyperscalers, reports say

Amazon's new feature could make it easier to get into the latest release in a series, especially if it's been some time since you've read the previous books. The new Recaps feature is part of the latest software update for the Kindle, and the company compares it to "Previously on..." segments you can watch for TV shows. Amazon announced Recaps in a blog post, where it said that you can get access to it once you receive the software update over the air or after you download and install it from Amazon's website. Amazon didn't talk about the technology behind the feature in its post, but a spokesperson has confirmed to TechCrunch that the recaps will be AI generated.

Shortly after the feature rolled out, users talked about it on social media, wondering if Amazon is using generative AI to write series summaries. They expressed concerns about the use of generative AI, especially about the possibility of the technology hallucinating plot elements that aren't actually in the books. "We use technology, including GenAI and Amazon moderators, to create short recaps of books that accurately reflect book content," Amazon spokesperson Ale Iraheta told the publication. Iraheta assured TechCrunch that Amazon's recaps are accurate, but of course, use it at your own risk.

At the moment, the Recaps feature is available for best-selling English-language book series on all Kindle devices in the US. To know if your favorite series has one, look for the "View Recaps" button within the series page in your Kindle library. It will soon be available for the Kindle app on iOS, as well. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-will-use-ai-to-generate-recaps-for-book-series-on-the-kindle-170018503.html?src=rss

A fresh batch of new Max movies has arrived this April, with new titles spanning comedy, action, drama, and plenty more. Whether you’re after laugh-out-loud moments, edge-of-your-seat thrills, or something a little more emotional, this month’s lineup has something for everyone. While Max doesn’t always match rivals in sheer volume, it consistently delivers quality, which is why it remains one of the best streaming services for film lovers.Want the full list of everything new on Max this April, including TV shows and documentaries? Check out our guide to everything new on Max in April. Or, if you're after the platform’s all-time greats, don’t miss our roundup of the best Max movies. For now, here are all the latest films landing on Max this month.

New Max movies: April 1

A Kind of Murder (2016)A Stolen Life (1946)Aftersun (2022)All I See Is You (2017)Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011)April in Paris (1952)Bad Santa (2003)Bad Santa 2 (2016)Black Death (2010)Deception (1946)Drinking Buddies (2013)Edge of the City (1957)Friday (1995)Friday After Next (2002)I’ll See You in My Dreams (1952)In This Our Life (1942)It’s Love I’m After (1937)Jezebel (1938)Jimmy the Gent (1934)Juarez (1939)June Bride (1948)Kid Galahad (1937)Land of the Lost (2009)Little Men (2016)Logan (2017)Lucky Me (1954)Lullaby of Broadway (1951)Marked Woman (1937)Mr. Nobody (2011)Mr. Nobody: Extended Director’s Cut (2011)Mr. Skeffington (1944)My Dream is Yours (1949)My Golden Days (2016)Next Friday (2000)Nobody Walks (2012)Now, Voyager (1942)Old Acquaintance (1943)On Moonlight Bay (1951)Panama Hattie (1942)Parachute Jumper (1933)Payment on Demand (1951)Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)Romance on the High Seas (1948)Satan Met a Lady (1936)Severance (2007)Sixteen Candles (1984)Special Agent (1935)Stampede (1949)Station West (1948)Storm Warning (1951)Suspicion (1941)Tea for Two (1950)That Certain Woman (1937)The Biggest Little Farm (2019)The Double (2014)The Old Maid (1939)The Prince (2014)The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)The Star (1952)The Terminator (1984)The Tree of Life (2011)The West Point Story (1950)The Wild North (1952)The Working Man (1933)Three on a Match (1932)Winter Meeting (1948)Young Man with a Horn (1950)

New Max movies: April 4

Y2K (2024)

New Max movies: April 7

2073 (2024)

New Max movies: April 16

Fist Fight (2017)

New Max movies: April 24

Life of the Party (2018)

New Max movies: April 25

Babygirl (2024)

For more Max-based coverage, read our guides on The Last of Us season 2, House of the Dragon season 3, Euphoria season 3, and The White Lotus season 3.

Looking for the best new Hulu movies landing this April? You’re in the right place. This guide rounds up all the latest films arriving on Hulu this month, from fast-paced action flicks and suspenseful sci-fi to feel-good family picks. With such a wide-ranging lineup, Hulu continues to hold its spot as one of the best streaming services for movie lovers.Want the full lowdown on everything coming to Hulu in April, including new TV shows and documentaries? Head to our everything new on Hulu in April guide. But if it’s new movies you’re after, read on for the full list of new Hulu films arriving this month.

New Hulu movies: April 1

Arrival (2016)Arrival En Espanol (2016)The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)Black Swan (2010)Boys on the Side (1995)Concussion (2015)Concussion En Espanol (2015)Copycat (1995)Enough Said (2013)The Equalizer (2014)The Equalizer En Espanol (2014)Gifted (2017)The Good Thief (2003)Gone Girl (2014)Gulliver's Travels (2010)The History of the World Part I (1981)I Heart Huckabees (2004)Interstellar (2014)Interstellar En Espanol (2014)Jumanji (1995)Jumanji En Espanol (1995)Jurassic Park (1993)Jurassic Park III (2001)The Karate Kid (1984)The Karate Kid En Espanol (1984)The Karate Kid Part II (1986)The Karate Kid: Part II En Espanol (1986)The Karate Kid Part III (1989)The Karate Kid Part III En Espanol (1989)Little Man (2006)Little Man En Espanol (2006)The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)Made in America (1993)Me, Myself and Irene (2000)Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)Oddity Red Sparrow (2018)The Revenant (2015)Runaway Jury (2003)Sexy Beast (2001)Shark Tale (2004)The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)Superbad (2007)Superbad En Espanol (2007)Tombstone (1993)True Story (2015)21 Jump Street (2012)22 Jump Street (2014)Wall Street (1987)Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)War of the Worlds (2005)Widows (2018) Wild (2014)The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)The Wolf Of Wall Street En Espanol (2013)Year One (2009)You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

New Hulu movies: April 4

Classified (2024)The Darjeeling Limited (2007)Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)Rushmore (1999)

New Hulu movies: April 8

Small Things Like These (2024)

New Hulu movies: April 9

Angels & Demons (2009)The Da Vinci Code (2006)

New Hulu movies: April 10

Ca$h (2010)​Hesher (2010)​Niko: Beyond the Northern Lights (2024)Red Dog (2011)So Undercover (2012)​Spun (2002)​

New Hulu movies: April 11

Garfield (2004)​Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)​Magpie (2024)

New Hulu movies: April 15

Lake George (2024)

New Hulu movies: April 17

The Girl Who Wasn't Dead (2024)

New Hulu movies: April 18

The Order (2024)

New Hulu movies: April 21

No Hard Feelings (2023)No Hard Feelings (En Espanol) (2023)

New Hulu movies: April 22

In a Violent Nature (2024)

New Hulu movies: April 24

Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story (2024)

New Hulu movies: April 25

Azrael (2024)

For more Hulu coverage, read our guides on the best Hulu shows, best Hulu movies, Shogun season 2, and The Bear season 4.

