Technologies

Snag a Set of Noise-Canceling Sony LinkBuds S Wireless Earbuds for Just $130

Score one of our favorite pairs of earbuds at a $70 discount today only.

While there are plenty of cheap wireless earbuds on the market, investing in a set with modern features like active noise-canceling technology is probably going to result in a more pleasant listening experience. The Sony LinkBuds S true wireless earbuds are our favorite compact noise-canceling earbuds at the moment, but at $200 they’re on the pricey side. However, Best Buy has slashed the cost by $70 for a limited time on this model in Desert Sand, meaning you can bring home a pair for just $130 right now. That’s only $2 more than the lowest price we’ve seen, but you only have until the end of the day to get this discount.

See at Best Buy

These earbuds have active noise cancellation to keep you immersed in your music, audiobooks or podcasts, and they offer good sound quality for their size. They even have an ambient mode when you need to be aware of your surroundings. And with Speak-to-Chat technology, the earbuds will automatically pause as soon as you speak to someone so that you can have a quick conversation as you go about your day. Plus, they’re IPX4-rated water- and sweat-resistant, so you’ll be able to wear them while working out without a hitch.

The LinkBuds S are compact and lightweight, meaning you can comfortably wear them all day. Speaking of all-day wear — they offer up to 6 hours of battery life per charge, with an additional 14 hours in the case. And if you’re trying to stay connected on the go, a 5-minute charge can provide you up to an hour of playtime.

It might be worth noting that these earbuds do not support wireless charging and there is no multipoint Bluetooth pairing. Additionally, CNET’s own David Carnoy said his one gripe with these earbuds is their lackluster voice-calling performance, which «could have been a bit better,» so if those features are important to you, you might want to check out other wireless earbuds available now.

Technologies

This Transformable Electric Truck Could Become the Cheapest EV in the US

Merging retro touches with a high-tech electric platform, the Slate Truck offers a customizable, budget-friendly alternative to traditional EVs.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 27, #686

Hints and answers for Connections for April 27, #686.

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 Connections puzzle might make you hungry — especially if you spot the four words in the blue category. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now 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 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: Do the math.

Green group hint: Tresses.

Blue group hint: Munchies.

Purple group hint: Think Stockholm.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Calculator buttons.

Green group: Amounts of hair.

Blue group: Salty snack unit.

Purple group: Swedish ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is calculator buttons. The four answers are equals, minus, percent and times.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is amounts of hair. The four answers are lock, shock, thatch and tuft.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is salty snack unit. The four answers are Combo, Goldfish, Ruffle and Taki.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Swedish ____. The four answers are Chef, Fish, massage and meatball.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 27, #420

Here are hints — and answers — for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 420 for April 27.

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.

Sleep used to be so simple, but now it can be complex, as we try to add in extra things to help us get that good night’s rest. Today’s NYT Strands puzzle highlights sleep assistance, and a few of the words are tricky. 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: Sleep tight

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Zzzzz…

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:

BEDS, MINE, TAKE, TAKES, TAKER, STAKE, LATS, EARL, PLUG, PLUGS, ROUT, MIKE, DATE

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’ve got 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: