Technology

Hints and answers for Connections for May 25, #714.

• Dell Pro Max Plus laptop is the first to feature an enterprise-grade discrete NPU
• It features a Qualcomm AI 100 PC Inference Card with 32 AI-cores and 64GB memory
• This offers the opportunity to carry out high-intensity AI tasks, even on the move

Dell has unveiled an AI PC with a never-before-seen feature it hopes will spur on the next levels of productivity.

Revealed at Dell Technologies World 2025, the new Dell Pro Max Plus laptop is the first to feature an enterprise-grade discrete NPU, offering the opportunity to carry out high-intensity AI tasks even on the move.

The mobile workstation features a Qualcomm AI 100 PC Inference Card with 32 AI-cores and 64GB memory, which Dell says should be more than enough to handle the needs of AI engineers and data scientists deploying large models for edge inferencing.

Dell Pro Max Plus

(Image credit: Dell Technologies)

Speaking at the event, company CEO Michael Dell addressed the upcoming Windows 10 end of life, hinting that for many users, the ideal solution is to buy an AI PC such as the Dell Pro Max Plus.

“Personal productivity is being reinvented by AI,” Dell said, “the install base of a billion and half PCs is ageing, and it’s being replaced with AI innovation.”

“The Windows 10 end of life is coming, and we are ready - Dell is the leader in commercial AI PCs, and we’re further distancing ourselves from the competition.”

The CEO highlighted the new Dell Pro Max device during his keynote address, noting it would be ideal for developers and scientists, offering up to 20 petaflops of performance due to embedded Nvidia GB300 hardware, and up to 800GB of memory - enough to run and train models with a trillion parameters.

“Today’s PCs are becoming AI workstations - blazing fast, all-day battery life powered by NPU and GPU innovation," Dell declared.

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• SN8100 tops flash-based SSD charts with record speeds and great thermals with no fan required
• Sandisk’s SN8100 delivers stunning PCIe Gen5 performance with nearly 15 GB/s read speeds
• Intel’s four-year-old Optane P5800X still outpaces the SN8100 in real-world speed tests

SanDisk’s new WD Black SN8100 PCIe Gen5 SSD is fast, efficient, and engineered to meet the demands of gamers and power users alike.

The drive uses a PCIe Gen5 x4 interface and is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. Built around SanDisk's in-house 8-channel controller and BiCS 3D TLC NAND, it supports read speeds of up to 14.5 GB/s and write speeds up to 12.7 GB/s, placing it among the fastest Gen5 drives currently available.

However, despite the SN8100’s cutting-edge design and impressive benchmarks, Intel’s now-defunct, four-year-old Optane P5800X still holds the crown as the fastest SSD in real-world use.

Benchmarks suggest top speeds - but not across the board

In synthetic benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark and ATTO, the SN8100 breaks lab records for sequential throughput and random reads, reaching up to 2.3 million IOPS.

According to TweakTown, “this SSD is like none other; it’s at least 20% more powerful than any flash-based SSD we’ve ever encountered.”

It also demonstrates notable efficiency, consuming just 7 watts under load and requiring no active cooling, making it a serious contender for best SSD or the best portable SSD for enthusiast builds.

Still, synthetic benchmarks don’t always reflect real-world performance. In practical transfer tests, the SN8100 ranked ninth overall, indicating that while it's extremely fast, it's not without limitations, and it doesn't dethrone the Intel Optane P5800X.

Launched in 2021, the P5800X remains unmatched in real-world responsiveness and latency. While its sequential read speeds top out at 7.2 GB/s - slower than the SN8100 - its random read/write IOPS exceed 4.5 million, and latency frequently drops below 10 microseconds. That’s where it truly shines.

Flash-based SSDs like the SN8100 still rely on garbage collection and page-level management, leading to occasional latency spikes during small, random workloads. In contrast, the P5800X maintains consistent performance under heavy load, with no significant dips, a key reason why it’s still regarded as the fastest SSD ever made.

That said, the SN8100 is an impressive drive in its own right. It's a customized version of Silicon Motion’s SM2508 controller, enhanced with proprietary technologies like nCache 4.0 and WD Black Gaming Mode.

It also fits into the Sony PlayStation 5’s expansion slot, achieving read speeds of 6,550 MB/s in that setup, well above the console’s minimum requirement. However, with a price tag of $280 for the 2TB model, it clearly belongs in the premium tier.