New Prime Video movies are landing throughout April, and this month’s lineup brings a solid mix of genres – from romantic dramas and family-friendly comedies to historical thrillers that aren't for the faint of heart. Whatever your mood, Prime Video has something worth adding to your watchlist.To help you keep track, we’ve listed every new Prime Video movie and its release date below. Want to skip straight to the must-watch picks? Head to our guide to the best Prime Video movies. Otherwise, read on for the full rundown of what’s streaming on one of the best streaming services this April.

New Prime Video movies: April 1

2 Guns (2013)12 Strong (2018)1984 (1984)A Fistful of Dollars (1964)A Guy Thing (2003)All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)Annie Hall (1977)Baby Boy (2001)Basic Instinct 2 (2006)Battleship (2012)Be Cool (2005)Beauty Shop (2005)Bones and All (2022)Bull Durham (1988)Cheech & Chong Get Out of My Room (1985)Dazed and Confused (1993)Death at a Funeral (2007)Death Warrant (1990)Death Wish 3 (1985)Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)Death Wish II (1982)Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990)Dog (2022)Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012)Dunkirk (2017)Fargo (1996)Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)Fighting with My Family (2019)For a Few Dollars More (1965)Ford v Ferrari (2019)Forrest Gump (1994)Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)Get Shorty (1995)Green Zone (2010)Hackers (1995)Hair (1979)Hang 'Em High (1968)Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)Hannibal (2001)Harvey (1950)Hoosiers (1986)Hot Pursuit (2015)Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)Hotel Rwanda (2004)Igor (2008)Jeepers Creepers (2001)Jerry Maguire (1996)Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)Joe Dirt (2001)King Solomon's Mines (1985)Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981)Lars and the Real Girl (2007)Last Tango in Paris (1972)Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)Legion (2010)Lifeforce (1985)Lions for Lambs (2007)Lost in Translation (2003)Max (2015)Max 2: White House Hero (2017)Meet Joe Black (1998)Mermaids (1990)Missing in Action (1984)Mission: Impossible (1996)Mission: Impossible II (2000)Mission: Impossible III (2006)Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)Moonstruck (1987)Mr. Mom (1983)Navy Seals (1990)

New Prime Video movies: April 13

Conclave (2024)

New Prime Video movies: April 14

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

New Prime Video movies: April 22

Gladiator II (2024)Teenage Kraken (2023)

New Prime Video movies: April 29

Nickel Boys (2024)

For more Prime Video-based coverage, check out our guides on The Night Agent season 2, Fallout season 2, Mr and Mrs Smith season 2, and the best Prime Video shows.

Meta has released the first two models from its Llama 4 suite: LLama 4 Scout and LLama 4 Maverick. Maverick is “the workhorse” and excels at image and text understanding for “general assistant and chat use cases,” the company said in a blog post, while the smaller model Scout could tackle things like “multi-document summarization, parsing extensive user activity for personalized tasks, and reasoning over vast codebases.” The company also introduced Llama 4 Behemoth, an upcoming model it says is “among the world’s smartest LLMs” — and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said we’ll be hearing about a fourth model, LLama 4 Reasoning, “in the next month.”

Both Maverick and Scout are available to download now from the LLama website and Hugging Face, and they’ve been added to Meta AI, including for WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram DMs.

Meta

Scout has 17 billion active parameters with 16 experts, Meta says. According to Zuckerberg, “It’s extremely fast, natively multimodal, and has an industry leading, nearly infinite 10 million token context length, and it is designed to run on a single GPU.” Maverick on the other hand has 17 billion active parameters with 128 experts, and the company says it beats competitors like GPT-4o and Gemini 2.0 on coding, reasoning, multilingual, long-context, and image benchmarks, and stacks up against DeepSeek v3.1 on reasoning and coding.

Zuckerberg is already calling the upcoming Behemoth model, which is still training, “the highest performing base model in the world,” with 288 billion active parameters, according to the company. It may not be here yet, but it’s likely we’ll be hearing a lot more about that and the Reasoning model soon; Meta’s big AI dev conference, LlamaCon, is just a few weeks away.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-introduces-llama-4-with-two-new-models-available-now-and-two-more-on-the-way-214524295.html?src=rss

Microsoft followed at least one part of my wishlist for its Copilot event when it announced Copilot Vision will be embedded in Windows 11 and the mobile app.Copilot Vision will let the AI actually see what’s on your screen and the world around you. Microsoft first toyed with the idea in Edge, where Copilot could peek at the browser and offer help. But now it’s going system-wide, across apps, websites, and even what your smartphone camera shows on your screen.The idea is to offer a proactive AI assistant that can scan an Excel sheet, summarize a PDF, suggest how to adjust your settings, or identify the wild berry you're not sure is edible or poisonous.The appeal is obvious, even when compared to tools with similar features like ChatGPT and Gemini. Those tools can be great on a desktop or laptop, but they don’t have the luxury of being built directly into your operating system.Copilot has a home-field advantage on Windows 11. Vision leverages that advantage. It doesn’t have to wait for a prompt; it can see what you’re doing and offer context-relevant help.

Copilot Vision caution

Microsoft clearly anticipates some trepidation over Copilot Vision's expansion based on how eager the company is to highlight the feature's privacy aspects. Microsoft says Copilot Vision only works when you grant access. Still, there’s no denying the privacy weirdness. The digital equivalent of someone looking over your shoulder sounds creepy out of context.Of course, it's not like we haven't all been handing over swaths of data to the cloud to get slightly better movie recommendations or similar benefits. But I can understand why letting AI literally read your screen as you do the same might feel intimate in a disconcerting way.Control and trust might make the difference in Copilot Vision's success. If Microsoft starts making Copilot Vision default-on or hides the permission settings in some deeply buried system menu, more people might turn away from Copilot entirely and turn to another option with the same abilities but with the user controlling it more.I still think it will be a genuinely useful addition to Copilot, especially on the surprisingly well-designed Copilot mobile app. You'll want to keep track of what permissions you give and when Copilot Vision is active. I'd encourage trying it out, but keep your eyes open when the AI is doing the same.

You might also like

I tried Microsoft Copilot's iOS app, and here are 3 reasons why you should tooI think Microsoft is smart to follow OpenAI in making these premium features freeMicrosoft Paint brushes up on AI

Ajinomoto is best known for MSG but it also makes semiconductor materialIt dominates production of the ABF insulating film used in GPUs and CPUsThe company plans 50 percent capacity boost with more investment by 2030

Ajinomoto is a Japanese company best known for producing MSG, or monosodium glutamate - the ubiquitous flavor enhancer commonly used in food, especially in Asian cuisine.As one of the world’s largest MSG manufacturers, the company is often closely associated with the ingredient - the name "Ajinomoto" actually translates to "essence of taste" in Japanese.Right about now, you’re probably wondering why this is on TechRadar Pro, right? Well, it’s because Ajinomoto is set to massively expand its investment in the semiconductor sector.

