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.Todays NYTStrandspuzzle isn't too tough. The clue lets you know the theme pretty quickly, and the answers are common words and simple to find. But if you need hints and answers, read on.Also, I go into depth about therules for Strands in this story.If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Mini Crossword answers, you can visitCNET's NYT puzzle hints page.Read more:NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So FarHint for today's Strands puzzleToday's Strands theme is:Get smartIf that doesn't help you, here's a clue: Brainiac!Clue words to unlock in-game hintsYour 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:LEET, TEEN, HALL, QUIT, BRAN, GILL, RIGHT, GILT, RAIN, HAINT, HILL, STENT, TENTAnswers for today's Strands puzzleThese 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've got 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:QUICK, BRIGHT, CLEVER, BRILLIANT, INTELLIGENTToday's Strands spangramToday's Strands spangram isTHATSGENIUS.To find it, start with the T that's five letters in from the left on the top row, and wind down. The completed NYT Strands puzzle for Jan. 24, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET

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If the old-school PlayStation and its iconic gray color are dear to your heart, you probably already know that Sony has been releasing a series of products for the PlayStation's 30th anniversary, including a limited-edition PlayStation 5 Pro bundle and a PS5 Slim bundle. The products, which include consoles, controllers, a disc-drive cover and accessories, are color-themed to the original PlayStation game console, which was released in Japan in 1994 and in the US in 1995.Gamers could jump on the products back in October, but a limited restock of the 30th anniversary products is out on Thursday, Jan. 23. According to a post on X from wario64, a respected account that has broken news in the past, this restock doesn't include PS5 Pros, but does include the PS5 digital bundle for $500, the PS Portal Remote Player for $220, the DualSense Edge wireless controller for $220, and the standard DualSense wireless controller for $80.Quantities are very limited, and the October items sold quickly, so jump on it if this deal speaks to your totally sweet '90s memories. Wario64 tweeted a followup noting that it "sounds like there were not many units judging from the replies. Official word I got was 'small quantities of selected 30th anniversary SKUs.'"CNET's Scott Stein got an exclusive early hands-on with the PS5 Pro, which he says "is all about making big-TV gaming a happier experience." The new console, he says, is "a big, graphically boosted piece of hardware that can keep up with ever-changing PCs and, in some ways, maybe exceed them." Watch this: My Exclusive PlayStation 5 Pro Demo: What $700 Gets You, and Why It Matters 06:16 The company showed off the products in a YouTube video and blog post last month. Preorders first went live on Sept. 26. The new bundle will officially go on sale on Nov. 21, and the PS5 Pro becomes available Nov. 7. Here's what you need to know about how to preorder them.Where to order the PS5 Slim anniversary bundle Sony/Screenshot by CNET PlayStation 5 (Slim) Digital Edition 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle The bundle comes with the disc-less PS5 Slim console anniversary version with "throwback design elements" in the old gray color scheme of the first ever PlayStation console. It comes with a limited-edition DualSense wireless controller, a console cover for the disc drive (sold separately), a vertical stand, 1TB SSD, two horizontal stand feet, an HDMI cable, a USB cable, an AC power cord, an original PlayStation controller-style cable connector housing, four PlayStation cable ties, a PlayStation sticker, a poster with one of 30 designs and a PlayStation paperclip.It is listed at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target and Walmart (requires Walmart Plus subscription). $499 at Walmart Where to order the PS5 Pro anniversary bundle Sony/Screenshot by CNET PlayStation 5 Pro Console 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle The bundle comes with the disc-less PS5 Pro console anniversary version with "throwback design elements" in the old gray color scheme of the first ever PlayStation console. It comes with a limited-edition DualSense Edge wireless controller, DualSense wireless controller, DualSense Charging Station, a console cover for the disc drive, a vertical stand, 2TB SSD, two horizontal stand feet, an HDMI cable, a USB cable, an AC power cord, an original PlayStation controller-style cable connector housing, four PlayStation cable ties, a PlayStation sticker and poster, a PlayStation paperclip and Astro's Playroom preinstalled game.It's currently unavailable so check back. $1,000 at PlayStation Direct Where to order the PS5 Pro console Sony/Screenshot by CNET PS5 Pro console If you want less bundled in, you can buy just the PS5 Pro console by itself. It comes in white with 2TB of