Technologies
Folding, AI and Gaming Phones: The Most Eye-Catching Mobile Tech at CES 2024
There was plenty of movement in the mobile world to get excited about at the world’s largest tech show. Here’s what you should know about.
CES 2024 is an annual parade of flashy tech gadgets, from see-through TVs and other innovative concepts we wish were real today, to practical products you can buy right now. Then there’s the downright bizarre. As expected, AI is everywhere.
Here are the mobile gadgets that piqued our imaginations so far at the show. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more as we continue to rove the world’s largest tech conference.
Samsung Flex In & Out Flip concept phone
Samsung seems to be reimagining the future of its clamshell-style lineup. The company’s new Flex In & Out concept phone is similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 5, except you can fold it in both directions. It can be folded open, folded shut and bent over backwards to turn the screen into an outer display.
Instead of a cover screen, the 360-degree folding display allows you to interact with content on the screen even when it’s folded. It could replace the need for a cover screen, and it has left us asking whether this flexible display will eventually make its way to the Galaxy Flip lineup.
Asus ROG Phone 8
The Asus ROG line is a series of smartphones designed for gamers. The latest model, the Asus ROG Phone 8, once again comes with the top-tier specs that we’ve come to expect from this lineup. The 6.78-inch phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and serves up the option of 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage in the Pro model for those who want extra juice.
To make sure gameplay runs as smoothly as possible, this phone has an ultrafast refresh rate of 165Hz and a 5,500 mAh battery that supports 65-watt fast charging. Because of its audience, the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro still puts a lot of emphasis on how the phone works horizontally for gameplay, including sensors that can function like shoulder buttons.
Going beyond gameplay, this phone also gets some AI-based features such as semantic search and noise canceling. The Asus ROG Phone 8 starts at $1,100 and is expected to be released within the first quarter of this year in the US.
TCL 50 XL NxtPaper 5G
The TCL 50 XL NxtPaper 5G is a smartphone that’s designed to be easier on your eyes. It has a 6.8-inch display that uses reflective screen technology similar to e-paper displays. The company claims it filters blue light by up to 61%. The display has a normal view for general use, a low-contrast color paper mode for comics and a black-and-white mode to act more like an e-reader. A stepdown model, the TCL 50 XE NxtPaper 5G, is also coming with a smaller 6.6-inch display.
While this tech isn’t new to its phone (the company launched two phones last year with it), TCL’s first NxtPaper phones for the US market are launching as part of its broader TCL 50 series phone lineup.
Rabbit R1 AI device
AI devices hoping to reduce (or eliminate) the need for smartphones are coming. The Rabbit R1 is a $199 AI gadget that wants to be a better personal assistant than your phone. It’s like if you had your friend order takeout for you rather than doing it to yourself, the company’s CEO said. The Rabbit RI apparently achieves this by swapping out apps for a push-to-talk button and an operating system that can learn how to use apps on your behalf.
The company says the device can execute tasks such as scheduling appointments, setting reminders and sending messages. The hardware it relies on includes a 2.88-inch display, a camera, 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. It runs on a 2.3GHz MediaTek Helios P35 processor. The Rabbit R1 is expected to ship in late March.
Clicks keyboard for iPhone
CES tends to showcase the gadgets of the future, but the Clicks keyboard case for iPhones is a nod to the past. The $139 iPhone case, from Clicks Technology, literally swaps out your digital keyboard for a physical one. It features a retro keyboard with real buttons that click when pressed, serving up the tactile smartphone experience many old-schoolers crave. The Clicks keyboard is compatible with the iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, and no charging is required.
Doublepoint remote control concept for WearOS
Imagine being able to dim the living room lights with a turn of the wrist. Or browse Netflix with a few taps of your fingers. Finnish startup Doublepoint’s new software can turn an Android watch into a remote control for any device via a Bluetooth connection. It’s up to developers and app-makers to decide what a small gesture like tapping fingers or rotating your wrist will actually do, but it still offers exciting possibilities. The software for WearOS watches is expected to drop within the first half of this year.
Technologies
Pope Francis’ Funeral: How to Stream Live or Watch the Replay
Here’s how to stream the pope’s funeral very early Saturday, and what you can expect to see during the service.