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• HighPoint packs 976TB into portable RocketStor 6542AW RAID enclosure
• Eight Solidigm 122TB SSDs deliver high-speed storage for demanding workloads
• Ideal for AI, media, and enterprise backups in compact environments

HighPoint Technologies has unveiled a portable NVMe storage solution offering nearly a petabyte of capacity.

The new system features eight of Solidigm’s D5-P5336 122TB SSDs housed in the HighPoint RocketStor 6542AW NVMe RAID Enclosure. Together, these deliver 976TB of storage in a design compact enough for mobile or space-constrained environments.

The RocketStor 6542AW supports all eight SSDs through a single PCIe connection. HighPoint’s PCIe Switching technology enables high-speed data transfer rates, addressing the performance needs of data-heavy industries.

High-capacity NVMe storage, seamless scalability

“This collaboration between HighPoint and Solidigm is a game-changer in enterprise storage,” said May Hwang, VP at HighPoint Technologies.

“By qualifying the Solidigm D5-P5336 SSDs in our RocketStor 6542AW, we’ve created an unprecedented solution that combines high-capacity NVMe storage with seamless scalability."

The device itself is just under five inches tall and a little over nine inches long. Despite its small size, it offers full PCIe x16 connectivity, making it suitable for professionals on the move, small studios, or enterprise environments needing powerful storage in a limited space.

This setup supports applications such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and media production, where both speed and storage capacity are essential.

In AI and machine learning, model training often depends on fast access to large datasets.

With its Solidigm SSDs, the RocketStor 6542AW supports quicker training cycles. This helps researchers and developers manage workloads with improved efficiency.

For enterprise backup and HPC workloads, RAID support and high-speed connections offer secure, fast backups and low-latency data access.

HighPoint says the enclosure is well-suited for complex tasks such as engineering simulations and scientific research, where high throughput is necessary.

In media production, especially with 4K and 8K content, fast storage is key. The RocketStor 6542AW offers 28GB/s transfer bandwidth and ample room for large video files. This helps smooth editing and rendering workflows in film, animation, and design.

“As Hardware RAID adoption in the AI ecosystem is becoming more prevalent, this collaboration is significant using Solidigm industry-leading, high-capacity SSDs and HighPoint’s HW RAID enclosure,” said Mike Mamo, Senior Principal Engineer at Solidigm.

Solidigm’s D5-P5336 122TB SSDs have just gone on sale, priced at around $12,400. Eight of the mighty beasts will set you back a cool $99,200. The enclosure itself is $1,799 over at Amazon.

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What do you think of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island? Apple’s pill-shaped cutout seems to be rather contentious, but I’m here to throw my hat into the ring firmly on the side of Team Island. Because unlike my colleague Lance Ulanoff, I absolutely love the Dynamic Island.

As I wrote recently, I’ve not been entirely convinced by Apple’s Action button in the six months that I’ve had my iPhone 16 Pro. But the Dynamic Island is a feature that I really can’t help but admire for both its functionality and its aesthetics.

Yet start browsing social media and you’ll quickly get the feeling that it has received a lot of negative feedback since it arrived with the iPhone 14 Pro. Even the opinions that aren’t negative seem to be closer to an apathetic shrug.

Perhaps part of that is driven by reviewers and enthusiasts who get new iPhones every year. For them, the novelty has probably worn off. But for someone like me who stepped up from an iPhone 12 Pro to an iPhone 16 Pro, the Dynamic Island has been brilliant.

What’s the big deal?

(Image credit: Apple)

Ultimately, my appreciation for the Dynamic Island comes down to a few factors.

For one thing, it lets me tweak timers and fiddle with podcast playback without having to open the apps themselves. Before, I was constantly switching back and forth between apps when I only needed to make the slightest adjustment. That quickly grew old, but with the Dynamic Island, there are far fewer breaks in my workflow.

As well as that, it handles AirDrop requests without needing to open another window. It gives extra controls, like adjusting my iPhone’s flashlight strength and beam dimensions. There are even mini games from third-party developers, like Pixel Pals from the creator of Apollo (previously one of my favorite iOS apps before it was shut down).

Add to that the fact that the Dynamic Island is animated beautifully with smooth transitions and effects that just look sumptuous. That means that when I have to use it, I enjoy it.

