Technologies

Huge Woot Mac Blowout Discounts MacBooks, iMacs, Studio Display and More

Upgrade your setup with new and refurbished Apple devices at hundreds less than Apple store prices.

Apple makes some of the best laptops and desktop computers on the market, though they don’t come cheap. But the premium Apple experience doesn’t have to come at a ridiculous cost if you’re happy to shop around for deals, and right now, Woot is running a huge Mac sale that can save you hundreds versus buying at the Apple store.

See at Woot

The sale, which is live through June 20 or while supplies last, features MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, as well as recent iMac releases and even Apple’s Studio Display monitor. There’s a mix of brand new, open-box and factory reconditioned models in the sale, so be sure to read the descriptions carefully. We’ve pulled out a few of our favorite deals below, but you’ll want to hit up the full sale to see all of the options.

MacBook Air M1: $760 (save $240)

Apple’s previous-gen MacBook Air M1 is still a solid buy for everyday use, especially when you can find a good deal on one. We’ve seen it hit $800 brand new before, but this $760 low price is a steal if you don’t mind an open-box model.

iMac M1: $950 (save $349)

Also packing an M1 chip is Apple’s latest iMac. This all-in-one is a great family computer that looks great and offers a lovely 4.5K, 24-inch display. You’d pay $1,300 for this machine brand new, but it’s under $1,000 open-box.

MacBook Air M2: $980 (save $119)

Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air M2 recently got a $100 price cut following the release of the 15-inch model, but Woot’s open-box offer tops that by another $119. This thin and light machine is plenty powerful and offers all-day battery life.

MacBook Pro (14-inch): $1,390 (save $509)

Though no longer sold by Apple, you’d still pay close to $1,900 for this 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip brand new at places like B&H. It features 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD at this price, though other configurations are available factory reconditioned and with a one-year warranty.

Apple Studio Display: $950 (save $649)

Apple Studio Display deals are pretty rare, especially ones that drop the monitor as low as $950, so these open-box deals won’t last for long. Choose from standard or nano-texture glass as well as various stand or mount options while supplies last and pair with your preferred Mac.

Technologies

Tinder Users Must Start Logging In With Their Faces, Starting Nationwide

The social app now has new US requirements including face identification to help quell longstanding problems with catfishing and more.

US Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app starting Wednesday: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles.

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We already know how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and California before the full US rollout.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.

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Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems.

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification.

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices.

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

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Oct. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 23.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? 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: Like some weather, memories and I.P.A.s
Answer: HAZY

5A clue: Statement that’s self-evidently true
Answer: AXIOM

7A clue: Civic automaker
Answer: HONDA

8A clue: What fear leads to, as Yoda told a young Anakin
Answer: ANGER

9A clue: Foxlike
Answer: SLY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Verbal «lol»
Answer: HAHA

2D clue: Brain signal transmitter
Answer: AXON

3D clue: Hits with a witty comeback
Answer: ZINGS

4D clue: Sing at the top of a mountain, maybe
Answer: YODEL

6D clue: Name of the famous «Queen of Scots»
Answer: MARY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

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 might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so 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: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

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:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

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: