Technologies
Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 14 #772
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for April 14, No. 772.
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 real challenge. Some of the answers are difficult 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: It’s a little unclear.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: You may have to squint.
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:
- DUET, FOAL, TOLE, DATE, FAME, DOLE, BLUR, TOOL, META, DEBS, DOFF, LOOT, MAID
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:
- HAZY, BLURRY, SOFT, FADED, MUTED, CLOUDY, BEDIMMED
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is OUTOFFOCUS. To find it, start with the O that’s the first letter on the top row, and wind down.
Toughest Strands puzzles
Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest.
#1: Dated slang. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.
#2: Thar she blows! I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.
#3: Off the hook. Again, it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.
Technologies
New Ecovacs Cleaning Bot Uses Water Jets to Blast Stains Away
The Deebot X12 OmniCyclone uses pressurized water sprayers to pretreat dried-on stains and to clean its roller mop scrubber.
Mopping up dried-on coffee spills and muddy footprints takes a little elbow grease. Ecovacs’ new Deebot X12 OmniCyclone robot vacuum doesn’t have elbows, so it substitutes firepower, blasting stubborn dried-on floor stains away with pressurized water jets before making its mopping pass.
The Deebot X12 OmniCyclone is, naturally, the successor to Ecovacs’ Deebot X11 OmniCyclone flagship robot vacuum and mop. The new model features boosted suction that’s now 22,000 Pa versus the X11’s 19,500 — suction power is measured in Pascals — and a 50% longer mopping roller that lets it cover more floor with each pass. Ecovacs also says that it’s updated the X12’s hardware and software to allow the robot to clean closer to walls and baseboards, reach deeper into corners and better pick up hair without tangling. However, the coolest new party trick is the addition of high-pressure water jets.
Ecovacs calls the new feature its FocusJet Stain Pre-Dissolving Technology. When mopping hard surfaces, the robot uses cameras and infrared sensors to detect dried-on messes — such as coffee stains, dried juice, mud and footprints. Upon approaching, dual 46,000 Pa water jets blast the stain, soaking and pretreating the mess. The vac then scrubs the softened mess with its updated Ozmo Roller Mop 3.0, lifting the dirt away.
The X12 also uses an array of 16 pressurized nozzles to rinse the mop roller, preventing dirt from spreading. When it’s time to transition to carpet cleaning, the X12 can lift its mop 15mm and deploy a new Mop Roller Smart Cover to prevent dripping.
Backing up the water-blasting brawn are upgraded brains. The X12 should boast smarter AI-powered navigation that Ecovacs says will allow the cleaner to get closer to fixed obstacles, like furniture or walls, while steering clearer of pets, toys and loose wires. The robot vacuum will also feature version 2.0 of Ecovacs’ Agent Yiko AI voice assistant, which can guide you through setup and intelligent scheduling, as well as suggesting adaptive cleaning plans that adjust based on a home’s floor plan and the vac’s detection of high-use, extra-dirty areas.
The X12 OmniCyclone will ship with the latest version of Ecovacs’ Omni Station, where the robot vacuum can automatically empty its dust bins, wash its mop roller and refill its water reserves. The new flagship base station adds a new fast-charging feature (PowerBoost Charging Plus), which can quickly add around 13% charge to the battery in just 3 minutes, allowing the bot to finish up longer cleaning missions with just a quick top-up.
Despite its hardware and software upgrades and the addition of water-powered blasters, the Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone’s price hasn’t gone up. The robot vacuum retails for $1,499 at Ecovacs.com and on Amazon.
Technologies
Samsung’s Newest Micro RGB TVs Have Billions of Colors, but That’s Not the Best Thing
While Samsung’s OLED is still the king of picture quality, Micro RGB has its own perks.
Last year, Samsung introduced its first Micro RGB TV, but that model was only available in a massive 115-inch size and had an equally enormous price tag of $27,000. For 2026, it unveiled two ranges — the R85H and R95H — with sizes between 55 and 100 inches, and prices starting at a much more reasonable $1,600.
