Technology

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, July 13 (game #1266).

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 #1267) - hint #1 - VowelsHow 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 #1267) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #1267) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo 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 #1267) - 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 3.

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 #1267) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• P

• P

• P

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

Quordle today (game #1267) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1267, are…

• SURGE
• PIZZA
• PAPER
• POPPY

Phew! I came dangerously close to crashing out today and was only rescued by a hail Mary guess of PIZZA – although, on reflection I’d used up so many letters that there were probably no other possibilities from a word I knew contained a P and an A.

My downfall today was PAPER, but in particular getting the A and the E and R in the correct positions, which rather than narrow things down revealed numerous possibilities.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1267) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1267, are…

• CAUSE
• GOURD
• GUSTO
• GLARE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1266, Sunday, 13 July: KAYAK, DECRY, RUDDY, HATER
• Quordle #1265, Saturday, 12 July: WREAK, NANNY, CLASP, STAIN
• Quordle #1264, Friday, 11 July: LAPEL, DRAIN, FROND, GROSS
• Quordle #1263, Thursday, 10 July: CROSS, WHEEL, UNDID, PENCE
• Quordle #1262, Wednesday, 9 July: SHIRE, SIXTH, SINGE, IMAGE
• Quordle #1261, Tuesday, 8 July: PLIED, PRANK, GAWKY, OXIDE
• Quordle #1260, Monday, 7 July: DROLL, TRUCE, TWIRL, SINCE
• Quordle #1259, Sunday, 6 July: AMPLY, SPAWN, EXTOL, RIDGE
• Quordle #1258, Saturday, 5 July: HAVEN, SNAKE, DREAM, TORUS
• Quordle #1257, Friday, 4 July: FAVOR, SKUNK, GAWKY, FLUFF
• Quordle #1256, Thursday, 3 July: DANCE, EYING, GLAZE, EGRET
• Quordle #1255, Wednesday, 2 July: INANE, SCOUR, ELITE, ULCER
• Quordle #1254, Tuesday, 1 July: REBAR, YEARN, FORTH, CROWD
• Quordle #1253, Monday, 30 June: INGOT, INFER, TAPIR, CLUED
• Quordle #1252, Sunday, 29 June: MIRTH, APTLY, SCRUB, SMACK
• Quordle #1251, Saturday, 28 June: AWOKE, SMOKY, DEVIL, SWING
• Quordle #1250, Friday, 27 June: SPEAK, EAGLE, AVERT, SUING
• Quordle #1249, Thursday, 26 June: SLUMP, REBUS, GUAVA, MONEY
• Quordle #1248, Wednesday, 25 June: SOGGY, CLASH, MODEM, SQUAD

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, July 13 (game #763).

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 #764) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• SPORTY
• JOLLY
• ICE
• GINGER
• BABY
• POWDER
• COMPACT
• SCARY
• FAST
• FLOUNDERS
• MISTER
• SKY
• BELLED
• SLEEK
• ABUT
• ROY

NYT Connections today (game #764) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Hues of a primary color
• GREEN: Ways to describe a fast vehicle
• BLUE: Followed by a name that rhymes with “dodger”
• PURPLE: Names from Walt’s world with one thing added

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 #764) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: SHADES OF BLUE 
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR A SPORTS CAR
• BLUE: WORDS BEFORE "ROGER/S" 
• PURPLE: DISNEY ANIMATED CHARACTERS PLUS A LETTER 

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

NYT Connections today (game #764) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #764, are…

• YELLOW: SHADES OF BLUE BABY, ICE, POWDER, SKY
• GREEN: ADJECTIVES FOR A SPORTS CAR COMPACT, FAST, SLEEK, SPORTY
• BLUE: WORDS BEFORE "ROGER/S" GINGER, JOLLY, MISTER, ROY
• PURPLE: DISNEY ANIMATED CHARACTERS PLUS A LETTER ABUT, BELLED, FLOUNDERS, SCARY

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Fail

I fell hook, line and sinker for today’s Spice Girls trap, selecting SPORTY, GINGER, SCARY, and BABY before I’d even stopped to think of any alternatives. This was just the start of my woes.

My next mistake was thinking we were looking for words that described the surfaces in winter sports, so I had ICE, COMPACT, SLEEK, and POWDER.

The only group I got through deduction was WORDS BEFORE “ROGER/S” after seeing the link between GINGER, ROY, JOLLY, and MISTER. The yellow group I had gotten thinking that the word Vanilla was the connection – Vanilla SKY is a movie, Vanilla ICE is a rapper, people buy vanilla-flavored protein powder, there’s a tanning product called Vanilla Baby. All in all, not my greatest of games. 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, July 13, game #763)

• YELLOW: INSULT BURN, KNOCK, SLIGHT, ZING
• GREEN: CREDIT CARD INFO EXPIRATION, NAME, NUMBER, ZIP
• BLUE: SLANG FOR PRINTED MATTER GLOSSY, MAG, RAG, ZINE
• PURPLE: WINE NICKNAMES BUBBLY, CAB, CHARD, ZIN

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.

In tech terms, June and July have been particularly busy this year. While gamers have been sinking their teeth into the new Nintendo Switch 2, mobile fans have been served a run of excellent, exciting, and, crucially, affordable new smartphones to consider.

One of the lesser-talked-about affordable phone brands is Poco. The Xiaomi-owned subsidiary prioritizes performance above all else, offering powerful devices that typically undercut rivals in the budget and mid-range markets.

One of the marque’s latest offerings – the Poco F7 – strikes an impressive balance between price and performance, toting Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 silicon while still clocking it at under £389 in the UK.

Previously, the impressive value proposition of Poco’s F-series phones has meant that concessions – on aspects like camera quality and OS update support longevity – have been expected, and often accepted, by users.

Scan through the reviews of the Poco F7, however, and you’ll see that the team behind the phone has clearly made strides to produce a more holistically capable competitor. And that poses a problem for some particularly prominent rivals.

Better ig-Nord?

(Image credit: Future)

The fresh-faced OnePlus Nord 5 touched down in the second week of June, serving as the brand’s new top mid-ranger. During the process of testing it out for myself over the last few weeks, however, comparisons to the Poco F7 have kept popping up, and OnePlus' effort loses the battle nine times out of 10.

For starters, despite coming in at £399 in the UK (i.e. £10 more than the F7), the Nord 5 runs on the same chipset family as the Poco, but it uses the previous generation – the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. OnePlus has also paired that to conventional UFS 3.1 storage, whilst the Poco uses bleeding-edge UFS 4.1 tech (that's two generations newer in the smartphone space).

You also get a brighter display (in terms of both panel-wide and peak brightness output), superior IP68-grade protection against dust and water (the Nord 5 tops out at IP65), and a 25% larger battery (6500mAh, versus 5200mAh in most markets).

Poco has even extended its update support commitment to match that of OnePlus, with four years of OS releases and six years of security updates promised.

HyperOS 2.0 still needs work (Image credit: Tom Mundy / Future)

The main caveat here, which has the potential to put the ball back in the Nord 5's court, is the difference in user experience.

Xiaomi promised big things with the move from MIUI to HyperOS in 2024, and while there are some clear technical improvements to the company's Android-based user experience, the user-facing facets of HyperOS 2.0 – as found on the likes of the F7 – are still... lacking.

In contrast, OnePlus' latest OxygenOS 15, as featured on the latest and best OnePlus phones, is cleaner, more elegant, less bloated, more responsive, easier to use, and sports a more intuitive and dynamic suite of AI-backed features. And as that's the bit of the phone you interact with more than any other on a daily basis, that might be reason enough to pick the Nord 5 over the technically superior and more affordable F7.

Something better than Nothing?

(Image credit: Future)

Perhaps the highest profile launch in the first week of July was the release of the divisive Nothing Phone 3.