Increasing ABF production by 50%

A report from Nikkei Asia claims the Japanese food and biotech company plans to boost production of Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF), a key insulating material used in the packaging of advanced CPUs and GPUs, where it helps ensure thermal stability and electrical insulation.First developed using the company’s expertise in amino acid chemistry (you can read the whole history here), ABF is now essential for high-performance semiconductor substrates and Ajinomoto holds over 95% market share in its category.Nikkei Asia says Ajinomoto has already spent 25 billion yen over the past two years to expand production at its facilities in Gunma, northwest of Tokyo, and in Kawasaki, but it is now looking to increase ABF production capacity by 50%."We will invest the same amount or more by 2030 as demand increases," President Shigeo Nakamura, who took on the role in February 2025, said in an interview with Nikkei Asia."We are also exploring establishing new bases," he added, although this expansion is expected to remain within Japan.Ajinomoto's ramping up of ABF isn’t a surprise, given that Nakamura previously worked in research and played a key role in the development of the company’s electronics materials division."We expect sales of electronics materials, mainly ABF, to grow at an annual rate of more than 10% through 2030," Nakamura told the news site."We will continue to meet needs by evolving ABF to a more highly functional form that supports high-performance semiconductors in the long term."

You might also like

TSMC and Broadcom could tear apart Intel's legendary business after 57 yearsMIT researchers say nanoscale 3D transistors promise more efficient electronicsEU needs to update Chips Act and provide more support, semiconductor body says

Sigma rumored to be working on a 200mm f/1.8 telephoto primeFull-frame lens could debut in L-mount and Sony E mountFirst of its kind for any mirrorless camera system

Back in 1988, Canon introduced the EF 200mm f/1.8L USM – the world’s fastest 200mm telephoto lens. Made for Canon’s EF-mount DSLR cameras, it was discontinued in 2004. Nothing since then has come close to its unique combination of reach and speed. That might be about to change: according to online rumors, Sigma is working on a spiritual successor for the mirrorless era.L-rumors, a source for L-mount camera system news, recently ran a story claiming that Sigma is developing a world-first 200mm f/1.8 L-mount lens for Sony E and L-mount (Leica, Sigma and Panasonic) full-frame cameras. It points out that the optical design for such a lens was patented by Sigma back in 2020. Sony Alpha Rumors carried the same story.Neither site provides any concrete information on performance, pricing or release date, speculating only that the lens will form part of Sigma’s Sports series. Whatever the specifics, the lens – if real – would be unique among modern mirrorless glass.No other optic offers the same pairing of prime telephoto reach and a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture. It’s a recipe that promises sharp stills with beautiful background blur, giving it appeal for sports, portrait and landscape photographers alike.

Sigma's lens department regularly innovates – its 28-45mm lens (above) was the first F1.8 zoom lens for full-frame. (Image credit: Sigma)

Who would a 200mm f/1.8 lens be good for?

A 200mm telephoto prime might sound like a niche lens, but it’s one that has a lot to offer for sports and wildlife photographers. It gives a useful degree of magnification, bringing distant subjects significantly closer, but not so close that you can’t readily pan to follow the action from the sidelines.It’s also a flattering focal length for portrait photography, creating an attractive compression effect where the background appears larger. That same effect gives it appeal for landscape photographers who want to create compositions which contrast specific details of foreground and background.Prime optics famously offer faster maximum apertures than zoom lenses. This allows photographers to shoot at faster shutter speeds in low-light conditions. It also comes with the promise of soft bokeh and background blur. Both of those benefits will be maximized at an aperture of f/1.8.As above, rumors suggest that the Sigma 200mm f/1.8 will be part of Sigma’s Sports line. That makes a lot of sense: at that aperture, sports photographers would be able to work at faster shutter speeds to freeze action indoors or under floodlights. Similarly, both wildlife and landscape photographers would be able to make use of all available light, even when shooting in dim settings.Portrait photographers would naturally benefit, too. The lens promises to isolate subjects sharply against wonderfully defocused backgrounds. The Sigma 200mm f/1.8 would deliver the shallowest depth of field possible at that focal length for a modern mirrorless camera. That makes it a pretty compelling, if inevitably pricey and physically weighty, proposition.

You might also like

Sigma unveils a killer portrait lens for Sony and Panasonic cameras with a tempting price tagSigma announces the world’s first f/1.8 full-frame zoom for mirrorless camerasI’ve shot hundreds of photos with the stunning Sigma BF – despite its flaws, it makes other cameras feel ordinary

The Handmaid's Tale season 6: key information- Coming to Hulu on April 8- Official trailer released for final season- Main cast all set to return- New cast member announced- Sequel, The Testaments, officially commissioned by Hulu

The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 returns on April 8, and while we eagerly await the final season of one of the best Hulu shows, there’s plenty to talk about. Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s best-selling novel of the same name, the dystopian tale of totalitarian society, Gilead, has been told over five thrilling and haunting seasons on one of the best streaming services.Fertile women have been forced to become surrogates for the rich and privileged, but it's finally time to take a stand. Led by Offred/June (Elisabeth Moss), the sixth and final season will depict the uprising of the Handmaids and a rebellion that aims to change everything. Here's everything we know from release date, plot, confirmed cast, news, rumors, and more.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 release date

A post shared by The Handmaid's Tale (@handmaidsonhulu)A photo posted by on

In March, an official Instagram post from Elisabeth Moss revealed that The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 will be released on April 8. Exciting news, considering it’s been nearly three years since season 5 debuted on Hulu.While the previous seasons came out in consecutive years, there was a delay for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Fortunately, with resolution, the long-awaited sixth season will finally bring the dystopian tale to a close.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 trailer

The official trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 was released on March 19. Full of tension-building scenes and rebellion rising, June (Elisabeth Moss) can be heard saying: "For years, we've been afraid of them. Now, it's time for them to be afraid of us."And it appears June is rallying the Handmaids for battle with Luke and Moira joining alongside her to finally, and hopefully, take down Gilead. Though, there's hints of what Serena Joy has planned next to protect it alongside new character, Josh Charles, who is seemingly her new partner. There's also scenes of Janine, Aunt Lydia and Nick all returning to reprise their roles.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6: confirmed cast

The main cast will return for The Handmaid's Tale season 6 (Image credit: Hulu)

Potential spoilers follow for The Handmaid's Tale season 6.

First look images of The Handmaid’s Tale season 6 officially confirmed the return of most of the main cast – though we imagine any not featured will still be back for the sixth and final season:

Elisabeth Moss as June OsborneO-T Fagbenle as LukeMax Minghella as NickYvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy WaterfordAnn Dowd as Aunt LydiaSamara Wiley as MoiraBradley Whitford as Commander LawrenceAmanda Brugel as RitaMadeline Brewer as JanineSam Jaeger as Mark TuelloEver Carradine as Naomi PutnamJosh Charles as TBCTimothy Simons as TBC

While the main cast are reprising their roles, there's also two new characters that have been cast - though details on their roles are being kept firmly under wraps.Firstly, in July 2024, Deadline revealed that The Veil and The Good Wife star, Josh Charles, would be joining season 6: "in a series regular capacity."Then, in September 2024, as per Variety, a new role for Veep and Nobody Wants This star, Timothy Simons, was unveiled. Simons has reportedly been cast in a guest role, but as mentioned, we have no further intel than that right now.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6: story synopsis and rumors

What will happen to Nick in the final season? (Image credit: Hulu)

Full spoilers follow for The Handmaid’s Tale seasons 1 to 5.

