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I recently had the opportunity to review the flagship model in the Epson’s new ‘Premium Residential’ Q Series of projectors, the QL7000. I had plenty to say in my Epson QL7000 review, but the highlight was undoubtedly its unmatched brightness.

You see, projectors generally provide low brightness compared to the best TVs, and any ambient room light will lessen the dynamic range of pictures, blunting the impact of highlights and raising black levels so that shadows end up lacking detail.

For most owners of the best projectors, watching a movie, TV news and sports means dimming the lights or darkening the room completely.

Home theater enthusiasts go to great lengths to create ‘blackout’ conditions for viewing, painting rooms a dark gray and adding treatments to walls and windows to prevent any stray light from reducing the contrast of the projected image.

Pricier examples of the best 4K projectors such as the JVC DLA-NZ800 and Sony Bravia Projector 8 top out at a relatively modest 2,700 lumens brightness.

The Epson QL7000, in contrast, has a specified 10,000 lumens brightness, a level that you typically see in professional projectors used for large entertainment venues.

Yes, the QL7000 is the brightest projector I’ve ever tested, and by a significant margin, with its projected image easily viewed in daylight. So surely it's a home run, right?

The benefits – and limits – of brightness

The Epson QL7000 (Image credit: Future)

As I noted in my review, “Even when watching in a bright room with light streaming in from windows, the crisp, clear 4K image beamed by the QL7000 had a true window-on-reality quality.”

That’s not something I’ve ever come close to being able to say about any other projector I’ve tested, and the QL7000’s stunning brightness made watching the NBA basketball playoffs on the big screen an incredible treat.

Bright as it may be, the Epson QL7000's black levels and shadow detail came up short in my testing. Although the projector’s powerful brightness elevated its contrast ratio to 68,000:1 (with its laser light output set to 30%) – a great result – shadows lacked the inky quality you can get from top home theater projectors, and that ultimately made movie watching less satisfying than sports viewing.

I haven’t personally reviewed the JVC DLA-NZ800 projector mentioned above. But I have seen it, plus its even more expensive NZ900 big brother demonstrated at trade shows, and the deep, well-defined shadows both models deliver set a very high home theater projector bar.

In TechRadar’s JVC NZ800 review, this section struck me as particularly apt: “Moving on to HDR, the NZ800 proves to be a stellar performer, delivering all the specular highlights of the sun-bleached desert landscapes of Dune Part Two, pulling out every detail in shadows during the nighttime action of The Crow, and reproducing the rich and saturated colours of La La Land, helping to replicate the Technicolor musicals to which it pays homage.”

Of course, if you were to watch those same movies on the NZ800 in a bright room rather than the fully optimized, blacked-out conditions I experienced it in, the picture would quickly lose the powerful contrast that brought out detail in blacks, and made La La Land’s colorful costumes pop on the screen. And sports? Forget it.

Picking nits Image 1 of 2

JVC DLA-NZ800 (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

Sony Bravia Projector 8 (Image credit: Future)

Brightness isn’t everything when it comes to picture quality – contrast and black detail are equally important.

The recent DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives, a motion picture and theater industry trade group) HDR specification calls for theater projection systems to provide a peak brightness of 300 nits. That level is substantially less than what the Epson QL7000 is capable of (I measured 1,005 nits on a 10% white HDR pattern in Natural mode with 100% laser light output setting, and 1,340 nits in Dynamic mode).

If a movie theater projection system were to meet the DCI specification (many don’t), it would provide around the same peak brightness as top home theater projectors from Sony and JVC. So, even with a projector designed for home, you’re getting an equally bright, and in many cases brighter, image than what you get in a movie theater.

But brightness isn’t everything when it comes to picture quality – contrast and black detail are equally important.

In an optimized home theater setting, fastidiously controlling the environment allows for the light emanating from the projector to be the only source of light hitting the screen, which maximizes black levels and perceived contrast.

This gives home projectors another leg up on theater projection systems, where contrast is necessarily limited by the mandatory lighted exit signs located near the front of the room.

The Epson QL7000's super-bright picture makes it an impressive projector that's uniquely suited for daytime viewing of sports. However, for movie fans, contrast and shadow detail are arguably of greater value when it comes to getting the best overall picture quality.

And, given the right viewing conditions, even a projector with an average brightness level can get you pretty close to perfection.

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The only thing missing from Wordle's status as a cultural institution was a day devoted to it, and now we have that, too.

Welcome to Wordle Day, or May 6, to be precise. Why today? "Because Wordle uses five letters with six guesses to find a secret word, we thought May 6 would be the perfect date to celebrate the game that has sparked a joyful daily routine for so many people across the globe," said New York Times Wordle Editor Tracy Bennett.

Okay, that makes some self-serving sense, and who are we to argue with that logic when most of us are hooked on daily plays of the word game that asks us to figure out a five-letter word in six tries?

If you have any questions about Wordle's popularity or why it deserves a day, look at these stats. According to the NYT, there have been, to date, 5.3 billion Wordle game plays. A massive 2.8 million people use the same starter word every day.

Wordle' is certainly an institution here, where our daily Wordle today column provides some hints then walks you through how we solved it. I hope you don't read those posts before trying to solve the puzzle on your own, but you do you.

Wordle Golf Game score sheet (Image credit: The New York Times)

Wordle is also a competitive sport. In my house, my wife and I end each evening completing several puzzles, including Wordle, Connections, Strands, and Quordle (the only non-NYT game).

Wordle is invariably our first stop, and, yes, there is a competition to see who can solve it in the fewest tries. So, it should come as no surprise that to celebrate this totally made-up day, The New York Times introduced Wordle Golf.

This is not another word game (thank goodness, I can't take on any more). Instead, it's a reimaginging of the standard Wordle competition into a golf game format.

As with golf, there are 18 holes...or, er...puzzles. You can play against seven other players (or more if you, I guess, print out more Wordle Golf sheets).

Each game is scored similarly to a golf game, meaning you want the lowest score (more strokes in golf raise your score and are generally considered a bad thing).

The scoring system for Wordle Golf breaks down like this:

• 6 points for a guess on the sixth try
• 5 points for a "Bogey" or fifth attempt guess.
• A guess in four is "Par" and worth 4 points,
• Three is worth 3 points and considered a "Birdie"
• 2 guesses is worth 2 points and a rare "Eagle"
• 1 is the miracle of a "Hole in one" and worth 1.

In theory, you can spend most of May playing Wordle Golf, but it does mean that no one should skip a day.

It's a silly game, but probably less difficult and frustrating than 18 holes on a real golf course.

Who knows, if you're a real Wordle pro, this might be just the kind of challenge you've been waiting for. Let's just hope there's not another "CORER". That was the word, according to The New York Times, that broke 5.6 million streaks.

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• Nvidia’s DOCA Argus promises real-time protection for AI compute environments
• The system runs off-host to detect and respond without performance impact
• Cisco and Nvidia are working to secure scalable AI infrastructure deployments

Nvidia is extending its AI ambitions into cybersecurity with the launch of DOCA Argus, a new software framework aimed at protecting AI infrastructure in real time.