storage, and also includes a DualSense wireless controller, two horizontal stand feet, and HDMI cable, an AC power cord and the Astro's Playroom game preinstalled.It's listed at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target, Walmart (requires Walmart Plus subscription) and PlayStation Direct. $699 at Walmart Where to order the PlayStation Portal Remote Player 30th Anniversary edition Sony/Screenshot by CNET PlayStation Portal Remote Player - 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Another product that's part of the 30th Anniversary Collection is a stand-alone PlayStation Portal Remote Player.It's currently unavailable so check back. $299 at Walmart Where to order the DualSense Edge Wireless Controller 30th Anniversary edition Sony/Screenshot by CNET DualSense Edge Wireless Controller - 30th Anniversary Limited Edition This bundle includes the limited edition 30th anniversary DualSense Edge wireless controller, a USB braided cable, two standard caps, two high dome caps, two low dome caps, two half dome back buttons, two lever back buttons, a connector housing and a limited edition carrying case.It's currently unavailable on PlayStation Direct, so check back. $199 at Walmart Where to order the DualSense Wireless Controller 30th anniversary edition Walmart/Screenshot by CNET PlayStation 5 DualSense Wireless Controller 30th Anniversary Limited Edition The PS5 limited edition 30th anniversary DualSense wireless controller comes in legacy PlayStation gray. $79 at Walmart

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After years of fan outcry, the beloved Assassin's Creed series will finally have an entry set in feudal Japan with this year's installment, Assassin's Creed: Shadows. I saw a hands-off preview last fall at Germany's Gamescom, but then the game was delayed from its original November release date to Feb. 14 (and thendelayed again to March 20) of this year. I got my first hands-on time with the game alongside other journalists, marking a big moment for a game with a lot of expectation and hype.My hands-on preview was split into two parts: an hour-long session exploring the game's prologue with around another three hours in the later game. While I'm unsure how deep into the game I was, my characters were both now level 25 with some legendary armor, and a lot more abilities unlocked.Set in 1579, the game takes a dual-protagonist approach, which is new to the series. Unlike in 2018's Assassin's Creed: Odyssey and 2020's Valhalla, games where you choose a main character from one of two character options, Shadows has you play as a team of characters throughout the game. Ubisoft refers to this dynamic as a "stealth and fight" approach to the game wherein characters' different abilities define how you'll progress through areas.Each character plays differently but can be used for any missions, and swapped between at many points. The first character is Yasuke, a powerful Black samurai brought to Japan as a Portuguese slave. His large build and heavy armor makes him a great choice for any missions where you plan to charge straight through the front door and fight your way to the end. If you prefer killing silently from rooftops and shadows, Naoe is your protagonist of choice: a Japanese ninja who prioritizes stealth and maneuverability.Many missions will give you the option of who to begin as and, except for a few instances, you'll have to stick to that choice until completion. This means you won't be able to start a quest playing as Naoe, sneaking around and trying to assassinate enemies, but then switch immediately to Yasuke when you become spotted and are surrounded by foes. (When you're free-roaming areas outside of missions, you can swap by simply pausing the game and holding X.) UbisoftWith that said, both characters can hold their own in the opposite play style, it'll just be much harder. Typically, Assassin's Creed characters of the past would be able to do both play styles just fine, so it's an interesting choice to split playstyle strengths between two protagonists and force the player to weigh their odds compared to the playstyle they prefer.This contrast came into play heavily in the final mission we played where our heroes had to storm a castle and fight a corrupt lord within. I initially started this mission as Yasuke but found that fighting through the front gate was just too challenging. After a failed attempt, I switched to Naoe and quickly scaled a wall (something Yasuke cannot do) and avoided fighting all together. What would have taken me probably 20 minutes of brawler fighting and used up all my health regen items was now bypassed stealthily in two minutes without any hassle. UbisoftHowever, as the mission proceeded, I now had to fight my way through the halls inside to the boss up top. Instead of trying to sneak my way down these narrow corridors full of enemies, I switched to Yasuke and fought them head on. It was a fun change of pace.At this point in the game I had two of Yasuke's abilities unlocked for me, which are used by holding down RT and pressing one of the controller's