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 is the final season of the show. So, there's a lot to tie up, especially considering how season 5 ended. June found herself on a train with her former captor, Serena, and their babies in tow. They're not exactly on good terms, so the situation as they escape to Canada will certainly be interesting to watch unfold.Though June wasn't meant to be alone with the escape plan always meaning to involve Luke. Unfortunately, after June was almost murdered by a man instructed by Gilead, Luke killed him and ultimately handed himself over to the police, letting June leave without him.

Will Aunt Lydia face repercussions for her actions under Gilead's regime? (Image credit: Hulu)

For June's role in season 6 then, Elisabeth Moss spoke to Elle: "I think that it's going to be a season where June is going to figure out who she is and who she's going to be for the rest of her life."She added: "The fight is not just about one individual; it's much larger than that. And I think she is, in season five, getting to that place where she's realizing that. And then season six is going to be very much about that, and then about all the characters figuring out whose side they're on and what their next move is."There's also Nick's successful escape to Canada after his wife, Rose, left him. As well as Janine being pulled away by The Eyes and Aunt Lydia showing some real emotion around the situation. Plus, Commander Lawrence's hopes and dreams for New Bethlehem seem entirely more likely after the death of Commander Putnam.

Moira joins June in the rebellion (Image credit: Hulu)

But, there's a big change when it comes to who's running the show as Bruce Miller stepped down to focus on his next project - the screen adaptation of Margaret Atwood's sequel, "The Testaments," as reported by Deadline. Great news for the spin-off, but he's left The Handmaid's Tale season 6 in the hands of Eric Tuchman and Yahlin Chang. Who, both worked on the show before this move.Before he left though, Miller spoke to Entertainment Weekly regarding the final season: “We are ending our show on our own creative terms. Hulu and MGM have been uniquely remarkable and generous in that way. So I think the good thing is, I’m able to do it the way that I want to do it. So if you hate it, it actually was on purpose. It wasn’t a mistake. I didn’t stumble.”The cast and crew are clearly dedicated to delivering a season six that impresses. Producer Warren Littlefield revealed to Deadline that when it comes to the final season: "A lot of people won't make it to the end of Handmaid's Tale. It's pretty chilling, but also exciting." Adding: "And I think we will satisfy those who have been with us through six seasons, I think they're feel powerfully rewarded."And, as seen in the final season's trailer, there's a rebellion happening as the Handmaids gather for a fight for their freedom. Speaking to Variety, Madeline Brewer (Janine) said: "It goes a little wild there toward the end, and I think it’s what the fans have been waiting six seasons for — they’ve been waiting for revolution. We had a long resistance, we had a lot of building and building and really a slow burn to what is an outrageous revolution, truly, in the end.”

Will there be more seasons of The Handmaid's Tale?

Sequel, The Testaments, is on the way (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Handmaid's Tale season 6 will be the show's last. Though, in early April, it was revealed that Hulu has ordered, The Testaments, an official sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.So while The Handmaid's Tale may be coming to an end, the story of the Republic of Gilead will live on through an adaptation of Atwood's follow-up novel.The Testaments is set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale – narrated by Aunt Lydia, Agnes (Chase Infiniti), a woman living in Gilead, and Daisy (Lucy Halliday), a woman living in Canada. Without giving anymore away for those who haven't read the book, there's plenty of story left to tell around the lives of these young women who have never known life before Gilead.And creator Bruce Miller told The Hollywood Reporter, when it comes to The Testaments, it's a unique tale: "We tried not to make the same show — it’s got younger voices, it’s got a completely different feel and a completely different vibe but it’s still Gilead, so I hope that the continuing threads continue to interest people while the new stuff is exciting.”

For more Hulu-based coverage, read our guides on Only Murders in the Building season 5, Shōgun season 2, Alien: Earth, and The Bear season 4.

As a 10-year Apple Watch veteran, I've only really taken notice of Garmin in the last six months or so in my role as one of TechRadar's fitness and wearables experts.Since the turn of the year, there has been an awful lot of negativity around Garmin for a variety of reasons: a global outage that saw devices rendered unusable for well over a day, users upset about older, premium models being left out in the software cold, and more recently the controversial Garmin Connect+ subscription service.I've seen plenty of despair in Garmin forums like the r/Garmin subreddit, reading countless posts and comments about users who are considering ditching their Garmins or making the switch to Apple, Samsung, and co.But as a tenured Apple Watch user, I'm here to lend a comforting hand to the Garmin faithful. Life may not be perfect right now, but there are still a myriad of reasons to be thankful for your Garmin and a ton of impressive features and benefits to using one.It got me thinking about just how many advantages and upsides there are to using a Garmin, and so I thought I'd collate some of them here to bring Garmin users some much-needed joy.Who knows, if you're in the market for a new smartwatch, maybe this is the push you need to grab one of the best Garmins instead of an Apple Watch Ultra 2. Of course, features and benefits swing both ways, but let me lay out some of the things Garmin does better than the Apple Watch right now.

1. Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

The best Apple Watch will get you at most 72 hours of battery life on a single charge in Low Power mode. When you come to Garmin, battery life specs are measured in days rather than hours. Of course, there are reasons for this, Apple Watches tend to have brighter screens and generally a bit more going on under the hood, but there's no denying that even formidable, powerful models like the Garmin Fenix 8 offer insane longevity. The latter is rated for up to 34 days of typical use, an astonishing figure.Pound for pound, any equivalent Garmin is going to smash Apple Watch battery life by an order of magnitude, and that's before we even consider Garmin's secret weapon and point number 2...

2. Solar charging

(Image credit: Garmin)

Complementing battery life is solar charging, an option offered on plenty of Garmin models. In exchange for a less impressive display, you get solar charging for potentially limitless battery life in the right conditions. While that's rarely a reality, solar charging pushes the aforementioned 34-day battery life of the Fenix 8 to up to 58 days on solar.Apple has never once hinted at solar charging on the Apple Watch during its 10 years of existence, and I'd love to see the company give it a try.

3. Running metrics

(Image credit: Garmin)

If you want the best running watch to help you hone your stride, up your pace, and break your marathon record, Garmin is really the only option.Garmin has a dedicated range of running watches, spearheaded by the impressive Forerunner 965, but the entire lineup boasts a slew of industry-leading running metrics to which Apple can't hold a candle.At their most advanced, Garmin running metrics and features include running dynamics, vertical oscillation and ratio, ground contact time and balance, stride length, cadence, running power, grade-adjusted pace, performance condition, lactate threshold, PacePro, and even a race time prediction.Apple Watch does some of these, but there's no denying that Garmin leads the pack when it comes to running.

4. Training plans and Garmin Coach

(Image credit: Garmin)

While your Apple Watch can track a workout, Garmin has an extensive array of training tools. Notably, you can use Garmin Coach training plans to fuel your running or cycling regimen, and you can also use the Garmin Connect app to create step-by-step workouts you can follow right from your wrist.You'll even get daily suggested workouts based on your previous performance (for running or cycling) and information about how long you should leave for recovery based on your effort.Apple might have newer Training Load features from watchOS 11, but otherwise, the company has barely scratched the surface in this field.