Part of Nvidia’s DOCA software platform, Argus runs on its BlueField networking hardware to detect and respond to threats as they happen, without relying on traditional host-based security tools.

“Cyber defenders need robust tools to effectively protect AI factories, which serve as the foundation for agentic reasoning,” said David Reber, chief security officer at Nvidia. “The DOCA Argus framework delivers real-time security insights to enable autonomous detection and response - equipping defenders with a data advantage through actionable intelligence.”

Built to work with existing enterprise security setups

Argus is designed to operate independently of the system it monitors, avoiding integration into the host OS.

This makes it invisible to attackers and avoids slowing down the system it protects. It works across containerized and multi-tenant environments, including deployments using Nvidia NIM microservices.

Nvidia says Argus uses memory forensics to detect threats up to 1,000 times faster than existing agentless solutions. Because it doesn’t run on the host, it won’t impact performance.

The system is built to work with existing enterprise security setups like SIEM, SOAR, and XDR platforms.

Cisco is working with Nvidia to create a Secure AI Factory using this architecture.

“Now is the time for enterprises to be driving forward with AI, but the key to unlocking innovative use cases and enabling broad adoption is safety and security,” said Jeetu Patel, executive vice president and chief product officer at Cisco.

DOCA Argus is part of Nvidia’s broader cybersecurity AI platform, which includes BlueField hardware and the Morpheus AI framework. The goal is to improve visibility and threat response across AI infrastructure.

Argus is trained using Nvidia’s internal security data, with the aim of reducing false alerts and focusing only on real threats. This, the company says, will help security teams avoid alert fatigue and act faster

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• Around 600 threat actors are using Darcula, experts warn
• They have managed to steal more than 800,000 credit card details in less than a year
• Mobile devices are prime targets for phishing nowadays

Darcula, an infamous Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) kit, has helped hundreds of its users steal almost a million credit cards in roughly half a year’s time, cybersecurity researchers have said.

Analysts from NRK, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Le Monde, and Norwegian security firm Mnemonic have been drilling deep into Darcula, which in just seven months between 2023 and 2024 served some 600 operators.

The hackers were able to generate 13 million clicks on malicious links sent via text messages to targets worldwide - and as a result, were able to steal 884,000 credit cards.

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Generative AI threats

Apparently, Darcula is focused on mobile platforms - Android and iOS, and uses 20,000 domains and can easily spoof well-known brands.

It stands out from other similar platforms by using RCS and iMessage instead of the usual SMS, making its attacks more effective.

To make matters worse, Darcula allows its users to auto-generate phishing kits for almost any conceivable brand, convert credit cards to virtual cards, and with the help of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), they can create phishing messages in almost any language and on almost any topic.

Darcula’s operators seem to be Chinese in origin, since most communication is done in closed Telegram groups and in Chinese language. The researchers also observed SIM farms and hardware setups which allow the operators to offer mass text messages and credit card processing through terminals.

A September 2024 report from security researchers Zimperium argued four in five (82%) of all phishing sites today target mobile devices, since they are generally weaker and more often unmanaged compared to desktop and laptop computers.

Defending against phishing, however, hasn't changed much. It still revolves around common sense, being skeptical of all incoming messages, especially those with a sense of urgency, or unexpected attachments.

Clicking on links in emails and SMS messages, particularly those hidden behind a placeholder or a URL shortener, is also risky.

Via BleepingComputer

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I've been lucky enough to travel a lot in 2025, and on every journey I have had one constant companion: my AR glasses.

These aren't the interactive AR specs Snap, Meta, and Google are promising – the likes of Meta Orion. No, these are AR glasses which connect to a compatible phone, laptop or handheld to virtually suspend your screen in space in front of you.

They transport you into a personal movie theater of sorts, with a giant virtual screen only you can see, and are perfect whether you’re flying away on vacation or catching a train for your morning commute.

Which should you buy? Well, here’s my personal recommendation…

Keeping it Xreal

My current glasses of choice are the Xreal One specs, which I combine with the Xreal Beam Pro, and a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

This is what the screen looks like through the Xreal glasses (Image credit: Xreal)

You can read more in my dedicated Xreal One review, but long story short the glasses offer top-notch visuals while the Beam Pro is a handy Android-powered smartphone-like you can connect the glasses to.

The Beam Pro is the star of the show, thanks to its ability to access a plethora of popular streaming services that I can download content from ahead of time. Plus, it acts as a handy alternative to my smartphone, but one which I don't mind completely draining the charge from.

And when it does run low on juice it has a second USB-C port dedicated to recharging the device even while it's being used for XR experiences.

I also love how small these AR glasses are.

Even when I'm travelling light, with just a single carry-on, I can always find space for the slim glasses’ carry-case and Beam Pro – even if I have to rely on my trouser and jacket pockets as a last resort.

Lastly, these specs feel especially handy for flights, as they allow you to cut yourself off a little more from the aircraft.

The in-flight screen is fine, but can't compete (Image credit: Future / Hamish Hector)

You can still spot flight attendants as they walk past, thanks to the translucent outer lenses, but they make it a little easier to forget you’re flying compared to using the screen on the back of the seat in front of you.

Ideal for more nervous fliers.

Different realities

Of course VR headsets offer many of these benefits too.

For relaxation and entertainment they’re arguably even better, given the higher-resolution displays offered by many of the best VR headsets. However, the overall package of a VR headset is undeniably more inconvenient (as I discovered first-hand), thanks to their bulk and the fact that they’re more power hungry (which can add insult to injury if it not only takes up significant space in your bag, but also runs out of charge before you land).

That's why these entertainment-focused 3-degrees-of-freedom (3DoF) AR glasses are such a winner. They offer many of the same benefits and fewer disadvantages.

You don't need to pick up a pair of Xreal glasses either, if cost is a concern. The RayNeo Air 3S specs, which also feature on our best smart glasses list, are a superb and affordable option.

The RayNeo Air 3S glasses are a solid alternative (Image credit: Future)

So if you want an in-flight entertainment system that boasts a private home cinema-like experience, gives you more freedom over the shows and films you can relax with, is compact and easy to carry with you, and will help you forget you’re on an aircraft you need a pair of AR specs.

I'm never flying again without mine, and you won't want to either.

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• Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky just demoed an early Core 2 Duo watch on his new podcast
• The watch runs Pebble OS, although it's very obviously a prototype and is currently missing key features
• It's on track to ship in July, but Migicovsky warned that US customers will be impacted by tariffs

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky just unveiled his latest smartwatch, the Core 2 Duo, on the first episode of his new podcast.

At the moment it's still an in-development prototype, and Migicovsky showcased some of its functionality, as well as providing an update on its development, and sharing some disappointing news for US smartwatch fans regarding pricing.

You can see Migicovsky demonstrate the smartwatch prototype, currently being held together with tape at the back, in the video below.

Its low-power e-paper screen and use of buttons to move through menus is reminiscent of some of the best Garmin watches, like the solar Garmin Instinct 3 with a similar black-and-white, memory-in-pixel display reminiscent of old Game Boys.

The use of such a low-power screen reportedly allows the smartwatch to last much longer than its rivals, up to 30 days, which is impressive compared to even the best Apple Watch models' paltry 36 hours.

Watch the podcast here:

While features such as the real-time clock haven't yet been enabled, Pebble OS seems to work well, as Migicovsky uses the four-button system to navigate the device. He also shows off different community-made watch faces, many of them from Pebble's glory days.

"I have a watch face on right now which is just ridiculous, it's an octopus holding an ice cream, " he says. "Whenever I look down at my wrist, I just smile, that's something I really enjoy. I love having a device in my life that makes me feel happy."

Migicovsky also shows how Pebble OS works on-camera, guiding the viewer through how to access features like the smart alarm.

As well as software, he shows off or mentions hardware elements including the silicon strap, which seems very basic, and the charger, which is the same as the old Pebble chargers, except this version is a dongle adapter attached to a keychain, rather than a cable.

Pebble's tariff woes

(Image credit: Core Devices)

In the video, Migicovsky also goes into detail about shipping, stating that despite the watch's part-finished state, his company Core Devices is on track to ship in July.

However, there will be a squeeze for US customers, as the devices will be made (like most consumer tech goods) in China, meaning Donald Trump's tariffs will impact the final price. Fortunately, Migicovsky has a plan.

"For all non-US orders... we're going to ship directly from Asia, so your shipment won't be subject to the US tariffs.

"The US tariffs on China-made smartwatches are 27.5%. Our plan is for Core Devices to bulk-import all the shipments going to the US so we pay a tariff only on the cost to our factory. This means the additional cost for each shipment will be between $10-$25 more."

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• An early product listing suggests the Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU could arrive soon
• Meanwhile, AI has been firing flak at any modern GPU with 8GB of video RAM (which the RTX 5060 has)
• The suggestion is that 8GB of VRAM is like “bringing a butter knife to a gunfight”, and that reflects a broader sentiment online

A fresh clue suggests that, as the rumor mill already believes, Nvidia’s RTX 5060 graphics card packing 8GB of video RAM (VRAM), is close to launch now – but the feeling around modern GPUs with 8GB of VRAM has been underlined by a scathing AI summary on the subject.

I’ll return to that later; but first up, the hint that the RTX 5060 is about to emerge is the fact that US retailer Best Buy has listed a PNY variant of this graphics card on its site (as noticed by @momomo_us on X, via VideoCardz).

There’s no ‘buy’ button, of course, as the RTX 5060 isn’t released yet; you can only click to be notified when stock comes in. But the fact that the PNY board is there at all (and the listing is still live, at the time of writing) suggests that Best Buy is starting to get its house in order for this Nvidia GPU.

The PNY offering is priced at $299, by the way, the base list price, and the rumored release date for the RTX 5060 is May 19. It might seem a little early for retailer prep work based on that date, perhaps, but work goes on behind the scenes for a while before launch, and presumably that’s what has happened here – with an accidental airing of this particular listing. (There’s only the one RTX 5060 board listed, in case you were wondering).

Now onto the comment from AI, the agent in question being Grok (again on X). As Tom’s Hardware reported, denizen of X, PunmasterSTP, asked: “Hey Grok, how do you feel about 8 GB of VRAM in 2025?”

The reply came in no uncertain terms: “8GB of VRAM in 2025? Honestly, it’s like bringing a butter knife to a gunfight.” Check out the full exchange below, and note that the whole thing stemmed from an article about how the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB doesn’t perform up to scratch.

Hey @PunmasterStp, 8GB of VRAM in 2025? Honestly, it’s like bringing a butter knife to a gunfight. Modern AAA games are chomping through VRAM faster than a kid with a bag of candy—especially at 1440p or 4K with all those juicy high-res textures and ray tracing bells and whistles.…May 3, 2025

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Dean Drobot) Analysis: we should listen to Grok, and here’s why

The RTX 5060 Ti 8GB being weak sauce compared to the 16GB version of this graphics card has been a hot topic since these GPUs were launched by Nvidia. It’s clear enough going by various independent test runs that the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB is indeed underpowered in some respects – and so the worry is that the RTX 5060, which comes packing that same amount of VRAM, is going to suffer in the same way.

It’s a justified concern, especially given that Nvidia appears to have quietly pushed the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB into the background, while whistling nonchalantly. All the online sentiment railing against the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB appears to be approaching a critical mass, and that’s clearly shown by Grok’s ‘butter knife’ comment on X.

You may, of course, take the attitude of who cares what an AI thinks? Well, we should all care, because an AI doesn’t actually think, of course – not in a truly intelligent way. These aren’t independent virtual ‘thoughts’ but rather a huge swathe of opinions scraped off the web (from X, Reddit, and various other avenues) and then condensed into a reply.

So, what Grok’s saying reflects the broad opinions being aired across all those social forums (and wherever else the AI may have extended its data extracting tentacles), meaning this is a barometer of the overall feeling about 8GB of video RAM on a contemporary graphics card. In short, it just isn’t good enough anymore.

The potential saving grace for the RTX 5060 and its 8GB of memory modules is that it’s more temptingly priced than the RTX 5060 Ti with the same VRAM loadout. However, $300 (or the equivalent in your region) is still not a budget outlay, and if the memory on-board is a problem with certain games (and with particular graphics settings) already, what about next year, or further into the life of this GPU, when PC games become a good deal more demanding still?

I expect some level of future-proofing with a graphics card purchase, and doubtless so do you – and this is a definite worry, even for a more ‘affordable’ GPU. (I use the air quotes because let’s face it, $300 is still far from cheap, and as we know, third-party graphics cards inevitably end up selling for more than the list price with many models, anyway).

As Grok says later in its reply: “If you’re planning to game for the next few years without constantly tweaking settings down to potato mode, 8GB just ain’t gonna cut it.”

Obviously talking about ‘potato’ mode (a reference to the potato PC, slang for a horribly outdated and underpowered rig) is going a bit far, but it’s difficult to argue with the sentiment – and again, this is the broad feeling that Grok is summarizing from across the web.

Meanwhile, we’re left to wonder if AMD will also be launching an 8GB version of the rumored RX 9060 XT, another mid-range GPU expected to be revealed very soon. There have been suggestions that an 8GB flavor is coming, and equally that it isn’t.

The most recent gossip is that AMD does indeed have this inbound, but it might try to effectively sideline the 9060 XT 8GB graphics card, just like Nvidia has with the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB.

It feels like it’s possible that mid-range efforts with an 8GB loadout could be well and truly swept under the GPU rug as 2025 progresses, but we shall see.

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• Nintendo has updated the Switch eShop's discoverability to filter out cheap, "shovelware" games
• The eShop charts have been reworked to show how sales are calculated, ranking games based on revenue from sales in the past 72 hours instead
• The Best Sellers tab now shows games "with the highest sales for the past three days"

Nintendo has quietly updated the Nintendo Switch eShop and how charts work by filtering out cheap games and "slop".

This change comes from the most recent Switch system update in preparation for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch next month, but was overlooked due to the patch's other significant features.