I say 'divisive' because what the company is calling its "first true flagship" immediately came under fire for its design, performance, and price.

While there's no question that the Phone 3's aesthetics are unorthodox, as the most subjective of those three aspects, I'm less inclined to say the Poco F7 boasts better or worse looks. In fact, its semi-transparent back is decidedly Nothing-like, as it happens.

Where the trouble for the Phone 3 really starts is with its choice of chipset, which – as you might be able to guess – is the same as the one powering the Poco F7: the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4.

I have nothing against this particular silicon and Nothing itself has done an admirable job of extolling the virtues of the chip. But on a phone that costs £799 / $799 (Nothing's most expensive phone yet), people were expecting to see the chip of choice for almost every other 2025 Android flagship: Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite.

(Image credit: Tom Mundy / Future)

Cue the Poco F7 to rub salt in the wound. As well as hitting the market ahead of the Phone 3, packing in faster storage and a bigger battery with faster charging, you're getting a phone with the same chipset (and thus comparable performance) for less than half the price.

Admittedly, the extra money commanded by the Nothing Phone does – like the OnePlus – buy you access to one of the best smartphone user experiences on the market, in Nothing OS 3.0, not to mention superior cameras, a brighter screen and longer software support (7 years of OS & security updates) than the Poco. So, the divide isn't quite as chasmic as with the Nord.

In a three-way shootout between the Poco F7, Nord 5, and Phone 3, then, it ultimately falls to where your priorities lie. Is a slick user experience your top priority, or does more performance and a lower price tag more readily entice you? If the latter, I'm inclined to recommend the powerful and affordable Poco.

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• More details of the Galaxy S25 FE have emerged
• The screen and battery could get a boost
• We might see a launch sometime during September

We're still forming our early impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Flip 7, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, but more Samsung phones are on the way – and the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is the subject of the latest leak to appear online.

According to a report from TechManiacs (via GSMArena), the Galaxy S25 FE will come with a Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) screen – essentially meaning it's able to adjust its refresh rate depending on what's on the display.

It's useful for reducing the refresh rate and improving battery life if an always-on display is enabled, for example, when the phone is locked: while the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE supports an always-on display mode, it doesn't use LTPO technology, so on the new model the impact on battery shouldn't be as great.

You'll see LTPO screens on top-end phones such as the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S25, and it's perhaps an indication that the Galaxy S25 FE will be a more premium offering than its predecessors have been.

Battery upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

The other key component upgrade mentioned by TechManiacs is the battery. The capacity is apparently being boosted from 4,700 mAh to 4,900 mAh, while the wired charging rate is set to go up from 25W to 45W.

These would all be welcome upgrades of course, though nothing is certain until Samsung makes this phone official. As with previous FE ('Fan Edition') phones, it's expected to sit somewhere between the flagship and the budget categories.

Other rumors have suggested that the Galaxy S25 FE screen will be thinner and have smaller bezels, while it could well be powered by an Exynos 2400 chip. In the camera department though, the rear cameras could be the same as those on the Galaxy S24 FE. This is all backed up by the latest leak as well.

It's still not clear when we might see the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE – although the indicators are that it's on the way. The Galaxy S24 FE was introduced in September 2024, so its successor may well show up in September 2025.

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• Seagate 36TB Exos M hard drive is large enough to store over 1,440 single-layer Blu-ray discs
• New model ships alongside refurbished versions at nearly the same price
• Designed for AI, cloud, and data-heavy workloads with lower power use

The Exos M ST36000NM003K is Seagate’s newest and largest SATA data center hard drive to date. It follows the 32TB model launched in late 2024, which itself came nearly a year after the company’s 30TB release.

We wrote about the 36TB version back in January 2025, and now it’s gone up for preorder at ServerPartDeals.com, priced at $799.99 (which equates to $22.22 per terabyte, if you’re wondering).