All this is far better than the ugly notch on my old iPhone 12 Pro. That was purely functional and simply existed to hide the front-facing cameras and Face ID sensor array. The Dynamic Island still does that job, but it actually makes your iPhone’s cutout useful. Instead of taking away from your phone, it adds to it.

Apple didn’t just throw its hands up and admit it couldn’t hide these cameras and sensors – the company thought up a truly elegant solution, and I’m really glad that it did.

A beautiful halfway measure

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

That’s not to say that the Dynamic Island is a flawless masterpiece – it’s absolutely not, and there are plenty of criticisms to be made of it.

The big one is that it can obscure things on your screen, including both movies and games. That’s obviously far from ideal, and because Apple hasn’t yet managed to secrete the front-facing cameras and sensors under the display, there’s no way around it.

And what about if you have more than one item in the Dynamic Island? In that case, the items can get shrunk down – or simply not appear at all. Apple’s cutout can hold two apps at a time (one large and one small), and while you can swipe across to expand or minimize its contents, you can’t have any more than that. Anything else simply isn’t shown.

While I can understand these frustrations, they’re not enough to put me off the Dynamic Island. For one thing, I don’t watch movies on my phone very often, so the obstruction isn’t particularly noticeable day to day.

For another, I know that the Dynamic Island is necessary right now. Apple hasn’t been able to hide things like the Face ID sensor array under the display – while it supposedly will soon, the feature is evidently not ready for prime time yet.

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Some of the best Android phones have tiny cutouts, sure, but their facial recognition tech is either inferior to Apple’s or missing altogether. I’d rather have Face ID and a Dynamic Island than no facial recognition and a less secure device.

In the future, it looks like Apple is going to eliminate the Dynamic Island to provide a smoother, less obstructed display. I’m sure this will look amazing, going on what Android manufacturers have managed so far at least.

When that happens, it will be fascinating to see what happens to the Dynamic Island’s functionality. I’m sure Apple will think up something intriguing, just as it did with the Dynamic Island itself.

Perhaps Tim Cook and friends will give us a device that works as an all-screen phone most of the time, but that adds a Dynamic Island-like pill to store active app features such as timers.

But as long as the Dynamic Island remains on my iPhone, I’m super happy with it. It’s a halfway measure, sure, but a functional and beautiful one nonetheless.

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• Amazon has cancelled The Wheel of Time after three seasons
• Its production costs and declining viewership led to the decision
• The Prime Video show's cast had been "confident" about a season 4 renewal

The Wheel of Time has spun its last narrative thread following its cancellation by Amazon after three seasons.

Per Deadline, Amazon pulled the plug on the high fantasy series yesterday (May 23) after it determined it would cost too much money to produce more seasons, particularly in light of the show's declining viewership.

Prime Video's top brass reportedly deliberated hard over this decision because executives enjoyed what the program offered. However, a significant drop-off in its viewership during The Wheel of Time season 3's run and its production costs were cited as the primary reasons for scrapping the entire series.

The official confirmation comes over a month after one of the best Prime Video shows' third season drew to a close. Before it did, stars Josha Stradowski and Daniel Henney, who play Rand and Lan, exclusively told me that they were "confident" about a season 4 renewal. Unfortunately, the pair, alongside the rest of the show's cast and crew, won't be back for more outings.

We won't see Elayne, Egwene, and Nynaeve again following The Wheel of Time's cancellation (Image credit: Amazon MGM Studios)

The Wheel of Time's demise is even tougher to take in light of its most recent eight-part installment being considered its best entry yet.

In my review of The Wheel of Time season 3, I called it a "spellbinding return to form for Prime Video's high fantasy TV show underdog" and handed it a four out of five stars rating.

Many critics agreed with me, too. Over on popular review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, season 3 is far and away the show's highest-rated chapter – its 97% critical rating outscoring season 2 (86%) and season 1 (81%) by some distance.

I can’t believe they decided to cancel the show I really had big hopes for another season but I guess we won’t get another one. Truly one of the best shows out there, with such an amazing fandom but I guess that does not matter. #TheWheelOfTime #savetwot pic.twitter.com/vK72LSXYQsMay 23, 2025

Nevertheless, the writing has seemingly been on the wall for the Amazon TV Original for some time.

As the weeks ticked by following its latest season's finale, fans became increasingly concerned over the lack of updates about the show's future. Some grew so worried, in fact, that they banded together and formed a fan campaign calling on Amazon to finish The Wheel of Time's story.