face buttons (similar to previous character action games, such as Spider-Man). The first ability was a very cool, lightning-fast dashing slash that caused the screen to go black and white for a second while I made contact with the enemy, while the second was a massive, powerful kick that would send my opponent comically far through the air. I loved using both and used them often to carve through groups of enemies.Both characters can also call in support Allies to help during missions, which act like fighting game assists to help in tough situations. These Allies can be managed, equipped and upgraded back at your base, and are used as distractions while trying to sneak around or even help when you're up against several enemies at once. There were two I had available to use: a powerful woman who specialized in pushing and knocking back her opponents as well as a stealthier guy who would try to one-shot the target and then use a smoke bomb to retreat. Yasuke's Charging Dash attack. UbisoftAnother form of support is Scouts, which come into play when you're trying to locate more information about your mission. Ubisoft says they've taken a "guide, don't tell" approach to the quests in Shadows; subsequently, several of my missions didn't come with a marker on my map to head toward. Instead, it would give me hints of the area or building I should explore to learn more. During my preview I had access to five Scouts (and it was unclear how I might get more) that I could set down anywhere on the map, and they would reveal points of interest. Pairing the hints and the Scouts together should reveal the waypoint for me to move toward to proceed with my quest.From there you can head to your objective or press left on the D-pad to turn on the pathfinder, a translucent line that will direct you like a GPS. However, the game will not hold your hand for every objective. There is a major emphasis on Observing: Holding the left trigger will cause your character to focus and the camera will zoom in slightly. This will allow you to highlight enemies (which reveals their health and makes them visible through walls), and it also points out loot to collect or objectives you're searching for. It's evident early on that rushing in blind to these missions will make things much harder than if you find a vantage point and survey the area first (another reason why I often preferred starting a mission with Naoe). Spend some time making a fancy little hideout fo your samurais and ninjas. UbisoftDuring my preview, I didn't get a good sense of the overarching story these characters are working their way through. The prologue suggested some motivation for their team-up, but the big mystery box was left concealed. However, longtime Assassin's Creed fans will be wondering if the Animus, a narrative device that allows modern day humans to revisit and play as their heroic ancestors of the past in these whimsical eras, is returning. In short, yes it does -- in something called Animus Ego. Unfortunately, we got very little time with this meta-story component, but I can tell you that, once again, there's hackers and glitches and something sinister going on behind the scenes of the seemingly picturesque Animus project.I'm extremely excited to play more of Assassin's Creed Shadows. As someone who loves Ghost of Tsushima, the feudal Japan setting easily excites me. The wait isn't that long either as the game comes out for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC on March 30. Watch this: Everything We Expect in Gaming in 2025 05:01

Sports streaming bundles are on the rise, and Comcast is now joining the game. Launching Thursday, the company is offering Xfinity Sports & News TV, a new package that includes more than 50 channels and an ad-supportedPeacock Premium subscription for $70. Viewers can watch live NFL, MLB, NHL, MLB and college games along with TV shows and feature films. The price is the same as DirecTV's brand-new MySports streaming offering which provides programming from ABC, Fox, NBC, ESPN, TNT and more.What comes with the Xifnity bundle? Available for new and existing Xfinity internet customers, it includes 300 hours of DVR. Subscribers get access to local broadcasts such as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and Telemundo along with a selection of news channels like CNBC, Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Sports fans can stream a lineup of networks that includes ACC, ESPN, SEC Network, Big Ten and FS1. Additionally, the package has a roster of 100-plus FAST channels.The added perk of getting Peacock means fans can watch the platform's originals, theatrical releases from Universal, and content from NBC, Bravo, WWE and more. Peacock Premium alone is $8 monthly or $80 per year.Xfinity customers have other options such as the StreamSaver bundle or access to a free Peacock subscription. If you're not an Xfinity subscriber but want to check out other streaming packages, there's the newStarz and Max bundle, an upcoming sports platform from Fubo, a Max-Disney-Plus-Hulu bundle and a selection of streaming deals.

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Our Experts Written by Tyler Lacoma, Macy Meyer Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 16171819202122232425+ Years of Experience 14151617181920212223 Hands-on Product Reviewers 6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000 Sq. Feet of Lab Space How we test CNETs expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. What to consider Smart home compatibility Does the cam work with your current smart home platform or voice assistants? Live view Is the app intuitive and the live view clear? Local vs. cloud storage Does the camera offer your preferred method to store videos? Does it require a subscription or extra purchase? Motion detection Does the camera have useful motion detection that can recognize people apart from animals or vehicles? Battery life Is the battery life rating something you're comfortable managing? Does the battery perform well under frequent use? Privacy and security Does the camera brand have a reputation for fixing security breaches and protecting data? Table of Contents

Samsung and Google are working on an Apple Vision Pro-like mixed reality VR headset running Android XR and Google Gemini. We knew that already and even got a demo of it last year. But Samsung also revealed a little more at its phone-focused Samsung Unpacked winter event, specifically, a common Google-Samsung AI ecosystem partnership that could be the missing piece to join it all together. That AI-infused experience will be on a next-gen VR/AR headset this year, but expect it to also be running on the Galaxy S25 phone and glasses that will connect to them.In a sense, I already got a preview of what the future holds at the end of last year. This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung's most popular products. Samsung's vision for its products all connects via AI. And now that AI is becoming consistent. SamsungA seeing AI that works in real timeSamsung briefly addressed upcoming VR/AR headsets and glasses at its latest Unpacked event, but we largely knew about those already. Still, Samsung's demonstration of real-time AI that can see things on your phone or through cameras is exactly the trend we were expecting to arrive in 2025.Project Moohan (meaning "Infinity" in Korean) is a VR headset with passthrough cameras that blend the virtual and real, much like the Vision Pro or Meta's Quest 3. The design feels a lot like Meta's discontinued Quest Pro but with far better specs. The headset has hand and eye tracking, runs Android apps via an Android XR OS being fully revealed later this year, and uses Google Gemini AI as an assistive layer throughout. Google's Project Astra tech, which enables that real-time assistance on glasses, phones and headsets, is debuting on Samsung's Galaxy S25 series of phones. But I've already seen it in action on my face.My demos last year let me use Gemini to assist me as I looked around a room, watched YouTube videos or did basically anything else. Live AI needed to be started up into that live mode to use it, after which it could both see and hear what I was looking at or hearing. There were pause modes to temporarily stop the live assistance too.Samsung showed off what looks like similar real-time AI functions on the Galaxy S25 phones, and more was promised. I expect it'll be able to work while watching videos on YouTube, much like my Android XR demo did. And according to Samsung and Google's execs working on Android XR, it could even be used for live help while playing games. Gemini's on-the-fly visual recognition skills might start feeling the same between glasses and phones. SamsungBetter battery life and processingfor glasses?Samsung and Google have also confirmed they're working on smart glasses, also using Gemini AI, to compete with Meta's Ray-Bans and a wave of other emerging eyewear. AR glasses are also apparently in the works.While Project Moohan is a standalone VR headset with its own battery pack and processors, much like Apple's Vision Pro, the smaller smart glasses Google and Samsung are working on -- and any glasses after that -- will rely on connections and processing assistance from phones to work. That's how smart glasses like Meta's Ray-Bans already work.But, maybe, with more features means the need for more intensive phone