Technologies

Samsung’s $200 Galaxy A17 Brings Google’s Circle to Search to Its Lower-Priced Phone

While the AI features are nice to see at the lower price, the Galaxy A17 otherwise looks very similar to the phone it’s replacing.

Samsung’s $200 Galaxy A17 5G, announced Tuesday, appears to be a smaller hardware refresh for the company’s lower-cost phone — bearing many similarities to the Galaxy A16 that it will replace. However, Samsung notes that the A17 will have access to several AI features, including Google’s Circle to Search and Gemini assistant.

Even though both of those AI features are becoming common on all phones running Android 16 (Motorola’s sub-$200 phones also include them), the Galaxy A17 might become one of the broadest ways that Circle to Search and Gemini reach new audiences. That’s because Samsung’s $200 phone is typically one of the few non-Apple devices to consistently top sales charts in the US, for instance, the $200 Galaxy A16 currently ranks fifth on Counterpoint Research’s list behind Apple’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 17.

Similar to the Galaxy A16, the A17 will have a 6.7-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate, an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance (can withstand splashes but still avoid submerging the phone) and is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1330 processor. The cameras are also the same, including a 50-megapixel wide camera, a 5-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Around the front is a 13-megapixel selfie camera.

The Galaxy A17 will also include a 5,000-mAh battery, 25-watt wired charging, 4GB of RAM with 128GB of onboard storage, the option to expand with a microSD card and will receive six years of software as well as security updates. That support period is quite notable for phones sold in the $200 range, as most phones that cost $200 get two to three years of updates.

The Galaxy A17 goes on sale in the US starting Jan. 7, and will come in blue, black and gray models.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Dec. 31, #1656

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Dec. 31, No. 1,656.

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.

End the year with a Wordle win. Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t terribly tough. 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 two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with S.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with N.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a device that makes a loud, long-lasting sound as some kind of signal or warning.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is SIREN.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Dec. 30, No. 1,655 was DECOR.

Recent Wordle answers

Dec. 26, No. 1651: SPEED

Dec. 27, No. 1652: BATCH

Dec. 28, No 1653: ABBOT

Dec. 29, No. 1654: FRUIT

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 31, #934

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Dec. 31, No. 934.

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 has a tough purple category once again. But the yellow group is very timely, and pretty easy. 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: Here comes 2026!

Green group hint: Where is it?

Blue group hint: Pennsylvania city.

Purple group hint: Waves.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Happy New Year!

Green group: Places where things disappear.

Blue group: Associated with Philadelphia.

Purple group: Starting with bodies of water.

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 Happy New Year! The four answers are ball drop, champagne flute, fireworks and noisemaker.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is places where things disappear. The four answers are Bermuda Triangle, black hole, couch cushions and dryer.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with Philadelphia. The four answers are brotherly love, cheesesteak, Liberty Bell and Rocky.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is starting with bodies of water. The four answers are bay leaf, channel surf, sea bass and sound barrier.

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Technologies

Aflac Reveals Just How Big Its Data Breach Really Was

The insurance company says the compromised information included Social Security numbers and health insurance information.

Following up on a data breach that it first reported in June, insurance provider Aflac revealed in December that the incursion compromised the personal data of 22.65 million people. In its update, the company said that files containing personal data related to customers, beneficiaries and employees may have included contact information, claims, health information and Social Security numbers.

Aflac said it addressed the breach within hours and began notifying customers soon after. On its homepage, Aflac has a link to a PDF document that includes details on what it’s offering customers to address the breach, including 24 free months of CyEx cybersecurity services.

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The service includes credit monitoring, medical information protection services and identity theft monitoring.

In a press release, the company downplayed the effects of the data breach. «To date, Aflac is not aware of any fraudulent use of personal information and —along with third-party partners —will continue to monitor any fraudulent activity,» it said.

A representative for Aflac told CNET the company has no further comment beyond what it has posted on its website.

The businesses you interact with — insurers, health care providers, financial services companies, retailers and so on — are a trove of personal information about about you that cybercriminals are constantly trying to access. Some ways you can protect your private data include locking your Social Security number, improving your passwords and being on guard against phishing.