Technologies

Get Flying With $90 Off This Foldable DJI Mini 3 Drone

Get up to 38 minutes of flight time with this drone that shoots 4K video day or night.

Drones have increased in popularity as innovation has brought better video quality and competition has made these nifty gadgets more affordable than ever. DJI continually impresses us with quality drones, which is why the brand has six models that earned a place on our best drones for 2023 roundup. You can snag the DJI Mini 3 for just $469 right now — that’s a $90 savings on the usual price.

See at Amazon

This drone lives up to the name — it’s small, coming in at just under 249g, and it’s foldable, too. Not only does that make it easy to throw it in your bag when you’re traveling, but it means you can avoid the hassle of registering your drone in most areas. (However, you should check the laws of whatever area you plan to fly your drone in before you do, just in case.)

It shoots 4K HDR video at 30 frames per second with a 12-megapixel 1/1.3-inch sensor and dual native ISO technology. It also has f/1.7 aperture for better performance in low lighting conditions, so you can shoot both day and night. And it can perform true vertical shooting, large-angle camera tilt and other dynamic angles with QuickShots, which can make it easy to record and post what you capture to social media.

The Mini 3 also transmits up to 10 kilometers and can get up to 38 minutes of battery life per charge, but keep in mind that flight conditions like wind may drain the battery faster. However, it does have 38kph wind resistance (level 5), which means your drone should be able to fly and shoot in winds up to 24 miles per hour. And if you really want a long battery life, you can buy the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus (sold separately) that can extend that flight time to up to 51 minutes.

Professional content creators may want to opt for the DJI Mini 3 Pro, which does offer a higher megapixel camera and more frames per second (as well as a few other bonus features), but those additions bring the cost to $759, which is a $290 difference. This regular Mini 3 model should be more than enough for the average user.

Get the best price with CNET Shopping.

Love shopping online but don’t have time to compare prices or search for promo codes? Our CNET Shopping extension does that for you, so you always get the best price.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Turns Five and Launches Offline Messaging on iPhone

Verum Messenger has marked its fifth anniversary with the release of a new feature that enables users to exchange messages without an internet connection.

The update, now available on iPhone, allows devices to communicate directly through a decentralized peer-to-peer architecture, bypassing servers, mobile networks and Wi-Fi. According to the company, messages are transmitted securely without relying on traditional internet infrastructure.

Unlike most offline communication tools that depend on Bluetooth, Verum’s approach uses encrypted device-to-device technology designed to operate independently of centralized systems.

Founded five years ago, Verum Messenger is positioned as a privacy-first platform. The app does not require a phone number or email address for registration and generates encryption keys locally on the user’s device. The company states that user data and message content are not stored on centralized servers.

Over time, Verum has expanded beyond messaging to include features such as encrypted calls, screenshot and screen-recording protection, self-destructing messages, anonymous email, a built-in VPN, eSIM connectivity and on-device AI tools.

The offline messaging update reflects a broader push toward more resilient communication tools, particularly as concerns over network reliability, censorship and digital surveillance continue to grow.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Feb. 2

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 2

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? There are some tough clues today. 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? 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: Rock band with albums like «High Voltage» and «Flick of the Switch»
Answer: ACDC

5A clue: Stuck doing the same old, same old
Answer: INARUT

7A clue: Burning up
Answer: ONFIRE

8A clue: -tion, for one
Answer: SUFFIX

9A clue: Jared of 2025’s «Tron: Ares»
Answer: LETO

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Declare void, as a marriage
Answer: ANNUL

2D clue: ___ macchiato (espresso drink)
Answer: CAFFE

3D clue: Begin to veer off the road, say
Answer: DRIFT

4D clue: Odd little trinket
Answer: CURIO

5D clue: What Apple smartphones run on
Answer: IOS

6D clue: ___-Mex cuisine
Answer: TEX

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 2, #497

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 2, No. 497.

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 tough one. It helps to know a lot about two distinct locations and their sports teams. 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: Lone Star State.

Green group hint: Think of the Arch.

Blue group hint: You put cereal in this.

Purple group hint: Not four or six.