Technologies

Lenovo Debuts Latest ThinkPad X1, IdeaPad 5 Laptops, Tab M9 Tablet Ahead of CES 2023

There’s also a lamp that may make you more productive.

Lenovo can be counted on to announce at least a few outside-the-box devices at CES. But before the annual tech show kicks off Jan. 5 in Las Vegas, the company has unveiled some more run-of-the-mill updates to its commercial and consumer computers and accessories.

On the commercial side, Lenovo will update its ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop, X1 Yoga two-in-one and sub-2.2-pound X1 Nano laptop with the «very latest generation of up to Intel Core i7 processors with Intel vPro.» The X1 Carbon and X1 Yoga will also support up to 64GB of LPDDR5 RAM. They’ll also have improvements to privacy and presence detection, posture warning and eye wellness alerts, webcam enhancements like auto-framing and background blur and OLED displays with settings designed to reduce energy consumption.

There will be a lot of sustainability messaging from PC makers this year, and that includes Lenovo. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 has a palm rest made from 90% recycled magnesium and the bottom cover is 55% recycled aluminum, while the X1 Nano Gen 3 features 90% recycled magnesium hybrid in the palm rest and bottom cover. Retail packaging is made from 100% bamboo and sugarcane fiber.

The new X1 models are expected to ship in April with prices starting at $1,649, approximately 1,360 or AU$2,480 converted.

Lenovo also announced new commercial monitors including the ThinkVision P49w-30, an ultrawide 49-inch display expected in June and starting from $1,699. There are also some new desk accessories coming, the most interesting of which is the Lenovo Go Desk Station with Webcam.

The Go Desk Station looks like a desk lamp but is much more and potentially a great solution for someone with limited desk space. The light is on a rotatable arm and at the opposite end of the light is an arm with a 4K webcam attached. The design lets you easily brighten your work area or your face while using the webcam. The light’s brightness and color temperature are adjustable, too.

The lamp’s base has a built-in USB-C hub with a 135-watt power input that can pass through 65 watts of power to a laptop. There’s an HDMI 2.0 output also to connect to a monitor. There’s even a retractable shelf in the base with a 15-watt Qi wireless charging pad. It’s expected to be available in March for $329.

For consumers, Lenovo announced updates to its IdeaPad Pro 5/5i and Slim 5/5i laptop line. Both models are available in 14- and 16-inch sizes, however only the 16-inch versions will be available in the US. Like the ThinkPads, these will have the latest Intel Core processors or AMD Ryzen processors, and the Pro models have the option of next-gen Nvidia discrete graphics. Other updates include improved displays including OLED options and dynamic refresh rates up to 120Hz; full-HD webcams; and larger touchpads.

The 16-inch IdeaPad Pro 5i is expected to ship in May starting at $1,500. The 16-inch IdeaPad Slim 5/5i is also expected in May starting at $650 for AMD models and $750 for Intel.

Lenovo also announced a new mini desktop PC, a budget two-in-one 12-inch Chromebook and the Tab M9, a 9-inch HD tablet running on Android 12 available sometime in Q2 and starting at $140. You can read more about all of Lenovo’s CES 2023 announcements on its news site.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 20, #1766

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for April 20, No. 1,766.

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 has a couple of rare letters in it. 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.

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 one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels, and then one of those is repeated, so you will see that one twice.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with W.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with E.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to forming fabric by interlacing long threads, perhaps on a loom.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is WEAVE.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 19, No. 1765, was STAND.

Recent Wordle answers

April 15, No. 1761: BEGUN

April 16, No. 1762: CUBIT

April 17, No. 1763: BELLE

April 18, No. 1764: TOADY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 20 #778

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for April 20, No. 778.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle offers an interesting mix of words, and they all begin with the same two letters. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Gloriously glaring!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Shimmery.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

TEAM, MATE, HATE, GATE, LIST, LISTEN, GLEE, LINT, CHEAT, HEAT

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

GLOW, GLEAM, GLINT, GLITTER, GLISTEN, GLIMMER

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is CATCHTHELIGHT. To find it, start with the C that’s three letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind up.

Technologies

Turn up the Volume With These EarFun Air Pro 4 Earbuds While They’re Down to Just $63

The EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds are the perfect choice for budget-conscious shoppers who still want every audio perk available.

Right now we’ve spotted EarFun AirPro 4 earbuds for just $63, which saves you $17 with Amazon Prime. In addition to this discount, shoppers can save an extra 5 or 10% when making other eligible purchases. Though not exactly its lowest price, it’s just $10 previous short of its previous low record price and one best deals on audio gear we can expect right now.

The earbuds are frequently discounted from their $80 list price, but that $63 price is a significant discount. CNET Executive Editor David Carnoy reviewed the Earfun Air Pro 4, noting that its wireless charging, ear-detection sensors and multipoint Bluetooth pairing for using with multiple devices are all very useful perks.

Carnoy does note that voice-calling performance for these earbuds doesn’t come anywhere close to premium earbuds like Apple’s AirPods Pro, but when these earbuds cost a fraction of that, they could be a good value for someone who just wants something easy to use for listening to music and podcasts.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones (Black):

$248 (save $152)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$170 (save $181)
Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones:

$398 (save $62)
Bose QuietComfort Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Twilight Blue):

$179 (save $170)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$200 (save $250)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

This earbuds offer many of the same features as those found in top brands, all for a fraction of the price. Be sure to lock in this low price, as we doubt it will fall any lower anytime soon.