TechRadar News

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has warned AI companies are training their models on the business secrets of their customers
• These secrets are then used to train new, more powerful models, that are sold to their customer's competitors
• But, Nadella says there is a way to remain competitive without being locked in to one AI vendor

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has warned the big players in the AI industry are using their proprietary models to learn the business secrets of their customers, which they can then use to train and deploy more advanced AI models.

The crux of the issue, Nadella said in a blog post, is that, “You essentially pay for intelligence twice, once with money, and again with something even more valuable: the proprietary knowledge you must reveal to make that intelligence useful. The better you want the model to perform, the more of that knowledge you have to feed it!”

What Nadella is saying in essence, is that AI companies are harvesting sensitive business data from their customers, using it to make training their models cheaper, and then launching these models for use by their own customer’s competition.

“The kind of knowledge a competitor could never buy”

“Models learn from ‘exhaust,’ the prompts people write, the tools agents use, and especially the corrections people make when the model is wrong. Every correction is distilled into institutional know-how,” Nadella explained.

Nadella also criticized how AI companies are increasingly complaining about how their models are being distilled by their own competition. For example, Anthropic accused retailer and e-commerce company Alibaba for using thousands of Claude prompts to distill their own models. By figuring out how a proprietary model works, you don’t have to spend the enormous amount of capital needed to source training data and create your own AI model.

This, for Nadella, is a major contradiction in how AI companies work. “While the great innovation that comes from model providers having fair use rights to train models on public data is needed, I find it ironic that the status quo is to then turn around and impose restrictive terms on distillation,” he said.

It is also therefore hypocritical for AI companies to accuse other companies of distilling their own product, and then include within their AI usage contracts clauses that allow AI companies to “reserve the right to learn from customer usage and interaction data.”

“In consuming intelligence, you are creating intelligence. And what you create should belong to you,” Nadella added.

On-prem is back in fashion

Nadella’s fix for this growing problem? It’s time to move back to on-prem. Nadella encourages businesses to “retain ownership” of the data they feed AI models by switching to the use of “proprietary learning environments” built on the cloud.

The added benefit of moving to these environments is that they allow businesses to switch between different AI models provided by different companies using “orchestration layers” and AI gateways.

There is also a growing trend of businesses switching to using open source technologies, which goes hand in hand with businesses operating in the cloud. Businesses can train open source AI models using their data that is already available in cloud environments to do much of what the proprietary models do, for far cheaper — and without handing over that same sensitive data to be used by AI companies to train their own models.

The on-prem solution also has additional benefits. AI models operated on-site within manufacturing plants, stores, and other premises are far cheaper and require less specialized hardware. Businesses that operate using a centralized cloud are increasingly encountering issues with data egress fees, storage bloat, and idle specialized hardware.

Google Cloud recently released a report about these very issues, and also encouraged businesses to move towards using AI gateways and on-prem models to reduce latency, improve resilience, and cut per-token costs by switching to local, highly optimized models.

Via TechCrunch

• Early listings for the Pixel 11 series were spotted on Amazon
• These include renders of the phones in various shades
• Some of the listed specs would be a downgrade

We’ve just seen perhaps the biggest Google Pixel 11 series leak yet, as listings for the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold have all appeared on Amazon.

These were spotted by 9to5Google and — while they’ve now been removed — the site claims that they appear to be part of the ‘Google Store’ seller, which suggests they might be official listings, albeit a bit early.

In any case, you can see some images taken from the listings below, with the Pixel 11 itself being shown in Midnight (black), Fuchsia (pink), and Moss (green) shades. The Pro and Pro XL meanwhile appear in Dune (a pale pink), Sterling (a grayish lavender), Pine (green), and Light Fog (a pale blue), and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is listed just in Midnight and Pine.

There’s a mix of bright and understated shades here, and reactions to the images — particularly the brighter ones — seems quite positive so far. Over on Reddit, comments include “those non-pro colors are incredible if true. That’s green and pink are just perfect,” “in pink omg,” and “Dune is pretty nice.”

That said, some reactions to the Pro shades are a bit less positive, including “Why can't the pro like get some fun colors too?,” and “imagine seeing the popularity of the bold orange iPhone Pro color and STILL choosing to offer the same boring muted colors for the Pro.”

Leaked images showing the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro9to5Google / AmazonLeaked images showing the Pixel 11 Pro Fold9to5Google / Amazon

And when it comes to the other details in these listings, reactions are more universally negative. According to the listings, the standard Pixel 11 will have a 6.3-inch 1080 x 2424 screen, a 4,985mAh battery, 256GB of storage, and 12GB of RAM for $899 (probably £899 / AU$1,149 based on Google Pixel 10 pricing in these regions).

That’s the same price as the 256GB Pixel 10 launched at, though that’s also available in a cheaper 128GB version, and it’s unclear whether there will be a 128GB model this time. The listed specs are also identical, except the battery which is 15mAh higher capacity this time.

Less RAM and smaller batteries

As for the Pixel 11 Pro, that’s listed with 12GB of RAM, down from 16GB in the Pixel 10 Pro, and 9to5Google also mentions a 5,115mAh battery in the Pixel 11 Pro XL (down from 5,200mAh in the Pixel 10 Pro XL), and a 4,750mAh one in the Pixel 11 Pro Fold (down from 5,015mAh in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold).

So these incomplete specs lists point to a mix of similar specs and downgrades, with Reddit responses including “people already thought the 10 Pro was a small upgrade,” and “iPhone 17 is such a better value.”

Still, while these early listings seem like they might be the real deal, there are some red flags, with 9to5Google highlighting that Android 16 is mentioned on them, when these phones are certain to run Android 17.

So there’s a chance these aren’t in fact official listings, and even if they are, that error means other details could be wrong too. We should find out for sure on August 12, as that’s when Google is unveiling these phones.

• Xiaomi reveals its first extended-range electric vehicle
• SkyNomad will sit separately from its pure EV Xiaomi Auto company
• The 1.5-liter engine is manufactured by Changan's subsidiary Harbin Dongang

Xiaomi is set to enter the hotly contested luxury SUV sector with an all-new business that it has dubbed SkyNomad.

Fresh off the success of both the SU7 and YU7, the former of which has outsold the Tesla Model 3 in the Chinese market, smartphone-maker Xiaomi sees a gap in the market for its first extended-range electric vehicle (EREV), which sees a gasoline engine act as a generator to charge battery packs on the move.

While the powertrain is still in its infancy in Europe, with just the Leapmotor C10 REEV and Mazda MX-30 R-EV currently on sale in many markets, it has experienced sales success in much of China.

Li Auto is the current market leader, with six models offering a mix of combustion engines and battery packs, while AITO, Deepal, Avatar and Leapmotor also offer similar solutions.

