Technologies

Take $200 Off Select Garmin Watches at Wellbots

With deals on GPS, Solar and other models, these sleek smartwatches are rugged enough to handle all of your adventures.

If you’re looking for a top-notch smartwatch, Garmin is among the best brands to buy. Not only do they work with both iOS and Android, but they also offer advanced fitness options and have a more rugged build than a lot of the competition. As with most high-quality products, Garmin watches typically carry a hefty price tag. However, Wellbots is making it more affordable by knocking $200 off all models in the Fenix 7 series, as well as the the Epix 2, and offering free shipping on your purchase.

See Fenix 7 Series at Wellbots

See Epix 2 at Wellbots

Garmin’s Fenix 7 series has a number of models available that should serve just about anybody well. These rugged smartwatches are designed with tough workouts in mind. The Fenix 7 and 7S generally starts at $700, offering a 47mm and 42mm case, respectively, with the solar editions going for $100 more. Wellbots also has the larger 7X solar edition available, sporting a 51mm case. It usually lists for $900 before the discount.

Each model has different specs, so be sure to read each product page carefully. Depending on your needs, you may opt for one version over another. The base Fenix 7 should provide up to 18 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up for 57 hours with GPS only, to give you an idea of the performance you can expect.

The Garmin Epix 2 is a great choice for adventurers and athletes, earning a spot on our roundup of the best smartwatch options you can get right now. It has has a 1.3-inch always-on AMOLED touchscreen display, titanium construction for durability and plenty of fitness tracking features, as well as access to mapping resources like GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO. It also gets up to six days of battery life per charge. It regularly lists for $1,000, but with the discount you can snag one for $800.

It’s worth noting that these Garmin smartwatches lack ECG tracking and cellular service, so if you’re looking for those features, you may want to invest in a different model. And if you’re looking for more savings, be sure to check out our roundup of all the best Garmin deals happening now.

Technologies

Remember That TikTok Ban? This Week’s Deadline Brings Hints of a Deal

The Trump administration waxes optimistic once again about getting to a resolution for TikTok in the US.

The Trump administration is working on a deal with China to determine TikTok’s fate, which could be finalized by the end of this week, according to reports citing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

President Trump has plans to meet on Friday with China’s President Xi Jinping, and the two are expected to discuss the fate of the Chinese-owned social media platform. That means the deadline of Wednesday, Sept. 17, may pass before there’s a definitive resolution on the matter. The key question is whether ownership of TikTok will transfer to a US-based company. The platform could shut down temporarily in the US, as it has before, in accordance with a federal law passed last year in response to national security and privacy considerations.

That law requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the social media service to a US-based company or essentially be shut down in the US. The initial deadline, set for January, has been extended twice already by the Trump administration as it cited progress on the matter.

Bessent said on Monday that the two countries have reached a preliminary deal and «commercial terms have been agreed upon.»

Neither TikTok nor the Treasury Department responded immediately to requests for comment.

An agreement over TikTok has been complicated by ongoing trade warring between the US and China and a new ruling against US-based Nvidia. China claims Nvidia has violated anti-monopoly laws in that country.

Skepticism about a TikTok deal

Even with the administration’s suggestion that a deal is imminent, it’s possible that TikTok’s future could remain in limbo even longer.

«I have seen the TikTok negotiations stall and shift so many times that I am not holding my breath on a deal being completed this week,» said Star Kashman, founder of Cyber Law Firm, who’s been following the TikTok saga. «Every time we hear about progress or a framework getting reached, some external complication throws the whole negotiation back into limbo.»

Tariffs and the Nvidia claims have further complicated what was already a complex negotiation over TikTok, she said. «It is likely that too much is already at play, including ByteDance’s potential obligations to the Chinese government, national security concerns, and privacy issues, as well as the desire to keep TikTok’s addictive algorithm, without isolating and segregating US users.»

Kashman said that none of the parties have been transparent about what would happen to TikTok under US ownership, including addressing reports that a US-only TIkTok app would be offered

Negotiation factors

If a deal is reached to keep TikTok available in the United States, it could be just the start of wrangling over the platform’s future, said one expert on US-China relations.

«The Chinese generally look at the signing of a deal as the beginning of negotiations, not the end,» said Usha Haley, Barton Distinguished Chair in International Business at Wichita State University. «So the devil will be in the details as they unfold over several years.»

Haley said that any deal would be subject to congressional scrutiny and could set a precedent for how future foreign-based apps operate in the US.

The Trump administration would likely insist on US-based storage of TikTok data, independent oversight and insulation from Chinese legal and political demands, while China’s government would want to protect its tech champion and maintain cultural influence, she said.

Whatever requirements the US imposes, Haley said, China might still find a way to maintain some control over TikTok by «keeping some possibly secret doors and trapdoors open for intervention in the future, if needed.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 16, #828

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Sept. 16, #828.

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 has a fun purple category. I’m a little surprised the Times didn’t save it for Easter. 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 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: Under observation.

Green group hint: Eggs are sold in this amount.

Blue group hint: Ballpoint pens have this.

Purple group hint: Bunnies.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Keep tabs on.

Green group: One in a dozen.

Blue group: Things with ink.

Purple group: ____ rabbit.

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 keep tabs on. The four answers are follow, monitor, track and watch.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is one in a dozen. The four answers are donut, juror, month and rose.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is things with ink. The four answers are pen, printer, squid and tattoo machine.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ rabbit. The four answers are Roger, Trix, Velveteen and White.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 16 #562

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Sept. 16, No. 562.

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 stumped me, both in finding the answers and in unscrambling them. 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: Riding high.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Kind of like flying.

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:

PLUS, GULP, MITE, TIME, TIMES, ABLE, ABLER, LOVE, LOVES, HELM

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: