Technology

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle No. 1,449 for June 7.

• Unihertz Titan 2 brings back the QWERTY keyboard with an impressive 512GB upgrade
• The Titan 2 is not for everyone, but that’s exactly its strongest selling point
• This phone brings back business-class typing and storage in a tank-like body

Unihertz has announced a Kickstarter campaign for its upcoming rugged smartphone, the Titan 2.

In a 16-second ad released by Unihertz, the company said, “We are getting ready for our Kickstarter in June,” offering a first look at a device that feels both familiar and ambitious.

The ad reveals the Titan 2 follows the original Uniherz Titan and the Titan Slim, continuing the brand’s focus on rugged smartphones with physical QWERTY keyboards.

A familiar form factor with rugged credentials

With its square screen and hardware keys, the Titan 2 clearly echoes the BlackBerry era, when such designs were synonymous with business productivity and communication.

The new model appears to be a wider, flat-edged version of the Titan Slim, lacking the curved top and bottom design found on the original Titan.

Though detailed specifications remain scarce, Unihertz confirmed to TechRadar Pro that the commercial version of the Titan 2 will offer a substantial 512GB of internal storage.

This marks a significant upgrade from previous iterations, particularly the 2019 Unihertz Titan, which shipped with 128GB of storage, 6GB of RAM, and a MediaTek Helio P60 processor.

The original Titan was notable for its 4.5-inch 1440x1440 display, global LTE support, NFC capability, and 6,000mAh battery, all packed into a bulky 305g chassis with IP67 water and dust resistance.

The Titan and Titan Slim were never aimed at mainstream users. Instead, they targeted those seeking something unconventional.

The Titan 2 now seems poised to build on that lineage, with greater storage and a refreshed design, while remaining firmly rooted in the company’s niche aesthetic and utilitarian philosophy.

This business smartphone does not appear to be a contender for mass-market dominance. However, its physical QWERTY keyboard could appeal to professionals who value tactile input for communication-heavy workflows.

That said, this device is undeniably a niche product, and physical keyboards have long fallen out of fashion.

The Titan 2 will need to prove that nostalgia and rugged durability can coexist with modern expectations, otherwise, it will remain a niche offering.

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• Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro is getting an update to improve its coding
• The update fixes previous issues with formatting and coherence
• The model is expected to become Gemini Pro’s first official stable release

Google's rapid rollout of new models of Gemini is continuing apace, but the latest version of Gemini 2.5 Pro has some notable improvements that the company claims will put it in play for a while as the first “long-term stable release.” The upgrade also patches up some of the issues that might currently frustrate Gemini Pro users.

For now, the model is still in beta, unlike its friskier sibling, Gemini 2.5 Flash. Gemini Pro 2.5 has reportedly taken longer and dealt with some complicated issues around regressions in conversation that made the AI model seem somewhat underpowered as a brain. Those issues have apparently been resolved, with Google bragging about the coding capabilities of the new model in particular. It's outscored rival models on the Aider Polyglot benchmark, a multi-language coding test popular for measuring AI model software composition.

The updated model also offers developers what Google calls “configurable thinking budgets.” These are essentially a way to fine-tune how much computing power Gemini uses to answer complex queries so that you don't use up all of your credits building an app in one go. It’s already available through Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, and will likely become part of Gemini as a whole in the near future.

Gemini Pro power

And it's not just a technical whiz. Gemini Pro has faced complaints of lacking the same creative and conversational flair of its fellow Gemini models, failing to impress outside of technical tasks. The writing and formatting could get sloppy, and long-form responses tended to ramble or circle back on themselves. Google says it’s fixed that issue, with correct formatting, more nuanced writing, and no trailing off mid-response.

All of those upgrades lead to why Google has declared this version of Gemini Pro to be a long-term, stable model, at least for now. For developers and enterprise users, that kind of certainty is valuable in its own right, just as much as regular upgrades.

The new model will have an impact on Gemini users outside of the office, too. The same improvements to formatting, memory, and contextual understanding will likely be incorporated into the public-facing version of Gemini just to keep things neat. And it fits with Google's strategy to embed Gemini everywhere and encourage everyone to use it for any of their AI needs. Gemini Flash is the default option for those not paying a subscription fee for Gemini. Gemini Nano handles AI for Android devices, but Gemini Pro is intended to be the flagship model, the one that impresses everyone.

Google will definitely try to live up to that vision with the new model, but the competition has hardly gone away. OpenAI, Anthropic, and even Apple are all racing to be on top of the AI model game. Gemini 2.5 Pro proves Google won't be falling behind any time soon, at least now that it's stopped regressing.

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• A huge dataset has been discovered unsecured online by researchers
• This contained roughly 4 billion records - including personal information
• The data could potentially be part of a surveillance effort targeting Chinese citizens

An open instance containing "billions upon billions” of exposed records has been discovered online by cybersecurity researchers - and millions of people could be at risk as a result.

Researcher at Cybernews worked with cybersecurity researcher and owner of cyber risk and data protection site SecurityDiscovery.com to uncover a huge database without a password, leaking 631GB of information, equating to roughly 4 billion records.

The dataset primarily consists of Chinese customers and users from a range of different sources, in what the Cybernews research teams believed is a “meticulously gathered and maintained” database designed to build “comprehensive behavioral, economic, and social profiles of nearly any Chinese citizen.”

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A surveillance effort

This could be part of a surveillance project, researchers argue, and there are plenty of ways that a threat actor could exploit this information, such as social engineering attacks, identity theft, fraud or even blackmail.

“The sheer volume and diversity of data types in this leak suggests that this was likely a centralized aggregation point, potentially maintained for surveillance, profiling, or data enrichment purposes,” the team observed.

The instance was “”quickly taken down” after it was discovered, but it’s not known how long it was open for. Unsurprisingly for suspected surveillance data, the information contains PII like full names, dates of birth, and phone numbers, as well as financial data like card numbers, debt and saving information, and spending habits.

The largest collection of records most likely came from WeChat, a Chinese alternative to WhatsApp, with over 805 million records exposed.

Close behind was a collection of residential data “with geographic identifiers” with 780 million, and a collection named “bank” of 630 million records, primarily with financial and personally identifiable information.

If this data breach is as large as it seems, it contains over a billion records more than the National Public Data breach, which was recently reported as one of the largest data breaches ever.

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The Group I leaders host Luciano Spalletti's men in Oslo.

The offer includes new Canadian customers and those who have paused or previously canceled their service.

• Lenovo quietly launches powerful Strix Halo mini PC with AI focus in China
• Ryzen AI Max+ 395 delivers 126 TOPS performance in compact size
• 128GB RAM and 4TB storage mean it will suit both creative and AI workloads

Lenovo has introduced a compact new system powered by AMD’s most powerful consumer APU to date, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 “Strix Halo.”

Part of the LCFC AI Mini PC lineup, this machine, now on sale via JD.com in China, combines workstation-class specs with a desktop-friendly footprint that targets AI developers, content creators, and power users.

At the device's core is AMD’s new Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU, featuring 16 Zen 5 CPU cores, 32 threads, and an RDNA 3.5-based Radeon 8060S integrated GPU with 40 Compute Units. It also includes a dedicated NPU delivering up to 50 TOPS. Taken together, the CPU, GPU, and NPU provide up to 126 TOPS of AI performance, which is enough to run LLMs and other AI workloads locally.

China-only for now

Designed for AI tasks, creative workflows, and high-performance gaming, the LCFC system features 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory, which is more than you'll find in many full-sized gaming rigs, and supports two M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 SSDs, each with up to 2TB capacity, for a total of 4TB of high-speed storage.

Although it’s described as a mini PC, at roughly 9.7 x 7.4 x 3.8 inches, it’s firmly in the SFF (Small Form Factor) category; compact enough for tight workspaces while still offering powerful internals.

Connectivity includes a 1GbE Ethernet port and built-in Wi-Fi, although it does not appear to support Wi-Fi 6. The I/O selection includes one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB Type-C, HDMI 1.4, and DisplayPort 1.4.

While the DisplayPort is useful, the HDMI 1.4 output is a drawback, as it lacks support for 4K at 120Hz, something expected in modern high-end systems.

The LCFC AI Mini PC is reportedly priced at ¥13,989 in China, which converts to approximately $1,946. That places it in the high-end category, although it's still competitively priced given its workstation-grade specs and AI abilities.

Given the rising demand for compact PCs capable of running AI models locally, there's likely to be international interest should Lenovo decide to make its new system more widely available. For now, however, it appears to be exclusive to the Chinese market.

Via TweakTown

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It's a decent start, but I wouldn't use it for daily money management.

• The New York Times is requesting that all ChatGPT conversations be retained as part of its lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft
• This would mean that a record of all your ChatGPT conversations would be kept, potentially forever
• OpenAI argues that chats with AI should be a private conversation

Back in December 2023, the New York Times launched a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement. The New York Times alleges that OpenAI had trained its ChatGPT model, which also powers Microsoft’s Copilot, by “copying and using millions” of its articles without permission.