processing. Live AI could start becoming an increasingly used feature, leaning on phones to continually be working to assist these glasses. The better processing, graphics, and most importantly, improved battery life and cooling sounded to me like ways to make these phones better pocket computers for eventual glasses. Personal data clouds are what Samsung and Google are going to lean on to drive smarter AI assistants on both glasses and phones. SamsungA personal data set that these AI gadgets will needSamsung also announced an obscure-sounding Personal Data Engine that Google and Samsung's AI will take advantage of, bucketing personal data into a place where AI could possibly develop richer conclusions and connections to all the things that are part of your life.How that plays out or is secured, or where its limits are, was extremely unclear. But it sounds like a repository of personal data that Samsung and Google's AI can train off and work with connected extended products, including watches, rings and glasses.Camera-enabled AI wearables are only as good as the data that can assist them, which is why so many of these devices right now feel clunky and weird to use, including Meta's Ray-Bans in their AI modes. Usually, these AI devices hit walls when it comes to knowing things your existing apps already know better. Google and Samsung are clearly trying to fix that.Will I want to trust that process with Google and Samsung, or anyone else? How will these phones, and future glasses, make that relationship between AI and our data clearer and more manageable? It feels like we're watching one shoe drop here, with others coming when Google's I/O developer conference will likely discuss Android XR and Gemini's advances in far more depth.Samsung's making Project Moohan its first headset, following with glasses in the future after that. Expect Google to get into more details along with Samsung at the developer-focused Google I/O conference around May or June and possibly the full rundown in the summer at Samsung's next expected Unpacked event. By then, we may know a lot more about why this seemingly boring new wave of Galaxy S25 phones might be building up an infrastructure that will play out in clearer detail by the end of the yearor even after that.

It's a known fact that using different beans and preparation styles can lead to two vastly different cups of coffee. But at the end of it all, everyone wants that caffeine fix at the start of the day.Now, two preparation styles are all too popular: the traditional drip-style brew and the quick-fix espresso. If you've been wondering which might be the right fit for you, here's a useful breakdown to help you understand how much caffeine you might be consuming and where to draw the line. Espresso packs more caffeine despite its small size Espresso shots may be small but ounce-for-ounce they pack a bigger punch of caffeine than drip coffee. Getty Images Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. The simple answer is that espresso contains more caffeine per ounce than a standard drip coffee, which means you'll get a much bigger burst of energy from sucking down a shot of the stuff.The difference between drip coffee and espresso beans comes down to how each is brewed. Espresso beans are brewed using intense pressure to force out a couple of ounces of concentrated coffee. Drip coffee results from hot water moving through ground beans at the speed of gravity. The slower brewing process creates a more diluted drink, but one that is often consumed in higher volumes.On average, an espresso contains around 63 milligrams of caffeine per ounce.Starbucksserves 75 milligrams of caffeine in each of its .75-ounce espresso shots.Dunkin Donuts claims a hefty 118 milligrams per shot. In comparison, drip coffee ranges from around 12 to 16 milligrams of caffeine per ounce.How much caffeine is in your morning cup is more complex. After all, when was the last time you sipped a thimble-sized cup of java?Caffeine content depends on the volume and style of bean Arabica coffee has roughly half the amount of caffeine as robusta. Tyler Lizenby/CNETThe actual amount of caffeine in an espresso or drip coffee varies depending on the type of bean used. The majority of the coffee sold and consumed around the world is arabica coffee -- regardless of the roast or style -- and is said to contain half the amount of caffeine as the heartier robusta coffee bean. Most brands use arabica beans, but sometimes they'll blend both types together to gain that extra kick of energy.It's also common for lattes and cappuccinos to include two shots of espresso in a 12-ounce drink. You can count on about 126 to 150 milligrams of caffeine if sipping a double shot. Starbucks is an exception since two espresso shots are reserved for 16-ounce Grande and 20-ounce Venti-sized drinks unless you specify otherwise. A 10-ounce drip coffee at most retailers will pack between 180 and 240 milligrams of caffeine. Boy_Anupong/Getty ImagesEspresso is notorious for offering an almost instant jolt, but the amount of caffeine in drip coffee easily overpowers espresso in a single serving. A 10-ouncesmall coffee at Dunkin Donuts jumps to 180 milligrams of caffeine. A robust 12-ounce cup of Starbucks Pike Place roast offers 235 milligrams. Based on how much coffee is served by volume, a cup of coffee has much more caffeine than a couple of shots of espresso in a latte or cappuccino.Comparing caffeine in drip coffee or espresso isn't an exact science, but you should always consider volume to limit or maximize your caffeine allotment.FAQs Does espresso have more caffeine than drip coffee? Espresso has more caffeine per ounce than drip coffee does. Variables such as the bean blend and volume of your drink will alter the precise amount of caffeine you're consuming each time you go back to the coffee pot, which means that a cup of drip coffee will still generally have more caffeine in it than a shot of espresso.Choosing one type of coffee over the other will depend on how quickly you want that jolt of energy, as well as how much you're looking to drink overall. How much caffeine is in lattes and cappucinos? When you order a latte or a cappucino, there are usually two shots of espresso in each product. That means you're imbibing somewhere between 120 and 150 milligrams of caffeine in each drink. Which has more caffeine, espresso or tea? We already know that an espresso has more caffeine per ounce than drip coffee, however this equation changes when you consider a mug of drip coffee. But if you bring an eight ounce cup of black tea into the conversation, a single shot of espresso will still be more potent with its caffeine kick.

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Looking for the most recentConnections: Sports Edition answers? Click here for today's Connections: Sports Edition hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Wordle and Strands puzzles.Today'sConnections: Sports Editionhas one of my favorite themes in the yellow category. Think of a team name, but make it represent only one team member. Read on for more hints and answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle.For now, the game is in beta, which means the Times is testing it out to see if it's popular before adding it to the site's Games app. You can play it daily for now for free and then we'll have to see if it sticks around.Read more: NYT Has a Connections Game for Sports Fans. I Tried ItHints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groupsHere 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: Viking and Seahawk also qualify.Green group hint: Not exactly a cannonball.Blue group hint: Tyson and Ditka, alsoPurple group hint:Three-legged is another one.Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groupsYellow group: NFL teams, in singular formGreen group: Diving positionsBlue group: Famous MikesPurple group:___ raceRead more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English WordsWhat are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 23, 2025, #122. NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is NFL teams, in singular form. The four answers are Bear, Bill, Dolphin and Packer.The green words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is diving positions. The four answers are free, pike, straight and tuck.The blue words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is famous Mikes. The four answers are Bossy, Evans, Piazza and Trout.The purple words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is ____ race. The four answers are horse, pennant, relay and road.