Unlike traditional plug-in hybrids, which use a gas engine to drive the wheels or charge the batteries, EREVs rely solely on a fully electric powertrain for propulsion, with the combustion engine serving as a generator to charge the batteries.

According to Car News China, Xiaomi's SkyNomad brand will offer the N70 and N90, the latter coming as a full-size, three-row SUV with rotating front seats, a full leather premium interior, and an N90 Max Camping Edition that adds a pop-up roof and a built-in side awning for upmarket camping trips.

SkyNomad is also selling the idea of modularity, stating in its promotional material that the cabin can transform into a studio for one, a cafe for two, a meeting room for three, or a play area for the whole family.

Under the skin, a 1.5-liter gasoline engine from Changan's subsidiary, Harbin Dongang, sends power to a 76 kWh ternary NMC battery pack in the N90, while a pair of electric motors team up to deliver 310 kW (416 hp) of power.

Analysis: unnecessarily enormous

(Image credit: Xiaomi/SkyNomad)

Xiaomi's decision to launch an EREV-focused brand, SkyNomad, is a clear shot at market leader Li Auto, which is experiencing a 74% year-over-year sales decline in the first four months of 2026, according to Electrek.

The introduction of EREVs to Xiaomi's stable will undoubtedly help it boost sales in China, but it's difficult to get away from the fact that the N90 is absolutely enormous. It measures over five meters in length and weighs 3,361 kg, which makes the 416 hp feel slightly underpowered.

Car News China says the N90 can manage around 230 miles before the batteries are depleted, by which point the 1.5-liter engine is called upon. Overall range is in excess of 1,500 km — or around 930 miles.

It's also interesting that Xiaomi, a company that found great success with pure EVs, is pivoting back to fossil fuels.

All of the PR coming out of China suggests that its public EV charging network is both faster and more widespread than most other markets, which raises the question of why the market needs big, heavy range extenders like this in the first place.

• Marshall's 1959BJA Signature amp was first seen at the Super Bowl
• Built on Marshall’s handwired 1959HW platform, with a custom 'Dookie Mod'
• The color? A nod to Billie Joe Armstrong's first guitar, Blue (are you even an Idiot?)

When Billie Joe Armstrong et al took to the stage for Green Day's Super Bowl performance earlier in the year, I'm pretty sure most guitarists stopped listening for the "MAGA agenda" lyric switcheroo that never came and instead simply breathed "That amp though…"

And now, shredders can buy their own striking baby-blue Marshall head, just like the one that was set up behind Billie Joe Armstrong — for a not insignificant sum of $3,999.99 / £3,099.99 (which is around AU$5,779, where sold).

It is Marshall's first artist signature amp in 14 years, and its full name is the Billie Joe Armstrong 1959BJA Artist Signature. Yes, it's inspired by one of punk rock’s most recognizable guitar tones, and yes, that means it has a special "Dookie mod".

Basket Case? No, just the amp please

(Image credit: Marshall)

The amp was developed with Billie Joe Armstrong (it even bears his signature on the front and back) and is built on Marshall’s hand-wired 1959HW platform, refined with a custom “Dookie Mod”. This, says Marshall, is "inspired by the tone shaped alongside producer Rob Cavallo during Green Day’s breakthrough era".

The promise? A classic plexi but with modern performance flexibility, "increased gain, tighter lows and the saturated punch that brings Billie’s signature sound into a modern stage-ready format."

The design, of course, is a nod to Billie’s first guitar, Blue (seen in the main image), combining baby-blue with brass and silver panel details, all hand-wired in the UK.

It is released as a head-only unit, so axe men can pair it with the cabinet of their choice — but I'm sure a blue cabinet is possible to purchase as well…

And this isn't Billie Joe Armstrong's first rodeo with Marshall. Back in 2024, he actually appeared in the Monitor III ANC headphones campaign. So, the 1959BJA simply marks the natural progression of that relationship? It certainly looks that way.

Armstrong himself is quoted as saying, “I’m so overjoyed to have my own signature Marshall amp", adding "These amps have been a part of my musical life, from my heroes down to little old me. Turn it the f**k up!!”

You'll be able to buy the 1959BJA Billie Joe Armstrong Artist Signature from July 21, and again, you'll need to part with $3,999.99 / £3,099.99 (or around AU$5,779) to get yours when they become available.

Sometimes you don't find the amp; it finds you. It's something unpredictable, but in the end, it's right…

• AI expansion is overwhelming transformer factories across global electricity markets today
• Power transformer delivery times have stretched from months into several years
• Aging electricity grids are driving an urgent wave of transformer replacements

Electricity grids across Europe and North America are facing a serious equipment shortage that could delay new electricity connections for years, experts have warned.

Power transformers, the large devices that regulate voltage before electricity reaches homes and factories, now take considerably longer to manufacture.

Orders that once took 6 to 12 months before 2020 can now take between 24 and 48 months to complete.

What is fueling the surge in demand?

The rise of electric vehicles and the shift toward industrial electrification are placing significant new demands on local power grids.

Utility companies increasingly compete directly with private developers for the same limited factory capacity, extending wait times for nearly everyone.

Much of the substation infrastructure built 30 to 50 years ago across the United States and Western Europe now requires urgent replacement.

Wind farms and solar installations also require specialized step-up transformers to convert the power they generate before long-distance transmission occurs.

Battery storage projects add further complexity, since each installation requires its own dedicated transformer connected directly to the wider power grid.

The most significant new demand originates from data centers built to support artificial intelligence and AI tools, which consume electricity at an extraordinary rate.

A single facility of this kind can draw several hundred megawatts, comparable to the electricity consumption of a mid-sized city.

Large technology firms can pay in advance to reserve years of factory output, leaving smaller buyers to wait even longer.

The situation is so critical that the largest transformers, rated above 100 MVA and 230 kV, once shipped within 12 to 18 months, can now require well more than 36 months for delivery.

Why factories cannot simply build faster

The principal constraint lies at the material level, since transformer cores depend on grain-oriented electrical steel that remains in short supply.

Alternative steel grades cannot satisfy strict efficiency standards set by the European Union and the United States Department of Energy.

Copper prices for internal winding materials have remained high, adding considerable cost pressure to already constrained manufacturing budgets across the industry.

Skilled labour shortages further complicate matters across the industry, since transformer assembly still depends heavily on precise, hands-on manual craftsmanship.

Factory testing facilities, where each unit undergoes impulse voltage and short-circuit evaluation, can only process a limited volume weekly, further limiting overall output.

As a result, equipment prices have climbed 50% to 80% above pre-2020 levels, driven largely by rising material and labour costs.

While industrial transformers take more time, smaller units used in residential and commercial settings ship faster, usually within 12 to 20 months.