When Prime Video's Upfront 2025 presentation in mid-May passed without a single mention, it was a case of when, not if, Amazon planned to bring the ax down on its second biggest high fantasy show. The biggest, of course, is The Rings of Power and, following its fantasy sibling's axing, Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series will single-handedly bear the weight of the fantasy genre on one of the world's best streaming services.

There'll be some fans who'll be glad to see the back of Amazon's live-action adaptation of Robert Jordan's book series namesake. Indeed, some have expressed frustration over what they considered to be unnecessary diversions from the source material – changes showrunner Rafe Judkins defended ahead of The Wheel of Time season 3's launch.

Still, this is a sad day for all associated with The Wheel of Time. I didn't expect my season 3 ending explainer to be one of the last major articles I'd write on it, but I suppose all good things must come to an end. I just wish the wheel had weaved for a bit longer...

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• There are widespread reports of the new Whoop MG band failing
• The device becomes unresponsive after several hours of use
• Whoop has issued replacements to at least some of those affected

It seems as though there's a serious problem with the new Whoop MG (Medical Grade) fitness bands that were launched just a couple of weeks ago, with many users reporting that their devices have crashed and stopped working.

As reported by Tech Issues Today, there are complaints all over forum boards and social media. The issue is the same: the device sensors stop working just hours after the Whoop MG is set up, with no warning signs.

The tracker stops displaying any LED lights, won't sync with the mobile app, and isn't responsive even when it's fully charged. All the user complaints say the Whoop MG stopped responding within the first day of use.

This appears to be a widespread problem too: you don't have to look for long on Reddit, X, or Whoop's official community forums to find frustrated users. These Whoop MG owners report that they're following standard troubleshooting steps, to no avail.

What to do if you're affected

@WHOOP wow guys I was so excited to get my new MG sensor from you. After only 5 days it failed. The worst part is the absolute runaround I’ve been getting the last 24 hours trying to deal with I can only imagine is AI customer support. Way to make a bad experience WAY worse!May 21, 2025

An official response from the Whoop team recommends fully charging the battery and then forcing a reset by rapidly tapping the top of the sensor multiple times until the side LED pulses blue. You might then find you can pair it again in the app.

These steps don't seem to be enough for some users, however. Affected Whoop MG owners are also being asked to contact Whoop support directly, and it seems some people are being sent replacements without asking for them, as bugs have been detected remotely.

If you have been affected, try the reset process linked above, and then get in touch with Whoop – you should be sent a free replacement if your Whoop MG has suddenly stopped working and can't be recovered.

And it's worth saying that this isn't affecting everyone, with some users reporting flawless operation with their Whoop MG. In the days that the TechRadar team has spent with the wearable, we haven't noticed any issues with it either.

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Here's everything we know so far about the mysterious upcoming AI device from the iPhone designer and creator of ChatGPT.

• A modest beginning with massive growth over 25 years
• Over 12 billion SD and microSD cards have been sold across consumer and industrial devices
• SD Express cards now reach speeds of 4GB/s, up from just 12.5MB/s in 2000

When the first SD memory card hit the market in 2000, it offered a modest 8MB of storage. At the time, this was a practical solution for the relatively small demands of digital cameras and early portable media devices.

Twenty-five years later, SD and microSD cards have evolved into high-performance storage mediums, with capacities reaching up to 8TB following the launch of the SanDisk Extreme Pro in 2024.

According to the SD Association (SDA), a consortium of nearly 800 technology companies, this represents a capacity increase of over one million times.

microSD’s role

MicroSD, which marks its 20th anniversary in 2025, has been particularly credited with shaping mobile device capabilities.

“Selfies, mobile phone photography, enjoying music and videos on a mobile phone all became possible because of innovation driven by the SDA,” the association noted.

Today, the best microSD cards and SD cards remain widely used in smartphones, cameras, drones, gaming consoles, and IoT devices.

Even with the rise of USB-C flash drives and cloud syncing services, SD technology continues to hold its place.

“SD memory cards continue delivering portability and convenience, letting people upgrade the storage in their devices at any time thanks to the dedication and vision of our nearly 800 SDA members,” said Yosi Pinto, Chairman of the SDA.

The SDA reports that more than 12 billion SD and microSD cards have been sold globally. While volumes increase, performance is also improving.

In 2000, card speeds were around 12.5MB per second. Modern cards using the SD Express standard can reach nearly 4GB per second, a speed improvement of more than 300 times.

With these gains, SD technology is approaching SSD-level performance, a development especially important as gaming, VR, and AI workloads drive demand for faster, high-capacity storage.

That said, internal storage is becoming more affordable, and reliance on the cloud continues to grow. This raises the question of whether external cards will remain essential or shift into niche roles. However, the SDA remains confident.

“We expect SD memory cards to remain a critical, cost-effective storage option across a variety of applications and devices in the future, since 394 zettabytes of data is expected to be created by 2028,” said Hiroyuki Sakamoto, President of the SDA.

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With every new Hulu schedule comes a list of movies and shows that will be subsequently removed from the platform, and like always, Hulu's June 2025 calendar is a rather short list.

This month only 15 movies are set to leave one of the best streaming services, meaning that a lot of the best Hulu movies are staying put for now. However despite this small total, that doesn't mean there aren't any titles worth missing – and there are a few international titles bearing the brunt.

One of those movies is Joachim Trier's romance drama The Worst Person in the World (2021) which, in addition to Best International Feature, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 2022 Oscars.

On top of this, Northern Irish thriller Here Before (2021) will also be leaving the platform, but you have until June 10 to catch it before it goes.

Everything leaving Netflix in June 2025

Leaving on June 1

Christmas with the Campbells (movie)

Leaving on June 2

The Amazing Maurice (movie)

Leaving on June 4

Intrigo: Dear Agnes (movie)

Leaving on June 8

Indemnity (movie)

Leaving on June 10

Here Before (movie)
Warhunt (movie)

Leaving on June 11

Intrigo: Samaria (movie)

Leaving on June 13

The Worst Person in the World (movie)

Leaving on June 17

Ted K (movie)
The Ledge (movie)

Leaving on June 22

The Burning Sea (movie)

Leaving on June 24

Big Gold Brick (movie)
Gasoline Alley (movie)

Leaving on June 25

The Desperate Hour (movie)

Leaving on June 30

Transfusion (movie)

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, May 24 (game #1216).

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 #1217) - hint #1 - VowelsHow 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 #1217) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1217) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo 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 #1217) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

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

Quordle today (game #1217) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• O

• A

• P

• G

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

Quordle today (game #1217) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1217, are…

• OCEAN
• AMBER
• PIPER
• GLEAN

A tricky round with a silver lining. It’s so satisfying when an incorrect guess in one column helps you get a correct word in another, which is what happened to me today after FIBER led to AMBER.

The disappearing number of letters I had left led me to PIPER. Thankfully there was no other option.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1217) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1217, are…

• CIRCA
• CURRY
• CREAK
• CURVE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1216, Saturday, 24 May: HUSKY, HEIST, FOGGY, POLAR
• Quordle #1215, Friday, 23 May: SHIRE, GIANT, AWAIT, CAPER
• Quordle #1214, Thursday, 22 May: LOSE, GLOVE, STINT, EXCEL
• Quordle #1213, Wednesday, 21 May: NOVEL, CHOSE, DIRTY, DONUT
• Quordle #1212, Tuesday, 20 May: DECOY, SHAKE, MAPLE, PURER
• Quordle #1211, Monday, 19 May: LINK, HANDY, DITCH, WAIVE
• Quordle #1210, Sunday, 18 May: QUACK, ROACH, PURGE, DOWNY
• Quordle #1209, Saturday, 17 May: STRIP, RANGE, UNITE, GEESE
• Quordle #1208, Friday, 16 May: SHEEP, SNUCK, DRIFT, BREAK
• Quordle #1207, Thursday, 15 May: PAINT, CROUP, PEDAL, FLUKE
• Quordle #1206, Wednesday, 14 May: FAVOR, METER, PICKY, MAKER
• Quordle #1205, Tuesday, 13 May: SCENT, AGAPE, POLAR, YEARN
• Quordle #1204, Monday, 12 May: ROYAL, ARGUE, BUNCH, READY
• Quordle #1203, Sunday, 11 May: QUASH, MUNCH, ALTER, UNDUE
• Quordle #1202, Saturday, 10 May: RELIC, BADGE, CHAMP, SATIN
• Quordle #1201, Friday, 9 May: MINUS, CRIME, NOSEY, SLAIN
• Quordle #1200, Thursday, 8 May: ELUDE, GREET, POPPY, ELITE
• Quordle #1199, Wednesday, 7 May: QUOTH, TRUNK, BESET, NAIVE
• Quordle #1198, Tuesday, 6 May: UNITE, SOGGY, FILET, PORCH
• Quordle #1197, Monday, 5 May: WREAK, COWER, STEAD, QUEUE

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Saturday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 24 (game #713).