Looking forthe most recentMini Crossword answer?Click here for today's Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.The NYT Mini Crosswordreally threw me with 6-Across. "ME, in an address," makes sense now that I know the answer, but at the time, I kept thinking of someone addressing a letter to "me," and did not solve the clue. Finally, I filled in the rest of the puzzle and DUH--there was the answer. Need some more help with today's Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times' games collection. If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visitCNET's NYT puzzle hints page.Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini CrosswordLet's get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers. The completed NYT Mini Crossword puzzle for Jan. 23, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNETMini across clues and answers1A clue: "It's only a ___" (response to a sore loser)Answer: GAME5A clue: Here's a pointer!Answer: ARROW6A clue: ME, in an addressAnswer: MAINE7A clue: Fencing swords at the OlympicsAnswer: EPEES8A clue: Fit one inside the other, like measuring cupsAnswer: NESTMini down clues and answers1D clue: Purple candy flavorAnswer: GRAPE2D clue: Zodiac ramAnswer: ARIES3D clue: French painter of "Water Lilies"Answer: MONET4D clue: Rams' matesAnswer: EWES5D clue: Last word of graceAnswer: AMENHow to play more Mini CrosswordsThe New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day's Mini Crossword for free, but you'll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

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 Conncetions: Sports Edition puzzles.If you're lactose intolerant, today'sStrandspuzzle might not be your favorite. That's a hint, of course. If you need more hints and answers, read on.Also, I go into depth about therules for Strands in this story.If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Editions and Mini Crossword answers, you can visitCNET's NYT puzzle hints page.Read more:NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So FarHint for today's Strands puzzleToday's Strands theme is:Udderly deliciousIf that doesn't help you, here's a clue: Mooooooo!Clue words to unlock in-game hintsYour 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:SEED, BURY, HEED, HEEDS, PURE, PURGE, RODE, THEE, MUSE, SUED, DIRT, CUDS, GELT, PROUD, PROD, STYEAnswers for today's Strands puzzleThese 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've got 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:MILK, BUTTER, CHEESE, GELATO, YOGURT, CUSTARDToday's Strands spangramToday's Strands spangram isDAIRY PRODUCTS.To find it, start with the D that's five letters to the right on the bottom row and wind up. The completed NYT Strands puzzle for Jan. 23, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Our Picks Farm-fresh and ready-to-serve Spot and Tango View details 50% off your first box with code: CNET50 See at Spot and Tango View details Human-grade food The Farmer's Dog View details See at The Farmer's Dog View details Fresh preportioned meals Nom Nom View details See at Nom Nom View details Raw meat and vegetable mix Maev View details See at Maev View details Balanced recipes Pet Plate View details See at Pet Plate View details Great customer service and massive selection Chewy View details See at Chewy View details Autoshipping your pet's favorite foods Pet Flow View details See at PetFlow View details Meal plans tailored to individual dogs Ollie View details See at Ollie View details Air-dried and human-grade food for dogs Sundays for Dogs View details See at Sundays For Dog View details Monthly themed collections of toys and treats for your dog Bark Box View details See at BarkBox View details Quarterly custom boxes of handmade dog treats, gear and toys Box Dog View details See at BoxDog View details Table of Contents Your dog deserves the best, which means your pet's diet should consist of balanced and nutritious meals. Whether your dog is a picky eater or has food sensitivities, we found the best dog food delivery services for optimal nutrition and high-quality ingredients.Read more: The Best Gifts and Ideas for Every Price RangeThere are many types of dog food to choose from, including human-grade food, high-quality kibble, raw dog food and even plant-based (as an FYI, dogs do need protein in their diet and cannot adapt to a vegan lifestyle).Note: Before purchasing a meal service, consider your dog's nutritional needs. Are they a young pup or a senior dog? Do they have any allergies or health concerns? Knowing the answers will help you decide questions like, Are dog food subscriptions worth it? And if you're unsure, talk to your vet about what could be best for your pup.Once you've settled on the perfect meal plan for your puppy and their unique needs, you can move on to pick the best dog food delivery service for your needs. These services deliver monthly bags of the best pet food for your best friend, and the dog food delivery costs are either bundled into the price or a reasonable additional amount. Some of these subscriptions, like BarkBox and BoxDog, can also deliver special seasonal boxes with festive toys and treats, so you can include your furry friend in your holiday gifting.Read more:Best Dog Toys, According to the Experts: Our DogsTo help you sort through all the dog food delivery services varying in