Tangle Tech

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles. S POILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. Quordle today (game #980) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today? • The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3 *. * Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). Quordle today (game #980) - 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...

US trade restrictions have created significant obstacles for Chinese companies, limiting their access to advanced AI hardware needed to remain competitive globally. Nvidia’s H20 GPUs, scaled-down versions of the powerful H100, were developed to meet export control requirements but still come with a hefty price tag of around $10,000 per unit. Even at that price, the availability of these GPUs is limited, compounding the difficulties Chinese companies face. This shortage has fueled a thriving black market for Nvidia’s high-end chips, such as the H100 and A100, where prices continue to rise due to overwhelming demand. However, global companies, particularly ByteDance - the parent company of TikTok, already under intense scrutiny in the US - cannot afford the legal and reputational risks associated with engaging in such illicit markets. Two AI chips ByteDance has made significant investments in AI, reportedly spending over $2 billion on Nvidia's H20 GPUs in 2024, and now accordin...

Take a close look at the press releases for the brand new Samsung Galaxy S24 FE , Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus , or Samsung Galaxy S10 Ultra , and you'll notice a footnote pointing to a future where some Galaxy AI features require a payment. As spotted by SamMobile , the exact text reads: "Fees may apply to certain AI features at the end of 2025." That's not particularly specific or definitive, but it does suggest that the Galaxy AI experience isn't going to be completely free beyond the end of next year. This isn't new: the same disclaimer was included in the information we got alongside the Samsung Galaxy S24 series at the start of this year. This isn't a surprise then, but it shows Samsung hasn't changed its plans for charging for AI. We don't yet know which features might come with a price tag attached, or what that price tag might be – Samsung hasn't said anything about that yet, but has gone on the record to say more Galaxy AI feature...

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints. Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. NYT Strands today (game #210) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands? • Today's NYT Strands theme is… Weed 'em and reap NYT Strands today (game #210) - hint #2 - clue words Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system. STAVE STARE PLATE SHIRE RASH QUASH NYT Strands today (game #210) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram? • October feast NYT Strands today (game #210) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the boa...

Scientists from across several Chinese institutions have unveiled a new ultra-compact nuclear battery that has the potential to replace the existing power sources used in everyday tech. Powered by Americium, this new battery reportedly achieves an energy conversion efficiency up to 8,000 times greater than previous models, suggesting it could one day serve as a substitute for conventional lithium batteries. These micronuclear power sources generate electricity by utilizing the radioactive decay of radioisotopes, producing power on a small scale typically measured in nanowatts or microwatts. Unlike chemical batteries, their lifespan depends on the half-life of the radioisotope used. Americium, specifically isotopes 241Am and 243Am, offers operational lifetimes extending over several decades, suggesting it could provide a long-term power solution. Deep space exploration Traditional micronuclear batteries have faced challenges with low energy efficiency due to severe self-adsorption ...

Popular gaming hardware manufacturer Razer has announced a batch of new products at its annual RazerCon event. The headlining products are the Razer Kraken V4 Pro and the Razer Freyja. The former is a seriously premium addition to the brand's gaming headset lineup, while the latter is described as "the world's first HD haptic gaming cushion."  That right, it's a vibrating seat cushion for your gaming chair. The Kraken V4 Pro joins the headset's fourth-generation lineup alongside the standard Kraken V4 and the wired Kraken V4 X which Razer revealed last month. The Pro model looks like quite the step up in terms of features (and price, but we'll get to that). Razer's bespoke Sensa HD haptics are included here, causing the headset to react to in-game activities with directional haptic feedback. A handful of games will directly support the technology, including Final Fantasy 16, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and Silent Hill 2. I got to test the ha...

Automotive giants Hyundai Motor Group and Kia have announced a new strategic technology partnership with Samsung Electronics to help them transition towards the future of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs). Speaking to TechRadar at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division, explained how the Hyundai and Kia were rapidly heading towards the era of SDVs, where constantly connected cars could do more than transport occupants from A to B, offering on-demand services, the ability to interact with partner apps and control elements of the smart home. The recent partnership with Samsung cements this notion and will further integrate Samsung's SmartThings IoT platform with a future infotainment system that Chang Song’s department is busy developing. This also means that Samsung's popular Galaxy smartphones will enjoy greater integration with future cars, allowing users ...