What’s intriguing is that, alongside the new drive, manufacturer-recertified and seller-refurbished models are also being offered at slightly lower prices.

Refurbished and recertified

The 3.5-inch drive runs at 7,200 RPM and uses the SATA 6Gb/s interface. It introduces a new areal density milestone of 3TB per platter, reaching high capacity without changing the form factor.

Seagate combines its latest Mozaic 3+ technology with 90% of components used in earlier models. Designed for cloud services, big data, and AI infrastructure, the Exos M offers higher capacity in the same physical footprint.

It claims to deliver three times the power efficiency per terabyte compared to traditional drives, helping lower data center operating costs.

Seagate says the Exos M uses more recycled materials and renewable energy than any of its past products.

Recertified and refurbished versions of the 36TB model are already available to preorder now, priced only slighter cheaper that the brand new version.

The manufacturer-recertified version is listed at $789.99 ($21.94 per TB), while the seller-refurbished model is available for $779.99 ($21.66 per TB).

That used units are being offered for preorder alongside the new models is interesting and possibly linked to testing or early returns.

Aside from availability shortages, I can’t imagine many people are going to rush to buy one of those models just to save $10-$20 per drive.

Each new unit comes with a 3-year warranty. That drops to two years for the recertified version and to just 90 days for the refurbished model.

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Is your home internet suited for streaming? Check out some of our top picks for the best home internet providers for streaming this July.

• FiiO launches new desktop speakers that are ideal for home studios
• The SP5s have independent amplification and 120W per speaker
• They'll be available to buy from August 2025 for $749 / £709

FiiO's latest desktop speakers aren't just for audiophiles: they're for music makers and other audio pros, too. That's because they come with some important features that ordinary home speakers lack.

The new SP5 active speakers are high-spec, high-powered bookshelf or desktop speakers, and if you work with audio the most important bits are on the back.

That's where the three-band EQ shelf switches are located, enabling you to cut certain frequencies to ensure the sound you get isn't colored by the environment your speakers are in.

For example, if you need to position your speakers near a wall or other highly reflective surface, you can drop the low and/or ultra-low frequencies so you're not working with an unrealistic idea of how much bass your listeners will get.

This is an ongoing issue for me – I don’t have room to spread out, so all my recording and mixing happens in a cramped corner where my speakers have to be much closer to a wall and a partition than I’d like.

Cutting out some of the low-end would improve the accuracy of what I hear, and might make me more popular with the neighbors, too.

FiiO SP5 active speakers: key features and pricing

(Image credit: FiiO)

The SP5 speakers have aux, RCA, XLR and USB-C inputs for analog and digital sources, and there's independent volume memory to retain custom level settings for each input.

Each speaker has its own dedicated 120W power supply to ensure consistent power delivery, reduce cross-channel interference and deliver what FiiO says is "a level of sonic stability typically reserved for component systems."

The four-channel amp puts out 60W into the 5.25-inch Rohacell woofer, which is made from the same material as the cones in some high-end speakers, and is designed to deliver tight, responsive bass and ultra-low distortion. And the rear cavity-enhanced tweeter gets 20W for smooth highs.

In addition to the previously mentioned three-band bass and treble adjustment for tuning the speakers to their environment, the companion iOS and Android app offers 10-band parametric EQ.

There's also Bluetooth including LDAC and aptX Adaptive, which means you can use these speakers for casual listening and for checking out how your songs will sound when they're streaming.

The new SP5 speakers will go on sale in August 2025 with a price of $749 / £709. That's converts to around €820 / AU$1,459.

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And configuration options abound to meet your computing needs and budget, including a 3K OLED display for only an extra $100.

Satellite internet may not be the fastest broadband connection type, but it has extensive coverage nationwide. Here are the details on the top providers.