As spotted by VGC, the eShop charts have been reworked to show how sales are calculated. Before the update, the digital storefront counted the number of games sold over the past 48 hours and ranked them in the charts, but now it ranks games based on revenue from sales in the past 72 hours instead.

In addition, before the update, the Best Sellers tab showed software titles "with the most downloads for the past two weeks", but it now shows games "with the highest sales for the past three days" (via GVG).

Nintendo has essentially altered how discoverability works on the eShop, including in the Current Offers tab, bringing its best-selling software to the forefront and filtering out "shovelware" games that were clogging up the store.

This change also means that cheap games that get churned out won't automatically make it to the top of the charts due to their low prices, prioritizing bigger, more popular titles.

However, it does seem that finding new indie games will be a little more difficult. The store's Discover tab primarily offers first-party Nintendo titles, while other tabs have been curated to what is popular, like full-priced AAA games, and what is selling the most.

In case you missed it, the Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5, 2025, for $449.99 / £395.99 or $499.99 / £429.99 for the Mario Kart World bundle.

UK pre-orders and US pre-orders are now live.

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• Rockstar has dropped a new Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer
• The cinematic trailer is captured on PS5 and offers a new look at Vice City and the game's main characters, Jason and Lucia
• The first plot details have also been revealed, centering Jason and Lucia "in the middle of a conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida

Rockstar Games has released the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6, offering a new look at Vice City and details about the game's dual protagonists, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos.

The new cinematic trailer arrives just after the game's recent delay and 17 months since the game was first announced. Captured on the PlayStation 5, the trailer opens up with Jason making his way through various sunny spots in Vice City before eventually picking up Lucia from prison.

In typical GTA fashion, things quickly get out of control as the pair find themselves caught up in a life of crime, accompanied by a host of colorful side characters.

We finally have a plot description, as well. It reads: "Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive."

The official GTA 6 website has also been updated with a ton of new images and artwork, as well as more insight into Jason and Lucia.

Jason is described as wanting an easy life and ended up working for local drug runners after some time in the army.

"Meeting Lucia could be the best or worst thing to ever happen to him," his character bio reads. "Jason knows how he'd like it to turn out but right now, it's hard to tell."

As for Lucia, she was taught by her father to fight from a young age, and landed herself in the Leonida Penitentiary after "fighting for her family".

"Sheer luck got her out. Lucia’s learned her lesson - only smart moves from here. More than anything, Lucia wants the good life her mom has dreamed of since their days in Liberty City - but instead of half-baked fantasies, Lucia is prepared to take matters into her own hands.

"Fresh out of prison and ready to change the odds in her favor, Lucia’s committed to her plan — no matter what it takes."

Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on May 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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Prime Video boasts a robust library of highly rated films from documentaries to action-thrillers, including the best Prime Video movies you can stream right now. However, not all of them are there to stay.

Amazon's streaming service doesn't have a convenient filter for which films are leaving soon, so we've done the work for you by pinpointing the best films on their way out. These are three of the most highly rated films leaving this week, all with over 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Food, Inc (2009)

• RT score: 95%
• Directors: Robert Kenner
• Age Rating: PG
• Length: 1 hr 33 min
• Leaving on: May 10

Food, Inc is an influential documentary about the problems with the food industry in the United States, including how our meat is produced and the modern methods they use to grow crops. Not to mention the huge corporations that try to hide the facts and bypass laws to maximize profit and the expense of our health.

Anyone who wants to learn more about how to make healthier, more sustainable, and more ethical choices should watch it before it leaves Prime Video. If you like it, you can even watch the 2024 sequel, Food, Inc 2.

Goon (2012)

• RT score: 81%
• Directors: Michael Dowse
• Age Rating: R
• Length: 1 hr 31 min
• Leaving on: May 10

Goon is supposed to be a feel-good comedy film, but there's some tough love thrown in the mix too. Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) works as a bouncer at a bar, but he feels bad about it because his dad and brother are super-smart doctors. He ends up being scouted to join a minor league hockey team and later hired to protect a former star player recovering from a traumatic injury.

It's a story about a misfit's rise to the top with the friends he makes along the way, finding himself as he does it. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants an entertaining film with an emotionally compelling story.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

• RT score: 94%
• Directors: Christopher McQuarrie
• Age Rating: PG-13
• Length: 2 hr 6 min
• Leaving on: May 12

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is the fifth Mission: Impossible movie and the sequel to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It introduces a completely new story following agent IMF Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) and his team working together to shut down organization of international rouges called the Syndicate.

That said, you don't need to know anything about the past Mission Impossible movies to enjoy this one. Returning characters act like they know each other and make references to past missions, but nothing that will throw off a new viewer. If you really want to dig into it, you can watch the rest of the Mission Impossible series on Prime Video. (They don't seem to be leaving soon, but some of them have limited-time labels.)

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• GlobalX airline used for deportation has website defaced
• Anonymous takes credit, saying it was "enforcing the judge's orders"
• US courts ordered the Trump administration to return some of the deported people back

The website of American airline company GlobalX was recently defaced, with the threat actors behind the attack claiming to have also stolen sensitive files.

The breach was reported by 404 Media after it spotted a message on the website’s homepage, apparently left by hackers calling themselves Anonymous.

“Anonymous has decided to enforce the Judge’s order since you and your sycophant staff ignore lawful orders that go against your fascist plans,” the message reads.

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GlobalX Air is one of the main airlines used by the Trump administration for this purpose, and during the attack, Anonymous allegedly stole flight records and passenger manifests for all customers, illegal immigrants included.

The group shared the information with some members of the media on their own initiative, 404 Media added, also saying that the info could be used to provide “granular insight into who exactly has been deported on GlobalX flights, when, and to where.”

When Anonymous said it was “enforcing the Judge’s order”, it was referring to multiple court rulings which confirmed that some of the people should not have been deported to El Salvador, and which ordered the Trump administration to bring those people back.

At press time, the website was no longer defaced and was showing the usual landing page.

Anonymous is not an organized hacking collective in the same sense as Conti, or Cl0p, for example. It is an informal group of hackers and hacktivists, who often plan their raids on anonymous forums (such as 4chan, for example) and target governments, corporations, and institutions they consider corrupt or oppressive.

Considering the message left on GlobalX, it seems the airline was targeted because of its involvement in the deportation of illegal aliens from the US into Venezuela and other countries. One of the agendas of the Trump administration is the deportation of people who illegally entered the US, especially those connected with gangs or who otherwise have criminal records.

Via 404 Media

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Stop whatever you are doing right now, a new trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 has literally just arrived.

Developed by Rockstar Games, GTA 6 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games of all time. The studio confirmed last week that the game will launch on May 26, 2026 - a delay on its previously announced 2025 release window.

"Grand Theft Auto 6 is now set to release on May 26, 2026," a statement released by the company read. "We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game."

It also provided a reason for the decision, stating that "With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto 6 is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve."

This latest trailer came out of the blue, and is presumably an attempt to help maintain all that hype now that we know the game is some time away.

You can watch it for yourself below, plus follow along for all the latest updates and my own analysis as it comes in.

Watch GTA 6 trailer 2 When does GTA 6 release?

Last week, Rockstar Games confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 will release on May 26, 2026.

What platforms will GTA 6 be on?

This latest trailer reaffirms the fact that Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

A new trailer is here!

(Image credit: Rockstar)

This is not a drill - the latest trailer for GTA 6 has arrived. It gives us an extended look at the upcoming open world game with loads of stunning in-engine footage.

Join me as I provide you with a steady stream of the latest updates surrounding this trailer drop, plus throw in some of my own analysis to explain some of the most interesting things that it shows.

The video's descriptions reveals details

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The description of the new trailer provides some interesting insight, namely through a shot plot summary that gives you a rough idea of what to expect from the story this time around.

"Vice City, USA," it reads. "Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive."

This, alongside dialogue in the trailer, finally confirms that the name of Lucia's partner is indeed Jason, something that has been rumored for some time.

The Rockstar website is down

Unsurprisingly, it seems that the Rockstar Games website is experiencing heavy traffic right now. It appears to be down, which is pretty frustrating as it was just updated with lots of juicy GTA 6 info.

Luckily, we managed to collect most of it before the website crashed - so hang tight for the details!

Our two 'heroes' revealed

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

So, on to what we can glean from the Rockstar website. One of the first things on the page is an introduction to our two protagonists - Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos.

Jason is described as an ex army soldier working for a local drug cartel. Meeting Lucia, his lover, "could be the best or worst thing to ever happen to him." It seems safe to assume that their relationship is going to be a central part of the game's story.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

As for Lucia, it seems like she's going to be a bit of a loose cannon. "Lucia's father taught her to fight as soon as she could walk," the site reads. She apparently just got out of prison and doesn't seem keen to return.

She's dreaming of a good life for her mother who, interestingly, hails from Liberty City - another prominent location in the Grand Theft Auto series.

The website says that she is "committed to her plan - no matter what it takes." What could this plan be? Presumably some kind of criminal enterprise. We'll just have to wait and see...

The game looks amazing on PS5

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Here's one little thing you might have missed.

The new GTA 6 trailer ends with confirmation that it was "captured on PS5." Although the majority of the scenes shown look like in-game cutscenes, it seems safe to assume that they are rendered in engine given the presence of this text.

This is great news, as it suggests that the final game will have a similar level of graphical fidelity to this trailer. Given just how incredibly life-like the entire trailer looks, we might soon have one of the best looking games of all time on our hands.

Do I see a PS5?

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

This trailer may have been captured on PS5, but that apparently hasn't stopped Rockstar Games from poking some fun at Sony's platform.

What appears to be a PS5 parody console is visible in one of the trailer's interior shots. Don't quote me on this, but I do actually quite like the look - maybe a bit more so than the real life PS5 Slim.

Love the song in the trailer?

One of the things I like most about the trailer is its music, the 1986 song Hot Together from the album of the same name by the Pointer Sisters.

It doesn't take much imagination to figure out why this particular song was chosen - with the lyrics "we could be so hot together" presumably meant to reflect to the partnership between Jason and Lucia.

You don't need to whip out Shazam if you want to hear the full song, as I've found it on YouTube above.

Side characters detailed

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The official website now also tells us about some of the side characters that we can expect to encounter in the game.

First up is Cal Hampton, a conspiracy theorist friend of Jason. From his description, it sounds like his laziness is going to be something of a contrast to Jason's own ambition.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

We've also got Boobie Ike (yes that is really his name). He's apparently a prominent figure in Vice City, owning real estate, a strip club, and a recording studio.

He is working in partnership with a "young aspiring music mogul" named Dre'Quan in a ventured called Only Raw Records. The duo are seemingly searching for the next big hit, which might prove an important plot thread in the full game.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

And now a little more on Dre'Quan Priest.

A drug dealer turns music producer, Dre'Quan is moving up in Vice City. He's just signed the Real Dimez, two young rappers that are massive on social media and could be his ticked to mainstream success.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The Real Dimez, Bae-Luxe and Roxy, are two long-time friends on the rise once again five years after their early hit single with a local rapper called DWNPLY.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The website also introduces us to Raul Bautista. An experienced bank robber, he is searching for new talent for some fresh bank jobs.

Raul could very well be part of the "plan" mentioned in Lucia's description. Will the story feature the pair robbing banks across Vice City for easy cash? It definitely seems likely, especially given the handful of shots showing what appears to be various robberies in the trailer.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The final character detailed on the website is Brian Heder, a "classic drug runner from the golden age of smuggling" currently living with his third wife Lori.

The site reveals that Brian is letting Jason live rent-free in exchange for helping with his local shakedowns. This explains one of the scenes we see early in the trailer, where Brian arrives at Jason's home to ask him to get him his checks - presumably cash from nearby businesses.

A fan favorite character returns?

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Fans on social media are currently speculating that the trailer might give us our first glimpse at a fan-favorite returning character.

Phil Cassidy, a prominent character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories might be coming back, as there is undeniably someone that looks an awful lot like him in the trailer.

We see a brief ad for a weapon store called Phil's Ammu-Nation, where the character is shown wearing a tank top with the store's logo on it.

Now this could, of course, be a completely unrelated Phil, but given how much Rockstar tends to bring back familiar faces in its games it seems safe to assume that it is a modern interpretation of Cassidy.

After briefly going back up, it looks like the Rockstar Website has buckled under the strain of eager fans booting it up to browse the latest details.

I'm currently seeing the following error message while trying to get it on screen:

"Access Denied You don't have permission to access "http://www.rockstargames.com/VI" on this server."

Hopefully the website will come back online soon!

The latest key art revealed

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The trailer went live alongside two new pieces of key art for the game. Both show Jason and Lucia together and are follow that iconic Grand Theft Auto stylized aesthetic.

Of the two, the one with both characters at a dock is definitely my favorite. It's bright, colorful, and really highlights the iconic summery vibe of the Vice City setting.

(Image credit: Rockstar Games) The Rockstar website is back!

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Great news everyone! After a shaky start, it looks like the Rockstar website is back online.

It's got a wealth of screenshots to browse, so I'd recommend heading over there now.

• Visit the Rockstar Games website

Five things we learned

(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

From our first hints at what the story could be about to a cast of officially confirmed characters, the trailer (and corresponding update to the Rockstar website) taught us an awful lot about GTA 6.

If you're online just tuning in to my coverage and want a concentrated run-down of all the biggest news, my colleague Freelance Writer Demi Williams has put together a list of the five biggest things that we now know.

You can read the full list below.

• Read more: Five things we learned from the latest Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer

• Google has released a video poking fun at the rumored iPhone 17 redesign
• As well as highlighting its similarities to the Pixel line, the video also highlights other Android features the iPhone has borrowed
• But Google has also been known to seemingly take inspiration from Apple

The biggest and most prevalent iPhone 17 series rumor we’ve heard so far is that these upcoming phones will sport a new, more Pixel-like design, and in a new video, Google has teased Apple about this potential design shake-up.

Posted by Google's Made by Google account on YouTube, the video comes as part of the company’s '#BestPhonesForever' series, which features a talking iPhone and a talking Pixel.

In the new clip, the two phones talk about the iPhone 17's big design rumor, as well as how the iPhone’s Night Mode landed a year after Pixel’s Night Sight, and how Clean Up on iPhone launched three years after Pixel’s similar Magic Eraser tool. The video also highlights widgets, which had been present on Android for many years before they first appeared on iOS. Check it out below:

It’s a funny video, but as the talking phones themselves say, this iPhone 17 redesign is just a rumor for now, so it may not happen.

Copying can be good

CAD mock-ups of the iPhone 17 series (Image credit: Majin Bu )

It seems likely that Apple's design shake-up will happen, though, given how many times it's been rumored. But even then, the rumored iPhone 17 series design isn’t that similar to the Pixel 9 Pro's.

Sure, it includes a horizontal camera bar running across the back (just like on a Pixel), but it’s positioned higher on the iPhone, and in the case of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, it’s also a lot bigger than on any Pixel 9 model.

And as for the other things the video highlighted as being copied from Pixel, well, they’re all just good ideas, so it benefits everyone if versions of them are available on a wider selection of phones.

Let’s not forget, too, that Google has also arguably copied Apple at times. For example, just last month, Android got an auto-reboot feature that we’d already seen on iPhones. But again, a good idea is a good idea, so tempting as it can be to poke fun, we don’t really have an issue with any of the above.

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In recent years, we have seen Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the enterprise evolve from having the potential to be transformational to becoming an increasingly central component of core business processes. McKinsey found that the number of companies using AI has risen from 55% to 72% between 2023 and 2024.

To prepare for AI transformation, many businesses have doubled down on improving their data practices. However, being data-savvy is not enough to deploy AI at scale. Businesses would, therefore, be unwise to see being “data ready” as the endgame in their preparations for AI adoption. Data readiness is just one phase in the AI journey and needs to be viewed as such.

AI, like every other technology, has strengths, shortfalls and optimum operating environments. Understanding this is the difference between being data-savvy and being truly ready to realize the full potential of AI. I call this ‘AI-savviness’. Strong data management is important, but becoming AI-savvy requires organizational leaders to think bigger.

Fostering a culture that encourages continuous learning, experimentation and a fundamental understanding of when AI is and is not the solution are all steps that must be taken to capitalize on AI’s transformative potential.

Becoming data-savvy

An organization can have strong data practices and not be AI-ready. But it can’t be AI-ready without strong data practices.

The necessity to establish this foundation is made clear by Gartner’s finding that a lack of AI-ready data blocks 63% of organizations undergoing AI projects. Businesses need to ensure they have frameworks with strong governance principles and accurate and high-quality data in place before pursuing AI transformation projects.

There is a growing demand among organizations for AI applications that function in real-time and, in the near future, all applications will have a live element, especially as models become more sophisticated. Leveraging hybrid pipelines results in outputs that are more accurate due to models learning, unlearning and thinking in real-time, but businesses need to future-proof and design data frameworks with this in mind now to avoid being forced to re-platform later.

Knowing when AI isn’t the solution

The AI hype and resulting explosion in demand and solutions is far outpacing that of any other recent technological breakthrough. While this is reflective of its potential within business, it encourages an AI arms race that has left many organizations feeling they have to adopt AI at any cost or risk falling to the wayside. This pressure often leads to poorly considered, ineffective investments.

Research suggests that global enterprise AI spending is set to rise by 5.7% in 2025 despite overall IT budgets only increasing by 2%, but blindly spending large amounts of money on new AI-powered applications is not enough to prime a business’s estate for AI.

When businesses fall into this trap, they enter the “trough of disillusionment" as their high expectations go unmet. This is made worse by the chasm that currently exists in many organizations between what leaders want AI to be able to do and what it can actually do. Understanding that the most cutting-edge technology is not always the best solution is a sign of an AI-savvy business.

In a similar vein, once it is ascertained that AI is the answer, leaders must decide whether to buy or build. Building AI applications in-house gives organizations a higher level of control and more tailored outputs, but training and maintenance are complex and come with a high price tag. AI-savvy organizations fundamentally understand when custom-built capabilities are worth the extra expenditure and when more value can be extracted from buying a more generic off-the-shelf product.

Fostering a culture of experimentation

Beyond implementing an effective technology stack, leaders need to influence AI collaboration and innovation throughout their workforce, as this allows innovation and overall adoption to thrive. AI experimentation needs to be widely encouraged and reinforced as a central element of day-to-day work – and this has to come from the top.

Leaders should also practice what they preach with forward-thinking decisions that drive forward their company’s AI strategy. In the past, the fear of making incorrect decisions has guided executives. But in a business world where innovation is so closely aligned to competitive advantage, delaying AI decisions presents an even higher risk.

Employee buy-in is another essential feature of an AI-savvy business. Without it, even the most advanced and efficient AI tools become obsolete. To achieve and maintain buy-in, consistent use and ultimate return on investment, leaders need to build trust in the tools among the workforce.

The starting point for this is ensuring that the systems employees interact with consistently deliver accurate outputs. Otherwise, they will become frustrated with technology that doesn’t work as it should and become disillusioned and disengaged.

Instilling AI confidence in employees

Blind investment and faith in AI is not a comprehensive strategy, and no matter how advanced the tools, the workforce needs to know how to use them for maximum impact. Continuous training and education, therefore, need to be part of the package for AI tools to succeed.

When employees feel confident in their ability to use AI tools and applications, they will be more confident in experimenting with what AI-savviness means to them in their role and share discoveries and new use cases with their team, feeding into the culture of collaboration and creativity that defines an AI-savvy business.

Reaching AI savviness

At its core, being AI-savvy means avoiding the lure of the next big technology and instead nurturing a culture that emphasizes AI education, thoughtful procurement and decisive implementation practices. It also means remaining dynamic and adapting to changes as the AI wave continues to crest. Prioritizing proactive strategic thinking, strong data foundations and an open environment that fosters creativity and innovation creates a fertile environment for exciting and effective AI use as the technology develops.

We've featured the best AI phone.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, May 6 (game #1198).

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 #1199) - hint #1 - Vowels How 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 #1199) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

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

Quordle today (game #1199) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1199) - 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 #1199) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• Q

• T

• B

• N

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

Quordle today (game #1199) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1199, are…

• QUOTH
• TRUNK
• BESET
• NAIVE

I’m really pleased that I got four correct guesses today, although I must admit that I was completely stumped after my first word.

Despite having four letters, I couldn’t make any words from U, O, T, and H with the letters I had remaining. QUOTH sounded like a past tense of quote so I went with that, but it was a shot in the dark.

The final three were a case of first-thought-best-thought, although with BESET I started typing in RESET before remembering I’d already used the R.

