Technologies

Save $100 on the AI-Powered Google Pixel 9 at Best Buy

Stop spending hours hunting for screenshots and editing by hand: with built-in Gemini AI, the Google Pixel 9 automates your tasks and makes taking beautiful photos a snap.

We keep almost everything on our smartphones nowadays, from our communications to our photos to our calendars. But the more data piles up on our devices, the harder it can be to find when we need it, or to put it to use without cumbersome scrolling and searching.

Google’s Pixel 9 changes all that with generative AI that sees everything on your phone and assists with exactly the task you need done right now. Google’s built-in Gemini AI also helps you take great photos even in less-than-ideal conditions. and easily edit or reimagine them the way you want. It doesn’t skimp on hardware, either, making it the whole package: CNET’s reviewer says the Pixel 9 «shines for its great camera, elegant design, and clean software.»

There’s never been a better time for an AI-forward upgrade: now through October 6, you can save $100 when you buy the Pixel 9 at Best Buy.

Always-on AI assistance at your fingertips

No matter where you are on the Google Pixel 9, AI is never more than a long-press away. All you have to do is click and hold the power button or voice the wakeup phrase to activate Gemini. What sets it apart from other chatbots is that it already has the context it needs to deliver what you ask.

Say you have come across a photo of a landmark on Instagram, you can simply tell Gemini to explain what’s on your screen, and it will automatically grab a screenshot and find out more about it for you. If you need to take notes on an important call, Gemini can do it for you. If someone texts you an invite, it can add it to your calendar.

Similarly, the built-in Pixel Screenshots app leverages Gemini AI’s smarts to organize your heaps of screenshots. As opposed to manually going through your gallery to retrieve a piece of information you screen-grabbed weeks ago, you can punch in what you are looking for, like an Airbnb Wi-Fi password or a restaurant receipt, and the app will pull up all matching screenshots.

AI experiences are incomplete without a little whimsy, and the Pixel 9 is no different. Its Pixel Studio service can produce AI-generated imagery of just about anything, based on brief prompts — perfect for whether you need visuals for your new business or an invite for a Pokémon-themed game night.

A camera that lets your imagination run wild

Spending hours to set up a shot doesn’t always guarantee flawless results. Some aspects of taking photos, like a passerby walking into your scene when you’re about to click, or gloomy weather in the background, will never be in your control. The Google Pixel 9 changes that. Its pair of rear cameras can still snap high-quality photos even in less-than-ideal conditions, but it’s what it allows you to do after you click the button that stands out.

Is there an unwanted object or person in your photos? Just tap or circle them, and Pixel 9’s Magic Editor will get rid of them without ruining the rest of the image. A trash can in your selfie’s backdrop? Ask Magic Editor to replace it with flowers. Cloudy sky? Magic Editor can switch it to bright and sunny.

The Pixel 9 eliminates the need to request strangers to take your group’s photo, too. Its «Add Me» tool intelligently merges two pictures: each taken by a different member of the group, so that everyone can be in the final shot. You don’t have to worry about aligning the two frames, either. The phone superimposes where everyone was positioned in the first photo so that the second photographer can frame their shot accordingly.

Get your Google Pixel 9 at Best Buy

Since Google promises seven years of updates and new features every few months, the Pixel 9 won’t go out of style anytime soon, irrespective of new models and successors. So grab yours at Best Buy and save an extra $100 on it now.

Technologies

Instagram App Finally Appears on iPads, After 15 Years of Neglecting Apple’s Tablet

You no longer have to use the strange-looking iPhone version of the social media app on your tablet.

Following earlier rumors in 2025, iPad users finally saw a dedicated Instagram app arrive on their devices on Wednesday. Since the iPad’s original release 15 years ago, Instagram had never been available in the App Store as a download for Apple’s tablet. Instead, users had been stuck with the mobile version, which awkwardly failed to stretch to the iPad’s larger screen size.

It’s not clear why Instagram took so long to appear on the iPad. (We’re baffled by it just as much as you are.)

We’ve tested out the app and found it ready to download and fully functional. A big plus is that it takes up the full screen. However, Instagram has made a few changes, so you’ll have a slightly different experience than on your phone or computer.

What’s new with the Instagram iPad app?

When first logging on to Instagram on the iPad, we found a notable difference. Instead of the typical Instagram home screen, the app takes you directly to Reels to start scanning the latest videos. The experience ends up looking similar to scroll-happy TikTok, which seems intentional (and could indicate future changes for the other versions of the app).

It’s nice for those who like checking out all the Reels, but somewhat cumbersome for those who prefer to focus on standard Instagram posts instead.

The new iPad app also includes a new section called Following, which takes you to classic Instagram posts with a long-requested twist. Following posts are divided into All, Friends only or Latest, giving you different options for your feed.

Other Instagram features on the dedicated iPad app appear more or less identical to existing versions, but we’ll keep you updated if we see any other differences. For now, social scrollers who want a bigger screen to enjoy their Insta pics and Reels have a significant upgrade to explore.

Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 4, #816

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Sept. 4, #816.

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 features a fun mix of words, but some people might think the yellow category is rushing a certain holiday season. 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: Deck the halls!

Green group hint: Make an image look better.

Blue group hint: Think Julia Child.

Purple group hint: Prison would be another answer.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: What you might see on a Christmas tree.

Green group: Clean up, as a photograph.

Blue group: French food words

Purple group: Things with cells.

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 what you might see on a Christmas tree. The four answers are angel, candy cane, string lights and tinsel.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is clean up, as a photograph. The four answers are airbrush, fix, Photoshop and touch up.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is French food words. The four answers are cornichon, pain, pamplemousse and vinaigrette.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is things with cells. The four answers are honeycomb, organism, solar panel and spreadsheet.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Sept. 4 #550

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Sept. 4, No. 550.

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 is a tough one. Some of the answers are really difficult to unscramble. 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: Far from ordinary.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Not your average situation.

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:

BITE, CARE, RACE, DIRT, HIED, WIRE, MALL, PALL, REAL, QUIT, MADE, DAME, WALL, CENT, BARE

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: