Technologies

After Bringing Pebble Watches Back, the Next Thing’s a Ring

Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky’s next big product is a memory-recording ring that works with phones and Pebble watches. But here’s the catch: It doesn’t recharge, and you can’t replace the battery, either.

I have 10 fingers, but not enough patience for multiple smart rings. Even so, much like with smart glasses, the wearable tech industry is getting flooded with rings. Most need weird chargers, and some have subscriptions. Pebble founder Eric Migicovksy is following up his Pebble watch re-release with the Pebble Index 01, a voice-recording sub-$100 ring that doesn’t need to be charged at all, because the built-in battery can’t be replaced.

A strange model? Yes, and also kind of fascinating. «Send it back to us for recycling,» Migicovsky says of what to do with the Index after its expected two-year battery life is exhausted. At that point, you’d then have to buy another. It’s a subscription or rental of a different sort.

The Index is extremely simple, too. There’s one silicone button on top of a stainless steel ring, which triggers voice recordings. The ring stores 5 minutes of audio without needing to sync, but then offloads voice memos to Pebble’s iOS/Android app to transcribe into text using an open-source speech-to-text tool. The ring’s water-resistant, but not swim-proof.

Nothing in the Pebble Index uses subscription AI services, Migicovsky tells me. Instead, the voice memos are stored locally on the Pebble app, but can be synced up with other services theoretically — Migicovsky proudly promises that, much like Pebble watches, the Index’s functions and services are hackable. You could find a way to reassign that ring button to do other things, via Anthropic’s open-sourced model context protocol standard.

Migicovsky imagines that for most people, the ring would be a simple way to quickly record reminders and thoughts. What I’m wondering is, does the world need another memory-recording wearable? Plenty already exist, including ones in ring form. And my own memory needs get handled by a simple jot into Apple’s Notes app, most of the time. It’s not fancy, but it works.

The Pebble Index also lacks any other features. It has no indicator lights, no vibration and no other sensors. There’s no on-ring feedback when a recording starts or stops, but transcribed message notifications pop on via the phone app, or on Pebble watches. It could be used as a ring-worn way to bring up voice requests like asking for the weather, for example.

The Pebble Index doesn’t arrive until next March, but it can be preordered for $75 (which will increase to $99 at some future date).

I like the idea of not charging a smart ring, but I’m not wild about buying an item that can’t be serviced myself. And the two-year battery life depends on recording time: The ring lasts for «12-14 hours» of audio recording, which doesn’t sound like a lot. Then again, what would I be recording on my memory ring? I don’t know yet. Check back with me next year, or at CES in January, when I expect to get a close-up look.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 14, #948

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 14 #948.

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 is kind of tough. The blue category, not the purple one today, expects you to find hidden words in four of the words given in the grid. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times 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: That’s not going anywhere.

Green group hint: End user or customer.

Blue group hint: Ask a meteorologist.

Purple group hint: Not noisy.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Fixed.

Green group: Receiver of goods or services.

Blue group: Starting with weather conditions.

Purple group: Silent ____.

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 fixed. The four answers are fast, firm, secure and tight.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is receiver of goods or services. The four answers are account, client, consumer and user.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is starting with weather conditions. The four answers are frosty (frost), mistletoe (mist), rainmaker (rain) and snowman (snow).

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is silent ____. The four answers are auction, movie, partner and treatment.

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Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Jan. 14, #1670

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Jan. 14, No. 1,670.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a tough one, with a letter that is rarely used and which I just never guess. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has three vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with A.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with D.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can mean to keep away from something or someone.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is AVOID.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Jan. 13, No. 1669 was GUMBO.

Recent Wordle answers

Jan. 9, No. 1665: EIGHT

Jan. 10, No. 1666: MANIC

Jan. 11, No. 1667: QUARK

Jan. 12, No. 1668: TRIAL

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Technologies

Apple Launches Creator Studio Package as $13 a Month Subscription

Mac users can still buy the apps individually, but subscribers get access to Final Cut Pro and other Studio tools.

Apple is bundling its pro filmmaking and audio tools including Final Cut Pro with its productivity apps Keynote, Pages and Numbers into a subscription software suite called Apple Creator Studio.

The package, which includes apps for Mac, iPad and iPhone, includes Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, MainStage and the whiteboard app Freeform. Creator Studio will be available starting Jan. 28 at a cost of $13 per month or $129 per year, or $3 per month or $30 per year for students and educators. Mac users will still have the option to purchase software like Final Cut Pro for a one-time free. The current price for Final Cut Pro in the Mac App Store is $300.

While apps such as Keynote and Pages are already free on Apple platforms, it appears that new versions of those apps will receive access to beta features that will roll out first to Creator Studio subscribers. The announcement by Apple alludes to «new AI features and premium content» in some of the apps it otherwise makes available to use for free.

What the Creator Studio bundle comes with

The star of the show in Creator Studio is Final Cut Pro, the video editing software that will now include Transcript Search on both Mac and iPad. There is also a new Beat Detection feature Apple says uses an AI model to analyze a music track and display a beat grid, making it easier to cut video to music rhythms. The software also will include a new Montage Maker on iPad for quick social video creation.

Motion, the 2D and 3D graphics tool, and Compressor also integrate with Final Cut Pro. Apple touted Motion’s Magnetic Mask feature for isolating objects or people without the need for a green screen.

Logic Pro has new features for musicians, including a Synth Player addition to AI Session Players. Chord ID, a new AI feature, can create chord progressions from audio or MIDI recordings. A new Sound Library will have hundreds of royalty-free clips, samples and loops.

A revamped MainStage app gives subscribers access to instrument, voice-professing and guitar rig tools. Pixelmator Pro arrives with new tools and filters, and there will be an iPad version in addition to the Mac tool.

Freeform in the Creator Studio package will add premium content, including curated photos, graphics and illustrations. It will also get new AI features that include image creation.