Industry analysts regard these pressures as structural rather than temporary, suggesting sustained capacity investment will be required before conditions ease

Buyers who plan early, secure factory slots in advance, and standardize technical specifications appear better equipped to manage prolonged delays.

Diversifying supplier relationships beyond congested manufacturers may offer flexibility as global demand continues to outpace available production capacity worldwide.

Via Evernew Electrical (originally in Swedish)

• QinetiQ testing of SuperDielectrics' water-based zinc cells showed up to 13x longer high-power cycle life, 100C discharge in 36 seconds, and zero thermal runaway
• The company is pitching its solution to AI datacenters as a 'shock absorber' that can deal with power requirement spikes safely and reliably
• SuperDielectrics' Faraday 3's first commercial deployment is slated for early 2027 as it goes up against existing Lithium-ion battery-based energy storage as an alternative that can be deployed inside the data center

Cambridge-based advanced battery technology company SuperDielectrics recently published independent test results for its upcoming water-based Zinc battery, which could help cement its de facto presence in most projects that leverage renewable energy, whose output is often inconsistent.

The next-generation battery offers up to 13 times longer life cycle under high-power cycling, zero thermal runway, and charging and discharging gains that eclipse those of Lithium-ion-based batteries.

This makes it a great add-on for critical infrastructure, as well as for a new, fast-growing sector that is extremely power-intensive with huge power spikes in tow: AI data centers.

A solution that caters specifically to the AI power problem?

SuperDielectrics is painting its battery technology as the holy grail for AI data center problems, and with good reason: it is where all infrastructure spending will be concentrated over the next decade, and the firm decidedly wants a piece.

SuperDielectrics’ core innovation is a unique, patented polymer that enables it to deliver results that dwarf those of similarly configured single-layer lithium-ion cells. With the battery leveraging Zinc in addition to the proprietary polymer, the abundantly available metal could mean that batteries would be cheaper, immune to geopolitical and supply chain vulnerabilities, and easier to scale.

Room temperature testing of the battery showed impressive results when compared to lithium-ion-based alternatives, with SuperDielectrics claiming:

- Up to 13x longer cycle life under high-power cycling (10 mins charge and discharge, 100% depth of discharge);

- 10x better discharge performance (maintained >85% nominal capacity, achieved at 36 seconds)

- 8x better charging performance (maintained >70% nominal capacity, achieved at 1 minute, 12 seconds)

“These results provide independent benchmarking of the technology at the heart of our batteries: a proprietary polymer separator that combines rapid ion transport with the safety advantages of an aqueous electrolyte system," noted Shelley Brown, CTO of SuperDielectrics.

"The outcome is an energy storage solution purpose-built for high-power, fast-cycling applications, offering an alternative to lithium-ion systems that typically rely on extensive oversizing and additional safety infrastructure to manage demanding power profiles."

There is more to the story that makes the solution ideal: Unlike lithium-ion-based solutions, the battery is safe to deploy in datacenters, whereas off-site deployments are currently required for lithium-ion-based solutions due to their potential as a fire hazard.

AI datacenters are known to be particularly power-intensive and often require significantly higher peak power when performing certain computing tasks. Lithium-ion batteries are not ideal for this because not only do frequent charging and discharging degrade them fairly quickly, but they also do not charge or discharge as fast as the Zinc-based offering from SuperDielectrics.

As a result, as noted by the CTO of SuperDielectrics, data centers need to overcompensate for this limitation by buying more capacity than needed to allow smooth operations without pushing existing lithium-ion-based infrastructure too hard.

There is a trade-off, however: Zinc batteries generally sacrifice energy density to offer advantages over lithium, and SuperDielectrics' silence on capacity does not work in its favor here.

Despite this, thanks to AI compute requirements' near-violent power swings requiring a moderator, SuperDielectrics seems to have a winner on its hands, at least on paper, but it might have its limits for datacenters that require longer backup times. The question that comes to mind is whether a smoothing layer can grow into genuine storage, especially for rack-scale product deployment.

On the flip side of the equation, SuperDielectrics is not the only one toying with a 'safe' battery solution; Chinese researchers are concentrating on a similar approach even as the automobile industry is already using sodium for EVs, which is already racking up wins in extreme low-temperature conditions.

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Monday, July 13 (game #1631).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 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 #1632) — 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 #1632) — 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 #1632) — 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 #1632) — 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 #1632) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• A

• R

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1632) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1632, are…

• EBONY
• AVOID
• RODEO
• CUTIE

There was a while when I doubted my three starter words of “duchy”, “robin” and “slate”, but they really have helped me whiz through games recently.

Today, for example, I had three words where I had all the right letters (but not necessarily in the right order) and one word where the missing letter was obvious.

Daily Sequence today (game #1632) — the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1632, are…

• SEDAN
• VALVE
• FAULT
• SMELT

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1631, Monday, 13 July: VOICE, BISON, BURNT, BUILT
• Quordle #1630, Sunday, 12 July: STAIN, BINGO, LARVA, DICEY
• Quordle #1629, Saturday, 11 July: WORTH, PRONG, DINGO, DRUID
• Quordle #1628, Friday, 10 July: GREET, STEAK, DUSKY, HAUTE
• Quordle #1627, Thursday, 9 July: CRUMP, PHONE, SHINY, STONY
• Quordle #1626, Wednesday, 8 July: GHOST, TREND, EXALT, ALONG
• Quordle #1625, Tuesday, 7 July: ARRAY, SUITE, KIOSK, BOULE
• Quordle #1624, Monday, 6 July: TRAWL, SPICE, PIANO, SHARK
• Quordle #1623, Sunday, 5 July: PINEY, SWOON, TITLE, PINTO
• Quordle #1622, Saturday, 4 July: ARGUE, MOTEL, OPERA, TRUCE
• Quordle #1621, Friday, 3 July: AVERT, MOTOR, MANIC, WORDY
• Quordle #1620, Thursday, 2 July: BULKY, PARSE, BELOW, MOVIE
• Quordle #1619, Wednesday, 1 July: EASEL, OTTER, LYRIC, SHACK
• Quordle #1618, Tuesday, 30 June: HALVE, DRYER, THERE, MINTY
• Quordle #1617, Monday, 29 June: SLURP, CRACK, CRANK, PHONY
• Quordle #1616, Sunday, 28 June: RUPEE, TOPAZ, FULLY, BEING
• Quordle #1615, Saturday, 27 June: PRINT, MARRY, SADLY, BICEP
• Quordle #1614, Friday, 26 June: JUICE, ARRAY, BONEY, SKIFF
• Quordle #1613, Thursday, 25 June: SHELF, TAWNY, HYPER, SOLVE
• Quordle #1612, Wednesday, 24 June: SOBER, ECLAT, GOOSE, NINNY

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, July 13 (game #1128).