The lawsuit is still ongoing, and as part of it the New York Times (and other plaintiffs involved in the case) have made the demand that OpenAI are made to retain consumer ChatGPT and API customer data indefinitely, much to the ire of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who took to X.com to tweet, “We have been thinking recently about the need for something like ‘AI privilege’; this really accelerates the need to have the conversation. IMO talking to an AI should be like talking to a lawyer or a doctor. I hope society will figure this out soon.”

recently the NYT asked a court to force us to not delete any user chats. we think this was an inappropriate request that sets a bad precedent.we are appealing the decision.we will fight any demand that compromises our users' privacy; this is a core principle.June 6, 2025

OpenAI describes the New York Times lawsuit as “baseless”, and in a lengthy post on the OpenAI website titled, ‘How we’re responding to The New York Times’ data demands in order to protect user privacy’, OpenAI lays out its approach to privacy.

Brad Lightcap, COO, OpenAI, says that the demand from the NYT “fundamentally conflicts with the privacy commitments we have made to our users. It abandons long-standing privacy norms and weakens privacy protections.”

Private investigations

As more and more people share intimate details of their lives with AI chatbots, which are often taking on the role of a therapist, I can appreciate the need to be able to keep AI conversations private, however, I can also see the NYT’s point of view that if there is evidence that supports its claims against OpenAI then it needs to have access to that data without OpenAI being able to declare it all as too private to share.

At the moment, a ChatGPT chat is removed from your account immediately when you delete the conversation, and scheduled for permanent deletion from OpenAI systems within 30 days. The order would mean that even deleted ChatGPT conversations would have to be retained by OpenAI.

As a ChatGPT user myself, I’ve always appreciated the ability to be able to remove conversations entirely. If OpenAI is forced to comply with this request, then it’s going to affect pretty much everybody who uses the service, on either a free, Plus, Pro, or Teams (but not Enterprise or Edu account holders).

The order also does not impact API customers who are using Zero Data Retention endpoints under OpenAI’s ZDR amendment.

OpenAI has said it has appealed the order to the District Court Judge and will inform us when it knows more.

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If you've ever read Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson, you know the moral of the business parable is that change is inevitable and we should embrace it. If you're unfamiliar with it, I suggest you pick up your iPhone and phone a friend for a quick chat. Doing so might remind you how little the Phone app on iOS has changed in almost two decades. It's a comfort that, according to fresh rumors, might soon evaporate, leaving you crying out, "Who moved my cheese?!"

We're just a few days away from Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2025), and the internet is abuzz with rumors about numerous changes coming to virtually every major Apple platform.

iOS is naturally chief among them and, thus far, the prevailing rumors have dealt with the look, which may lean toward floating frosted glass objects (yes, like visionOS on the Vision Pro). None of these changes gives me real pause, but Mark Gurman's (Bloomberg) latest prognostication is perhaps a bridge too far: a redesigned Phone app.

Gurman is scant on details, but he describes "a new view that combines favorites, contacts, recent calls, and voice mails" in a single view. He does not address the keypad, but I think it's safe to assume that if Apple is touching the other four Phone app elements, it's unlikely they'll leave the Keypad alone.

While iPhone call and communication functionality has seen numerous changes over the years, like call hand-off across ecosystem devices, FaceTime, Name Drop for contact sharing, and, most recently, Satellite support, the Phone App itself has barely changed at all.

This is a good thing.

No dial tone

(Image credit: Future)

Each year, no matter the scale of change for any given version of iOS, the chief complaint I get is, "Why did they change it?"

Most people I've spoken to are not thrilled with recent design and organizational updates to the Photos app or Mail. Sometimes Apple's efforts to streamline apps or make them easier to use result in hidden features or at least moved elements that no average consumer can find (at least those I know).

I'm not saying Apple will do away with the keypad, but a change in how the digits are presented, which has more to do with classic analog phones than any digital communication device, is possible. That would be the kind of change that would send iPhone users over the edge.

The rumored changes to the app, which appear to revolve around losing the distinct Contacts, Recents, Favorites, and Voicemail elements in favor of a long window of stacked elements, are unlikely to draw many cheers at WWDC and even less enthusiasm when it reaches consumers on new iPhone 17 handsets later this year.

There is some good news. Gurman claims the changes will be optional. I wonder, though, if they will be the default. If there's one thing consumers hate more than change, it's having to hunt around to figure out how to reverse it.

So, sure, Apple, spruce up iOS and maybe even give the Phone app a polish, but if you have big changes in store, just make sure they're not the default. If not, don't call me, maybe.

