AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: news, rumors, and everything we know

CES 2025 has come and gone with no official confirmation of the possible AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT flagship graphics card, though there is somewhat of a confirmation of RDNA 4 graphics cards.

Though AMD didn't have time to properly elaborate on RDNA 4 during its 45-minute CES 2025 keynote, according to Frank Azor (AMD’s head of consumer and gaming marketing), we know now that the tech is coming.

This especially applies to the RX 9070 XT, which most likely will compete with Nvidia's RTX 5070. It'll be exciting to see what this card has to offer in terms of performance and official pricing. But for now, we'll keep an ear to the ground for the latest news and rumors, and bring them all in one place to keep you up to date on the latest developments.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Cut to the chase

(Image credit: YouTube / Michael Quesada)

• What is it? The possible AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU
• How much does it cost? Unknown at this time, as it hasn't been officially announced
• When can I get it? This has also yet to be officially announced, though there are rumors of a late January pre-order date for RDNA 4 cards.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Latest news

• AMD exec drops hints on RX 9070 pricing and some PC gamers are panicking
• AMD and Nvidia could be set for epic GPU showdown with RX 9070 and 9070 XT going on sale at the same time as the RTX 5080
• AMD announces new Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics cards at CES 2025

Click to read more of the latest news...

• What to expect from AMD in 2025
• AMD RDNA 4 GPU rumors flood forth, including possible name change to RX 9070

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Release date rumors

(Image credit: AMD)

While there's no concrete news concerning a release date for the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, there are rumors of a general RDNA 4 pre-order date set for January 23.

The dates allegedly came from B&H Photo putting up early listings for some Asus RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards (TUF and Prime models). Luckily the listings were screenshotted by longtime hardware leaker @momomo_us before they were removed.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: Specs

(Image credit: AMD)

There haven't been any clear cut leaks, rumors, or reports about the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT's performance, or the performance of RDNA 4 in general. We can surmise, however, that the card won't be a 4K powerhouse thanks to its price point range.

The previous hope was that the flagship RDNA 4 GPU would be slightly faster than the 7900 XT. However, it seems to be slightly slower according to All The Watts (though take that with a grain of salt).

While it sounds rather risky in the face of Nvidia's own high-end 5000-series cards, not targeting that market makes sense from a business standpoint as the vast majority of gamers are playing on 1080p resolution, with some gaming on 1440p. Instead, AMD could be reaching for an overall much larger target audience by scaling back on the performance and therefore the price.

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT: What to expect

Right now there isn't much concrete news on the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card and on the RDNA 4 at large, due to AMD not having the time to elaborate on it during its CES 2025 conference.

While there are plenty of rumors and a few scant official details including a possible preorder date - the latter thanks to an interview and retailer leaks - we don't have a clear picture as to what this card will be like right now in terms of exact pricing, specs, and performance.

Hopefully AMD will give us the low down on the RX 9070 XT and any other RDNA 4-powered graphics cards in the future.

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NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Friday, January 17 (game #320)

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

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

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

NYT Strands today (game #320) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… The time of our lives

NYT Strands today (game #320) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• GREEN
• MORE
• BOOT
• TREAT
• MOOT
• NINE

NYT Strands today (game #320) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• People of different ages

NYT Strands today (game #320) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 1st column

Last side: bottom, 3rd column

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

NYT Strands today (game #320) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #320, are…

• MILLENNIAL
• ALPHA
• BOOMER
• ZOOMER
• GREATEST
• SPANGRAM: GENERATION GAP

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

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MILLENNIAL is one of those words that I really struggle to spell, so it was nice to spot it immediately and be guided to the double N that I always miss.

There’s a sweet spot in life when you think the GENERATION GAP is a myth – you’re in touch with your youngers, kidding yourself that you're still cool, and you’re in touch with your elders, having accumulated some life skills. Then that gap begins to grow and before you know it there’s not so much a gap between you and society’s trend setters but a Grand Canyon.

The best thing to do is to accept it and not give a damn about how long you wear your socks or what people think of your Lady Di hair and collection of cravats.