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 #1129) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• U-TURN
• PICNIC
• CUT
• SHUFFLE
• LAUNDRY
• RECYCLING
• DEAL
• COPY
• BARGAIN
• GROCERY
• UNDERSTANDING
• THIS SIDE UP
• PASTE
• AGREEMENT
• EASTER
• DELETE

NYT Connections today (game #1129) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: A treaty or pact
• GREEN: Choices for changing text
• BLUE: Like a bucket, but with holes
• PURPLE: Graphics with a point

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1129) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: CONTRACT
• GREEN: EDIT MENU OPTIONS
• BLUE: KINDS OF BASKETS
• PURPLE: SYMBOLIZED WITH ARROWS

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

NYT Connections today (game #1129) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #1129, are…

• YELLOW: CONTRACT: AGREEMENT, BARGAIN, DEAL, UNDERSTANDING
• GREEN: EDIT MENU OPTIONS: COPY, CUT, DELETE, PASTE
• BLUE: KINDS OF BASKETS: EASTER, GROCERY, LAUNDRY, PICNIC
• PURPLE: SYMBOLIZED WITH ARROWS: RECYCLING, SHUFFLE, THIS SIDE UP, U-TURN

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

With PICNIC, LAUNDRY and GROCERY locked in I made the mistake of selecting BARGAIN instead of EASTER.

There was logic to my error. My parents used to run a grocery store and they would put items that were close to their sell-by date or damaged in a basket that became known as the BARGAIN basket. I thought it was a universal thing, but maybe not.

The next two groups came pretty easily, especially the four tiles that made up the yellow CONTRACT group, as they are words that seem to be constantly in the news in regards to negotiations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, July 13, 2026, game #1128)

• YELLOW: INTERROGATE: EXAMINE, GRILL, PUMP, QUESTION
• GREEN: THINGS WITH HANDLES: BUCKET, DRAWER, MUG, UMBRELLA
• BLUE: FICTIONAL CATS: FIGARO, PUSS, SALEM, TOM
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SMOOCHES: BUSSIN, KISSER, PECKISH, SMACKDOWN

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, July 13 (game #862).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Make yourself comfortable

NYT Strands today (game #863) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• RELIC
• SOCK
• BREAK
• ERASE
• HORN
• RAVE

NYT Strands today (game #863) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #863) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

• First side: left, 2nd row

• Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #863) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #863, are…

• CHAIR
• ROCKER
• BEANBAG
• OTTOMAN
• RECLINER
• THRONE
• SPANGRAM: HAVEASEAT

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

Today’s search takes from the high-born of the seating world (THRONE), to the lowest (BEANBAG).

If I am going to make myself comfortable then I would pick the BEANBAG any day. Although it does depend on how long you’ve owned it; a baggy bean bag is nobody’s friend. Having said that, I’ve not sat in many thrones. Or indeed any, but judging by House of the Dragon, they’re not particularly ergonomic.

Anyway, it was hard not to whizz around today’s game, with even the longest and most obscure word, OTTOMAN, being easy to spot thanks to the double T.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, July 13, game #862)

• PLEASANT
• DELIGHTFUL
• ENJOYABLE
• SATISFYING
• SPANGRAM: HITSTHESPOT

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.

• Penn State researchers built a monolithic 3D chip that runs entirely off ambient light without leveraging a battery
• The chip stacks silicon photovoltaics, MoS₂/WSe₂ complementary logic, and graphene chemical sensors within ~50 nm of each other
• The development also opens the door for larger 2D circuits that incorporate some of the same design philosophy in the future

Research at Penn State university has come up with an interesting breakthrough in engineering, building out a compact integrated circuit that runs entirely off solar power.

The IC, which skips batteries altogether aims to run calculations and be able to sense chemicals in its vicinity by harvesting solar power available to it aims to do so by stacking everything monolithically versus splitting things up across different dies.

The move comes as engineers continue to grapple with the need for long-lasting and versatile IoT and edge computing systems, many of which are deployed in remote or hard to access locations, making changing batteries a hard, if not impossible proposition at times.

A vertically-stacked solution that centers around solar

Battery-free electronics that rely on renewable power are in greater focus as engineers, stakeholders, and consumers seek such devices to meet growing market demand.

What makes the research team at Penn State's development so unique is that it has attempted to address what conventional electronics have failed to do so far: cutting losses by investing in a structure that effectively skips a significant part of the board area requirements, wiring losses in terms of power and latency that are in play for such devices.

The chip does so by leveraging two types of semiconducting materials (MoS₂ and WSe₂), a silicon photovoltaic module, and graphene-based sensors, and stacking all three layers vertically.

The graphene-based sensors at the top respond to liquids placed on them, sending electrical signals that are processed in the middle logic layer, where the semiconductor layer lies, while the silicon photovoltaic module at the bottom generates power by converting ambient light into electricity.

"We showed that heterogeneous materials—silicon, graphene, MoS2 and WSe2—can be integrated monolithically in three dimensions to create a self-powered sensing and computing system. This is different from simply placing separate chips next to each other or connecting them externally. We show that sensing, computation, and energy harvesting can be brought into nanoscale proximity, which can reduce footprint, interconnect length, and energy loss," said Saptarshi Das, one of the authors of the paper documenting this approach.

While the move itself documents a small purpose-built chip, it has interesting ramifications for the future, where larger circuits could use the design as a building block for IoT needs, especially in remote settings where batteries might be difficult to replace even as efficiency takes center stage for lower-powered, nanoscale circuits.

Many consider two of the most valuable companies in the world, Microsoft and Apple, to be at different ends of a spectrum. While different in their broad target market, they compete intensely in similar markets like operating systems, consumer hardware and enterprise software. It's little surprise, then, that their respective leaders have looked at each other with disdain throughout history.

Big Macs and chips

Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs compared Microsoft to the fast food chain McDonald's in an interview for the 1995 PBS documentary series 'Triumph of the Nerds'.

Quote of the day

This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.

In a set of scathing comments, he said the company that Bill Gates founded was only able to enjoy its reach and success due to a "Saturn-5 booster called IBM". Gates used the opportunity granted by IBM outsourcing the operating system for the first IBM PC to Microsoft, called MS-DOS, with Gates retaining the rights to license the software and "create more opportunity", as Jobs phrased it.

Although he praised this aspect of the business – reiterating that Microsoft deserves its success – Jobs was adamant the firm doesn't add any originality into the broader ecosystem and isn't interested in the user experience. They have no "spirit" he said, and described their products as "very pedestrian".

From enemies to friends

Despite the decades-long sparring that Gates and Jobs engaged in, they eventually underwent a multi-stage reconciliation process that eventually led to a very different kind of relationship before Jobs' death in 2013.