Why are these called Micro RGB TVs? Firstly, they’re LCD TVs, like most of Samsung’s lineup, but the key difference here is that they use a different backlighting system. Where most LCD TVs use a specialized filter to generate colors, the premium R95 and more affordable R85 models use clusters of red, green and blue micro LEDs to either replace or augment the filters.
Read more: Best TVs for 2026: Expert Tested and Reviewed
Samsung says the R95H hits 100% of the BT.2020 color area, which is more colors than most TVs could ever hope for. Yet, having seen this TV, and others that make the same claim, I don’t think it’s all that important. At least, not right now.
The competing TVs I’ve witnessed hitting this number have had a lot of colors, yes, but accuracy has been reduced in the process, even according to each company’s own test data. It’s more vital that a TV reproduce the color that’s present in the content you’re watching, rather than invent a whole new one. It’s worth adding that the TVs typically hit these numbers in Vivid mode, which is notorious for being cartoonishly bright and colorful.
A much more compelling feature of these TVs, however, is their use of Samsung Glare Free technology, which is designed to virtually eliminate reflections from windows or overhead lights on the screen. I’ve seen it in person, and it’s one of the best antireflective systems out there.
The TVs will also be capable of displaying Samsung’s own answer to Dolby Vision 2: HDR10 Plus Advanced, though it’s yet to be seen if this format will be supported through content.
The TVs are designed for gaming, too, and have dedicated gaming modes. For smooth movement, they include Samsung’s own Motion Xcelerator 165Hz and Motion Xcelerator 144Hz tech, on the R95H and R85H, respectively.
The R95H is compatible with the Wireless One Connect box if you want to keep your sources and TV separate. Both TVs come with the new Slim Fit Wall Mount, which allows access to existing ports with a hinge at the top of the TV.
As with most of the TVs announced at CES, these models have a plethora of AI modes, from the image and audio processors to the onboard chatbots from either Microsoft Copilot or Perplexity. Two of the most notable modes are AI Soccer Mode Pro (which can make the World Cup look like a video game) and AI Sound Controller Pro, which can amplify or cut different parts of the soundtrack, such as sound effects or dialogue.
While a 130-inch R95H was announced at CES, the company has yet to detail any pricing or availability for that model.
At a briefing earlier this year, I got a look at a preproduction version of the R95H, and Samsung representatives told me that the OLED TVs were still the best choice for picture quality, while the Micro RGBs were better for brightness and color. With their antireflective coatings and gaming features, I can see that these TVs will be popular with console gamers, especially.
However, Samsung is not the only manufacturer to announce Micro RGB TVs for 2026, and it’s harder to find one that isn’t. While I’m skeptical about the benefits of hitting 100% of BT.2020, this is a factor I’ll test when I get my hands on compatible models.
The R95H and R85 are available now:
- 85-inch R95H: $6,500
- 75-inch R95H: $4,500
- 65-inch R95H: $3,200
- 85-inch R85H: $4,000
- 75-inch R85H: $2,800
- 65-inch R85H: $2,100
- 55-inch R85H: $1,600
Technologies
Don’t Miss Your Chance to Level Up With Over 50% Off These HyperX Gaming Headphones
Amazon just knocked these HyperX Cloud Mix 2 headphones down to a record-low $98.
These HyperX Cloud Mix 2 gaming headphones allow you to hear every shot and step, and they’re now down to just $98 at Amazon. That’s over $100 off the usual price and the all-time biggest discount we’ve ever seen. We doubt a deal this good will last for long, though, so be sure to take advantage of these savings sooner rather than later.
It’s important to note that these are gaming headphones, not a headset, so there’s no microphone for voice chat. However, they still support active noise cancellation to tune out distractions and help you stay focused. You can connect via Bluetooth or using the wireless USB-C dongle, which boasts a latency as low as just 20ms.
They’re compatible with PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck. They also have an impressive battery life of up to 110 hours, so you’re prepared for long gaming sessions, night after night.
CHEAP GAMING LAPTOP DEALS OF THE WEEK
Why this deal matters
With features like hybrid noise cancellation and low-latency connectivity, these headphones are specifically designed for gamers. Plus, this deal saves you over 50% and knocks them down to a new all-time low price, making it an impressive bargain.
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