Happy days.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1198) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1199, are…

• FOLIO
• BEZEL
• TRUTH
• INBOX

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1198, Tuesday, 6 May: UNITE, SOGGY, FILET, PORCH
• Quordle #1197, Monday, 5 May: WREAK, COWER, STEAD, QUEUE
• Quordle #1196, Sunday, 4 May: PINCH, SMOKE, SCARY, CANNY
• Quordle #1195, Saturday, 3 May: PLUSH, VERGE, WROTE, CONDO
• Quordle #1194, Friday, 2 May: CAUSE, RISEN, MACAW, SMELT
• Quordle #1193, Thursday, 1 May: IDIOM, EXILE, SPOOF, DRAPE
• Quordle #1192, Wednesday, 30 April: BATON, TORSO, ANNEX, DROWN
• Quordle #1191, Tuesday, 29 April: HOVER, HENCE, OCTAL, COPSE
• Quordle #1190, Monday, 28 April: JAUNT, ALLOW, FRUIT, BURNT
• Quordle #1189, Sunday, 27 April: PRIOR, YOUTH, CREDO, CHIDE
• Quordle #1188, Saturday, 26 April: LINGO, LOCUS, THROW, CLICK
• Quordle #1187, Friday, 25 April: SHALT, WRATH, MAMBO, HUMPH
• Quordle #1186, Thursday, 24 April: CHOKE, COLOR, FRAME, CAIRN
• Quordle #1185, Wednesday, 23 April: VALET, PUPAL, CREEP, DRIFT
• Quordle #1184, Tuesday, 22 April: POUTY, CHEST, BROOM, TEPEE
• Quordle #1183, Monday, 21 April: SHARD, PRINT, SUMAC, LEACH
• Quordle #1182, Sunday, 20 April: DINER, HORDE, SHONE, FUGUE
• Quordle #1181, Saturday, 19 April: GRADE, LAUGH, RAINY, EXULT
• Quordle #1180, Friday, 18 April: DEBUT, GLADE, BASTE, PESTO
• Quordle #1179, Thursday, 17 April: SPRAY, RAMEN, SHELF, COURT

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 Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Tuesday, May 6 (game #695).

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 #696) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• CHORAL
• CUPS
• KNIT
• SAVE
• RECOVER
• PURL
• BUT
• QUARTS
• SWORDS
• BESIDES
• MEND
• PENTACLES
• OPEL
• HEAL
• WANDS
• EXCEPT

NYT Connections today (game #696) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Without
• GREEN: Improving after accident
• BLUE: In magic pack of of cards
• PURPLE: Sounds precious

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 #696) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: NOT INCLUDING 
• GREEN: GET BETTER, AS A BROKEN BONE 
• BLUE: TAROT MINOR ARCANA SUITS 
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF GEMSTONES 

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

NYT Connections today (game #696) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #696, are…

• YELLOW: NOT INCLUDING BESIDES, BUT, EXCEPT, SAVE
• GREEN: GET BETTER, AS A BROKEN BONE HEAL, KNIT, MEND, RECOVER
• BLUE: TAROT MINOR ARCANA SUITS CUPS, PENTACLES, SWORDS, WANDS
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF GEMSTONES CHORAL, OPEL, PURL, QUARTS

• My rating: Hard
• My score: Fail

Today’s round of Connections was incredibly hard, so congratulations to anyone who got it.

The only group I managed to find was the easiest yellow one. Even with this I had uncertainty over including SAVE, which didn’t quite seem to match the other three words.

However, I completely floundered with the other three groups. I suspected that PENTACLES had something to do with witchcraft so I tried to conjure up some group with WANDS and assorted others.

Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of tarot cards at all, let alone the members of the MINOR ARCANA SUITS. This feels quite niche knowledge for a blue group.

My other blind alley was thinking that CUPS and QUARTS were in a measurements foursome and that there were some knitting terms beyond KNIT and PERL.

An all-round disaster. Hope you did better.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Tuesday, May 6, game #695)

• YELLOW: SILENCE CALM, HUSH, PEACE, STILL
• GREEN: TENNIS COMPETITION UNITS GAME, MATCH, SET, TOURNAMENT
• BLUE: COMPARATIVELY SMALL BABY, COMPACT, MINUTE, TOY
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "TEASE" KIDNEY, MOCKINGBIRD, RAZZMATAZZ, RIBBON

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.

• Microsoft security blog warns Kubernetes users about Helm charts with default settings
• These settings often come with open ports, weak credentials, and other risks
• Microsoft is urging Kubernetes users to review their settings

Kubernetes Helm charts can expose data without users ever knowing, Microsoft security researchers have warned, urging Kubernetes users to be careful and review the default configuration of their Helm charts.

Kubernetes is an open source platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Helm, on the other hand, is a package manager that simplifies the deployment and management of applications on Kubernetes using pre-configured templates called charts.

It allows users to define, install, and upgrade complex Kubernetes applications with minimal manual configuration.

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​Keeper is a cybersecurity platform primarily known for its password manager and digital vault, designed to help individuals, families, and businesses securely store and manage passwords, sensitive files, and other private data.

It uses zero-knowledge encryption and offers features like two-factor authentication, dark web monitoring, secure file storage, and breach alerts to protect against cyber threats.

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Default configurations

In a new blog post, titled “The risk of default configuration: How out-of-the-box helm charts can breach your cluster,” authors Michael Katchinskiy, and Yossi Weizman argued that in many cases, Helm charts require no authentication, keep certain ports open, and use easy-to-guess, or hardcoded passwords.

This happens when Helm charts are deployed with default settings, which is often the case with inexperienced cloud users.

"Default configurations that lack proper security controls create a severe security threat," the blog reads. "Without carefully reviewing the YAML manifests and Helm charts, organizations may unknowingly deploy services lacking any form of protection, leaving them fully exposed to attackers."

Katchinskiy and Weizman added that the risk is “particularly concerning” when the deployed apps can query sensitive API, or allow administrative actions.”

They singled out three cases where Helm charts put entire Kubernetes environments at risk - Apache Pinot, Meshery, and Selenium Grid.

The best way to mitigate the risk is to be careful when deploying Helm, not use default configurations, and evaluate the setup from a security perspective to make sure it includes authentication and network isolation.

Furthermore, Microsoft recommends users run regular scans for misconfigurations that can expose interfaces to the public, and keep a close eye on containers for unwarranted activity.

Via BleepingComputer

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• The new Backbone Pro mobile controller has been revealed
• It comes with full-size thumbsticks and remappable rear inputs
• It also has a unique wireless connectivity feature and up to 40 hours of battery life

Gaming peripheral maker Backbone has revealed the Backbone Pro, an all-new mobile controller.

The Backbone Pro is effectively a chunkier version of the existing Backbone One, but it is packed with additional features. This includes the incorporation of full-size thumbsticks and remappable rear buttons.

You will be able to remap every single button in the compatible Backbone app, creating tailored control profiles for your favorite games. The app has also been updated with new features, including an in-built retro game emulator.

Where the Backbone Pro sets itself apart from some of the best mobile controllers is in its unique wireless mode. In addition to the standard USB Type-C connector, the controller can be linked to phones, tablets, laptops, VR headsets, and smart TVs via Bluetooth.

According to the company, its FlowState Technology will allow the Backbone app to remember previous paired devices and switch between them with a tap.

In wireless mode, it offers up to 40 hours of play on a single charge.