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

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 16 January, game #319)

• ZOMBIE
• SIDECAR
• MARTINI
• STINGER
• COSMOPOLITAN
• SPANGRAM: COCKTAILS

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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

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NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Friday, January 17 (game #586)

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 clues.

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 #586) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• HIT
• OPERA
• BANGER
• ROSEBUD
• PEPPERONI
• BOP
• EDGE
• LINK
• TAP
• CONTRABASS
• BRAT
• SAFARI
• AUTOHARP
• CHROME
• KNOCK
• SAUSAGE

NYT Connections today (game #586) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Hot dog
• GREEN: Whack 
• BLUE: View the internet
• PURPLE: Brews at the end

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 #586) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: FRANKFURTER
• GREEN: STRIKE 
• BLUE: WEB BROWSERS 
• PURPLE: ENDING WITH BEER BRANDS 

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

NYT Connections today (game #586) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #586, are…

• YELLOW: FRANKFURTER BANGER, BRAT, LINK, SAUSAGE
• GREEN: STRIKE BOP, HIT, KNOCK, TAP
• BLUE: WEB BROWSERS CHROME, EDGE, OPERA, SAFARI
• PURPLE: ENDING WITH BEER BRANDS AUTOHARP, CONTRABASS, PEPPERONI, ROSEBUD

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• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

---

Today’s Connections reminded me of a toy my daughters had called BOP It!

It was one of those toys that was supposed to teach reaction speed and as an added bonus release some pent-up aggression at the unfairness of the world, as you were given licence to bop, twist, thump and hit this lump of white plastic.

However, like most toys it also became annoying pretty quickly. I can still hear the cartoon voice in my head now, saying “bop it!”, “bop it!” relentlessly for hours on end. Sadly, Bop It! suffered an untimely death after being trod on by, err, me. Sorry girls.

Meanwhile, top prize today if you didn’t fall into the PEPPERONI trap, of thinking that it was linked with BRAT, SAUSAGE and BANGER.

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Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, 16 January, game #585)

• YELLOW: BUYING AND SELLING BUSINESS, COMMERCE, MARKET, TRADE
• GREEN: INSTALLED ON A WALL BASEBOARD, OUTLET, SCONCE, SWITCH
• BLUE: SPY AGENT, ASSET, MOLE, PLANT
• PURPLE: RAT GYM, MALL, PACK, RUG

---

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.

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This AI video generator can make a banana typing look realistic – and might challenge Sora

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• Luma Labs has released the new Ray 2 AI video generator
• Ray 2 turns text prompts into high-quality 5–10 second videos
• Ray 2 is available through the Dream Machine platform

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Luma Labs has premiered a powerful, new AI model for generating videos on its Dream Machine platform called Ray 2. The new model can produce an array of realistic video clips of up to 10 seconds, from recreating a bee pollinating flowers to more surreal ideas like the typing anthropomorphic banana seen above.

The beauty of Ray 2 isn’t just its ability to render these wild scenarios but to do so with motion and physics that look shockingly natural. Unlike earlier video generation tools, which often struggled to produce anything faster than a leisurely stroll, you can see people really book it in a run. Ray 2 is capable of this level of production due in part to Luma training it on ten times more computational power than its predecessor, Ray 1. That means more realistic characters, faster rendering, smoother motion, and far fewer glitches.

Ray 2 is available through Luma’s Dream Machine platform, which offers both free and paid subscription tiers. The free plan lets users dabble with 720p resolutions, while paid plans unlock higher-quality 1080p visuals and unlimited usage if you’re willing to drop $66.49 a month.

AI Video Sprint

Surrealism: "a photorealistic anthropomorphic banana man doing taxes" pic.twitter.com/OQCFaSRRWEJanuary 15, 2025

Luma has plans to expand Ray 2’s capabilities with image-to-video, video-to-video, and editing tools. That could mean letting you turn a vacation photo into a short video or remixing a home movie into something cinematic.

The company is also hosting the Ray 2 Awards, offering creators a chance to win up to $7,000 in prizes. There’s a $5,000 prize for the most-viewed Ray 2 video on social media and a $3,000 raffle for anyone who shares their content and engages with Luma’s promotional posts. If nothing else, it’s a good excuse to finally bring your idea for “sloths competing in a high-stakes basketball game” to life.

Ray 2's limits mean it won't quite blow any competition away, however. The time limit makes it less capable than OpenAI's Sora model in some ways. Sora focuses on creating longer-form, cohesive video narratives. Then there's Runway's Gen-2, which brings users tools to tweak lighting, camera angles, and more, and Pika, which regularly drops new features like picture-to-video ability that Luma is still developing.

Still, Ray 2 has its charm and feels a bit like a streamlined alternative for those who prioritize speed and ease of use. The real significance of Ray 2 lies in how it helps lower the barrier to entry for anyone looking to make a video with AI. Even if that’s something as weird as a banana typing a note.

You might also like...

• Dream Machine 1.5 catches Sora and other rival AI video makers napping
• OpenAI Sora officially launches to change AI video – 5 things you need to know
• Pika challenges OpenAI and Sora with new AI video generator features

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Despise internet pop-ups? Google Chrome is testing an AI-powered feature to help end these

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• Google Chrome's PermissionsAI test anticipates user permissions.
• PermissionsAI could reduce intrusive pop-ups by analyzing user behavior.
• It is currently in Chrome Canary for early testing now.

---

Google’s Chrome browser is testing a new feature dubbed PermissionsAI, which is designed to make those pesky pop-ups asking for access to your location or permission to send notifications much quieter.

The tool uses Google's “Permission Predictions Service” and Gemini Nano v2 to guess whether users are likely to grant a website’s request. If the answer is probably no, the feature tucks the request into a less intrusive UI instead of flashing it front and center like it currently does.

The idea is for Chrome to use AI to make browsing more pleasant by quietly handling the minor annoyances that can pile up when online. PermissionsAI analyzes your previous interactions with similar requests to predict your response. If you’re the kind of person who reflexively denies every notification pop-up, PermissionsAI won’t even bother you with a loud, in-your-face request. Instead, it quietly logs the request in a subtle UI where you can engage with it later.

PermissionsAI is currently being tested in Chrome Canary – the experimental version of the browser – and isn’t available to the public yet. It pairs well with the Safe Browsing security tool, which shields users from harmful websites and malicious downloads, meaning a wrong guess won't wreak havoc on your computer.

Browsing AI

This marks the latest move by Google to embed AI in Chrome. Gemini is now part of many of the browser's features, with the AI organizing open tabs, offering product comparisons, and helping to compose text. PermissionsAI, though, is less flashy than other features and may turn out to be one of the more appreciated improvements simply because it removes a common irritation.

While the concept is straightforward, the details of how PermissionsAI works remain vague. Google hasn’t disclosed exactly how its AI calculates the likelihood of you clicking “Allow” versus “Deny,” but it’s safe to assume the system leans heavily on machine learning.

By studying patterns in user behavior, Chrome could cut down on interruptions and make life a little easier for web developers who hear complaints about their pop-ups annoying people.

It’s worth asking whether PermissionsAI and other Gemini-powered features will strike the right balance between helpful and intrusive. While reducing the noise of pop-ups is universally appealing, AI-powered predictions aren’t infallible.

What happens if PermissionsAI incorrectly predicts that you wouldn’t want to approve a request and you miss an important pop-up entirely? Still, if PermissionsAI can reliably filter out the noise while giving users control over important decisions, it could become one of Chrome’s most welcome features yet.

You might also like

• Chrome could get a massive AI upgrade if this rumor is true
• Google’s AI Overviews are now available to help a billion people avoid reading full articles
• Google is making Gemini AI part of everything you do with your smartphone – here's how

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NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Thursday, January 16 (game #585)

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 clues.