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• AT&T is investigating new claims of a data breach
• The data was posted on a breach forum, and includes plaintexts SSNs
• It could be new, or could be a re-release of older data

AT&T is investigating a leak of data on a cybercrime forum, but with some skepticism, as some have suggested it may just be a re-release of an earlier data breach.

The trove of data includes 88 million customer records, but 86 million of these are unique, including personal information such as dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses.

What makes this breach potentially dangerous is that the data is highly organized, and includes 44 million plaintext social security numbers that could be used to commit fraud and identity theft.

Just a re-release or something more sinister?

The HackRead research team first spotted the files on May 15, with the same collection of data appearing again on June 3 and spreading to multiple other leak sites and forums since then.

There is some debate over the origin of the data, with HackRead finding similarities between encrypted and plaintext values from the collection that could tie it to the April 2024 AT&T breach that utilized the Snowflake vulnerability.

On the other hand, it could be a re-release of a previous breach, or a combination of one of the many AT&T breaches.

For example, in 2024 AT&T confirmed that the data of 51 million customers had been stolen after previously denying that the data was stolen from AT&T systems.

The data was initially stolen in 2021. The famous Snowflake vulnerability debacle of 2024 also saw customer data stolen from AT&T, with the company then negotiating and paying $300,000 in Bitcoin to one of the hackers to delete the data.

The bottom line is that the data includes almost everything a cyber criminal would need to commit fraud or steal an identity, making identity theft protection and credit monitoring a good choice for those potentially affected by the breach.

Via The Register

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• FBI warns BADBOX 2.0 malware has infected over a million devices
• Cheap, Chinese-made, Android-powered devices often the victim
• Devices hijacked to become part of global botnet

Over a million devices have been infected by a dangerous malware strain which has turned them into malicious proxies, the FBI has warned.

In a new alert, the agency urged users to be on their guard against BADBOX 2.0, a malware threat which targets Android-powered devices, often made in China.

The FBI warns devices such as smart TVs, streaming boxes, projectors, tablets, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices could all be at risk or being turned into residential proxies which are then used for malicious activity.

BADBOX 2.0 malware warning

"The BADBOX 2.0 botnet consists of millions of infected devices and maintains numerous backdoors to proxy services that cyber criminal actors exploit by either selling or providing free access to compromised home networks to be used for various criminal activity," the FBI warning states.

It noted the affected devices often come with the malware preloaded, but it can also be transferred after installing firmware updates and malicious Android applications which have managed to get onto Google Play and third-party app stores.

"Cyber criminals gain unauthorized access to home networks by either configuring the product with malicious software prior to the users purchase or infecting the device as it downloads required applications that contain backdoors, usually during the set-up process," explained the FBI.

"Once these compromised IoT devices are connected to home networks, the infected devices are susceptible to becoming part of the BADBOX 2.0 botnet and residential proxy services4 known to be used for malicious activity."

It added the malware is also able to load and click ads without users being aware, generating revenue for the hackers, and also access victim's accounts using stolen credentials.

The FBI has warned users to monitor their devices carefully, and make sure all their IoT devices come from a reputable source. Users are also instructed not to download apps from unauthorized app stores, and make sure their software and firmware is kept up to date.

The original BADBOX malware was detected in 2023 with a similar mode of operation, targeting cheap unbranded Android TV boxes.

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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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Friday, June 6 (game #1229).

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 #1230) - 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 #1230) - 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 #1230) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1230) - 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 #1230) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• F

• E

• S

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1230) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1230, are…

• FLUNK
• ESTER
• SPITE
• CHEAP

I was thinking that today’s game was one for the ages after shooting down three challenging words without hesitation. But before I could start thinking of myself as some kind John Wick of Quordle, I hit a wall.

My fourth word was never going to be TREES, as plurals are not allowed, but I tapped it out anyway, before rearranging the letters for a word I had never heard of before – ESTER I have subsequently discovered is a chemical compound made when an acid and an alcohol combine. Kudos if you got this and knew what it meant.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1230) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1230, are…