• Xfinity, a Comcast brand, has introduced a new feature dubbed Wi-Fi Motion
• It lets an Xfinity router and up to three Wi-Fi-connected devices create a motion detection system
• The feature isn't available to everyone, but some users already have potential privacy concerns

Having a router that doubles as a motion detector was not on our bingo card for 2025, and yet, here we are. Xfinity by Comcast has introduced Wi-Fi Motion, a feature that lets you turn your printer, your smart fridge, or your TV – among other things – into a motion detector. But is that really a good thing?

Given that we're constantly connected to the internet these days, many of us assume that our devices have some kind of baseline of knowledge about our daily lives and habits.

We've got some of the best smartwatches tracking our sleep, workouts, and heart rate. As another example, Microsoft's Recall, now in preview, will go through our files to make our lives easier. Meanwhile, AI assistants can already read our emails and summarize them for us. Privacy is a commodity that we're running out of at a rapid pace.

In a world like this, having motion detection features in our home, free of charge, doesn't sound so bad. But some users are worried about the potential downsides of Xfinity's Wi-Fi Motion – here's what you need to know.

How does Xfinity's Wi-Fi Motion work?

As Xfinity describes, Wi-Fi Motion connects your compatible Xfinity Gateway (either the XB8 or the Technicolor XB7 CGM4981COM) to up to three eligible, always-on, stationary devices. So, think of things like printers or smart fridges, rather than smartphones and tablets. The feature is in early access and is only available to select customers right now.

The feature is off by default, but once enabled, it turns your router and those three devices into a motion detection system. This creates an oval-shaped area of Wi-Fi coverage, and anything that disrupts those signals may be detected as motion. It's worth noting that the coverage extends from the router and toward each device separately, and the devices themselves don't provide motion detection between each other.

(Image credit: Xfinity)

Let's say that this web of Wi-Fi signals detects motion – what then? Xfinity lets you tweak what happens, but the long story short is that you'll get a notification (see below), indicating that motion has been detected. This tech works across various rooms and floors, but it cannot pinpoint where the motion took place, and it'll just tell you which device spotted it.

You can choose the type of motion you'll be notified about. For example, it's possible to ignore pets under 40 pounds, saving you from pointless pings each time your dog crosses the room.

However, as noted by Cybernews, Xfinity can't always tell the difference between a large pet and a small child. You can choose different sensitivity levels to minimize notifications, and you can also set up alerts to go off only during certain times of day.

On paper, this sounds neat – an extra security system for your home at no extra charge. However, some users are understandably concerned about privacy, too.

Why are some users concerned about privacy?

Constantly being tracked in your own home could make you feel uneasy, so for those of you who find this idea a little creepy, you're not alone. But these privacy concerns, shared periodically by users since Wi-Fi Motion was first announced, stem largely from Xfinity's own description of the feature.

While Comcast notes that Wi-Fi Motion "is not a home security service and is not professionally monitored," the company will still generate and store data related to motion detection in your home. Comcast may also freely, without notifying you first, share that data with third parties if requested as part of an investigation, proceeding, or a court order or subpoena.

(Image credit: Xfinity)

This implies that Comcast could tell law enforcement whether you were home at a certain time, and some users on the Hacker News forums were not huge fans of that. However, others point out that your ISP already has that sort of information thanks to internet usage and phone pings, even when not in use.

Beyond sharing data with third parties, motion detection could open the door to a whole new host of cybersecurity threats. If the data falls into the wrong hands, a lot of sensitive information could potentially leak out, including data on when you're home and when you're not.

The impact of Wi-Fi Motion is unclear at this time. If you're an Xfinity user, you can just skip the feature and easily avoid any potential risks.

Still, this new feature, while certainly innovative, invites a larger debate on privacy, when exactly enough is enough, and how much data we're all willing to share with third parties. It will definitely leave some people struggling to choose between extra home security and giving up a little bit more privacy, so we're interested to see how it develops from here.

