Technologies
Folding, AI and Gaming Phones: The Most Eye-Catching Mobile Tech at CES 2024
There was plenty of movement in the mobile world to get excited about at the world’s largest tech show. Here’s what you should know about.
CES 2024 is an annual parade of flashy tech gadgets, from see-through TVs and other innovative concepts we wish were real today, to practical products you can buy right now. Then there’s the downright bizarre. As expected, AI is everywhere.
Here are the mobile gadgets that piqued our imaginations so far at the show. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more as we continue to rove the world’s largest tech conference.
Samsung Flex In & Out Flip concept phone
Samsung seems to be reimagining the future of its clamshell-style lineup. The company’s new Flex In & Out concept phone is similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, except you can fold it in both directions. It can be folded open, folded shut and bent over backwards to turn the screen into an outer display.
Instead of a cover screen, the 360-degree folding display allows you to interact with content on the screen even when it’s folded. It could replace the need for a cover screen, and it has left us asking whether this flexible display will eventually make its way to the Galaxy Flip lineup.
Asus ROG Phone 8
The Asus ROG line is a series of smartphones designed for gamers. The latest model, the Asus ROG Phone 8, once again comes with the top-tier specs that we’ve come to expect from this lineup. The 6.78-inch phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and serves up the option of 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage in the Pro model for those who want extra juice.
To make sure gameplay runs as smoothly as possible, this phone has an ultrafast refresh rate of 165Hz and a 5,500 mAh battery that supports 65-watt fast charging. Because of its audience, the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro still puts a lot of emphasis on how the phone works horizontally for gameplay, including sensors that can function like shoulder buttons.
Going beyond gameplay, this phone also gets some AI-based features such as semantic search and noise canceling. The Asus ROG Phone 8 starts at $1,100 and is expected to be released within the first quarter of this year in the US.
TCL 50 XL NxtPaper 5G
The TCL 50 XL NxtPaper 5G is a smartphone that’s designed to be easier on your eyes. It has a 6.8-inch display that uses reflective screen technology similar to e-paper displays. The company claims it filters blue light by up to 61%. The display has a normal view for general use, a low-contrast color paper mode for comics and a black-and-white mode to act more like an e-reader. A stepdown model, the TCL 50 XE NxtPaper 5G, is also coming with a smaller 6.6-inch display.
While this tech isn’t new to its phone (the company launched two phones last year with it), TCL’s first NxtPaper phones for the US market are launching as part of its broader TCL 50 series phone lineup.
Rabbit R1 AI device
AI devices hoping to reduce (or eliminate) the need for smartphones are coming. The Rabbit R1 is a $199 AI gadget that wants to be a better personal assistant than your phone. It’s like if you had your friend order takeout for you rather than doing it to yourself, the company’s CEO said. The Rabbit RI apparently achieves this by swapping out apps for a push-to-talk button and an operating system that can learn how to use apps on your behalf.
The company says the device can execute tasks such as scheduling appointments, setting reminders and sending messages. The hardware it relies on includes a 2.88-inch display, a camera, 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. It runs on a 2.3GHz MediaTek Helios P35 processor. The Rabbit R1 is expected to ship in late March.
Clicks keyboard for iPhone
CES tends to showcase the gadgets of the future, but the Clicks keyboard case for iPhones is a nod to the past. The $139 iPhone case, from Clicks Technology, literally swaps out your digital keyboard for a physical one. It features a retro keyboard with real buttons that click when pressed, serving up the tactile smartphone experience many old-schoolers crave. The Clicks keyboard is compatible with the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, and no charging is required.
Doublepoint remote control concept for WearOS
Imagine being able to dim the living room lights with a turn of the wrist. Or browse Netflix with a few taps of your fingers. Finnish startup Doublepoint’s new software can turn an Android watch into a remote control for any device via a Bluetooth connection. It’s up to developers and app-makers to decide what a small gesture like tapping fingers or rotating your wrist will actually do, but it still offers exciting possibilities. The software for WearOS watches is expected to drop within the first half of this year.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Dec. 27
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 27.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s pretty long for a Mini Crossword, and some of the clues are tricky. The answer to 10-Across is not an expression I use, for sure. Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Fashionable
Answer: HIP
4A clue: Product sold on «The Office»
Answer: PAPER
6A clue: One writing a performance review
Answer: MANAGER
8A clue: With 5-Down, redundant synonym of «outcome»
Answer: END
9A clue: Quiet ___ mouse
Answer: ASA
10A clue: Gives constant compliments, in slang
Answer: GASESUP
12A clue: Ski mountain bump
Answer: MOGUL
13A clue: Uneasy feeling
Answer: ANGST
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Personally involved
Answer: HANDSON
2D clue: Hoppy beer, for short
Answer: IPA
3D clue: Mythical horse whose name is an anagram of 10-Across
Answer: PEGASUS
4D clue: Last word in the palindromic sentence «A man, a plan, a canal …»
Answer: PANAMA
5D clue: See 8-Across
Answer: RESULT
6D clue: Ryan of «When Harry Met Sally …»
Answer: MEG
7D clue: Genre for Playboi Carti and Cardi B
Answer: RAP
11D clue: Something in an Easter basket
Answer: EGG
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Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Dec. 27, #460
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Dec. 27, No. 460.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a real challenge. That purple category wants you to hunt out something related in four different words, and it’s a toughie. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Something you save.
Green group hint: An Olympic sport.
Blue group hint: Toronto pitchers.
Purple group hint: Think about the alphabet and look for something hidden.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Memento.
Green group: Types of wrestling.
Blue group: Blue Jays to win Cy Young Award.
Purple group: Ends in a homophone for a letter of the alphabet.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is memento. The four answers are collectible, keepsake, memorabilia and souvenir.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is types of wrestling. The four answers are arm, freestyle, Greco-Roman and sumo.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Blue Jays to win Cy Young Award. The four answers are Clemens, Halladay, Hentgen and Ray.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is ends in a homophone for a letter of the alphabet. The four answers are batter’s eye (I), blue jay (J), golf tee (T) and pool cue (Q).
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
Technologies
Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 27, #1,652
Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Dec. 27, No. 1,652.
Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Wordle puzzle came together pretty quickly for me this time. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Read more: New Study Reveals Wordle’s Top 10 Toughest Words of 2025
Today’s Wordle hints
Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
Today’s Wordle answer has one vowel.
Wordle hint No. 3: First letter
Today’s Wordle answer begins with B.
Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter
Today’s Wordle answer ends with H.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a quantity of goods produced at one time.
TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER
Today’s Wordle answer is BATCH.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer
Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Dec. 26, No. 1651 was SPEED.
Recent Wordle answers
Dec. 22, No. 1647: CONCH
Dec. 23, No. 1648: GLINT
Dec. 24, No. 1649: SPOOL
Dec. 25, No. 1650: PRISM
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
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