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 #585) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MARKET
• SWITCH
• PLANT
• MALL
• TRADE
• GYM
• OUTLET
• ASSET
• RUG
• BUSINESS
• MOLE
• SCONCE
• PACK
• AGENT
• BASEBOARD
• COMMERCE

NYT Connections today (game #585) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Merchandise 
• GREEN: Room fixtures 
• BLUE: Undercover
• PURPLE: Add a rodent 

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 #585) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: BUYING AND SELLING 
• GREEN: INSTALLED ON A WALL 
• BLUE: SPY 
• PURPLE: RAT 

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

NYT Connections today (game #585) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #585, are…

• YELLOW: BUYING AND SELLING BUSINESS, COMMERCE, MARKET, TRADE
• GREEN: INSTALLED ON A WALL BASEBOARD, OUTLET, SCONCE, SWITCH
• BLUE: SPY AGENT, ASSET, MOLE, PLANT
• PURPLE: RAT GYM, MALL, PACK, RUG

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• My rating: Hard
• My score: 3 mistakes

---

I really struggled today, even though I got the yellow and blue groups fairly quickly.

My sticking point was INSTALLED ON A WALL, as I’d never heard of the word SCONCE before – which probably says a lot about my interest in interior design and home makeover shows.

Having said that, I really should have seen the words that had RAT in common.

Sheer guesswork got me over the line.

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Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 15 January, game #584)

• YELLOW: MEANS MECHANISM, MEDIUM, TOOL, VEHICLE
• GREEN: LACKING LIGHT, LOW, SHORT, SHY
• BLUE: MARTINI SPECIFICATIONS DIRTY, DRY, PERFECT, WET
• PURPLE: FICTIONAL MISTERS BIG, PEANUT, ROBOT, TOAD

---

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.

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Quordle today – my hints and answers for Thursday, January 16 (game #1088)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 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 #1088) - 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 #1088) - 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 #1088) - hint #3 - 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 #1088) - 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 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 #1088) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• B

• T

• P

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

Quordle today (game #1088) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1088, are…

• PARTY
• BLUNT
• TWEED
• PLANT

Boom!

I employed a different technique today and achieved easily my best ever Quordle score, getting all four words after six guesses.

Instead of taking an overview of all four columns I decided to solve each word at a time – Wordle style, or in the way that Daily Sequence game works – and only move on once I guessed each correctly. I didn’t do the words consecutively though, just looked at which one gave me the most clues. After getting PARTY I moved on to the fourth word – PLANT – as I had a head start there, with two green letters and two orange.

TWEED was lucky. With no other vowels available I thought there could be a double E and TWEED was the only possibility.

Happy days.

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

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Daily Sequence today (game #1088) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1088, are…

• GULCH
• TORCH
• BEGIN
• GONER

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST
• Quordle #1075, Friday 3 January: PERKY, QUARK, NAVEL, SHEEN
• Quordle #1074, Thursday 2 January: UNIFY, SWORE, DEPOT, INTRO
• Quordle #1073, Wednesday 1 January: CLING, SUITE, WORRY, TONIC
• Quordle #1072, Tuesday 31 December: PLUMP, TUBER, IRATE, ICILY
• Quordle #1071, Monday 30 December: TODDY, GROIN, GROWN, VERVE
• Quordle #1070, Sunday 29 December: PURER, SPLAT, RABID, EMCEE
• Quordle #1069, Saturday 28 December: BUNCH, LABOR, TRIPE, BUNNY
• Quordle #1068, Friday 27 December: BRAWL, LYING, ORGAN, CRONY

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Amazon's upcoming Alexa AI brain transplant might make you use it more than just weather and timers

• Rohit Prasad, Amazon's AGI team team, promised a major Alexa upgrade is on the horizon.
• He spoke with FT on issues forcing a delay in the release, mainly in the realm of hallucinations.
• When the new Alexa arrives the hope is it will be used for more than just basic tasks.

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Amazon has spent years extolling Alexa's abilities as a voice assistant, even though it seems most people use it mainly to set timers and check the weather.

Even so, that hasn't stopped Amazon from plotting a far bigger place for Alexa in your life. Amazon wants Alexa to graduate from her relatively simple life of timers and trivia into the AI big leagues as a true personal concierge by leveraging the latest AI models, as Amazon's artificial general intelligence (AGI) leader Rohit Prasad explained to the FT.

Prasad and Amazon want to fully transform Alexa’s brain through a kind of 'transplant' to swap out the old question-answering engine for generative AI models. If all goes according to Amazon’s ambitious plan, Alexa 2.0 will be the digital butler constantly promised, rather than an audio stopwatch and remote control. Prasad admitted it won't be easy, though he is confident Amazon can defeat the obstacles in the way.

If he isn't having hallucinations, Alexa needs to eliminate any hallucinations of its own created by the AI. An assistant that fabricates responses that sound plausible but are completely wrong isn't going to get a lot of use. When you’re asking about the best route to the airport, “plausible but wrong” isn’t going to cut it. Further, Alexa needs to be reliable if people ask it to do more than just play their favorite music. The wrong song is no big deal, but if you request it to book a table for dinner, adjust your lights, and double-check your babysitter’s arrival time, you need to be confident it won't get anything wrong.

At the same time, caution about mirages can't slow down responses. According to Prasad, while Alexa responds pretty quickly now, the new AI brain is a bit slower, sometimes taking up to ten seconds to answer a query. The company will need to bring the new Alexa up to speed to make it attractive to users.

Ambitious Alexa AI

One thing Amazon is particularly keen on is keeping Alexa’s personality intact. Prasad said Amazon is hiring experts to fine-tune her voice, diction, and overall personality to make the transition to a more conversational AI. That said, generative AI is probabilistic, meaning it predicts responses based on patterns rather than absolute truths. That makes it great for casual conversations but a bit dicey for high-stakes tasks like managing smart homes or relaying emergency alerts. The stakes are high, and any misstep could hurt Alexa’s reputation.

No matter how good the new Alexa is at helping users, there's a very obvious issue facing Amazon's plans to make Alexa the ultimate digital concierge. Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Meta, and others are working toward many of the same goals. In particular, Google has all but overwritten Google Assistant with Gemini across the board. Amazon had a major lead over its rivals regarding smart speakers and smart displays. However, that may not matter if no one thinks to use Alexa when they can turn to Gemini, ChatGPT, or other assistants with similar abilities.

Still, Amazon has some assets that could make up any existing gap. The company recently debuted the Nova AI models, which were built in-house and designed specifically for Alexa. Amazon has also deepened its partnership with Claude AI developer Anthropic, bolstered by $8 billion in investment funds.

Whether this is enough to leapfrog the competition remains to be seen, but time will certainly tell.

You might also like...

• Amazon's new AI guides know what you want to buy before you do
• Amazon's new AI feature might be your secret weapon for winning at Prime Day
• Alexa's big AI upgrade could be powered by Claude – and that might give us truly smart speakers

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24TB in a mini PC? Minisforum's new micro workstation can take three SSDs and up to 96GB RAM, but I'm more intrigued by the Copilot button

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• The AI X1 Pro has a dedicated Copilot button and a fingerprint sensor
• It also has an OCuLink port that it claims can utilize 90% of eGPU performance
• Despite its diminutive size, it manages to integrate the PSU, a bonus for users

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Unveiled at CES 2025, the Miniforum AI X1 Pro is a newly announced mini PC which boasts three 4TB M.2 2280 PCle4.0 SSD Slots.

The AI X1 Pro builds on previous MINISFORUM models by increasing storage capacity and introducing more versatile memory options.

This chip of this device supports a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) supposedly capable of handling up to 50 trillion operations per second.

Graphics and expandable storage

The Miniforum AI X1 Pro runs AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, a chip aimed at balancing power efficiency with multitasking capabilities.

It also supports up to 96GB of user-replaceable DDR5 5600 SODIMM memory. This is a shift from earlier Miniforum models like the EliteMini AI370 mini PC which had smaller sizes and fixed memory configurations.

The AI X1 Pro includes the AMD Radeon 890M graphics card, which claims to deliver up to 45% faster performance than competing GPUs.

