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The latest iPhone software update patches a few bugs that might be actively exploited.

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One of the big questions Apple fans have before the launch of each new iPhone range concerns what size the screens will be. 

It should be a simple matter - after all, two generations of ‘mini’ handsets aside, numbered iPhones have come in two sizes since 2020: 6.1 inches for the basic model and the standard Pro, and 6.7 inches for the Plus and Pro Maxes.

Will that change for the iPhone 15 series? We're still a few months away from the likely release of the new handsets in September, and we certainly don't expect any hints at next week's WWDC 2023, but we can make an informed guess based on what the rumor mill is already saying.

So, here’s everything we know so far about iPhone 15 screen sizes, plus some details about other screen enhancements to look out for, and possible hints around what might happen with the iPhone 16 series.

iPhone 15 screens: Rumored sizes

When it comes to the iPhone 15 family’s screen sizes, it looks like Apple is sticking to the mantra: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 

That means we're unlikely to see the first size change since the iPhone 12 launch increased the displays from 5.8 and 6.5 inches respectively, which is something of a shame albeit not exactly unexpected.

Though we don't have anything official yet from Apple on this front - it never reveals anything in advance - we do have an increasing number of rumors that point to the iPhone 15 range's screens staying as they are. 

The first hint in this regard came from leaker ShrimpApplePro back in January, who claimed that the models will all have the same display sizes as the iPhone 14 range.

Well I have the result for the display design of the iPhone 15 series. - all iPhone 15 series will have the same display sizes as iPhone 14 series- pro 15 will have thinner bezels with curve edges, display is still flat tho, only the bezels is curveJanuary 21, 2023

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Indeed, recent iPhone 15 dummy mockups, built from specifications supposedly sent to case makers, show four iPhone 15 models which look identical to the current lineup in terms of size. That is to say, there are two 6.1-inch models (iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro) and two 6.7-inch versions (iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max).

Yes, the latter could ultimately be called the iPhone 15 Ultra and the Plus is a bit of a surprise given it’s reportedly struggled to sell, but there we are. 

It’s also worth noting that the bezels on the Pro models look thinner than ever, so it’s possible there will be slightly more screen to enjoy with the same footprint - but we’re talking barely perceptible margins here.

iPhone 15 screens: Other improvements

That said, just because the sizes are the same, doesn’t mean the specifications are identical. Specifically, there are two possible upgrades to look out for.

The first is for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, which are set to get Dynamic Island - currently an iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max exclusive. 

(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

For those unfamiliar with the Dynamic Island, it replaces the notch with a cutout at the top of the screen, which can virtually expand to fill with notifications, in-app information and even the occasional game. It’s a neat way of making previously dead space seem useful.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra could get the brightest screen yet seen on an iPhone. That’s according to the aforementioned leaker ShrimpApplePro, who claims that Samsung’s next-generation panel - which reportedly can hit 2,500 nits of brightness - could be coming to the top-end iPhone this September.

Potentially will be on iPhone 15 Pro Max… https://t.co/PgCMBDF61KFebruary 7, 2023

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For reference, Apple says that the iPhone 14 Pro is capable of reaching 2,000 nits - so a reasonable upgrade.

Otherwise, we’re expecting more of the same, right down to the Pro divide over refresh rates. There’s no expectation that the regular iPhone 15 will match the Pro models’ ProMotion120Hz refresh rate, and it’s likely to stay at 60Hz.

Want bigger? Wait until next year

So if you want something bigger, should you be looking to the best Android phones for inspiration instead? 

Well, maybe - but if you can wait, 2024’s iPhone 16 Pro handsets (but not the vanilla versions) could well give you something more substantial in the hand.

A number of the world’s most reliable Apple leakers are now coalescing around the idea that next year’s Pro handsets will be larger than any iPhones Apple has released to date, even if they don’t agree on the exact sizing.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo kicked things off by saying the iPhone 16 Pro models will be “slightly larger” than what’s currently available. Then, display analyst Ross Young put some numbers on the table, suggesting we can expect the iPhone 16 Pro to be 6.2 inches and the Pro Max to be 6.8 inches.

Apple is working on two Pro modelsfor the iPhone 16 series, with increased display panel sizes (the actual display area is a bit smaller):D93 - 6.3”D94 - 6.9”Both models are set to feature the new periscope lens, unlike the 15 lineup where it’s restricted to the Pro Max.May 16, 2023

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Unknownz21 went even larger, saying the handsets will be 6.3 and 6.9 inches. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, meanwhile, seems to agree with this larger estimate, saying that the iPhone 16 Pro models will grow by “a couple tenths of an inch diagonally”.

How much of this will actually be felt in the hand, and how much will be absorbed in the space vacated by ever-shrinking bezels remains to be seen. But if you like your screens big and can’t think of a life beyond iOS, then it might be worth waiting for September 2024.

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These budget-friendly smart home gadgets can help you simplify things around the house.

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Google has quietly ended support for its first-generation Chromecast dongle, capping off a nearly decade-long run (it missed the mark by a couple of months).

If you check out the firmware release notes on the Chromecast Help website, you’ll notice the last update was on April 27. It’s been a while since the company pulled the plug, but no one noticed until very recently. At the bottom of the page, you’ll see a notice stating old Chromecasts will “no longer receive software or security updates” nor will Google provide any sort of “technical support”. Because there won’t be any more patches moving forward,  people “may notice a degradation in performance” over time, although some would argue the dip in quality has been around for a while now.