5. Readiness and Body Battery

(Image credit: Future)

Garmin also features very impressive readiness scores and its own Body Battery technology, which you won't find on any Apple Watch. Now, there's some debate about the efficacy of this kind of tech, and some folks would probably tell you it's a pseudoscience.However, Garmin takes metrics like your heart rate variability, activity data, and more to generate a score out of 100 to estimate your energy reserves and overall readiness to tackle the day's training.For some people (myself included), that isn't always helpful – you can often become a slave to the numbers and end up feeling in worse condition than you might actually be – but for those who want it, Garmin's Body Battery and readiness scores are much better than anything Apple offers in the space.

6. Models and pricing

(Image credit: Garmin)

By all accounts, Garmin boasts the richest lineup of models of any smartwatch manufacturer, Apple included. While Cupertino has opted for a simple three-device lineup, Garmin has models within models on top of layers of configurations wrapped around pricing structures.It's a lot to get your head around, especially if you're a beginner – what's the difference between the Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED, Solar, and Instinct E, for instance? – but the upshot is that there is a Garmin for everyone. From the cheapest Forerunner 55 to the Tactix 8 replete with ballistics tracking and night vision mode, there's a Garmin in every color and at every price point.

7. Platform agnosticism

Apple Watch is all fun and games until you decide you want an Android phone (Image credit: Future)

One of the best things about buying a Garmin is that it works with both iPhone and Android equally well. Of course, you miss out on some key notification features you'd get from an Apple Watch on iPhone, but generally, buying a Garmin frees you up to move more readily between iPhone and Android if you feel so inclined.That can be tremendously freeing when it comes to choosing your next smartphone, especially because moving between the two doesn't mean losing all your workout data and training accolades.

8. A real flashlight

(Image credit: Garmin)

Bonus round - Apple Watch does have a flashlight feature, but it just involves turning up the screen to max white brightness. Plenty of Garmins, such as the Instinct 3, come with a full-fledged flashlight for exploration or just fumbling your way to the bathroom at 3 am.

Garmin users take heart

As I've said, this isn't an exhaustive list by any means, but hopefully, Garmin users can take some heart that there are still plenty of reasons to be satisfied with their purchases, and to stick with the brand.Have I missed anything? If you can think of something else Garmin does better than Apple Watch, drop your thoughts in the comments below!

You may also like

Garmin Vivoactive 6 officially revealed, as Garmin attempts to regain its stride after heavy Connect+ criticismTechRadarFurious Garmin users revolt over new subscription service – "We need to take a firm stand"Garmin's new subscription is causing chaos: here are the six features behind the new paywall

One of A Minecraft Movie's funniest scenes was left out of the final filmIts director has explained why the sequence didn't get usedJared Hess has also revealed what his favorite Easter eggs are in Minecraft's movie adaptation

A Minecraft Movie director Jared Hess has opened up on the "really hilarious" scene he was disappointed to leave out of the film's final cut.Ahead of the movie's April 4 release, I sat down with Hess to discuss his latest feature film. And, while A Minecraft Movie clocks isn't exactly on the long side for a family-friendly movie – it runs for one hour and 40 minutes, FYI – Hess admitted it would've been a few minutes longer if he'd successfully *ahem* mined it for more material.There's one particular scene that Hess was most upset to leave out, too. Indeed, when I asked if there was anything that was considered off-limits by Minecraft creator Mojang Studios for the film adaptation, Hess said yes. His answer was an unexpected one, though, because it had nothing to do with Mojang telling him what he couldn't use in the Warner Bros-distributed flick.Spoilers immediately follow for A Minecraft Movie.

The film's crew made sure that everything that appears on the screen could actually be made in Minecraft (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Mojang Studios)

"Yeah, there were a ton of fun sequences we wanted to do," Hess said. "[Popular Minecraft YouTuber] Mumbo Jumbo, who's a Redstone genius, was working on a great scene that we just couldn't do."We had a sequence that involved a giant Piglin robot, which was a Trojan horse-type thing that worked via Redstone," Hess continued. "I storyboarded it, we had full animatics of it, and it was a really hilarious scene. But, we just weren't able to do it."Everything we designed for the film, we wanted to make sure that you could actually go and make in the game," he added. "So, even Steve's Lava Chicken Shack and all of those things, we'd be like 'Gosh, are we sure we can do this? Does it work? Okay, let's go to the game and build it right now. Right, it checks out. It's bulletproof.'"It would've been super fun to have that Mumbo Jumbo-designed sequence, but ultimately it didn't work out. He also designed a bunch of crazy booby traps for us as well, but we couldn't make those work in the confines of our movie, too."

'There are some really special Easter eggs in our movie'

There's a seemingly infinite number of Minecraft secrets and references hidden within A Minecraft Movie (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Mojang Studios)

Disappointed though Hess is about that sequence's absence, there are plenty of Minecraft Easter eggs and wider video game references that he was able to include in one of 2025's new movies.From real in-game physics and genuine item and food crafting recipes, to a whole host of blink and you'll miss them objects, Hess and company made sure to populate the flick with as many gaming Easter eggs as possible. There are so many secrets, in fact, that Minecraft devotees and fanatical gamers will need to watch A Minecraft Movie numerous times to spot them all.There are a couple of surprise additions above all others, though, that Hess was more proud than most to include.

Did you spot every Easter egg in your screening of A Minecraft Movie? (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures)

"There are some really special ones," he told me. "We've got some really amazing Minecrafters that have mini cameos like Mumbo Jumbo, DanTDM, and Aphmau."There are a bunch of others that I'm missing, but there are some funny Easter eggs that I think die-ahrd Minecrafters and members of the community will notice. There's a really special Easter egg that Sebastian Hansen, who plays Henry, came up with. There's a nod to a really amazing Minecrafter in the film that you'll just have to check out, but I won't say who it is!"I guess you'll all have to run out to watch the film to try and work out what that secret is, then! Before you do, be sure to read my review of A Minecraft Movie to see if it's worth watching. Then, read my A Minecraft Movie end credits piece to see if there are any and what they tell us about a potential sequel.

You might also like

'We had to have the same approach': A Minecraft Movie's simple title was chosen for one very big reason, director says'They were taken out of context': A Minecraft Movie director responds to fan backlash over the film adaptation's visuals'We were old school': A Minecraft Movie's Jared Hess denies using AI to enhance his film adaptation of Mojang's very popular sandbox game

One UI 8 (based on Android 16) could launch earlyIt may make its debut on Samsung's next foldablesOne UI 7 is rolling out more widely this week

The One UI 7 (Android 15) update made its proper debut on the Samsung Galaxy S25 phones in January, and is set to roll out to other devices from next week – but it seems One UI 8 (Android 16) will soon be ready to go as well, as it's being tipped to show up on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.Those two foldables are expected to arrive around July time, and sources speaking to SamMobile say they're going to come with One UI 8 on board rather than One UI 7. It's a surprisingly speedy turnaround for Samsung's next software upgrade.It does fit in with the expected release schedule of Android 16, however: we know Google is keen to get this year's big software update pushed out to phones sometime in June, and we've already had several months of beta testing for the next version of the mobile operating system.For comparison, Android 15 began appearing on Pixel phones in October 2024, but now that Google has shifted to launching its flagship handsets in August – most recently the Pixel 9 series – needs to get Android ready earlier too, ideally.