In today's technology landscape, the two companies enjoy less of a heated rivalry that peaked during the operating system wars in the 1990s – with each enjoying a moat (Microsoft in the enterprise space and Apple in the consumer space).

Instead, they now compete in domains like AI and cloud computing alongside plenty of other Silicon Valley rivals. However, that doesn't mean there isn't the occasional jab – like outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook dunking on the Surface Pro.

• Kyiv has floated more than 1,000 cheap balloons into Russia as decoys, relays, and now even launch platforms, with a balloon-dropped Hornet drone reportedly doubling its strike range to around 300 km
• The DART missile drops from balloons at 12–18 km and deliberately kills its own navigation in the terminal phase, leaving Russian jammers nothing to attack
• Prevailing west-to-east winds hand Ukraine a near-monopoly on the tactic, even as Russia trials its Barrazh-1 relay balloon as an alternative to Starlink

Google might have written off its Project Loon endeavor, a goal to use stratospheric balloons as flying cell towers due to economic considerations, but they are back in an unexpected setting: a deepening frontline between Ukraine and Russia.

This is largely because Ukraine has cracked the economics with the business model that Alphabet, Google's parent company, could not have: a cheap, easy-to-employ weapons platform that can't be jammed or shot down affordably while building up on its threat to Russian cities far from the frontlines.

The DART is a Ukraine-deployed, balloon-launched missile system developed by the Ukrainian firm Center of Innovative Technologies Program (CITP), which launches projectiles from the lower stratosphere at intended targets.

A smart 'dumb' missile approach by design

While most of the world continues to focus on better smart satellite- or laser-guided missiles (or precision-guided weapons), Ukraine is taking a different approach altogether, and it might be a much smarter play given how it could play out.

The balloon-based DART missile starts off 'smart', relying on satellite guidance to align and aim at a target before cutting off guidance altogether for the last 6km of the journey, relying only on its solid-fuel engine to reach its intended position.

The approach, though slightly crude, renders Russian jammers completely ineffective, unable to pull a DART missile off-target or 'confuse' it in any way. The target seems not to be civilians or combatants but rather to restrict Russia's ability to wage war by targeting infrastructure because of how the missile functions.

DART carries a warhead of roughly 10 kilograms that scatters conductive graphite filaments, a small-scale graphite bomb meant to short out electrical infrastructure. This also means it might not need the level of precision that many other missiles do: power stations and electric grids tend to sprawl, making them much easier targets than alternatives.

The more impressive part might be that the balloons, which often cost as little as $200, can lure out expensive S-300 and S-400 interceptors to respond, depleting far more costly ammunition and batteries on the Russian side.

Ukraine is also a direct beneficiary of geography: winds across the front generally blow west to east, allowing balloons from Ukraine to easily reach Russian territory, while Russian ones have to fight the current, often floating back into their own territory as a result.

While DART remains uncodified by Ukraine's military, it has already been showcased at trade shows, with the Eurosatory defense expo outside Paris in June marking its first major outing. It also has both allies and adversaries taking notice as the Ukrainian conflict continues to offer modern battlefield lessons.

The US Army has been evaluating tethered aerostats for drone detection and communications relay, with an eye toward launching drone swarms from them in the future.

Russians, on the other hand, are investing in a different kind of drone technology: the Barrazh-1, a stratospheric relay balloon carrying a communications payload of roughly 100 kilograms, which it says is entirely domestically built and aims to balance out the lack of Starlink terminals available to the country for data and internet services on the battlefield.

There has been a developer beta of iOS 27 for a while, but now it’s available in public beta, which both makes it slightly easier to get hold of and suggests it might be more stable than it was initially.

That said, this still isn’t finished software, so while stability may have improved, you’re still likely to encounter bugs and potentially unfinished features.

So this isn’t for everyone, and as a general rule we’d recommend running it only on a secondary handset. If in doubt, simply wait for the finished iOS 27 release, which we’re expecting in September.

But if you do have a spare phone lying around or want to take the jump with your main device, then the beta could be worth checking out, as it comes with loads of new and improved features — some of which we’ve looked at further down.

How to install the iOS 27 public beta on your iPhone

Before you start downloading and installing the iOS 27 public beta, make sure your iPhone is backed up, just to be on the safe side. We won’t detail that here because we’ve got a full guide covering how to back up your iPhone.

Once your data is safely backed up, the next step — if you haven’t run a beta before — is to sign up for Apple’s beta program. You can do this by heading to the Apple beta page and tapping ‘Sign up’, after which you’ll have to log into your Apple account to enroll. If you’re not sure whether you’ve already signed up for this or not, then instead press the ‘Sign in’ button on that page — if it doesn’t let you sign in, then sign up instead.

Once you’re registered, you can simply head to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates on your phone, and tap ‘iOS 27 Public Beta’. There may be other betas listed too, but this is the one you want.

Then tap the back arrow at the top of the screen, and the page you were on before will now show the beta you selected, complete with notes on it and a download size. From there, just tap ‘Update Now’ to grab it, or ‘Update Overnight’ if you’d rather wait until you’re sleeping to put your phone temporarily out of action.

Then you just need to wait for it to install. Once it has, there’s plenty to check out, but below we’ve highlighted some of what you might want to try first.

3 things to try first

iOS 27 has an enormous number of features — so many in fact that we found 21 that Apple didn’t even have time to mention during its announcement. But below, you’ll find some of the biggest and best to start off with.

1. Siri’s AI overhaul

(Image credit: Apple)

By far the biggest thing in iOS 27 is the long-awaited AI overhaul for Siri. There are many elements to this, but the main one is that Siri now works much like ChatGPT or other AI chatbots — you can have natural, back-and-forth conversations with it, and its responses aren’t just preset or based on basic web searches.

Siri can both search the web and interact with apps to get answers or carry out the tasks you need, and it now comes with a dedicated Siri app where you can find and pin previous conversations.

2. Improved photo editing

(Image credit: Apple)

Photo editing has also gotten a lot better with iOS 27, allowing you to do things like reframe or extend photos after they’ve been taken, and remove larger objects than previously.

It makes the photo editing tools far more powerful and brings them more in line with those available on Pixel and Samsung phones.

3. New ‘Describe a Shortcut’ tool

(Image credit: Apple)

Shortcuts has long been one of the most powerful apps that comes with your iPhone, but it can also feel a bit impenetrable. Now, though, it’s far simpler.

Rather than creating a shortcut or automation through various menus and complicated ‘if this then that’ rules, you can now simply use natural language to describe what you want.

So, for example, you could say “When I’m leaving work, message Pedro I’m on my way with my ETA,” and the app will automatically create an automation that does exactly this.

• Microsoft has blocked Secure Boot updates on some devices
• There have been issues with some devices updating from the 2011 certificate to the latest 2023 certificate
• Some older devices or those not supported by their OEM may be restricted in downloading the latest Secure Boot certificates

Microsoft has blocked some Windows 11 PCs from installing Secure Boot updates due to known issues with certificate updates.

The company is currently rolling out an update for Secure Boot on devices using certificates issued in 2011, which are now expired. The new 2023 certificate is being applied through Windows Update, but issues on devices with faulty firmware have forced Microsoft to halt the rollout.

“Devices in this group are affected by a known issue. To reduce risk, Secure Boot certificate updates are temporarily paused while Microsoft and partners work toward a supported resolution,” Microsoft said.

Secure Boot issues

Secure Boot has long been a device-saving feature when it comes to removing malicious files, as it allows the device to verify and load only authentic software before booting to Windows. However if the device cannot receive certificate updates it can fall victim to threats at the boot-level before Windows is loaded.

Microsoft is currently working with manufacturers to issue a patch that will allow affected devices to install the new Secure Boot 2023 certificate, with HP issuing a BIOS update to allow the installation of the latest certificate.

What this means in practice is that some older devices, or devices that no longer receive updates via their Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), will not be able to apply Secure Boot and Boot Manager protections. Microsoft clarified that, “this results in a gradual reduction in long-term security—not an immediate risk or system failure. Continue to follow standard security practices, including staying current with Windows updates.”

So even if your device is blocked from installing the latest Secure Boot certificate, it will continue to work properly, other Windows updates will continue to work, and your Secure Boot version will continue to protect against known vulnerabilities. It’s just future vulnerabilities that users affected by this issue will need to be aware of.

Many users may not be aware of issues until they need to use Secure Boot, so the silver lining in Microsoft’s warning is that now is the perfect time to check if your Secure Boot is working properly.

How to check Secure Boot is up to date

To check if you are using the latest Secure Boot certificate, take the following steps:

• Open the Windows Security app using the search bar
• Navigate to the Device Security dashboard using the menu on the right hand side
• Look at the Secure Boot section, and check for the following messages:

(Image credit: Microsoft)

1. "Secure Boot is on"

If you see this message, Secure Boot is likely working properly. However, this does not display your certificates’ current state. Microsoft has been rolling out an update to show if your Secure Boot is running on the latest certificate, so make sure your don't have any pending Windows updates.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2. “Devices in this group are affected by a known issue.”

Devices with this message will likely be able to install the latest certificates once a firmware update has been issued by your OEM. Check your OEM update channel for availability.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

3. “Secure Boot is on, but your device does not support the automated Secure Boot certificate update due to hardware or firmware limitations.”

Devices with this message may no longer be supported by your OEM, or the OEM might no longer be able to provide the firmware updates needed. Microsoft recommends checking your OEM’s Secure Boot support page to confirm whether your device is out of support.

Via WindowsLatest

• 32 “Meadowlands” Counter Communication Systems have been commissioned by U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command
• Rather than laser, microwave or plasma, the weapon is an electromagnetic beam
• Enemy satellites can be disabled and signals jammed using the weapon

A fleet of 32 “Meadowlands” Counter Communication Systems (CCS) is being assembled by US Space Force Combat Forces Command, which has just taken receipt of the first mobile electromagnetic warfare system.

While recent projectile-free weapons systems have employed lasers, microwaves, and ionized plasma gas, a Meadowlands unit – portable enough to be transported by air – uses targeted electromagnetic fields.

Electromagnetic warfare has proved successful in recent years, with Operation Midnight Hammer – the June 2025 US airstrikes on Iran – using the technology to create a “silence zone” over the country to facilitate the attack. By disrupting communications with the electromagnetic weapon on that occasion, targets were struck with minimal countermeasures deployed.

What does an Electromagnetic Weapon (EW) do?

Systems like Meadowlands CCS have the capability to interfere with enemy satellites and jam their signals (affecting uplink and downlink transfers). Described as being able to “detect, deny, disrupt, and degrade adversary capabilities” the technology can also change or disrupt target data, and generate confusion.

US Space Force Col. Angelo Fernandez is the commander of Mission Delta 3 – Space Electromagnetic Warfare, a unit dedicated to “training and equipping electromagnetic warfare professionals.”

He states: “Our Guardians are at the forefront of joint operations, so we are fielding capability that best enables their success and the success of the joint force. Every day, Space Force electromagnetic warfare forces become better organized, trained, equipped, and mentally prepared to operate in hostile environments.

The Meadowlands units are mounted on a six-wheel chassis, and appear to be intended for ground deployment using a separate tractor. They’re small enough to be deployed in harsh environments or behind front lines, and can be controlled remotely.

What is Space Force?

It was reported in February 2026 that Space Force was involved in Operation Midnight Hammer, which included gaining control of the electromagnet spectrum.

While sounding like a fictional arm of the military, Space Force was created in 2019 to protect U.S. interests in space. Operating under the Department of Air Defense, it is concerned with putting satellites into space, managing GPS, and tracking space debris. Its operatives are referred to as “Guardians.” These are recruited from the USAF, other branches of the military, or from civilian application pools.

(Conversely, NASA is concerned with exploration and scientific research, and is a civilian agency.)

Meadowlands CCS join existing high-powered microwaves, precision lasers within the arsenal of Space Force, which holds no kinetic weapons for deployment.

“This upgraded system enables us to more effectively and efficiently support the joint scheme of maneuver across the continuum of conflict,” said U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Ryan Skilling, 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron commander.

• Engineers at the German Aerospace Center are developing a morphing wing currently intended to reduce drag and replace functions of other parts of the plane’s design
• A drone equipped with a morphing wing has been used in testing
• The Morphing Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Research (morphAIR) project has a one million Euro budget

A wing that changes shape is in development at the German Aerospace Center, as part of a one million Euro project that could redefine the traditional view of an aircraft.

Rather than a tube with fixed wings and tailplane, future aircraft based on this technology could change shape to cope with changes in flight conditions, reduce drag, and even morph a portion of the wings to handle pitch control and other tailplane functions.

Engineers have tested the technology – part of the Morphing Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Research (morphAIR) project – with a 70 kilo drone, equipped with a 3-meter wide morphing wing.

How does the AI morphing wing work?

The morphing wing relies on a smooth surface with motorized components inside that can alter its shape. Success so far has led to the introduction of a follow-up program, UAdapt (Unmanned Aircraft Wing Adaption) to focus on reducing fuel consumption, by making the plane’s surface less prone to drag, and potentially removing the tail completely.

On the team is Martin Radestock, senior adaptive systems engineer, who told Aerospace America that current wings are essentially inefficient: “Aircraft are flying with turbulent flow over their wings, because they have steps and gaps [e.g. ailerons and flaps] between their control surfaces.”