Several comments from users on the Chromecast subreddit, for example, mention how they haven’t used their devices in years due to how slow it became. It is worth pointing out that the last major firmware patch for the original Chromecast was back in November 2022, which “itself was the first update in over three years”, according to 9to5 Google. It appears this end-of-service move was in the works for quite a while.

Upgrading

For those who have an old Chromecast, we strongly recommend recycling the dongle instead of throwing it away. E-waste is a major problem after all, and it doesn’t do anybody any good stuffing old gadgets in a drawer or attic. Google has a recycling program for unwanted hardware. The company will send you a free shipping label that you can slap on a box to then send the device back. Once received, the Chromecast will be “recycled responsibly.” Or you can hop on Google Maps to find a local recycler.

If you still want a Chromecast, there are several options available. You can buy the third generation Chromecast from 2018 to give your TV access to several streaming platforms like Netflix in 1080p resolution (1920x1080 pixels). Prices for the latest model average around $40/£32/$60 AUD so it has gone up from its initial cost at launch, but it is still pretty cheap. We also recommend the slightly more expensive Chromecast with Google TV which supports 4K resolution as well as the Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus formats to ensure an optimal stream.

Be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the six new Netflix originals coming in June that you should definitely watch on your Chromecast. The sixth season of Black Mirror is releasing very, very soon. 

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It seems that AMD might have a leg up against its long-standing competitor Nvidia in the mid-range graphics card battle, according to the latest reports from the rumor mill.

Both AMD and Nvidia released their mid-range offerings, the AMD RX 7600 and the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, respectively, around the same time. But according to our own reviews, AMD’s card is a much better value than Nvidia’s, and it seems like sales are reflecting that. Retailer leaks reported by PCGamesN state that despite both manufacturers supplying roughly the same amount of card stock, the 4060 Ti has sold only 1/10 of its stock, while the RX 7600 may have actually sold out in some locations.

Some choice quotes from these retailers called the RTX 4060 Ti launch “the worst I’ve seen in memory,” and another “We aren’t actually having any trouble moving 7600 stock. 4060 Ti’s a different story…” Also, a report from Wccftech seems to confirm the poor sales of the 4060 Ti from markets that normally do well for PC gaming. 

The Q1 earnings reports also confirm that AMD’s gaming revenue nearly matched Nvidia, which is a pretty huge deal considering that Team Green usually sets the pace for sales versus Team Red.

This could be bad for Nvidia

If these rumors are to be trusted, then this should be a warning sign for Nvidia. The fact that AMD, which hasn’t released a card since the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT launched in 2022, seemingly is so thoroughly ahead could bode poorly for its rival's performance in the mid-range PC gaming graphics card market.

This could be especially bad as PCGamesN also stated that an ad in board partner revealed that Nvidia is “betting hard on the 4060.” If sales are already disappointing for the 4060 Ti, imagine how bad they could be if the vanilla 4060 launches at an MSRP of $299, which is still higher than the RX 7600’s more reasonable price of $269 (about £215 / AU$405).

Thanks to factors like card scarcity in the previous gen due to chip shortages from the global Covid-19 pandemic, a rise in value for cryptocurrencies, and the current cost of living crisis, buyers are looking more for affordability rather than meager gains in power when it comes to replacing older graphics cards.

That’s why Nvidia needs to step up to the plate and offer the kinds of graphics cards that its market is clearly leaning towards, including a true budget option that could properly undercut AMD.

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Who has the best internet in Michigan? Well, that will depend on where you live and what you're looking for.

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Ayaneo recently announced the Ayaneo 2S, the refresh of its previous PC gaming handhelds, during a livestream. And now the Chinese company has debuted its portable machine through crowdfunding, looking to fully fund its production.

The Ayaneo 2S Indiegogo campaign has already earned $320,460 out of its initial $6,640 goal, which puts it nearly 5,000% over its goal. According to previously released information, the handheld uses an AMD Ryzen 7840U chip, the same as the Asus ROG Ally’s own Z1 Extreme CPU. 

But what’s new is another model that’s part of the same crowdfunding campaign, the Ayaneo Geek 1S. This one has a 7-inch 1280 x 800 pixel IPS LCD display, either 16GB or 32GB of RAM, and 512GB or 2TB of storage. And the 2S version has a 1920 x 1200 pixel display, 16GB to 64GB of RAM, 512GB to 4TB of storage, better controls, superior motion controls, and more.

Both versions have special crowdfunding exclusive price tags: the Ayaneo Geek 1S is currently $700 while the Ayaneo 2S is $949. Once both models hit retailers, depending on the configuration you select (and there are plenty of options) the highest MSRP for the 2S will be $1,999 while the Geek 1S will reach as high as $1,299.

Ayaneo needs to reconsider pricing

While the Ayaneo 2S specs sound incredible and the fact that you can configure it in so many ways is quite appealing, the pricing is a big issue. It was also an issue with the Asus ROG Ally before official pricing was confirmed to be thankfully lower than $800. 

But as I pointed out before, gamers will simply not purchase any gaming console they deem too expensive and this has been shown repeatedly in the past to be true. Couple that with the cost of living crisis that’s negatively affecting laptop and PC sales, and you have a recipe for disaster if a gaming handheld is too costly.

And that’s exactly the issue here: most configurations are extremely expensive, more so than many lower-cost gaming laptops and PCs. Even the crowdfunding exclusive prices are rather high. If Ayaneo wants to be competitive with the ROG Ally, Steam Deck, and Nintendo Switch, it needs to rethink its current pricing model. 

Because it’s guaranteed that will seriously harm sales, which would be a shame considering how well-designed this handheld appears to be.

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Like Apple’s FaceTime, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams before it, WhatsApp may soon allow its users to share their screen with others during a video call.

This info comes from WABetaInfo who discovered the upcoming feature after digging through the files of the latest Android beta. According to a recent report, a new icon is set to appear at the bottom of a video call in the call control view. Tapping it will “share your screen” with the other person and “everything displayed… will be recorded”. Of course, you can end the transmission at any time by revoking permission.

There are some requirements that must be met first before anyone can try out screen-sharing. WABetaInfo states the “feature may be unavailable on old versions of Android”, plus the recipient cannot have “an outdated version of WhatsApp.” It’s also possible screen-sharing will not work in large group calls. It’s hard to say for sure what exactly are the limitations for this update since it hasn’t even been officially released. Recall that this is only a beta so there’s still some work left to be done.

If you want to try out screen-sharing yourself, you’ll need to first join the Google Play Beta Program and then install the beta from the platform. Screen-sharing is only available to a few testers at this point, but it will be rolling out to more people “over the coming days.”

(Image credit: WABetaInfo)

iOS changes

It’s unknown if this feature will make its way to iPhones, especially since FaceTime with screen-sharing already exists (although it is possible). What is arriving to WhatsApp on iOS is Companion Mode, which will allow people to link their account on up to “four devices simultaneously” while “maintaining the same level of privacy”. Meta hasn't made a formal announcement of the new mode, but WABetaInfo does say the patch is officially available from the App Store. 

Connecting phones seems pretty simple from the looks of it. All you have to do is scan a QR Code on one iPhone with WhatsApp open on the other iOS device you want to link. “Chat history will safely be synchronized across” all connected smartphones. Similar to screen-sharing on Android, Companion Mode may not be available upon download; however, the changelog on the App Store listing states the update will release “over the coming weeks.” Be sure to keep an eye out for the patch once it reaches you.

All throughout May, Meta has been pumping out WhatsApp updates like they’re going out of style. It’s been a pretty active month for the platform. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s coverage of these other changes like message editing and the new Chat Lock. 

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The Asus ROG Ally, the company’s PC gaming handheld, has some impressive specs including an AMD Ryzen Z1 CPU, an XG mobile GPU, and a gorgeous 1080p display. However, its actual performance hasn’t been indicative of what it’s theoretically capable of, until now.

A new set of firmware and driver updates has increased gaming performance by up to 20%, a huge improvement over its launch results. According to YouTuber Dave2D, and reported on by PCGamesN, several of the best PC games saw an immediate increase in framerate after the updates were installed. 

For instance, Red Dead Redemption 2 ran at 41 fps at 720p before, and after it reached an impressive 60 fps. Similarly, Forza Horizon 5 jumped from 45fps to 59fps. However, not every game saw a massive increase, like Cyberpunk 2077, which only went up by 2 fps.

Asus, do better

These are certainly very impressive results from a simple series of firmware and driver updates, better showcasing how powerful the ROG Ally’s specs are. But taking a closer look at what these updates entail and what they don’t, there are still some hang-ups with the handheld.

First, the comparisons were done in 720p resolution, which is quite good but still not taking advantage of the 1080p display that the ROG Ally sports. Not to mention that the framerate would most definitely tank for the before and after results if testing was conducted at the higher framerate. This was also something already pointed out in a Tom’s Guide review of the portable.

Second, even if these results were the same across the resolution board, it doesn’t change the fact that this is how the Asus ROG Ally should have launched. Depending on the model, you’re currently paying $700 for this system (with the cheaper version coming out later this year), which is being sold as having high-end specs that result in superior performance. But the fact that you even need updates for it to approach these claims after the system was made available for pre-order is not a great sign.

Admittedly, it’s better that the updates are released before retail launch, but it still requires buyers to update their systems as soon as they receive them. The fact that the system was in development for at least five years means there should have been some kind of fixes before pre-order models had been shipped out to retailers.

Let’s hope Asus learns from this and does better for the next version of the ROG Ally, as it’s still a solid handheld with plenty of potential.

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The statement, signed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, says mitigating the risks of AI should be a global priority.

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints - now with added Daily Sequence answers! 

Yes, that's right: the makers of Quordle have a new game, which sees you complete four Wordle puzzles consecutively. The twist is that the letters you've already used on the first game are repeated on the second and so on. 

It's good fun, but also difficult - so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for Quordle and the Daily Sequence too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #491 and the answers to the Daily Sequence. 

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 #491) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #491) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 8.

Quordle today (game #491) - hint #3 - 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 #491) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 10.

Quordle today (game #491) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do 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 #491) - hint #6 - 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 2.

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 #491) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• C

• R

• B

• C

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

Quordle today (game #491) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #491, are…

• CADET
• RIPEN
• BREAD
• CREED

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #491) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #491, are…

• WHERE
• SILLY
• MASON
• CLUNG

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #490, Monday 29 May: ANNOY, ELECT, STALE, TURBO
• Quordle #489, Sunday 28 May: GULLY, RISEN, CHAFE, CHEAT
• Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN
• Quordle #487, Friday 26 May: LOATH, MEALY, BEGAN, REUSE
• Quordle #486, Thursday 25 May: ALARM, PAUSE, COLON, BURLY
• Quordle #485, Wednesday 24 May: WHINY, LUSTY, NOISE, BOOTH
• Quordle #484, Tuesday 23 May: WIDER, AWAIT, CROSS, MEATY
• Quordle #483, Monday 22 May: EAGLE, SLICK, SOLID, TAKEN
• Quordle #482, Sunday 21 May: DEVIL, EVOKE, GUISE, FUNNY
• Quordle #481, Saturday 20 May: LINGO, HOWDY, GRASP, THIRD
• Quordle #480, Friday 19 May: ARBOR, MEDAL, TRIAL, WOOZY
• Quordle #479, Thursday 18 May: ENNUI, SPRIG, LATER, SLUNK
• Quordle #478, Wednesday 17 May: SKIMP, GLEAN, PAYEE, BRAVO
• Quordle #477, Tuesday 16 May: HARRY, COLON, SHEAR, LARVA
• Quordle #476, Monday 15 May: ULCER, APNEA, CANDY, ADULT
• Quordle #475, Sunday 14 May: CLONE, SKUNK, SWEPT, SASSY
• Quordle #474, Saturday 13 May: TRACT, PREEN, BUDGE, SNARE
• Quordle #473, Friday 12 May: HONEY, CYNIC, DAUNT, CHIRP
• Quordle #472, Thursday 11 May: CRYPT, DUNCE, WHEEL, NOBLE
• Quordle #471, Wednesday 10 May: PRINT, VICAR, GAFFE, PLAIT
• Quordle #470, Tuesday 9 May: PROSE, MUNCH, PIVOT, CONDO
• Quordle #469, Monday 8 May: PUSHY, GRIPE, BLOAT, ASSET

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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MSI and Mercedez-AMG Motorspot have partnered together to create the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport edition gaming laptop, promising a seriously lux gaming laptop for PC gamers and motorsport fans alike.

The new laptop, which was unveiled at Computex 2023 along with a host of other MSI laptops, is the first laptop in a new partnership between the two brands that they hope will continue in the future.

"Mercedes-AMG Motorsport has established a reputation for developing high-performance race cars, while MSI is also renowned for producing cutting-edge hardware that delivers exceptional performance to gamers," Msi says. "Whether on the track or in the game, both drivers and gamers seek out the highest level of performance to achieve their goals and set new records."

The new laptop will feature the latest Intel 13th-generation Core i9-13900H processor, either an Nvidia RTX 4070 or RTX 4060 GPU, up to 64GB DDR5 memory, as well as a 4K OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 coverage, magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis, and other aesthetic features of that integrates both brands into a co-branded product.

The laptop will be incredibly thin and light, coming in at just 19.95mm and 1.99kg, which is really a feat considering that they will also pack in a 99WHr battery to make sure that you can actually take this laptop with you on the go and not run out of juice in like 5 minutes.

More MSI-Mercedes-AMG Motorsport products to come

While this laptop is certainly one that motorsport fans will dig, MSI says that this is the first product of what it hopes will be a long-term partnership.

"MSI and Mercedes-AMG Motorsport recently announced their long-term partnership and introduced their first collaborative product to motorsport fans and PC gamers around the world: the Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport laptop," the company said. "They have also promised that there will be more collaborative products in the future, and both logos will be visible both on the race track and in tech stores."

The price for the MSI Stealth 16 Mercedes-AMG Motorsport edition hasn't been announced yet, but I expect that it will be a fairly pricey item, going off the specs. Once we get a release date for it as well, hopefully we'll get some clarity on pricing and if we're lucky it won't be priced too high to put it out of reach of most motorsport fans. 

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Bryan Fury is the latest character to join the roster of Tekken 8, but his announcement was far from smooth sailing. Rather than being posted to social media as previous roster debuts have, the announcement for Fury was intended to launch as part of a tournament held over the weekend but resulted in the character being essentially announced twice. 

As reported by VCG, the original announcement for Fury’s debut was intended for launch during this weekend’s Combo Breaker fighting tournament, but the trailer hit an official Instagram account before intended and remained live for enough time for the content to begin circulating across social media and YouTube before it was eventually taken down from Instagram. 

In direct response to the leak, Tekken 8’s series director Katsuhiro Harada pointed the blame at Bandai Namco’s European arm in a now-deleted tweet, stating “That’s why I warned you years ago not to post on a timer. Well, I’m going home now, thanks! Ha ha ha.”

In addition, Tekken 8 producer Michael Murray also took to Twitter to apologize to those who saw the trailer in advance, alongside apologizing to the developers behind the creation of the trailer.

I apologize to the fans who saw that particular thing in not the way @Harada_TEKKEN and I had wanted it to happen. I feel bad for all you guys and also the dev team who gave up weekends to work on it :(May 28, 2023

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However, now the trailer is officially out for the new fighter, we can take a look at what Bryan Fury will bring to the ring, and he seems far more brutal and fast-paced than in previous games. 

Tagged as “A wild card for violence and destruction,” it's no surprise that Fury’s moveset is built around fast, hard-hitting mechanics, with obvious hints of his cybernetic enhancements through his brand-new rage art and combat animations. 

There are some obvious changes to his appearance, too, once again reinforcing the idea of him being a psychotic cyborg, such as a newly implemented cybernetic eye that locks onto the target before landing a flying punch. 