What we've heard so far

Android 16 is also coming later this year (Image credit: Google / Future)

We haven't heard much about One UI 8 to date, but presumably Samsung will follow the lead set by Android 16. The next big update for Google's mobile OS is said to be improving support for desktop mode and upgrading the health features available on your handset, as well as adding features to put off phone thieves.We've heard quite a bit about Samsung's upcoming foldables too. The Galaxy Z Fold 7, for instance, is apparently going to be thinner than its predecessor, and should get the usual under the hood speed improvements – and maybe even better cameras.As for the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the rumors suggest it'll come with a full-sized cover screen for the first time, though otherwise the design may stay the same (as could the RAM and storage options). Both the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 are apparently getting better battery life, due to more efficient displays.There's also been talk of a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip SE and perhaps a tri-fold Samsung foldable too, which could all launch at the same time as the other handsets – and at the same time as the One UI 8 upgrade.

You might also like

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is my favorite phone everThese are the best foldables you can buyI switched to a foldable – and I'm not going back

Fruity coffees are having a bit of a moment – not just beans with a hint of cherry or blackcurrant brought out by careful roasting, but coffee with actual fruit added in some way. One particularly interesting example I tried recently was a double-fermented coffee, where the coffee cherries (the fruit that contains the coffee bean) have been allowed to mature along with passionfruit before being processed.The flavor of the passionfruit is infused into the beans, and the result is delicious – particularly when brewed cold overnight and served over ice. Some people call it cheating, but I call it tasty.Nespresso has also got in on the act with a new Vertuo pod packed full of ground arabica beans, with added flavors of strawberry and white chocolate. I'd typically think of coffee as fruity (lending itself well to being drunk black) or chocolatey (which tends to work well with milk), so I was very curious to see how this unusual mix would work.

The coffee has white chocolate and strawberry flavors added after roasting (Image credit: Future)

The launch follows Nespresso's debut of energy-boosting 'functional' coffees, with extras like added caffeine (derived from coffee beans that have been decaffeinated) and B-vitamins. Those turned out to be quite delicious, and I'm a particular fan of the caramel-scented Ginseng Delight, so I was hoping for another pleasant surprise.I've also been turned onto sweetened coffee by the Jura J10 espresso machine, which has an attachment that infuses syrup into milk as it's dispensed, and has earned itself a place in our guide to the best coffee makers.

Strawberries and cream... and coffee

With that in mind, I dropped one of the candy-striped strawberry and white chocolate pods into my trusty Nespresso Vertuo Pop (which ranks highly in our roundup of the best Nespresso machines thanks to its compact design and budget-friendly price) and hit the button to start brewing.

The white chocolate and strawberry capsules are Nespresso's 230ml 'mug' size (Image credit: Future)

The resulting coffee – a blend of arabica beans from Brazil and Colombia with extra flavors added after roasting – was a surprise, but a pleasant one. The added aromas don't overpower the taste of the coffee, but complement it.I found that the strawberry was the more noticeable of the two, and it adds a freshness to the drink's flavor before the creamier base notes of sweet vanilla become apparent.These capsules are Nespresso's 'mug' size, which means they create 230ml of coffee – enough to completely fill my glass cups – so I had to take a few sips before I could experiment with stirring in a little milk. I was a bit worried that the fruit might clash with dairy, but if anything it was even better.

The flavor works well alone, or with milk (unlike a typical fruity coffee) (Image credit: Future)

Next time I'll use a larger mug and add some steamed milk to make a giant strawberry latte. I think, like my dual-fermented passionfruit coffee, it will also work well chilled over ice. I've got some experimenting to do.

You might also like

My favorite Nespresso coffee maker just got a fresh new makeover, and now I love it even moreI wasn't a fan of syrup in coffee until I tried the Jura J10 espresso machine – here's whyDe'Longhi's new bean-to-cup coffee machine could make you a milk-frothing maestro

KTC's H27P3 monitor offers 5K resolution and dual refresh rate modesPro-level color support makes it a good choice for creative users and gamersIts spindly stand supports tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments

KTC, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, has been making monitors and TVs since 1995, often as an OEM supplier, with its devices rebranded by better-known international firms - however in recent years, the company has been promoting its own brand more actively, and its latest offering, the H27P3, is a 27-inch 5K display aimed at both creative professionals and gamers.The H27P3 features a 5120x2880 display with support for both 5K at 60Hz and 2K at 120Hz, giving users the choice between image clarity or higher refresh rates.The monitor features an IPS panel and claims full coverage of the sRGB color space, along with 99% DCI-P3 and 99% Adobe RGB. A peak brightness of 500 nits and HDR400 certification suggests decent handling of HDR content. The static contrast ratio is listed at 2000:1. For those concerned about accuracy, KTC says it supports 1.07 billion colors (8-bit + FRC) with a Delta E below 1. Response time is 7ms.

Competitively priced

Physically, the screen - which KTC says consumes less than 168W at peak draw - measures 613mm wide, 453mm high (including stand), and is a svelte 77mm thick.The monitor weighs 3.75kg and its ergonomic stand supports tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments.I’m personally not a huge fan of the stand if I'm honest - it looks a bit spindly for my tastes, takes up more desk space than it needs to, and doesn’t offer much in terms of style or (I'd imagine) stability - but you may disagree.Ports include a 65W USB-C for display and charging, DisplayPort, HDMI, and two USB-A ports. Included in the box are a power cable, a USB-C cable, DisplayPort cable, a power adapter, and a screwdriver.Priced at around 3,599 yuan in Asia (roughly $565), the H27P3 undercuts several high-resolution alternatives while still promising pro-level color accuracy and refresh flexibility. For daily creative work and a spot of gaming on the side, it looks to be a reasonable choice.

(Image credit: IT Home)

Via IT Home

You might also like

These are the best 5K and 8K monitors that you can buy right nowAnd these are the best monitors for photo editing on any budgetThis Lenovo monitor has more ports than an Apple MacBook Pro laptop

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #1168).

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 #1169) - 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 #1169) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1169) - 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 #1169) - 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 #1169) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

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

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

Quordle today (game #1169) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1169, are…

BROTHSHOUTBRUTECABIN

I tweaked my start words a little today in the belief that the perfect calibration of letters is out there somewhere.It made no difference whatsoever. I was still caught out by a 50/50 choice, but as often happens one wrong word leads to a correct one.Meanwhile, I continue to fall to pieces doing the Daily Sequence. I'm convinced it's getting harder.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1169) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1169, are…

TEMPODOUGHTEARYTABBY

Quordle answers: The past 20

Quordle #1168, Sunday 6 April: AMBER, GAUZE, STORE, SLICKQuordle #1167, Saturday 5 April: GUSTY, VAULT, WHINE, BEGATQuordle #1166, Friday 4 April: OAKEN, LOOPY, CURIO, BUTTEQuordle #1165, Thursday 3 April: ASCOT, JETTY, DRUNK, JOLLYQuordle #1164, Wednesday 2 April: INDEX, QUEEN, INCUR, STOLEQuordle #1163, Tuesday 1 April: HUMUS, BALMY, WORRY, ERECTQuordle #1162, Monday 31 March: RECUT, MOODY, WHERE, BRACEQuordle #1161, Sunday 30 March: CRIME, DRINK, CLOVE, TRUERQuordle #1160, Saturday 29 March: LATER, ODDLY, CUMIN, AGREEQuordle #1159, Friday 28 March: TERSE, MUSHY, PROVE, FRONDQuordle #1158, Thursday 27 March: CRONE, APNEA, LIGHT, AWOKEQuordle #1157, Wednesday 26 March: LEFTY, NOOSE, NOISE, TRIADQuordle #1156, Tuesday 25 March: SNEER, WATCH, FLORA, STAINQuordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALLQuordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADIIQuordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLYQuordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISSQuordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCHQuordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNICQuordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK

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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #665).