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 #714) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• DOUBLE
• HELIX
• SNAIL
• KING
• CONCH
• QUEEN
• TWIN
• ROOK
• ELECTRONIC
• JUNK
• ACE
• RINGER
• JACK
• LOBE
• CLONE
• CHAIN

NYT Connections today (game #714) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Poker
• GREEN: Lookalike
• BLUE: Places for studs and rings
• PURPLE: Add a word that sounds like “fail”

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 #714) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PLAYING CARDS 
• GREEN: DOPPELGÄNGER 
• BLUE: EAR PIERCING SITES
• PURPLE: __ MAIL 

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

NYT Connections today (game #714) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #714, are…

• YELLOW: PLAYING CARDS ACE, JACK, KING, QUEEN
• GREEN: DOPPELGÄNGER CLONE, DOUBLE, RINGER, TWIN
• BLUE: EAR PIERCING SITES CONCH, HELIX, LOBE, ROOK
• PURPLE: __ MAIL CHAIN, ELECTRONIC, JUNK, SNAIL

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

EAR PIERCING SITES is something I know absolutely nothing about, so it was a good job that SNAIL triggered a quartet of __MAIL words.

Before my final pair of groups I’d made a mistake in thinking that there was a group containing curled things, so I had SNAIL, HELIX and CONCH and added LOBE as I was thinking about the shape of ears.

Fortunately I abandoned this blind alley and went for the far more obvious PLAYING CARDS and DOPPELGÄNGER.

According to German folklore, all humans have a spirit double which is invisible but identical to them. It’s an odd thought. Somewhere in the world there is someone who looks exactly like us playing Connections.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Saturday, May 24, game #713)

• YELLOW: BABY GEAR BIB, BOTTLE, MONITOR, STROLLER
• GREEN: KINDS OF PANTS MINUS "S" CAPRI, JEAN, JOGGER, SLACK
• BLUE: NEW YORK SPORTS TEAM MEMBERS JET, MET, NET, RANGER
• PURPLE: BLACK WOMEN AUTHORS BUTLER, GAY, HOOKS, WALKER

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.

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• Acer’s portable monitors blend portability and touchscreen tech
• Acer’s VisionCare targets comfort, but 100Hz refresh rate benefits are questionable
• MacBook Pro users may find these monitors lacking native macOS optimization

Acer’s new line of portable monitors introduces some unexpected features, especially in models like the PD163QT and PD243Y E.

While portable displays typically focus on minimalism and basic connectivity, these Full HD (1920x1080) panels go a step further with wide viewing angles, aiming for more versatile use in multitasking.

These monitors can fold up to 315°, a feature designed to improve collaboration and presentations. The PD163QT also adds touch functionality, a rare feature in this category.

Dual-display setup with single-screen monitors

Although marketed as supporting dual-screen setups, each monitor contains only one display panel. The reference to “two Full HD displays” pertains to using the PD163QT and PD243Y E together, rather than a single device offering two screens.

The PD243Y E features a 100Hz refresh rate and flicker-free technology, though the practical benefits over a standard 60Hz screen for typical office tasks are unclear. At best, it may slightly reduce eye strain during prolonged use.

Acer also includes its VisionCare technology for eye comfort, signaling an expectation of extended usage.

For Apple users, none of these models appears to be optimized for macOS. While they function as general-purpose external screens, they may not be the best monitors for MacBook Pro users who prioritize native aspect ratios and accurate color reproduction.

The PM191Q E is another portable model featuring an ultra-thin profile and adjustable kickstand. It supports Full HD resolution and a refresh rate up to 100Hz.

All of these monitors are portable, flexible, and VESA wall-mountable, but none exceed 1080p resolution, a common limitation in this segment.

In parallel, Acer has launched its ProCreator Series, aimed at creative professionals. The series includes 4K and 6K monitors that support Delta E<1 color accuracy and a wide color gamut.

These high-end models also include touch functionality, split-screen tools, and integrated webcams. Models like the PE320QXT and PE270XT offer specifications suited to the premium business monitor category.

The new lineup is priced between $180 and $1,999, with prices varying by model and region.

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