Technologies

T-Mobile Rumored to Be Buying Ryan Reynolds’ Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile could soon become a formal part of T-Mobile.

Mint Mobile, the prepaid carrier owned in part by actor Ryan Reynolds, could soon be sold. According to Bloomberg, the company is «in talks» to be purchased by T-Mobile.

The budget provider has made a name for itself in recent years with ads featuring Reynolds pitching Mint as a more affordable option to larger telecom companies like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. A division of Ultra Mobile, Mint Mobile has long been rumored to be up for sale.

T-Mobile didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Mint Mobile declined to comment on speculation.

While Mint Mobile pitches itself as a rival to larger wireless companies, it doesn’t run its own 4G LTE or 5G service and instead is an MVNO that operates on T-Mobile’s network. That Mint is already using T-Mobile could help make any transitions of customers a bit easier.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Ultra Mobile would be sold alongside Mint, or if T-Mobile was just interested in the latter. It’s also unclear whether the Mint Mobile brand would continue or if it would be folded into other T-Mobile-owned brands such as Metro by T-Mobile.

Reynolds became part-owner of Mint Mobile in 2019 and has promoted the company through TV ads he’s starred in and social media posts from his personal 21 million follower Twitter and 47 million follower Instagram accounts, as Bloomberg pointed out. He currently owns about one-fourth of Mint Mobile.

The last notable prepaid brand sale was Tracfone, which Verizon acquired for $6 billion in 2021. The carrier then launched its own prepaid brand, called Total by Verizon, in September 2022 to take on similar prepaid brands Metro by T-Mobile and AT&T’s Cricket Wireless.

Technologies

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Might Come in 5G and 4G Cellular Models

If the rumor proves true, the 5G Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 that debuted last fall.

Samsung’s next high-end Galaxy Watch could support faster 5G speeds, but if this leak is true, it will depend on where you live. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might come in 5G and 4G cellular models, with availability for each smartwatch depending on the country.

According to the Dutch website Galaxy Club (and spotted by SamMobile), Samsung’s servers may have revealed a series of model numbers that point to 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi-enabled editions of the next Galaxy Watch Ultra, which would succeed the original model that debuted in 2024.

A representative for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Galaxy Club website speculates that the 5G edition would be sold in the US and Korean markets, while the 4G edition would sell in the rest of the world. In the US, a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3, which debuted last fall. The 4G edition would have broader compatibility worldwide, since the earlier network is far more established.

It will likely be a few months until we hear anything official about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Samsung typically unveils its new watches in the summer alongside its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but otherwise left the prior 2024 Ultra in the lineup for those looking for a larger 47mm smartwatch.

Technologies

2 Cases Show Supreme Court Isn’t Holding ISPs Responsible for Piracy

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 8, #1032

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 8, No. 1032.

Looking for the most recent 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, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. The purple category is a fun one, once you see the connection. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: In the group.

Green group hint: Appearance details.

Blue group hint: Often found in gyms.

Purple group hint: They help you see.