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The Testaments: key information

- The show was commissioned by Hulu in September 2019

- The Handmaid’s Tale’s Bruce Miller will also be showrunner for The Testaments

- The show went into production in April 2025

- It is being developed by Hulu and MGM Television

- It will follow three main female characters, and will be set around 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale

- Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) will be reprising her role in the new series

- The other two main characters are Agnes, played by Chase Infiniti and Daisy, played by Lucy Halliday

- Elisabeth Moss will executive produce, but is unlikely to appear in the show

The Testaments is the next Margaret Atwood book to be adapted for the small screen. It's the sequel to one of the best Hulu shows The Handmaid's Tale, so will be a continuation of the story like the book it's based on.

Back in 2017, when a dystopian TV show that imagined what life would be like if American women had all their rights taken from them and were forced to live under a cruel dictatorship regime. Are we sliding closer to that being a reality, almost a decade later? It’s debatable.

What’s not up for discussion is that The Handmaid’s Tale – based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 book of the same name – became one of Hulu’s biggest ever hits, winning the first ever Emmy for the streamer, regularly pulling in millions of viewers in the UK on Amazon Prime Video and Channel 4, and making an even bigger star out of Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss.

But six series later, the story finally drew to a close at the end of May 2025, when the final loose ends of the story around June (Moss), her family and friends were tied up. The ending might have been surprising for some fans – it was left slightly ambiguous, as was the ending in the original novel – but it had to make way for the sequel of the book, 2019’s The Testaments, which is now being turned into a TV show by Handmaid’s Tale showrunner Bruce Miller.

As the show only went into production in early 2025, we wouldn’t expect The Testaments to be on screen until 2026 at the very earliest, but in the meantime, here’s everything we know about the follow up series, including the potential cast, the plotline, the potential release date and if a trailer has been released yet.

The Testaments: release date prediction

A post shared by Hulu (@hulu)

A photo posted by on

The bad news is there's likely to be a bit of a wait until we know when The Testaments will be released. The show only went into production in April 2025, and filming is expected to continue in Toronto, Canada until August 2025.

The cast did, however, post a picture of one of their table readings on the official Instagram account for The Testaments, confirming that production started on April 7, 2025 – but there have been no further updates since.

The Testaments: is there a trailer yet?

There's no teaser trailer for The Testaments yet. (Image credit: Disney)

No, not yet – as soon as even a teaser is released, we’ll post it here.

The Testaments: who is in the cast?

Ann Dowd (Aunt Lydia) will be reprising her role in The Testaments. (Image credit: Hulu)

There are three main characters in the series – as in the book – and the story will each be told through these three main voices.

The first is Aunt Lydia, who finally has had a change of heart about carrying out mass abuse on women under Gilead’s orders. Ann Dowd, the actor who played the cruel and sadistic Lydia in Handmaid’s Tale, will return to play the hateful character who has finally seen the light.

The two other main protagonists for The Testaments are Agnes, who is going to be played by Chase Infiniti (last seen in Presumed Innocent) and Daisy, played by Lucy Halliday (Blue Jean). Without giving too much away, we may already know who these girls are – they’ve just had their names changed.

Chase Infiniti – last seen in Presumed Innocent – will play Agnes, a character who Handmaid's Tale viewers will know of, but with a different name (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Other actors confirmed for roles in the series include Rowan Blanchard, who plays Shunammite, a pampered teen from a well-known Gilead family, whose “status affords her a certain level of respect and power amongst her peers”. Mattea Conforti will star as Becka, a girl who goes to school with Gilead’s elite. Also on the cast are Mabel Li, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya, and Kira Guloien.

When Bruce Miller was writing The Handmaid’s Tale, he said he had a hotline to Atwood, who was writing The Testaments at the time, and who had a couple of requests of who could live and die in the show, to make the book work. She gave him a “no kill list” that included Lydia, and June’s daughters, Hannah and Holly.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: “She let me know as the creator of the world that things might be shifting a little under my feet. The show went past the book, The Handmaid’s Tale. So I was trying to come up with an ending that fit well and certainly I was playing with a lot of the things that she talked about doing in The Testaments.”

Elisabeth Moss will be executive producer on The Testaments, but it’s highly unlikely she’ll appear in the show, unless it’s in flashbacks. She may well possibly direct a couple of episodes, as she did in Handmaid's Tale.

The Testaments: plot

The Testaments will be based on Margaret Atwood's book of the same name. (Image credit: Hulu)

The action picks up about 15 years after the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, and the bad news is Gilead haven’t been defeated, and are back in power again. However, there’s a new generation willing to resist and fight the murderous and abusive regime.

Aunt Lydia talks about how she finally turned her back on the evil overlords, and reveals how she feels shame for her part in Gilead. But she’s now become a key player in the resistance against it, which is still fighting to put an end to the horrors of their rulers.

The other two young women we meet are Agnes and Daisy. Agnes lives in the tortuous confines of Gilead, while Agnes lives safely over the border in Canada with her “parents”. The story will bring together these three women, and as their “fates become intertwined as they uncover the secrets of Gilead and the resistance against its regime.”

The official synopsis adds of Agnes and her friends: "For these young women, growing up in Gilead is all they have ever known, having no tangible memories of the outside world prior to their indoctrination into this life… Facing the prospect of being married off and living a life of servitude, they will be forced to search for allies, both new and old, to help in their fight for freedom and the life they deserve."

For more Hulu TV coverage. read our guides on Daredevil: Born Again, X-Men 97 season 2, and Andor season 2.

• GitHub repositories host malware disguised as tools that gamers, and privacy-seekers are likely to download
• The fake VPN campaign drops malware straight into AppData and hides it from plain view
• Process injection through MSBuild.exe allows this malware to operate without triggering obvious alarms

Security experts have warned of an emerging new cyber threat involving fake VPN software hosted on GitHub.

A report from Cyfirma outlines how malware disguises itself as a “Free VPN for PC” and lures users into downloading what is, in fact, a sophisticated dropper for the Lumma Stealer.

The same malware also appeared under the name “Minecraft Skin Changer,” targeting gamers and casual users in search of free tools.

Sophisticated malware chain hides behind familiar software bait

Once executed, the dropper uses a multi-stage attack chain involving obfuscation, dynamic DLL loading, memory injection, and abuse of legitimate Windows tools like MSBuild.exe and aspnet_regiis.exe to maintain stealth and persistence.

The campaign's success hinges on its use of GitHub for distribution. The repository github[.]com/SAMAIOEC hosted password-protected ZIP files and detailed usage instructions, giving the malware an appearance of legitimacy.

Inside, the payload is obfuscated with French text and encoded in Base64.

“What begins with a deceptive free VPN download ends with a memory-injected Lumma Stealer operating through trusted system processes,” Cyfirma reports.

Upon execution, Launch.exe performs a sophisticated extraction process, decoding and altering a Base64-encoded string to drop a DLL file, msvcp110.dll, in the user’s AppData folder.

This particular DLL remains concealed. It is loaded dynamically during runtime and calls a function, GetGameData(), to invoke the last stage of the payload.

Reverse engineering the software is challenging because of anti-debugging strategies like IsDebuggerPresent() checks and control flow obfuscation.

This attack uses MITRE ATT&CK strategies like DLL side-loading, sandbox evasion, and in-memory execution.

How to stay safe

To stay protected from attacks like this, users should avoid unofficial software, especially anything promoted as a free VPN or game mod.

The risks increase when running unknown programs from repositories, even if they appear on reputable platforms.

Files downloaded from GitHub or similar platforms should never be trusted by default, particularly if they come as password-protected ZIP archives or include obscure installation steps.

Users should never run executables from unverified sources, no matter how useful the tool may seem.

Ensure that you activate extra protection by disabling the ability for executables to run from folders like AppData, which attackers often use to hide their payloads.

In addition, DLL files found in roaming or temporary folders should be flagged for further investigation.

Watch out for strange file activity on your computer, and monitor for MSBuild.exe and other tasks in the task manager or system tools that behave out of the ordinary to prevent early infections.