There’s a clear emphasis on each character's history in Tekken 8, as shown through their moveset and animation, and Bryan Fury is a welcomed addition to the mix regardless of how many times he gets announced. Bringing the confirmed roster up to a total of 15 characters, there are still a few fan-favorite characters we are yet to see, but with no concrete release date, we’ll just have to wait and see who’s next. 

• This is how Mortal Kombat 1 can compete with Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6

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Best Speakerphone in 2023 for Working From Home - CNET

Do you make conference calls using Zoom, Microsoft Teams or another platform? Try a compact speakerphone to improve the audio experience in your home office.

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The planned Steam release for the emulator Dolphin was ‘indefinitely postponed’ on May 27, as announced by the creators, stating that “Nintendo issued a cease and desist citing the DMCA against Dolphin’s Steam page.” resulting in the page being removed immediately. 

With emulation being a gray area in terms of legality, Dolphin makes use of the Wii Common Key in the emulator, meaning it's actively bypassing piracy protection measures. 

In a copy of the legal notice reviewed by PC Gamer, Nintendo states that Dolphin uses “cryptographic keys without Nintendo’s authorization and decrypting the ROMs at or immediately before runtime.   

"Thus, use of the Dolphin emulator unlawfully circumvent[s] a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under the Copyright Act.” Which confirms the reasoning behind the takedown.

In addition, a Nintendo spokesperson said to Kotaku “Nintendo is committed to protecting the hard work and creativity of video game engineers and developers.

“This emulator illegally circumvents Nintendo’s protection measures and runs illegal copies of games. Using illegal emulators or illegal copies of games harms development and ultimately stifles innovation. Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, and in turn expects others to do the same.”

Dolphin is yet to make a statement in response to Nintendo’s claim against their use of the Wii Common Key, and Dolphin will remain off Steam while the case gets hashed out, but its GitHub and website remain unaffected at the time of writing. 

TRG has reached out to Valve for comment, as stated in our original story, but we are yet to receive a reply. We will update both stories should we receive a response.  

• Lord of the Rings: Gollum dev issues statement apologizing for game

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Hackers have begun abusing a flaw in the WordPad text editor that comes preloaded with the Windows 10 operating system to distribute the Qbot malware, researchers have claimed.

A cybersecurity researcher and a member of Cryptolaemus, going by the alias ProxyLife discovered a new email campaign in which hackers are distributing the WordPad program together with a malicious .DLL.

When WordPad is launched, it will look for certain .DLL files it needs in order to properly run. First, it will look for the files in the same folder it resides, and if it finds them - it will automatically run them, even if those .DLL files are malicious.

DLL hijacking

The practice is usually called “DLL sideloading” or “DLL hijacking” and it’s a known method. Previously, hackers were seen using the Calculator app to do the same thing.

In this particular instance, when WordPad runs the DLL, the malicious file will use an executable called Curl.exe (found in the System32 folder) to download a DLL pretending to be a PNG. That DLL is actually Qbot, an ancient banking trojan that can steal emails to use in more phishing attacks, and initiate the download of additional malware, such as Cobalt Strike, for example. 

Read more

> Qbot malware found smuggled inside Windows Installer packages

> This powerful email malware attack uses PDF and WSF files to break your defenses

> These are the best firewalls around

By using legitimate programs, such as WordPad, or Calculator, to run the malicious DLL files, threat actors are hoping to bypass any antivirus programs and remain stealthy during the attack. 

However, as this method requires Curl.exe to be used, it only works on Windows 10 and newer versions, as previous versions did not have this program preinstalled. That doesn’t do much good as older versions are mostly reaching end of support anyway, and users are moving towards Windows 10 and Windows 11. 

Right now, BleepingComputer reports, the QBot operation has moved on to other infection methods in recent weeks.

• Here's our list of the best endpoint protection software around

Via: BleepingComputer

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What do you get when you cross a power charger with a 1TB portable SSD? The iXCharger, a 65W compact charger with 1TB of built-in storage and automated backup features.

A trio of startups, Phihong, Vinpower and Silanna Semiconductor, came up with the novel idea and expect consumers to foot up around $200 (about GBP160, EUR186, AUD306) when it launches later this year. Smaller capacities will be available but more powerful chargers - especially useful if you want to power the Apple MacBook Pro - won’t.

In an email exchange, a spokesperson for the company told me “The unit we are showing at Computex is still a prototype, we anticipate a pilot run out in late June and then full production by August.  With that said, we haven’t finalized the costs to determine pricing yet, but our expectations is to have a market price of between $50 up to $200 depending on the size of the memory from 32GB up to 1TB”. Enough to replace a NAS.

A Type-C connector means that you will be able to use the charger across various devices (laptops, desktops, smartphones) but we don’t know whether that could extend to “dumber” platforms such as smart TV, digital cameras or Android boxes. The charger uses a third-generation GaN technology and a world travel kit with plenty of plug adaptors.

A free app will be available for Android and iOS users to enable automated backup should you not use either Google Drive or Apple iCloud drive.

The end of the line

One can expect the iXCharger to go on sale on popular marketplaces like Amazon and Newegg later this year but there’s a lot of questions still outstanding? What sort of memory is being used and what sort of performance can be expected. Could a future version with Type-C ports that allow data to be transferred be launched? Isn’t the end goal just a tiny laptop docking station located inside a plug? Can the storage be used offgrid (i.e. without connection to a power supply?).