After a week of global mourning for Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88, the pope’s funeral will be celebrated on Saturday . Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. local time at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City (which is very, very early if you’re tuning in from the US or Canada), and he will be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
The Vatican will be livestreaming the papal funeral and procession, though not the burial, on its YouTube channel as it happens. The funeral will also be televised live on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, as well as on streaming services like Disney Plus, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount Plus. Due to the time difference, it seems likely that many interested North American viewers will catch it when it’s replayed later on Saturday. Numerous networks will rebroadcast the service later that day.
If you choose to stay up, or get up early, here’s when the live broadcast of the pope’s funeral will air in your time zone in the continental US on April 26:
- ET: 4 a.m.
- CT: 3 a.m.
- MT: 2 a.m.
- PT: 1 a.m.
The papacy of Pope Francis was notable for the progressive reforms he brought to the Roman Catholic Church. He appointed more than half of the current College of Cardinals and attempted to foster more positive attitudes toward members of the LGBT community and migrants worldwide.
What to expect from the funeral
The funeral will follow many rituals, though not all traditional protocols will be followed. Most popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, but the AP reports Francis chose the St. Mary Major Basilica to reflect his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).
His funeral will be less elaborate than those of other popes per his own wishes. Francis simplified papal funeral rites last year, permitting his burial outside the Vatican, and emphasizing his role as a bishop rather than as pope (the pope is also the Bishop of Rome).
Previous popes were buried in three coffins: one of cypress, one of lead and one of oak. Francis requested to be buried in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin and not to be placed in an elevated bier as other popes were.
The coffin will be taken from St Peter’s Basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the service. After the service, the coffin will return to St Peter’s Basilica before it is carried across the River Tiber and to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial. The ceremony is estimated to end around 2 p.m. local time, or four hours after it begins.
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be the first of nine Masses held daily at St. Peter’s until May 4. This is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church that observes nine days of consecutive mourning. According to Vatican News, a different group of mourners will participate each day, though the Eucharistic celebrations are open to everyone.
Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?
Hundreds of people, including world leaders and royals, are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral.
US president Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social Platform that he and first lady Melania Trump will be at the funeral. This will be Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term. He is expected to have a seat in the third row, though the Vatican has yet to release an official seating chart. It is tradition for the first row of seats to go to Catholic royalty, and the second row to non-Catholic royals.
Prince William, who is attending on behalf of King Charles, will sit in the second row, which is reserved for non-Catholic royals. Former president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, devout Catholics, will also attend the funeral.
Conclave: What happens next to choose the new pope
After Pope Francis’ funeral, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will vote on his successor in an assembly of cardinals known as a conclave.
There are many matters for the cardinals to settle before the conclave begins, but once it does, it can take days or even weeks to conclude. Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors and the vote tally is never made public.
Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope
Look for the white smoke
The ballots are burned after each round, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, the chemicals will be added to the flames so they produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.
If you’re fascinated by the process, you can watch a dramatized version of the events in 2024 film Conclave.
In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is completely fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.
You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, or rent it for $6 on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube or Google Play Movies.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 26, #685
Hints and answers for Connections for April 26, #685.
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 features a lot of short words, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That purple category requires a lot of thinking — probably most people will solve it only by solving the other three and having four words left over. 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: Rainbow.
Green group hint: San Fernando ____.
Blue group hint: Think Robert.
Purple group hint: Mixed-up hue words.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Tint.
Green group: Valley.
Blue group: Bobs.
Purple group: Color anagrams.
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 tint. The four answers are color, hue, shade and tone.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is valley. The four answers are dale, dell, glen and hollow.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Bobs. The four answers are Dole, Hope, Marley and Ross.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is color anagrams. The four answers are Dre (red), Gary (gray), genre (green) and lube (blue).
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 26, #215
Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 215, for Saturday, April 26.
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.
Connections: Sports Edition is tough today. The purple category theme threw me because of one phrase I didn’t know. And let’s hope you’re familiar with college coach surnames. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, 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: Try to achieve.
Green group hint: Move through it.
Blue group hint: Sideline bosses.
Purple group hint: Like a carton.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: What one strives for.
Green group: Room to run.
Blue group: College football coaches.
Purple group: Box ____.
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 what one strives for. The four answers are aim, goal, objective and target.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is room to run. The four answers are gap, hole, opening and space.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is college football coaches. The four answers are Day, Lanning, Smart and Stoops.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is box ____. The four answers are lacrosse, office, score and seat.
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