There is also an OCuLink port, enabling users to connect an external GPU (eGPU), which will come in handy for gamers. In addition, this device has a built-in noise-cancelling microphone which aims to improve audio quality during remote meetings.

Miniforum integrated the power supply of this device into the compact chassis, eliminating the need for an external power brick.

Despite its small size, the AI X1 Pro accommodates dual USB4 ports for up to 40Gbps of data transfer, USB Type-A ports, Ethernet, video output, and an SD card reader.

I'm impressed with the introduction of a dedicated Windows Copilot button, which provides quick access to Microsoft’s AI assistant features, and especially intrigued by the prospect of real-time subtitle generation for video calls or media playback on the device.

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• I can't wait to test the world's first 8TB PCIe 5.0 SSD, and I'm sure this one won't be too expensive

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NYT Connections today — my hints and answers for Tuesday, January 14 (game #583)

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 clues.

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 #583) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• WORKING
• SESSION
• BODY
• CROWD
• PUFFING
• RUNNING
• SWANK
• FLASH
• SITTING
• ACTIVE
• GULLY
• PERIOD
• STRAP
• MEETING
• FUNCTIONAL
• LENS

NYT Connections today (game #583) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: In service
• GREEN: Timely 
• BLUE: Snap happy 
• PURPLE: Feathered friends + 1

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 #583) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: OPERATING 
• GREEN: TERM 
• BLUE: THINGS IN A CAMERA KIT 
• PURPLE: BIRD PLUS LETTER 

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

NYT Connections today (game #583) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #583, are…

• YELLOW: OPERATING ACTIVE, FUNCTIONAL, RUNNING, WORKING
• GREEN: TERM MEETING, PERIOD, SESSION, SITTING
• BLUE: THINGS IN A CAMERA KIT BODY, FLASH, LENS, STRAP
• PURPLE: BIRD PLUS LETTER CROWD, GULLY, PUFFING, SWANK

---

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

---

I got my answers a little back to front today, not seeing the yellow group OPERATING until second last. Although I’m kicking myself that I didn’t spot the word trickery employed for purple’s BIRD PLUS LETTER, the truth is I could have stared at those words forever without seeing the cunning connection. Instead I wasted time thinking SWANK, FLASH and FUNCTIONAL were fashion styles.

THINGS IN A CAMERA KIT seemed a little clunky, as all of that quartet is usually one single thing rather than a “kit”, but LENS and FLASH seemed linked and STRAP and BODY made sense.

---

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 13 January, game #582)

• YELLOW: TEACH COACH, GUIDE, SCHOOL, TRAIN
• GREEN: CACHE BANK, POOL, RESERVE, STORE
• BLUE: DRIVING INSTRUCTOR DIRECTIVES BRAKE, PARK, SIGNAL, TURN
• PURPLE: WORM BOOK, EARTH, GLOW, INCH

---

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.

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NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Tuesday, January 14 (game #317)

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

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

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

NYT Strands today (game #317) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Bundle up

NYT Strands today (game #317) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• GLOBE
• SWAP
• TRAIN
• TART
• CARE
• THESE

NYT Strands today (game #317) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Seasonal garments

NYT Strands today (game #317) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 5th column

Last side: right, 7th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #317) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #317, are…

• PARKA
• SCARF
• JACKET
• GLOVES
• MITTENS
• BEANIE
• SPANGRAM: WINTER CLOTHES

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• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

---

I feel today's Strands was missing the most essential of WINTER CLOTHES – ear muffs. They’re a game changer.

According to outdoorsman and author Alfred Wainwright “there is no such thing as bad weather, just unsuitable clothing”.

When you consider that this statement was made in 1973, long before the multiple advances in cold weather clothing, it’s an even bolder statement.

Wainwright – who made his name writing and illustrating walking guides to the north of England – was thinking of a woolen sweater, flat cap and a pipe rather than a base layer made from polyamide yarn infused with coffee-bean shells, SmartWool socks, a Thinsulate mid layer, a Thermoball jacket and a pair of GoreTex pants.