The humble plug has, for decades, been a device fertile for experimentations and projects, some wackier than others. The two that we fondly remember are the Quanta Compute plug which was unveiled to the world, almost eight years ago at Computex and the Sunvell T95P which I reviewed back in 2017. Both of these are complete computers, one running on Windows and the other on Android. And let’s not forget the one that started everything, the Sheeva Plug from Marvell that launched in 2009 and ran on Linux.

I’d love the team behind iXCharger to try something like this as this could prove to be a boon for businesses that want to deploy something quickly and cheaply without having to worry too much about desk space. A PC that fits in a plug and can run Windows 11 Pro would be a great candidate for our best business PC or our best mini PC buying guide. That’s food for thought. 

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TechRadar is on the ground in Taipei, Taiwan, for the biggest computing event of the year, Computex 2023, and we'll be in the audience for the opening keynote address by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, which is scheduled for May 29, 2023, at 11:00 AM Taipei time (4AM BST), or May 28, 2023, 11PM EST.

The keynote comes off the massive Q1 profit Nvidia reported, powered by new AI hardware powering the latest large language models at Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI like ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, and more.

We don't have anything official about what Huang will say during the address to the throngs gathered in Taipei for the first real in-person Computex event since 2019, but you can be sure that there will be a lot of AI talk, as well as Nvidia Omniverse discussion.

Hot off the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti 8GB launch, though, we wouldn't be surprised at all to find that Nvidia announces a release date and pricing for the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti 16GB and Nvidia RTX 4060, both of which Nvidia has said will launch in July.

Could we get other reveals at the event? Almost certainly, but we'll have to see what transpires as Nvidia opens up Computex 2023.

Howdy folks, this is John Loeffler, TechRadar's Components Editor, and I am in Taipei after a grueling 15-hour flight from New York City, but I'm pumped to be here and bring you all the latest from Nvidia's keynote, as well as all the rest of Computex 2023.

I can't say for certain what we'll see in a couple of hours, but I expect that it will be exciting, at least as far as AI is concerned, considering how much Nvidia's GPU hardware is integral to these latest AI advances.

Will we get graphics card talk? I'm almost certain that it will come up, but will we get prices and release dates for the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB and RTX 4060? I sure hope so, but we'll know in a couple of hours from now once the event kicks off.

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Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Cases - CNET

Samsung's latest flagship foldable phone is on sale at many retailers. Here are the best cases for protecting your Galaxy Z Fold 4.

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Smart speakers are a great addition to any room. Here are the ones we'd recommend most.

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Reduce, reuse, recycle. Check out these environmentally friendly iPhone 13 cases.

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Widgets are one of my favorite iPhone tools, and widgets can turn your boring grid of app icons into a pleasant, useful home screen. Some widgets give you quick info at a glance, but I like widgets that can help me out and remind me to do the stuff that I’ll forget to do. When I’m out and about, these are the widgets I use to make sure I’m on top of everything, whether it’s remembering an important event or just a fun show I want to watch later. 

What is a widget, anyway? A widget is an app, or a part of an app, that sits on your home screen and does its work whether you open it or not. 

You don’t need to open the Weather app to check the weather, you can just add the Weather widget to your home screen. Likewise, you can find widgets that tell you the battery life of your phone and accessories, widgets that show you photos from your gallery, and widgets that track your steps and fitness, just like the best Apple Watch.

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

Besides widgets that give you information at a glance, I also like widgets that are a quick shortcut to an app, especially making a list. I don’t need to open my Notes or my To Do list app, I can just tap on a widget instead and it will automatically create a new entry.

Finally, I need reminders, and not just a simple alarm or a countdown timer. I like to know how much time I have left in broad terms. How much time until my next vacation, for instance! I also like reminders for some of the habits I’m trying to build. Instead of getting a notification or opening up an app, I can just tap on a widget to keep track of what I’ve accomplished and build upon my streak.

Widgets need to look nice, otherwise I won’t want to use them. This is my iPhone, after all, so my widgets should match my taste and aesthetic, without being too loud or getting in the way. I’ve chosen a selection of the six most useful widgets that I use to help me keep on track, and it doesn’t hurt that they mostly look pretty cute getting the job done, too.

How to make a widget on the iPhone

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

Widgets come bundled with the apps they accompany, so when you download an app, you get its widget as well. For most apps, the widget won't appear as an option until you've opened the app at least once and used it past the welcome screen. Once you've done that, you can search for your widget in Apple's list. 

To create a widget, hold your finger on any empty part of your home screen. The icons will start to shake and shimmy and at the top right of the screen a plus "+" sign will appear. Tap on that sign to see the widget list. 

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

There are three sizes of widgets on iOS 16 and you cannot resize them. You can have the smaller square, a longer bar, or a very large rectangle. I chose the small square because six widgets fits perfectly on one home screen, giving me one useful page with everything I need.

CuteWeather: weather widget

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

• Shuffle the color of the widget
• Change your location or keep it static
• Be very careful about subscription prices

Even though I had a weather widget on my iPhone 14 Pro, I was constantly yelling out to my smart speakers, asking for the temperature. I’d almost forgotten that the forecast, highs and lows were sitting on my screen. That’s because they look boring and blend in. I’d forgotten my weather app exists. 

That’s why I downloaded Cute Weather. It looks cute, in the Japanese “kawaii” style, with a modern color scheme and a playful look. I can set the widget to shuffle through colors so that I don’t get bored. It keeps the weather simple, so I know what to wear and whether to bring an umbrella. If I want more than that, I can click through to the app, which has a similarly sweet design and nicely customizable layout.

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

You can subscribe to Cute Weather, but be very wary of its predatory trial pricing. After the short free period, it costs $3.99 per week, which adds up to a huge amount to spend on a weather app. The $19.99/year price is more reasonable, if you feel the need to subscribe.

Download CuteWeather

Bears Countdown

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

• Easy countdown timer widget with cute bears
• Lots of bears to choose from, including Gaming, Baby, and Self-Help
• Mac OS app to synchronize as well

Sometimes I need to know when I have 10 minutes left, but often I just want to know how many days until something happens. How many days do I have until the kiddo leaves for summer camp? How many days until the Broadway show? For a friendly countdown, I like Bears, which you can get for your iPhone and your Mac. 

Bears is a simple countdown timer to the day. You cannot set a specific hour, just the day. There are lots of bears to choose from to illustrate your timer, including bears playing video games if you’re counting down to a game launch, or bears engaging in self-kindness, if you’re counting down to your spa day. 

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

You can make the widget countdown to one event, or if you’re looking forward to a few things, you can cycle through events. There are silly little stories and articles attached to the app, but the widget itself is enough to enjoy. I especially liked being able to set up events on my Mac Mini and have them appear on my iPhone, a rarity these days. 

Download Bears Countdown for Mac

Download Bears Countdown for iPhone

Find My (by Apple)

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

• Apple app tracks your iCloud devices
• Great for keeping track of your kids and stuff
• Track AirTags as well as mobile devices

There are plenty of Apple-made widgets that are worth checking out, but I keep the Find My widget on my home screen at all times, and sometimes more than one. The Find My widget can track any devices attached to your iCloud account, including your family account. I keep my kid’s iPhone tracked on a home screen widget, just to make sure nothing strange is going on. 

There are separate widget options depending on whether you are tracking a person or an item. You can also track AirTags, so if you have luggage or a vehicle that you need to keep an eye on, the Find My widget can help with that as well. If you have multiple items you need to track, try stacking the widgets on top of each other so you can flip through them quickly. 

Todoist: To-Do List & Planner

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

• Simple To-Do app that can grow to be more robust
• Create a widget shortcut pre-tagged
• Organize everything later, or not

There are tons of To-Do list apps available, and I’ve tried many of them - but I keep coming back to Todoist. That could honestly be because it has great name recognition and it's been around forever, so I have a history with the app and it hasn’t let me down. 

Todoist can be as simple or complex as you’d like. I use a widget to create new items for my To Do list and send them to my Inbox, then I organize them later if I feel the need. If you want to apply a specific label, the widget can tag your posts automatically as you create them. 

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

You can also use Todoist to set goals and record streaks, and you can set up commands with Siri that will create precisely the entries you need. I mostly use it as a home screen widget, and since it synchronizes nicely with iCloud, I’ve used it on many different iPhones over the years. 

Download Todoist

Sofa: Downtime Organizer

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

• For shows I want to watch but forget about later
• Track shows, books, movies, podcasts
• App grabs a title card to make a cool looking widget

It never fails – when I’m out and about I see a poster for a show I need to see. Later, when I’m home, I can’t remember anything good I want to watch. Along comes Sofa, which is a list-making app specifically designed to keep track of the things you mean to watch, listen to, or read. 

What makes Sofa great is that it finds a title card for whatever content you’re trying to remember. You don’t just get a list of stuff, you get pictures of book covers and board games, music albums and podcast avatars. Whatever you like, Sofa gives you a more visual approach that also makes it much easier to remember what you’re seeing. 

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

I wish more list-making apps were like this, but I’m happy to have Sofa to remind me of everything I need to watch across the vast landscape of streaming services. You can fine tune the look and behavior of the device, and there’s a premium tier if you really love your leisurely lists, but I never found the need to subscribe to make Sofa incredibly useful. 

Download Sofa

Streaks

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

• Create one or multiple streaks to make a habit
• Great to remind to take meds, write in journal, drink water
• Add notifications for streaks or don’t, your call

It’s one thing to seek self-improvement, but if you really want to get better, you need to change your habits. That begins with tracking your habits and making a streak. To do this, I like Streaks, the very simple tracking app. I keep a few habits listed on the Streaks widget and it reminds me whether I’ve done them today. 

This is especially useful if you’re someone who needs to take a daily medication and have trouble remembering if that’s done. I’m also using Streaks to remind myself to start every day by drinking water, and I’m building a bullet journal habit.

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

I like Streaks because it doesn’t notify me needlessly, it just reminds me that there are 3-4 things I want to do, and keeps track of whether I’ve done them. For simple habit-building, it’s an effective start. It helps that there are cool color options and stylish graphics that make it a pleasure to use. 

Download Streaks

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints - now with added Daily Sequence answers! 

Yes, that's right: the makers of Quordle have a new game, which sees you complete four Wordle puzzles consecutively. The twist is that the letters you've already used on the first game are repeated on the second and so on. 

It's good fun, but also difficult - so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for Quordle and the Daily Sequence too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #489 and the answers to the Daily Sequence. 

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 #489) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #489) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #489) - hint #3 - 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 #489) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 14.

Quordle today (game #489) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do 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 #489) - hint #6 - 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 2.

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 #489) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• R

• C

• C

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

Quordle today (game #489) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #489, are…

• GULLY
• RISEN
• CHAFE
• CHEAT

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Daily Sequence today (game #489) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #489, are…

• WIMPY
• HELLO
• GRAPH
• SYNOD

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #488, Saturday 27 May: GRASS, BELCH, CROWD, SHOWN
• Quordle #487, Friday 26 May: LOATH, MEALY, BEGAN, REUSE
• Quordle #486, Thursday 25 May: ALARM, PAUSE, COLON, BURLY
• Quordle #485, Wednesday 24 May: WHINY, LUSTY, NOISE, BOOTH
• Quordle #484, Tuesday 23 May: WIDER, AWAIT, CROSS, MEATY
• Quordle #483, Monday 22 May: EAGLE, SLICK, SOLID, TAKEN
• Quordle #482, Sunday 21 May: DEVIL, EVOKE, GUISE, FUNNY
• Quordle #481, Saturday 20 May: LINGO, HOWDY, GRASP, THIRD
• Quordle #480, Friday 19 May: ARBOR, MEDAL, TRIAL, WOOZY
• Quordle #479, Thursday 18 May: ENNUI, SPRIG, LATER, SLUNK
• Quordle #478, Wednesday 17 May: SKIMP, GLEAN, PAYEE, BRAVO
• Quordle #477, Tuesday 16 May: HARRY, COLON, SHEAR, LARVA
• Quordle #476, Monday 15 May: ULCER, APNEA, CANDY, ADULT
• Quordle #475, Sunday 14 May: CLONE, SKUNK, SWEPT, SASSY
• Quordle #474, Saturday 13 May: TRACT, PREEN, BUDGE, SNARE
• Quordle #473, Friday 12 May: HONEY, CYNIC, DAUNT, CHIRP
• Quordle #472, Thursday 11 May: CRYPT, DUNCE, WHEEL, NOBLE
• Quordle #471, Wednesday 10 May: PRINT, VICAR, GAFFE, PLAIT
• Quordle #470, Tuesday 9 May: PROSE, MUNCH, PIVOT, CONDO
• Quordle #469, Monday 8 May: PUSHY, GRIPE, BLOAT, ASSET
• Quordle #468, Sunday 7 May: TOOTH, SKULK, BRISK, SLOSH

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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GMKtec Nucbox K1

Best workstation PC around $500

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 6800H | GPU: AMD Radeon 680M | RAM: 32GB DDR5 | SSD: 1TB

Very good value for money

32GB RAM/1TB SSD combo

Compact footprint

Windows 11 Pro

No next business day support

Limited expansion capabilities

PCIe 3.0 SSD

No Thunderbolt ports

Shop the deal

GMKtec Nucbox K1 mini workstation $599.99 $519.99 at Amazon
Just over $500 for a recently released 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 with 32GB RAM and a big 1TB SSD? That's a steal, especially as it comes with 24 month warranty and Windows 11 Pro.

For anyone looking for a fast workstation PC that’s also portable and relatively affordable, there’s the Nucbox K1 mini PC. At the time of writing (and until June 4, 2023), you can purchase it from Amazon for $519.99 after a $80 instant coupon. I love the fact that all this power and storage is neatly packaged in a metal box that's barely bigger than a DVD boxset.

(ed: That's definitely a candidate for both our best workstation PC and our best mini PC buying guide)

As expected from any workstation worthy of the label, this one runs on Windows 11 Pro: it has a powerful processor, an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, plenty of memory (two 16GB DDR5-4800 modules arranged in dual channel mode) and a large 1TB SSD (albeit PCIe 3.0 rather than 4.0).

You should be able to add an additional 2.5-inch SSD as well. There’s no dedicated graphics card, only an AMD Radeon 680M onboard GPU, so any workload that involves 3D rendering or GPU hardware acceleration will likely be slow on the K1; the lack of Thunderbolt ports mean that you won’t be able to plug in an external GPU to compensate.

Speaking of ports, you can connect up to three monitors and there’s even a 2.5GbE LAN connector; note the presence of a VESA mount as well, great if you want to convert a monitor into a pseudo-all-in-one PC. The K1 comes with a two-year warranty but no next business day support. We haven’t reviewed it yet but we’re getting one very soon.

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How to choose the right workstation for you?

It’s not always about the best but it is always about the right fit for your applications. With that in mind, answering the following three questions will help you narrow down the choices available to you.

✅Are you brand agnostic? Being brand agnostic means that you can explore the entirety of the market rather than just a subset of it. There’s no real reason to be brand agnostic these days (unless if you are an Apple user, in which case, you will probably need to stick with your Mac workstation). On the contrary, big brands tend to be more conservative than others when it comes to component choices; which explains why some smaller vendors have adopted AMD’s Epyc server CPUs.
✅ What is your budget? Knowing how much you can spend will inform what you can choose. In theory, any PC can be a workstation but some of their features (e.g. Windows 11 Pro, after sales support, enhanced expansion capabilities beefier components) means that desktop workstations are generally more expensive although deals can be had. You can get good all-rounder workstations for around $500 but you will have to fork out up far more (several orders of magnitude) for something like AI development.
✅ What sort of support do you need? Standard warranty will not cut it in most cases for professionals and businesses that reply on their workstations to work. This is where the big brands, with their extensive after sales network have the upper hand and can offer accidental coverage, next business day support and more.
✅ What applications do you plan to run? Different applications require different types of workstations. 3D rendering requires a powerful GPU, whereas machine learning and data science need as much memory as they can. Your toolbox will determine what sort of workstation will fit the bill.

So there we have the four questions you should ask yourself when choosing the right workstation for the job. Just bear in mind that there’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to which question comes first.

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