A tech-focused brand for kids has launched a new camera designed for children aged 5-12, the myFirst Camera 50. The Singapore-based myFirst touts its latest camera as a 'game-changing device, featuring AI-assisted photo and video editing' that intelligently curates and enhances your creations, adding personal touches such as stickers, drawings, and voice notes. myFirst Camera 50 can recognize facial expressions, scenery, and color, and then utilize those elements to curate stories with minimal effort. It's equipped with a 20MP rear camera and 16MP selfie camera, with wide angle and macro lenses, meaning you can capture both broad scenes and intricate details. Beyond its basic 20MP photo and 1080p video capture and intelligent editing capabilities, myFirst Camera 50 can connect to the myFirst Circle app, which is designed to provide a secure environment for kids to share their creations with their trusted friends and family. Parents have complete control over visibility, ...

With macOS Sequoia , Apple introduced a feature whereby users are asked to regularly approve access for apps to be allowed to record their screen - which has not gone down too well with some folks, although there’s now a solution (albeit a third-party one). From Apple’s perspective, this move was made to improve security in apps like Zoom where you might share your screen (or indeed screenshot utilities). The recurring permission requests for such apps first started appearing early in beta testing macOS 15 , and they were introduced on a weekly basis initially, but later (following many complaints) Apple revised that to monthly prompts .  And to be fair, I could still see these pop-ups being bothersome, even on a monthly basis, and you might prefer not to see them at all (or just the once, rather, when you first use the app). Luckily, there’s now a workaround that MacRumors spotted in the form of an app called Amnesia . Once installed, Amnesia can be used to stop the monthly...

Excessive heat can severely affect the performance and lifespan of smartphones and tablets, causing them to throttle processing power or even shut down to prevent damage. Users often experience how hot their devices can get during demanding tasks, such as playing graphically intense games, and it's a problem that's only going to get worse as AI makes its way into our devices. To address this issue, xMEMS Labs has introduced the XMC-2400 µCooling chip - the first all-silicon, active micro-cooling fan designed for portable devices like smartphones, tablets, external SSDs, wireless chargers, and laptops. Mike Housholder, xMEMS' VP of Marketing and Business Development, explained to EE Times that current solutions, such as heat spreaders and vapor chambers, "just spread the heat throughout the real estate of the device, but there is no physical means to expel the heat." Changing how people perceive thermal management The XMC-2400 functions as an actual fan, and...

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers. Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today , NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles. S POILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. Quordle today (game #977) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today? • The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4 *. * Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). Quordle today (game #977) - 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...

Hackers are using TikTok in new phishing attacks as they attempt to steal people’s Microsoft Office 365 credentials, a new report from Cofense has warned. The company's researchers detected someone sending out phishing emails threatening victims that all of their emails will be deleted unless they press a button. What’s new about this campaign is that the button actually leads to TikTok. To make the attack work, the attackers employ TikTok URLs. A TikTok URL usually appears in the bios of a profile that has links to external websites, the researchers explained - so therefore, the TikTok URL can redirect the visitor to whatever site the profile holder chooses. Spotting the scam If the phishing email recipient does not spot the trick and clicks the button in the message, they will be sent through a number of redirects, ultimately landing on a web page that looks like a Microsoft 365 login site, with the company logo and all. The malicious site even autofills the user’s email ad...

Samsung says it has begun the mass production of its 1Tb quad-level cell (QLC) 9th-generation V-NAND, an industry first. The development follows the company's production of triple-level cell (TLC) 9th-generation V-NAND earlier in 2024, and reflects a broader industry shift from TLC to QLC technology to meet the growing demand for higher-capacity and more efficient storage solutions. The new QLC V-NAND incorporates innovative technologies such as Channel Hole Etching, which enables a higher layer count through a double stack structure, resulting in approximately 86% higher bit density compared to the previous generation of QLC V-NAND. Samsung says the increase in density allows for greater storage capacity in the same physical space, addressing the needs of applications that require large amounts of data storage. Designed Mold, Predictive Program, and Low-Power Design technologies boost reliability by 20%, double write performance, improve input/output speed by 60%, and reduce po...