Smooth wings have no gaps, no screws and rivets, and are assembled in a completely different way to standard aircraft. The wing is described as a “morphable trailing edge” and appears to be a series of motorized, actuator-controlled arms that move left, right, up, and down.

Morphing aircraft is nothing new

While morphAIR’s approach takes full advantage of modern technology, the concept of employing multiple profiles for aircraft to suit different flight conditions and deployment purposes is an old concept given a new life.

The most famous implementation of this is the “swing wing” technology, first tested in 1951 (the Bell X-5 experimental craft) and later a key element of 1967’s F-111 Aardvark. 13 production craft used the tech in total, although the most famous is probably the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which co-starred with Tom Cruise in the movie Top Gun. These craft were able to sweep the wings backward, sharpening their angle (to 68 degrees from perpendicular to the fuselage) for stable high-speed flight, while the "straight" wings (22 degrees) generated lift for short takeoffs, such as on an aircraft carrier, where the runway is short.

Interestingly, a Grumman Gulfstream II was fitted with morphing flaps as part of testing by FlexSys in partnership with NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, so morphAIR is not the only group researching the next stage of flight.

Developments in aerodynamic flight technology and flight control made the swing wing generation obsolete, but morphAIR’s intriguing re-visitation of the concept of a craft that changes shape in midair could take it in a whole new direction.

• Americans want the massive wealth of AI firms added to a sovereign wealth fund
• 69% would see AI firms forced to transfer 50% of stock into a sovereign fund
• The fund would help redistribute wealth and back new infrastructure and developments for working class Americans

A national survey has found over two-thirds (69%) of US citizens want to see AI firms transfer half of their stock into a sovereign wealth fund.

The survey, conducted by Verasight among 1,690 adults, also found that there was overwhelming support (89%) for AI companies to publicly disclose the results of all internal safety testing.

The sovereign wealth fund, proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders, would provide wealth for current and future generations, as well as acting as a source of capital for investment in new projects and developments designed to improve the lives of working class Americans.

Americans want AI wealth redistribution

At the announcement of Sanders’ proposed American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, the senator said, “It would guarantee that the economic benefits generated by AI are used to improve the lives of all of us — not simply to make the richest people in the world even richer.”

“The future of AI and the fate of humanity must not be decided behind closed doors in Silicon Valley by billionaires seeking to maximize their power and profit,” Sanders said.

Interestingly, the survey only saw a small dip in support to 64% when the sovereign wealth fund was tied directly to Sanders, showing the bi-partisan desire for the enormous growth in AI wealth to be redistributed among Americans.

According to a Goldman Sachs report, companies operating in the AI industry have added more than $27 trillion in market value since late 2022, with corporate profits and tech investment soaring. But at the other end of the scale, working class Americans are seeing jobs replaced and entry level positions disappearing due to AI technologies.

A further report from Goldman Sachs predicts that during the 10 year AI transitional period, up to 15 million US workers could lose their jobs - around 9% of the current US workforce.

In 2026 alone, the tech sector has seen more than 166,000 layoffs, with many attributed to the adoption of new AI technologies. The trueup layoff tracker expects this number to rise to 312,000 by the end of the year.

Electricity prices are also surging in the US due to the demand of AI data centers, raising the cost of day-to-day life of millions of Americans. As a result, US representatives have put forward a bi-partisan Ratepayer Protection Act that would force AI companies and hyperscalers to pay for the energy they use, with additional charges to help fund the expansion of electricity infrastructure that has been placed under additional load by data centers.

Via CNBC

The Ninja Slushi is one of my all-time favorite kitchen appliances, but it's simply too large for my kitchen. Thankfully there are personal blenders that are smaller, cost a lot less, and make perfect slushies for one in just a few seconds — and here I've picked three of the best that can tackle ice and other frozen ingredients with ease.

Some single-serve blenders struggle to tackle any ingredients tougher than an apple, but each of the models here will crush ice effortlessly despite their compact size. Once you're done, you can take your drink on the road, to work — or just to the back yard for sipping in the sunshine.

Slushies made this way won't be identical to those created with a Slushi machine, but they can come close. The Slushi works by taking liquid ingredients and freezing them while stirring to create small ice crystals, whereas blenders create slush by chopping up large pieces of ice. If you want an undiluted slushie without added water, try freezing ingredients like juice or soda in an ice-cube tray. Provided you add the recommended amount of liquid to your blender's cup (usually around 6oz / 170ml) you should get a very similar (and equally tasty) result.

Ninja BlendBOSSFutureAmanda WestbergAmanda WestbergAmanda WestbergAmanda WestbergAmanda Westberg

At 1,200 watts, the Ninja BlendBOSS has the most powerful motor of all the blenders in this list, and transforms ice and frozen fruit into slush with ease. It consists of a sturdy, unusually-shaped base (which reminds me of a UFO) and a Stanley-style cup, with a sip lid and straw that you can carry, or tuck into your car's cupholder.

It has three preset options (smoothie, ice crush, and blend) plus a pulse option so you can take control yourself. The preset programs will blend and pause in different patterns to ensure all the ingredients come into contact with the blades — and they're very effective. Our reviewer Karen Freeman reported that her smoothie with frozen berries "came out perfectly smooth [with] no chunks of blueberry skin or spinach" and the blender "turned ice into snow incredibly quickly and thoroughly" for iced lemonade. Your recipe needs to include at least 6oz / 175ml liquid along with the ice for proper blending.

Some single-serving blenders tend to jump across your kitchen counter when dialled up to full, but the BlendBOSS has a cleverly designed base with a circle of grippy silicone, plus suction cups to ensure it doesn't dance onto the floor when preparing iced drinks.

The only downside we found is that the lid of the chug cap sometimes fell down and bopped us on the nose mid-slurp, but that was only a very minor annoyance. This is otherwise a brilliant tool for making slushies and smoothies, and very reasonably priced too.

Read our full Ninja BlendBOSS review

Nutribullet FlipFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

Unlike the two other blenders here, which comprise a plug-in base that you keep in the kitchen and a detachable cup to take with you, the Nutribullet Flip is fully portable and rechargeable so you can whip up drinks on the move (particularly handy if you're at the gym and want a fresh protein shake, for example). Just add your ingredients to the cup, screw on the lid, flip it upside down and press the button. Thirty seconds later, you can turn it upright again and start sipping. What could be easier?

I was a bit apprehensive about drinking from the part of the blender that contains the motor, but you're in no danger at all of cutting yourself; the blade assembly is well away from the drinking spout and the motor can't activate unless the cover on the drinking spout is fully closed.