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 #666) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

POUNDLOCKERLEVELCRATERNAILHILLSСАРЕHANGERPULSEHAMMERBEATGORGEBALLRIDGEPRINTTHUMP

NYT Connections today (game #666) - hint #1 - group hints

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

YELLOW: PalpitateGREEN: GeographyBLUE: Putting art on the wallPURPLE: Begin with a body part

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 #666) - hint #2 - group answers

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

YELLOW: THROB GREEN: LANDFORMS BLUE: PICTURE HANGING NEEDS PURPLE: FOOT__

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

NYT Connections today (game #666) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #666, are…

YELLOW: THROB BEAT, POUND, PULSE, THUMPGREEN: LANDFORMS CAPE, CRATER, GORGE, RIDGEBLUE: PICTURE HANGING NEEDS HAMMER, HANGER, LEVEL, NAILPURPLE: FOOT__ BALL, HILLS, LOCKER, PRINT

My rating: HardMy score: 2 mistakes

A very frustrating round of Connections for me. I got LANDFORMS easily enough, managing to avoid including HILLS, but then fell for all the traps.I put together HAMMER, POUND, BEAT, and THUMP thinking we were looking for words that describe being hit. With “one away” I switched to PULSE. Annoyingly HAMMER still would have worked, as it could also describe a heart throbbing quickly.With just two groups left I thought I was on safe ground, but even though I realized that we were looking for words that describe hanging a picture, I had PRINT instead of LEVEL.I should have known when I saw that this was puzzle number 666 that I was in for hellish time. I hope it was better for you.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, 6 April, game #665)

YELLOW: ALOOF COOL, DISTANT, REMOTE, RESERVEDGREEN: UTILITIES CABLE, GAS, TRASH, WATERBLUE: WHAT AN ELECTROMETER MEASURES CHARGE, CURRENT, RESISTANCE, VOLTAGEPURPLE: __ JOINT DOVETAIL, HIP, PIZZA, SPIKE LEE

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 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 Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, April 6 (game #399).

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 #400) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Half-and-half

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #2 - clue words

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

CRATETRIMMICEHERDCRACKPEAK

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #3 - spangram letters

How many letters are in today's spangram?• Spangram has 14 letters

NYT Strands today (game #400) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?First side: top, 1st columnLast side: bottom, 6th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #400) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #400, are…

SATYRMERMANGRIFFINCENTAURJACKALOPESPANGRAM: HYBRID CREATURE

My rating: HardMy score: 2 hints

I found it tricky to get going today and wasn’t helped much when my first Hint gave me SATYR – a mythical beast I had never heard of before.It wasn’t until the second word that I knew what we were looking for and completed the search after landing the lengthy Spangram.To save you Googling – and you really may not want to if you value a clean search history – a Satyr is a “comically hideous” man who has the ears of a horse or goat (depending on whether you’re Greek or Roman) and a prominent magical body part he enjoys balancing a wine cup on.A JACKALOPE, meanwhile, is a horned rabbit-like creature, a MERMAN is the male equivalent of a mermaid, a CENTAUR has the torso and head of a man and the body of a horse; and a GRIFFIN is a mythical combination of a lion and an eagle – but it tastes like chicken.How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 6 April, game #399)

CLICKRELATEMESHCONNECTVIBEHARMONIZEAGREESPANGRAM: GET ALONG

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.

Here's another leaked look at the iPhone 17 AirIt could be significantly thinner than the iPhone 17 Pro MaxFour iPhones are expected in September

If you're counting down the days, you'll know we're about 150 days or so away from the launch of the iPhone 17 series, and a freshly leaked image of two dummy units gives us an idea of the difference in thickness between two of these phones.Dummy units are non-working mock-ups of handsets based on schematics sourced from the supply chain, and well-known tipster @MajinBuOfficial has posted a picture of two of them: the iPhone 17 Air next to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.If you've been following the rumors to date, you'll know the iPhone 17 Air is set to replace the iPhone 16 Plus in Apple's flagship line-up. It's said to measure a mere 5.84 mm front to back, if the leaks we've seen are accurate.And you can really see that thinness on show here. If the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the same thickness as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, then it'll measure 8.3 mm front to back, which makes the Pro Max some 42% thicker than the Air.

Here's what's coming

iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max in comparison pic.twitter.com/KrGlUXDuUYApril 5, 2025

These dummy units don't really tell us too much more about what's coming, but it's an interesting visual comparison. Indeed, we've already seen quite a few dummy unit leaks showing off the designs of the 2025 iPhone series.Alongside the two phones featured in this image, it's also very likely that we'll get a standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro. The Pro and the Pro Max are apparently in line for a RAM bump as well as other upgrades.In a reply to the original dummy unit image post, industry analyst Ross Young reiterated his prediction that the iPhone 17 Air is going to come with a 6.55-inch screen, along with the standard iPhone features such as MagSafe.If Apple sticks to its usual schedule, all these phones should be showing up sometime in September. Before that, we've got the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, where we're likely to hear more about iOS 19.

You might also like

An Apple expert has predicted a load of iPhone 17 upgrades5 things I want from the iPhone 17The world's thinnest phone was just revealed

DeepSeek is just one of the many reasons China's AI growth simply didn't materialize Up to 80% of new data center capacity hasn't been used according to local sources Should this capacity hit the wider market, it could cause a major headache to data center developers

China’s AI infrastructure boom is faltering, as according to a report in MIT Technology Review, the country built hundreds of data centers to support its AI ambitions, but many are now sitting unused.Billions were invested by both state and private entities in 2023 and 2024, with the expectation that demand for GPU rentals would keep growing, but uptake has in fact dropped off, and as a result many operators are now struggling to survive.Much of the early momentum was driven by hype. The government, keen for China to become a global leader in AI, encouraged local officials to fast-track data center construction with the result that more than 500 projects were announced nationwide, and at least 150 were completed by the end of 2024, according to state-affiliated sources. However, MIT Technology Review says local publications are reporting that up to 80% of this new computing capacity remains idle.

Selling off GPUs

Location is also a problem, MIT Technology Review notes. Facilities built in central and western China, where electricity is cheap, now face issues meeting latency requirements. In cities like Zhengzhou, operators are reportedly even giving away free compute vouchers in an attempt to lure users.In some regions, developers began selling off GPUs after failing to secure long-term clients.Xiao Li, a data center project manager who spoke with MIT Technology Review, said many WeChat groups that once boasted about Nvidia chip deals have gone quiet. “It seems like everyone is selling, but few are buying,” he noted.Should this capacity hit the wider market, it could cause a major headache to data center developers, flooding an already soft sector with even more supply and pushing prices down further.One reason for the drop in demand is the rise of DeepSeek, which upended the global tech economy when it launched in January 2025.Its open source reasoning model, R1, matches the performance of ChatGPT o1 but at a lower cost, shifting interest away from model training and toward inference - the real-time use of AI models, which requires different infrastructure.Many of the data centers built during the rush were designed for large-scale training, not the low-latency demands of real-time reasoning.Despite the oversupply, the Chinese government reportedly remains committed. Central authorities held an AI symposium in early 2025, and firms like Alibaba and TikTok owner ByteDance have announced major investments.For many early data center investors however, expectations have collapsed. The infrastructure was built, but the demand it was meant to supply simply hasn’t arrived.

