Technologies

Klarna Now Has a Mobile Phone Service. It’s Yet Another New Wireless Option for You

The financial company joins the Trump Organization and the SmartLess podcast as new entrants into the suddenly bustling MVNO field.

Klarna, the Swedish buy-now-pay-later financial services company, is introducing a mobile phone plan the company says it will promote to its 25 million US customers.

Klarna is partnering with Gigs, a San Francisco company that provides mobile virtual network operator services, allowing companies to create their own wireless brands. MVNOs seem suddenly popular: In the last week, the Trump Organization launched Trump Mobile, with its own gold-tinted phone on the way. And the popular SmartLess podcast, featuring actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, also set up shop as a wireless provider.

Klarna’s plan includes uncapped 5G plus service and international roaming for under $50 a month. Klarna will offer its wireless service using AT&T’s infrastructure.

The company has opened a waitlist for the service, which it says will launch in a few weeks, with similar offerings in the UK and Germany on the way as well. Klarna says it will directly promote its wireless plan through its mobile app. Customers will be able to keep their mobile number and sign up for the service and manage their account within the Klarna app. Klarna promises there won’t be fees for service activation or cancellation.

It also recently launched a debit card and partnered with DoorDash to allow installment payments on food orders.

What’s next for MVNOs?

Don’t be surprised if other new mobile businesses pop up this year. The overall industry for virtual network operators is expected to grow from about $87 billion to more than $148 billion in the next decade.

«It’s relatively easy to launch an MVNO — compared to other ventures a brand or celebrity might contemplate,» says Iliya Rybchin, a mobile industry veteran who now works as a consultant for BDO USA, an accounting firm. «The economics have gotten much better in the last few years and there are many popular brands, celebrities, and influencers who may have the brand power to do it.»

Those brands and celebrities who have large follower counts, he says, can use their popularity to help reduce one of the biggest costs for wireless companies: customer acquisition.

The possibility for new wireless ventures, based on conversations he’s heard, could include sports teams, retailers, video games and auto companies, Some, he says, could launch non-phone services or products based on specific needs such as medical wearables or cloud storage.

Those contemplating launching an MVNO, he says, should ask themselves, «Is my brand strong enough and my fan base loyal enough to bring in a few hundred thousand subscribers?»

That seems to be the case, at least for the new service tied to the president: «In the case of Trump Mobile, thousands of people walking around holding a gold phone can be as powerful a brand asset as a red MAGA hat. Of course, even the launch alone generates millions of dollars of media value,» Rybchin said.

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:

AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

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 has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling 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 show up in the NYT Games app but appears 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: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

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 sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat. The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address.

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

A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety.

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.