Overall, it looks like a pretty formidable upgrade compared to the Backbone One. I'm a huge fan of the full-size thumbsticks of mobile controllers like the Razer Kishi Ultra, so I think that it could be a real game-changer here.

My only complaint is that the Backbone Pro does not appear to use Hall effect thumbsticks, which are highly regarded for their durability and accuracy and are found on much cheaper offerings from brands like GameSir.

The thumbsticks of the Backbone Pro do at least have anti-friction rings, which should help reduce the chance of wear.

The Backbone Pro is available today via the Backbone website, though official pricing is to be confirmed.

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Rumors regarding a new Surface lineup from Microsoft have run rampant, with hints that much smaller and thinner renditions of the Copilot+ laptops were in the works.

This comes after Microsoft's Surface Laptop and Surface Pro 2024 models, providing exceptional battery life thanks to their Snapdragon processors and great portability.

Well, it turns out those rumors were indeed correct. Microsoft has announced two brand-new Surface devices: the Surface Laptop 13-inch and the Surface Pro 12-inch. Both are built to deliver even more impressive performance across the board, but ahead, we're breaking down the four key takeaways you'll want to know about them.

(Image credit: Microsoft) The 13-inch model is the lightest and thinnest Surface Laptop ever

Microsoft's new Surface Laptop 13-inch will be the 'lightest, most portable Surface Laptop ever', thanks to its ultrathin design and 13-inch touchscreen display. It will come in three different color variations – Ocean, Violet, and Platinum – to suit your preferred style.

It weighs just 2.7 lbs, which is an impressive 1.22kg, compared to 2024's 15-inch model, which weighed in at 3.67 lbs (1.66kg). Most importantly, this means portability is the new Surface Laptop's highlight, ensuring you can take your device with you anywhere you go and pack it in most backpacks. It's also an improvement over 2024's 13.8-inch model.

This includes USB-C connectivity that supports fast charging, DisplayPort 1.4a, and up to two 4K monitors at 60Hz refresh rates.

The new Surface Pro will have a 12-inch display, ideal for its 2-in-1 design, providing a pleasant laptop and tablet experience. That will also make it slightly slimmer than the previous 13-inch size.

It's also worth noting that there is no mention of an OLED model yet, and the new Surface Pro 12-inch Keyboard is sold separately.

(Image credit: Microsoft) Surface Laptop 13-inch is '50% faster' than the Surface Laptop 5, competing with Apple's MacBook Air M3

Using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus processor, Microsoft claims the Surface Laptop 13-inch is '50% faster' than its previous Surface Laptop 5, which Intel's 12th Gen processors powered. This will be the 8-core processor instead of the 10-core variant, which is enough to provide powerful performance in AI-intensive tasks with 45 NPU tops.

Microsoft also mentions it's faster than Apple's MacBook Air M3, and based on benchmarks, the Snapdragon X Plus wins in multi-core processing over Apple's M-based chip. We'll need to see how this competes with Apple's latest M4 chipset, though.

The Surface Pro 12-inch will also use the same configuration, keeping your productivity at its best on the go, thanks to its high speeds.

It's a different move from the previous Laptop and Pro models, as both came with X Plus and X Elite configurations. Even so, it's a reasonable compromise, as you'll see.

(Image credit: Microsoft) Improved battery life for both devices

Unsurprisingly, the new Surface Laptop 13-inch provides the longest and best battery life out of all Surface devices, with a promise of up to 23 hours of usage (local video playback). This is an upgrade from the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) 13.8-inch model's 20 hours and the 15-inch's 22 hours, almost giving a total of 24 hours of usage.

The same applies to the new Surface Pro 12-inch, as Microsoft claims it provides up to 16 hours of usage, a decent leap over the previous 14 hours.

We'll have to see real-world tests for both devices to gain an accurate insight, but this is great for anyone who needs extra power to stay locked into productivity on the go.

It seems that Microsoft has omitted the X Elite configurations to preserve battery life, which is great because the X Plus is still a powerful chip, and staying zoned into work that extra bit longer has an advantage.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors are among the most efficient available, providing great performance without draining too much battery. The Surface laptops have been a testament to that, and Microsoft is showing it again with the new models.

(Image credit: Microsoft) The Surface Laptop 13-inch and Surface Pro 12-inch are much cheaper than their predecessors

Perhaps the biggest highlight beyond the smaller designs and battery life is pricing. The Surface Laptop 13-inch starts at $899, while the Surface Pro 12-inch starts at $799. These are huge price drops from their previous models, which both start at $1,099.

Microsoft's plan is clear; affordability is key, and it's kept prices within a reasonable range considering the presence of the Snapdragon X Plus chip. This will effectively help consumers get their hands on the new Surface Laptop, which is said to outperform its predecessors in the battery life department.

Both Copilot+ PCs are available to pre-order now and will be available in select markets on May 20. We're waiting for Microsoft to confirm pricing in the UK and Australia.

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• YouTube is trialling a two-person subscription
• It costs less than two individual subscriptions, and less than a family plan
• It's currently available in France, Taiwan, India and Hong Kong

YouTube is currently piloting a two-person YouTube Premium membership in select countries that allows a two people to split a subscription without going all-in on a family plan.

Much like Spotify Duo, YouTube’s two-person tier allows two people who live together to split a subscription at a cost that’s lower than if both subscribed separately, and also cheaper than a full family plan.

YouTube told TechCrunch that it’s part of the company’s experiments looking into “new ways to provide greater flexibility and value to our YouTube Premium subscribers.”

For example, in France, one of the test countries, an individual plan costs €12.99 per month and a family plan is €23.99, while a two-person plan is €19.99.

(Image credit: YouTube)

Based on these prices we’d expect a US-based duo plan to cost perhaps $18.99 (so maybe £16.99 or AU$26.99), though we’ll have to see if YouTube deems the test a success or not.

If you want to try this two-person subscription sooner rather than later you’ll need to live in India, France, Taiwan or Hong Kong.

Otherwise you’ll want to consider splitting a family plan or opting for another of YouTube’s cost-cutting experiments, YouTube Lite. That plan just rolled out in the US and it costs $7.99 per month – compared to $13.99 per month for a full plan.

It allows you to watch "most" videos ad-free but doesn’t include ad-free music videos, YouTube Music access, or offline background play. So it’s ideal if you want YouTube Premium but already have access to a music streaming service.

YouTube Premium still feels pricey (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Duo sounds perfect for me and my partner, as while we use a fair few streaming services, the one we both rely on most is YouTube.

I had thought about snagging a Premium plan for a while, but an individual account each is way too much, and a family plan feels like overkill. But I’m still not sure I’m ready to pay for YouTube.

While the ads have gotten worse, they are (generally) far from unbearable in my experience, and certainly not so bad that I’d consider jumping from paying nothing to paying $13.99 / £12.99 / AU$16.99 a month – or even splitting a duo plan.

The biggest advantage would be offline video, but I can only see that being essential when I’m on a flight – which has been a few times so far this year, but not enough to warrant paying every month.

To that end I’m waiting for something truly essential from YouTube Premium that elevates the experience above simply being ad-free. As tempting as duo plan is, it’s not yet enough to seal the deal for me.

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