• RAJAH
• SALVE
• CORAL
• STUCK

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1229, Friday, 6 June: ELUDE, KHAKI, VISTA, SMOKY
• Quordle #1228, Thursday, 5 June: CHIDE, RABBI, GUSTY, LANCE
• Quordle #1227, Wednesday, 4 June: BANAL, STOUT, SEDAN, HIPPO
• Quordle #1226, Tuesday, 3 June: FUGUE, SYRUP, FLACK, WORST
• Quordle #1225, Monday, 2 June: THINK, BELLE, CRONE, BOULE
• Quordle #1224, Sunday, 1 June: POINT, MERIT, WHOOP, APHID
• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE
• Quordle #1222, Friday, 30 May: RAJAH, CAUSE, BLACK, ETUDE
• Quordle #1221, Thursday, 29 May: CRIER, DRAPE, STRUT, NEIGH
• Quordle #1220, Wednesday, 28 May: HELLO, BEADY, VIGIL, PURER
• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR
• Quordle #1218, Monday, 26 May: BLEAT, HOWDY, ASIDE, SCOOP
• Quordle #1217, Sunday, 25 May: OCEAN, AMBER, PIPER, GLEAN
• 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

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Friday, June 6 (game #460).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #461) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… I am what I am

NYT Strands today (game #461) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• SOLID
• ALIVE
• SOLO
• MOLE
• LOVES
• SOOT

NYT Strands today (game #461) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #461) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 3rd column

Last side: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #461) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #461, are…

• HUMAN
• SOUL
• MORTAL
• SOMEONE
• INDIVIDUAL
• SPANGRAM: BE YOURSELF

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today’s search was a celebration of the self and what makes us singular. It’s fitting, because Strands is very much an INDIVIDUAL pursuit, and like most solo efforts we are in competition with just one other person – ourselves. 

Trying to live like others in order to fit in or be someone you are not is a thankless and exhausting task that usually leads to frustration or humiliation.

Frank Ocean’s wonderful album Blond has a great track called Be Yourself that’s largely made up of an answer machine message left by Frank’s Aunt Rosie, advising her son to avoid alcohol and drugs on his college campus and to “stop trying to be someone else”. “Be yourself and know that’s good enough,” she says. “Don’t try to act like someone else, be yourself. Be secure with yourself. Rely and trust upon your own decisions.” Wise words.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday, June 6, game #460)

• SEASICK
• SLEEPER
• PINWHEEL
• ELEVATOR
• BREAKAWAY
• SPANGRAM: YOYO TRICK

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Looking for a different day?

A new 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 Friday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, June 6 (game #726).

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 #727) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FOUND
• NUMBER
• STRAIN
• ONION
• STRETCH
• AIR
• FLING
• LAUNCH
• START
• REST
• CHICKEN
• INSTITUTE
• BREATHE
• EQUINOX
• HYDRATE
• SONG

NYT Connections today (game #727) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Fitness essentials
• GREEN: In at the beginning
• BLUE: Tune
• PURPLE: Think of a season

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 #727) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: TIPS FOR WORKING OUT SAFELY 
• GREEN: ESTABLISH 
• BLUE: DITTY 
• PURPLE: SPRING____ 

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

NYT Connections today (game #727) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #727, are…

• YELLOW: TIPS FOR WORKING OUT SAFELY BREATHE, HYDRATE, REST, STRETCH
• GREEN: ESTABLISH FOUND, INSTITUTE, LAUNCH, START
• BLUE: DITTY AIR, NUMBER, SONG, STRAIN
• PURPLE: SPRING____ CHICKEN, EQUINOX, FLING, ONION

• My rating: moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

I have an issue with people who REST at the gym, as included in today's TIPS FOR WORKING OUT SAFELY group. I sincerely hope that Connections is not advocating this activity, or should I say lack of activity. 

The annoying thing about it is that someone resting at a gym is usually doing so while simultaneously hogging a machine or station while they rest, check their phone or generally zone out.

I am not in favor of horns in cars – they are used out of anger rather than to alert other road users of dangers – but I am in favor of them in gyms. In particular, to be blasted in people's faces when they are resting too much. As you can no doubt tell, my gym routine is to go there, do the things I have to do and then leave. 

I really wanted to leave Connections today after struggling to complete it. I am delighted to have solved SPRING___, but I found every group tricky, including ESTABLISH – which is where my mistake came, in thinking that it was about ways to start something so I had LAUNCH, SPRING, START and FLING. It made sense at the time. Right, I'm off for some rest.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, June 6, game #726)

• YELLOW: NEWSPAPER JOBS COLUMNIST, EDITOR, PHOTOGRAPHER, REPORTER
• GREEN: EVERYDAY COMMON, REGULAR, ROUTINE, STANDARD
• BLUE: WHAT "CON" MIGHT MEAN CONVENTION, CRIMINAL, DRAWBACK, SWINDLE
• PURPLE: ENDING WITH KINDS OF DOGS NEWSHOUND, SHADOWBOXER, SNICKERDOODLE, TRENDSETTER

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.