New research involving 26,000 participants has revealed the vital importance of movement for office workers, confirming that continuous desk work can have a drastic impact on your mental health.  A new study commissioned by ASICS, dubbed ' State of Mind ,' has revealed "a strong connection between sedentary behavior and mental well-being with State of Mind scores declining the longer individuals remain inactive."  We all know that sitting behind a desk can get pretty tiring and draining after a while, but just how bad is the problem? Turns out it's pretty bad. The research concluded that "after just two hours of continuous desk work State of Mind scores begin to drop and stress levels rise."  And after four hours of uninterrupted desk work, workers' stress levels increased by nearly 20%. Help is at hand, though, thanks to a new Desk Break experiment.  15 minutes of movement is all it takes Dr. Brendon Stubbs from King's College London ha...

Comedy, action and horror – these are just a few of the genres that are coming to Max in October 2024, proving once again why it belongs among the best streaming services . After a slightly less packed scheduled in August 2024 , which did improve in September 2024 but only slightly, I can say with confidence that next month, we are so back.  It's a relief that Max has pulled itself together for October 2024 since spooky season is the best time of year to indulge in a good show or movie, especially the best horror movies , which the platform is filling out with classics from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) to Misery (1990).  With over 60 movies arriving on October 1 alone, choosing a movie or show can go either way. It could be the easiest choice in the world, or trigger your indecisiveness – so it's a good thing we have a best Max movies recommendations guide to point you in the right direction.  Everything new on Max in October 2024 Arriving on October 1 21 J...

While we’re all awaiting an eventual unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 , the company seems to be working on yet another device. A new wireless device made by Nintendo has been spotted making its way through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States.  And no, it’s not the Nintendo Switch 2, seeing that the device is tagged simply as a “wireless device,” and the word console is not mentioned. It does carry a similar ID – CLO-001 –, though, ending in 001, which is similar to the Nintendo Switch (HAC-001), Switch OLED (HEG-001), and Switch Lite (HDH-001).  Thanks to a diagram showing where the model number and FCC label will appear, we know this gadget will take the form of a rounded square with a divot containing this information on the back. Inside, it lacks a battery and a boatload of connectivity as it only features a 24GHz mmWave sensor and a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi antenna. It also doesn’t feature a battery, meaning it needs to be plugged in via the USB-C...

Glass is smooth, shiny, and beautiful, the perfect surface to transfer your touch and intention to your iPhone 16 Pro Max's brilliant mind. However, it's also not indestructible and sometimes does glassy things like shatter into countless pieces when dropped. That's the finding of a recent AllState drop test with Apple's latest series of iPhones. The US-based insurance company has been dropping iPhones for 13 years and reports that the iPhone 16 Pro Max did not survive its 'Breakability' test this year. No iPhone has survived the Allstate Protection Plan's drop test in more than a dozen years. When the company put the iPhone 16 Pro Max in a special rig, a.k.a 'Dropbot,' and dropped it from a height of 6 feet onto a concrete sidewalk surface face down, the screen shattered, the display flickered, and then went dark (See the test for yourself in the video below). Since haptic responses could still be felt when touching the screen, there is a chance...

Microsoft has partnered with investment giant BlackRock to launch the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP), a fund exceeding $30 billion aimed at developing critical infrastructure for artificial intelligence advancements. The collaboration includes Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and MGX, and is focused on building data centers and energy projects necessary to power next-generation AI technologies. The investments will primarily target the United States, supporting the expansion of computing power and energy resources, with additional investments planned in partner countries. The partnership maintains an open architecture, granting non-exclusive access to a diverse range of companies and organizations. AI darling Nvidia will also play a role in the initiative, assisting in enhancing AI data centers. $100 billion target The goal of GAIIP is to unlock $30 billion in private equity capital initially, potentially reaching $100 billion when combined with debt f...

This week we saw the arrival of new Snap Spectacles , and based on what’s been announced they sound like beefy AR glasses that inch closer than ever to our expectations based on sci-fi depictions of the tech. But while they might be in the running for the best smart glasses , man, do they look goofy.  They look like those massive 3D glasses you wear at the cinema, and definitely not something I’d like to be seen wearing in public. That’s a sharp contrast to the Ray-Ban and Meta collaboration smart glasses, which have utterly triumphed in the fashion department. Those ooze cool – right down to their slick charging case – and all summer they were my shades of choice even when powered off, largely because of their aesthetics. Based on design alone, I know which glasses I’d rather wear day-to-day, and even though the Snap Spectacles are clearly more feature-packed, a large part of me would still rather slip on the Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses . Because in our wearable tech era, fash...