Technologies

Motorola’s Rollable Phone Concept Points to a Wild Future

This bizarre transforming phone unrolls at the press of a button.

Motorola made a big impression in 2020 with its clamshell-folding Razr, and it’s taken the flexible display to new heights at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The Motorola rollable phone concept has a display that wraps around the bottom of the phone. That rolled-up screen can then automatically extend outwards to create a bigger display, or roll away and provide a handy second screen.

Take a look at the phone in action.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

I got my hands on the phone and although it’s just a proof of concept, it actually works. Double-pressing a button on the side unrolls the phone, with the display extending beyond the top edge to create a larger 16:9 display. Double press again and it gently slides its way back in.

Certain apps will trigger the transformation automatically: If you’re watching a YouTube video and turn the phone into a horizontal position, as the YouTube app automatically flips orientation, the display will also extend outwards, providing a bigger surface to immerse you more in your content of choice.

In my demo, I also saw how the phone will remain in its smaller mode when swiping through your emails, but tapping «Compose» triggers the screen to extend, providing more room for the keyboard.

When it’s in its small mode, the screen wraps around the back of the phone and can function as a second display. You can use it to check the weather, incoming notifications or other information. Fire up the camera and that rear display becomes a viewfinder for taking selfies.

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It’s a cool concept and it was genuinely exciting seeing the phone transform in my hand. I have concerns about the durability of the display when it extends, though. It’s extremely thin when it pokes over the top of the phone, and it feels like it could very easily take damage. But those are exactly the sort of kinks that will get worked out throughout the concept stage.

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Motorola isn’t saying whether this phone will ever go on sale, or how much we could expect to have to pay if it ever did. And while it has multiple cameras, the company isn’t elaborating on those cameras’ specs — or, indeed, any key specs of the phone itself. So for now, if you’re into bendy phone screens, check out our list of the best foldable phones you can actually buy.

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Technologies

Everything We Know About the Star Wars: Starfighter Movie

Starring Ryan Gosling as a character new to the famed space franchise, Starfighter is set after Episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker.

There’s a new Star Wars movie coming, and with it a trip to a galaxy far, far away in a new time period. Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled for a May 2027 release, starring Ryan Gosling (yes, Ken from the Barbie movie) as a brand new character for the franchise. We don’t know much about his role or the film yet, though director Shawn Levy revealed a bit last week during the Star Wars Celebration fan event in Japan.

«The movie is a new adventure. It’s new characters,» said Levy. «It takes place in a new period of time after the battle of Exegol, after Episode 9.»

Episode 9 refers to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which came out in 2019, and the planet Exegol was the site of a battle during the war between the First Order and the Resistance.

No one was surprised to see plans for a new Star Wars movie, given how the franchise has drastically expanded since Disney bought the franchise’s parent company, Lucasfilm, in 2012.

Fans ready for a standalone Star Wars film

The new film has excited superfans like Jimmy «Mac» McInerney, host and producer of the Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast.

«Superfans like me will be there for anything Star Wars, but I really hope Levy and Gosling will pack the appropriate punch to excite the masses,» McInerney told CNET. «I’m also very optimistic that this will be a standalone story with a solid beginning, middle and end.»

The movie will be set around five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and it won’t follow any of the main plot lines from past films. So it’s not a prequel or a sequel, it’s a new adventure.

Mclnerney thinks the standalone nature of Star Wars: Starfighter might be a good thing.

«Sometimes Star Wars gets crushed under the weight of its existing lore, so it’s nice to know this will be a self-contained adventure,» he said. «This could provide fandom with a nice palate cleanser following the divisive sequel trilogy and propel the franchise into the future.»

For now, you can find all the Star Wars content your heart desires on the streaming service Disney+.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 25, #418

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 418 for April 25.

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.

CNET writers love to cover skygazing, from eclipses to the northern lights to planetary smiley faces. If you love looking up at the stars, today’s Strands puzzle is for you. 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: It’s in the stars.

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

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:

LATE, RENT, DRIP, DAMN, ROSE, ROSES, PRESS, DIME, TAME, TAMED, RUNT, MACE, MACES, DENT, DENTS, CANE, TALL, CENT.

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:

SWAN, CROSS, DIPPER, HUNTER, MAIDEN, CENTAUR

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is CONSTELLATIONS. To find it, start with the C that’s the first letter to the left on the top row (easy!), and wind across and down.

Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 25, #214

Here are the hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 214, for April 25.

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.

There are some funny names for basketball errors, and a few of them are in today’s Connections: Sports Edition. And yes, the NFL draft is still going on, so there’s one of those categories, too. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now after making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it 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: On your mark, get set…

Green group hint: Whoops in hoops.

Blue group hint: Picked first.

Purple group hint: Opposite of «go.»

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Track and field events.

Green group: Basketball violations.

Blue group: Previous No. 1 NFL draft picks.

Purple group: ____ stop.

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 track and field events. The four answers are 100 meters, decathlon, pole vault and steeplechase.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball violations. The four answers are 5-second, backcourt, goaltending and traveling.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is previous No. 1 NFL draft picks. The four answers are Burrow, Fisher, Long and Luck.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ stop. The four answers are back, jump, pit and short.

Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories

The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams.

That said, it’s hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently.

#1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma.

#2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart.

#3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers.

#4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.