On a technical level, use best antivirus that offer behavior-based detection instead of relying solely on traditional scans, along with tools which provide DDoS protection and endpoint protection to cover a broader range of threats, including memory injection, stealthy process creation, and API abuse.

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Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for July 13, No. 293

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 13.

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• AV Access KVM docking station promises 8K gaming performance on a dual-monitor, dual-computer switch dock
• Eleven ports aim to consolidate your mess of hubs, docks, and splitters into one device
• 100 watts of charging power puts this dock in serious workstation territory, not just convenience

In a market crowded with accessories claiming to streamline your setup, AV Access has announced a new contender: the iDock B10.

The new KVM docking station is marketed as an all-in-one solution for dual-computer setups, offering support for two 8K monitors at 60Hz or ultra-high refresh rates up to 240Hz.

This level of resolution may not be essential for most users, but AV Access is targeting performance-conscious professionals and gamers who prioritize both speed and visual clarity.

Built for switching ease and intense workloads

This device offers more than the best USB hub and even some laptop docking stations by combining high-speed USB expansion, video output, and Ethernet connectivity with integrated KVM functionality.

The iDock B10 includes 11 ports: USB 3.0, HDMI, DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

It also delivers 100W of power, enough to charge a high-performance laptop during extended use.

Its core function allows users to control both a laptop and a desktop with a single keyboard, mouse, and monitor, switching between them using either a front panel button or a wired remote.

“In today’s hybrid work environment, flexibility is essential, especially for professionals such as graphic designers, software developers, and gaming enthusiasts,” said Bill Liao, CTO of AV Access.

At $224.99, with a 10% launch discount, the iDock B10 isn’t cheap, but it attempts to replace what would typically require multiple devices.

For users who need a dual-monitor setup capable of shifting between two computers without signal dropouts or peripheral lag, the B10 could be a worthwhile investment.

However, the dual-8K support, equivalent to 66 million pixels, is still an extreme proposition, especially when most creative professionals work with 4K displays at best.

AV Access has also launched a 4K version, called the iDock M10, for MacBook users, and is offering summer discounts on other models such as the C10 and C20.

Via TechPowerUp

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Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for July 13 No. 497.

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Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for July 13, #763.

Intel plans to launch its next-generation Xeon platform, codenamed Oak Stream, in 2026, which will include Diamond Rapids, a CPU built for servers and high-performance workloads.

Diamond Rapids will use Intel’s 18A process and Panther Cove cores, the same architecture coming to future consumer chips.

The top model includes four compute tiles, each with 48 performance cores, adding up to a total of 192 cores per socket.

New socket type

With support for single-, dual-, and quad-socket configurations, that means a single rack could host up to 768 cores. That kind of density also brings challenges, particularly with power. A fully configured rack could draw a whopping 2000W.

Intel says Diamond Rapids will use a new socket type, LGA 9324. It also supports modern standards like PCIe 6.0 and CXL 3, helping the processor connect to accelerators and fast storage.

Each CPU can support up to 16 channels of DDR5 memory and MRDIMM modules running at 12800MT/s.

There will also be a version with fewer compute tiles and a single I/O module, offering half the memory bandwidth and core count. That option may suit more power- or space-conscious deployments.

Intel is also pitching this as a CPU ready for inference workloads. While most AI processing still happens on GPUs, Diamond Rapids aims to improve CPU-based inference, especially for smaller models.

Native support for formats like FP8 and TF32 should help in that space.

The CPU will also support Intel APX and an upgraded AMX engine, two instruction sets meant to improve efficiency for modern server tasks. These upgrades hint at a future where CPUs may take on more AI workloads directly.

Diamond Rapids is expected to launch alongside Intel’s Jaguar Shores AI accelerator, part of its push to build a full AI-ready server platform.

Intel hasn’t announced pricing yet, and how it stacks up against competitors like AMD remains to be seen.

Via expreview

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