You might also like

AI phenomenon DeepSeek is officially growing faster than ChatGPTA look at the unbelievable Nvidia GPU that powers DeepSeek's AI global ambitionHuawei wants Chinese hyperscalers to use its new Ascend AI chip

Lexar this week announced what it says is the world’s first 1TB microSD Express card in time for the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo has said that the Switch 2 will only support microSD Express cards, not the regular microSD you may already have been using in your old Switch. There are three storage capacity options to choose from with Lexar’s new Play Pro microSDXC Express Card: 1TB ($199.99), 512GB ($99.99) and 256GB ($49.99). Buyers have already snatched them up fast, though, so you’ll have to wait until they’re back in stock if you want to grab one.

According to Lexar, the Play Pro microSDXC Express Card offers read speeds of up to 900MB/s and write speeds up to 600MB/s. GameStop also introduced a 1TB microSD Express card alongside a 512GB and a 256GB option, all of which are compatible with Nintendo Switch 2, but those won’t ship until June when the new console arrives. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/lexar-made-a-1tb-microsd-express-card-that-works-with-nintendo-switch-2-175335976.html?src=rss

By the title alone, I know some of you are questioning my technical knowledge and gaming prowess. But hear me out: wireless peripherals aren't what they used to be. They're much better.Wireless keyboards, mice, and other accessories like gaming headsets have come a very long way in the last few years. Despite a massive market share in favor of wired hardware, wireless is slowly but surely creeping up to become king of the PC accessory hill.I used to swear by the benefits of a wired mouse and keyboard - what about the battery life? And that awful latency? But the more I used them, the more I see wireless peripherals for their upsides.Here's why I trust them to get the job done, and why you should too.

Battery life really isn't that big of a deal

Most peripherals will warn you before they run out of juice nowadays. (Image credit: Future)

Whenever this debate comes up, there are a few main drawbacks of wireless peripherals people tend to point to. Chief among them is usually battery life - and it makes sense, because wired peripherals have literally infinite battery life.But what if I told you wireless peripherals today have essentially the same thing?First off, the vast majority of wireless mice and keyboards sync up with customization software like Razer Synapse and Logitech G HUB. These apps have built-in reminder notifications that alert you when it's time to charge up.And on top of that, many peripherals that have RGB will also give you a visual indication, like red flashing lights, when you're running low on juice. Going one step further, most of the best wireless gaming mice have auto-off functions, which power the mouse down after a certain period of inactivity.

The Logitech PowerPlay mouse pad charges your wireless mouse while you play.

Here's the real kicker though: almost all wireless mice today can also be used in a 'wired' configuration, because you can simply continue using them while you work or play.That "battery anxiety" I felt right around the time I switched pretty much disappeared completely once I came to this realization.If my mouse battery is running low, I take a few seconds to plug it in and keep it pushing. Once the battery is full, I unplug and enjoy the freedom of a wireless setup.No cable drag making my setup feel "off," no worrying about the wire being the right length or turning into cable cobwebs, just my wireless companion and the task at hand.Plus, nowadays you can even get a fancy mouse pad that charges your wireless mouse as you use it (like the Logitech PowerPlay), which is honestly just as much of a flex as it is a brilliant idea.

Is wireless latency still a problem in 2025?

You're more likely to feel other types of latency, like render latency, before you'll ever feel input lag from switching to wireless accessories. (Image credit: ASUS)

I would argue that for the vast majority of gamers, and for nearly every productivity user, the latency of modern-day wireless peripherals isn't noticeable.You won't jump from the bottom of the leaderboard to the top because you went from a 1ms response time on a wired keyboard to 2ms response time on a wireless board.To put it in perspective, it takes a single frame just under 7ms to render on a 144Hz monitor.I thought the latency would be a total nonstarter for wireless peripherals, but as I kept testing them, I honestly can't say I felt any hint of difference between mice like the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 Lightspeed and wired competitors like the Razer Viper Ultralight (which, while a few years older, was my daily go-to wired option) while playing competitive online titles like Counter-Strike 2.

Connectivity may be more of an issue

Spotty Bluetooth connectivity remains an issue with some peripherals. (Image credit: Pixabay)

OK, if you're looking for a "gotcha," this is where you could get one over on me. Some wireless peripherals are just plain bad in the connectivity department.Getting a spotty mouse or keyboard can certainly leave a bad first impression. It's no fun dealing with random connection drops while you're trying your best to win.I find this usually crops up when dealing with Bluetooth or shoddy software (and is sometimes fixed with a simple firmware update, but we shouldn't have to wait around on that after spending our hard-earned money.)This is almost never a problem with wired mice, and it is something to consider. But if you go with one of our wireless picks for the best gaming keyboards, which we've gone hands-on with and can attest to each of their connectivity reliability, you won't have that problem. Check out our other roundups too, like the best wireless gaming headsets for more ideas.And where possible, I would use a 2.4GHz receiver over Bluetooth for the best connection. That said, a solid suite of Bluetooth accessories can free up a ton of USB ports, which are stretched thin nowadays on even the best gaming laptops.

The benefits of going wireless

Whether you're after a spiffy setup or better consistency hitting your shots, going cordless can help. (Image credit: Future)

As I've touched on throughout this article, there's a number of upsides to going wireless. Here are the main benefits I've seen:

A cleaner desk setup (no cable clutter)Better freedom of movementNo cable dragEasy portabilityBluetooth Multipoint functionalityAccess to the latest sensors and switchesMore free USB ports

And there are even a few more niche benefits like long-range capabilities if you like to connect a mouse or keyboard to your console for easy browsing.The biggest upsides I've seen are definitely the cleaner desk aesthetics and eliminating cable drag (which also goes hand in hand with better freedom of movement). I don't have to tug on my mouse cord to get it to the right length or take my headphones off when I get up to grab a drink.It's also pretty convenient to just toss your wireless gear straight into a backpack without having to worry about spooling up wires and fretting about the USB connection getting damaged in transit.Plus, as more companies focus on making wireless gear, the latest sensors, switches, and software are centered around this form factor, meaning some wireless gear is actually more efficient than wired counterparts in the latency and durability departments.Now, I'm not saying you have to throw your entire setup in the dumpster just because it has a few wires hanging off of it. But if you've been avoiding the switch because "wireless is worse," I think it's time to reevaluate.The benefits outweigh the few downsides for me, and since making the switch to a cordless cleaner setup, I haven't looked back.

You might also like

Does DPI matter? Not as much as mice manufacturers want us to thinkAre mechanical keyboards overrated or worth the switch? My keys to finding the perfect fitYour next computer mouse could have a fragrance compartment for aromatherapy oils – and this Asus idea is nothing to sniff at