The Flip handles ice with ease, and I used it to prepare some very nice iced coffee drinks during testing. Particularly large frozen strawberries sometimes required a second blending cycle to be fully pulverized (the Flip only has one program) but nothing I tested could withstand a minute in contact with its blades. When you're done, the insulated cup keeps your slush and shakes cold for hours. You'll need to add at least 8oz / 235ml liquid along with your ice.

Something I particularly like about the Flip is that its blades are at the widest point of the cup, which means everything falls down onto them rather than getting stuck on the sides. It's especially easy to clean as well; add water and a drop of dish soap, run a cycle, then rinse.

Read our full Nutribullet Flip review

Ninja Blast MaxFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFutureFuture

I awarded the Ninja Blast Max a full five stars thanks to its ability to turn even the toughest ingredients into a silky smoothie or tasty slush. Ice and frozen fruit were transformed into a frosty treat in no time at all, and tough fibrous vegetables like kale were no match for its powerful motor and super-sharp blades.

The Blast Max has a 'crush' setting specifically designed for ice, which turns rock-solid strawberries and raspberries into slushies in less than a minute. Alternatively, add plenty of ice, a shot of espresso, and a good splash of milk for a delicious iced coffee. Provided your drink includes at least 6oz / 175ml liquid, the Blast Max will handle it with ease. "The resulting blended iced coffee looked as good as anything you might get from a coffee shop, with a nice layer of foam on top and no chunks of unblended ice crystals," I said.

The Blast Max has a travel cup that detaches from the charging base for sipping on the move, with measuring lines clearly marked on the side. Ninja suggests that you might need to give it a little shake during blending to loosen any ingredients stuck to the sides that might miss the blades, but during my tests I never found that necessary.

The Blast Max is the most affordable of these three blenders right now, and no less impressive than the other two. For me, the only drawback was that, unlike the Nutribullet Flip, the Blast Max doesn't have an insulated cup to keep slushies frosty when you're on the go.

Read our full Ninja Blast Max review

We absolutely loved the Anycubic Kobra S1 Combo when we tested out this 3D printer. It's fast, user-friendly, and suitable for beginners, hobbyists, and even micro-business users.

I'm always on the look-out for unmissable 3D printer deals, so I was very happy to see the Anycubic Kobra S1 Combo is currently on sale for $430 (was $650) at Amazon.

Built around a high-speed CoreXY motion system, the Kobra S1 Combo reaches print speeds of up to 600mm/s without loss of accuracy, which is important when producing prototypes, home projects, or detailed models. In the UK, the Kobra S1 is now £400 (was £599)

Today's top 3D printer deal

This fully enclosed 3D printer offers fast 600mm/s CoreXY printing, built-in four-color support, active filament drying, automatic bed leveling, smart app control, and reliable performance for detailed, multi-color creations.

In the UK: now £400 (was £599)View Deal

In his rave review, our 3D printer expert Alastair said the Kobra S1 delivered "next-generation multi-filament printing at an outstanding price" and called it "a printer that you can't fail to be impressed with."

He added that the model "blends build quality, price, and absolute precision" and "when it comes to single-material printing, not only can you print with a wide variety of materials, but it's fast and the precision is hard to beat."

One of the features we liked most is the built-in active filament drying system. This helps prevent moisture-related problems such as bubbles and clogged nozzles. Keeping filament dry improves print quality and reliability, especially during long, multi-day jobs.

Beginners will appreciate one-click auto-leveling, vibration compensation, and flow rate calibration which work together to produce consistent results with minimal setup.

The fully enclosed design maintains stable temperatures for more demanding materials such as ABS.

The Kobra S1 Combo brings color printing within easy reach and supports four-color printing out of the box. Connecting two Ace Pro units expands that to eight colors while reducing filament waste via an optimized printing algorithm.

The Anycubic app and LAN connectivity allows you to monitor and control jobs remotely. Maintenance is simple thanks to a quick-swap nozzle system that lets you replace nozzles in seconds instead of dismantling the print head.

Having tested a wide range of machines, the Kobra S1 remains one of our favorite 3D printers thanks to its combination of speed, ease of use, and excellent print quality. As Alistair noted, "there's a lot to be impressed with here."

If you’ve been thinking about getting into 3D printing or upgrading your current setup, this is an excellent opportunity to pick up a highly capable multi-color 3D printer at a fraction of the usual price.

For other options, check out the best 3D printers we've tested.

Also consider

Anycubic's fast CoreXY 3D printer offers native four-color printing, expandable to 19 colors, 600mm/s print speeds, AI monitoring, automatic bed leveling, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a spacious 260 × 260 × 260mm build volume.

In the UK: now £280 (was £329)View Deal

This high-speed 3D printer offers native seven-color printing, expandable to 19 colors, automatic bed leveling, AI monitoring, Wi-Fi connectivity, a spacious 260 × 260 × 260mm build volume, and print speeds up to 600mm/s.

In the UK: now £500 (was £629)View Deal

I'm forever looking out for great mini PC deals and was pleased to see that Amazon has cut the price of the GMKtec M6 Ultra mini PC to $600 (was $700) ahead of the back-to-school season.

Ideal for students, professionals, creators, multitaskers, and even gamers, the M6 Ultra is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS processor with six cores and 12 threads, reaching speeds of up to 5.0GHz and featuring integrated Radeon 760M graphics.

In his glowing review, our mini PC expert Alistair said the M6 Ultra offered "exceptional performance for an extremely balanced price." He went on to sum up the device, saying: "If you're looking for an exceptionally well-priced mini PC that offers plenty of upgradeability and is able to handle pretty much anything you throw at it, then the GMKtec M6 Ultra is a perfect option."

Today's top mini PC deal

This compact mini PC features an AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS processor, 32GB DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD, triple 4K display support, USB4, dual 2.5G Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Windows 11 Pro pre-installed.View Deal

The M6 Ultra comes with 16GB DDR5 RAM and a fast 1TB PCIe SSD. There's also room to grow, with support for up to 128GB of memory and dual M.2 SSD slots offering up to 8TB of storage.

Dual 2.5Gb Ethernet ports, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, USB4, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, and multiple USB ports make it easy to build a flexible workstation or connect loads of peripherals.

It can drive up to three displays, and USB4 output means it is capable of up to 8K at 60Hz — making it a great fit for home offices, students, creative workflows, and anyone who likes spreading work across multiple screens.

Despite its tiny size, the M6 Ultra includes dual-fan cooling to help maintain consistent performance during longer, more intensive workloads.

With a welcome $100 discount, this is easily one of the top mini PC deals available right now. If you're after a compact desktop with modern connectivity and plenty of upgrade potential, this Amazon deal is not to be missed.

For more options, take a look at our roundups of the best mini PCs you can buy right now.

• See all mini PCs at Amazon.