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

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Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 13 January, game #316)

• PLAIN
• EVERYTHING
• GARLIC
• RAISIN
• SESAME
• BLUEBERRY
• SPANGRAM: BAGELS

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What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

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

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WhatsApp looks set to get an AI makeover soon – here's what could be coming

WhatsApp is seemingly testing a new look that brings AI front and center to the messaging app, as first discovered byWABetaInfo. The new look, as seen on a beta version of the Android app, gives AI its own tab and is clearly aimed at encouraging users to play with Meta's many AI tools.

The WABetaInfo team found the AI tab lists features such as “Popular AI characters” you can chat with and bots organized by topic, like a bizarre dinner party where everyone’s a robot. There are also AI-generated stickers, images, and a Meta AI-powered search engine.

If these sound familiar, that's because these AI tools already exist in WhatsApp – you just may not have noticed them, because they’re buried under the Chats tab. This redesign looks to make AI more visible and, presumably, more used. Whether that happens is anyone’s guess, but Meta seems to be betting on AI being the next big thing in messaging. The changes also affect the Communities tab, which no longer has its own space and which will instead live within the Chats tab.

AI WhatsApp

WABetaInfo also found that Meta is experimenting with custom AI bots that users can design within WhatsApp. By baking this feature into WhatsApp, Meta is making it more convenient than turning to the AI Studio in Instagram, though it’s still unclear how many people actually want to build their own chatbots. They may prefer the pre-built ones provided by the platform or to just chat with actual humans.

The upcoming changes to WhatsApp fit with Meta's efforts to embed AI in all of its platforms, particularly in encouraging the use of the Meta AI assistant. If it can entice even a small portion of the more than two billion WhatsApp users to start engaging with its AI products, Meta will be thrilled.

It does somewhat go against WhatsApp's streamlined and simple style, but that may not matter if people want to use AI for whatever purpose. Still, there’s a fine line between enhancing a platform and overloading it, and Meta is balancing right on that line.

There's no date for the revamp, though the beta-testing suggests a wait of a few months is likely. That said, if the integration of ChatGPT on WhatsApp proves as popular as OpenAI hopes, you might see the AI-focused WhatsApp come out even sooner than that and be copied across Meta's whole ecosystem.

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Grok steps out to mobile

Grok isn't just for X anymore. The AI chatbot built by Elon Musk's xAI company has debuted an iOS mobile app in the U.S., Australia, India, and several other countries. The app marks xAI’s ambition to compete against AI chatbot rivals with their own standalone apps, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude.

The app runs on the same Grok-2 AI model that powers its X-based counterpart. The chatbot can rewrite and summarize text, answer queries, and generate images from text prompts. For those in search of up-to-date information, Grok can access real-time data from both the web and X. Though originally exclusive to X’s paying subscribers, Grok now offers a free tier and became more accessible with the launch of Grok.com as its own website.

Mobile Grok

Grok’s image-generation feature is likely to entice plenty of users. xAI has touted Grok's photorealistic rendering skills using the Flux AI model and its ability to analyze photos you upload, explaining whatever objects are captured by your phone's camera. The app may also end up using the Aurora image model that xAI apparently accidentally released very briefly before removing it.

For better or worse, the AI's image creation abilities have also led to some debates around copyright and ownership. Some have gotten in trouble for making copyrighted characters like Mario do things Nintendo doesn't approve of, leading to its copyright infringement hunter Tracer going after them for infringement.

Grok’s launch outside X represents more than just a feature expansion; it’s how xAI aims to take at least some of those paying for ChatGPT and other AI chatbots. The company clearly hopes to make a bigger product ecosystem where people pay for X to get Grok or pay for Grok to get access to X's premium features. Whether it can outshine its rivals remains to be seen, but one thin

You might also like...

• How to (briefly) chat with Grok on X for free
• ChatGPT might finally face some real competition from Grok
• Grok-2 arrives on X with AI image creation, precious few guardrails, and lots of questions

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