product, price and quality, we've put together this guide to the very best dog food delivery service for 2024. Read on below to find an outline of the burgeoning category, along with some of the highest-rated dog food delivery options to try. Most dog chow subscription services let you try it risk-free at a significant discount for a short stint and cancel if it's not a good fit.Best dog food delivery services for 2025 CNET50 See at Spot and Tango This dog food delivery service is for the discerning dog owner who's all about those farm-to-table meals and the health and well-being of their doggo. Spot and Tango's human-grade fresh dog food is made from locally farmed ingredients in New York, in small batches with no artificial additives, preservatives or fillers in the chow. With those standards, it's no wonder it landed on our list of best dog food deliveries for 2024.Veterinary nutritionists formulate the fresh dog food recipes and come in pre-portioned packages (determined by your pup's weight, age and lifestyle) that are vacuum-sealed for freshness. The dog food arrives frozen and just needs to be defrosted before serving. Every pet parent gets 50% off their first order of dog food and has a two-week trial period to test whether this meal delivery service works. If you decide to cancel at that time, you'll get your money back.Frequency and pricing: Weekly delivery with free shipping. $1 per day and up, depending on your dog's weight, age and breed. You can snag 50% off your first box of fresh dog food with promo codeCNET50. See at The Farmer's Dog Another fresh dog food delivery service, this popular startup was an easy pick for our list of best pet food to order online.Dogs have unique dietary needs and The Farmer's Dog gets that: You wouldn't feed a Chihuahua the same amount of dog food as you would a Newfoundland, for instance, which is why The Farmer's Dog creates a personalized profile and diet for your dog based on breed, age, activity level, ideal weight and sensitivities. The service also makes adjustments to your dog food plan as needed. The Farmer's Dog uses human-grade fresh ingredients to create easy, ready-to-serve meals for your dog all you have to do for a fresh meal is open the package and let your pooch dig in.Frequency and pricing:Choose your ideal frequency of food delivery anywhere between every two and 12 weeks. $2 to $12 per day based on dog size. Farmer's Dog is also offering 60% off your first purchase. See at Nom Nom It's pretty universally accepted that fresh food is better for you than processed food and many pet owners believe the same holds true for pet food. If you prefer to feed your furry friends fresh meals, Nom Nom is the closest you can get to homemade dog food delivered to your door. The company sends you perfectly portioned, fresh pet food made from restaurant-quality ingredients and tailored to your dog's size, age and weight, making it a solid pick as one of the best dog food delivery services for 2024.Nom Nom currently offers four fresh pet food recipes for dogs and two cat food options, as well as supplements and treats. Other fresh dog food companies send meals in bulk containers, which can be messy, but Nom Nom packs them individually for less fuss at mealtime.Frequency and pricing:Weekly, biweekly or monthly deliveries. $49 to $328 per month for dogs, depending on dog size. For cats, food plans range between $245 to $256. Sign up now and you'll save 50% on your first order.

A few years ago, I thought I was about to die. And while (spoiler alert) I didn't, my severe health anxiety and ability to always assume the worst has persisted. But the increasing proliferation of health tracking smart devices and new ways that AI tries to make sense of our body's data has led me to make a decision. For my own peace of mind, AI needs to stay far away from my personal health. And having just watched Samsung's Unpacked event, I'm more convinced of this than ever. I'll explain.Sometime around 2016, I had severe migraines that persisted for a couple of weeks. My anxiety steeply increased during this period due to the attendant worry, and when I eventually called the UK's NHS helpline and explained my various symptoms, they told me I needed to go to the nearest hospital and be seen within 2 hours. "Walk there with someone," I distinctly remember them telling me, "It'll be quicker than getting an ambulance to you." This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung's most popular products. This call confirmed my worst fears -- that death was imminent.As it turned out, my fears of an early demise were unfounded. The cause was actually severe muscle strain from having hung multiple heavy cameras around my neck for an entire day while photographing a wedding. But the helpline agent was simply working on the limited data I'd provided, and as a result, they'd -- probably quite rightly -- taken a "better safe than sorry" approach and urged me to seek immediate medical attention. Samsung's health tracking provides a lot of data, which may or may not be helpful for you. John Kim/CNETI've spent most of my adult life struggling with health anxiety, and episodes such as this have taught me a lot about my ability to jump to the absolute worst conclusions despite there being no real evidence to support them. A ringing in my ears? Must be a brain tumor. A twinge in my stomach? Well, better get my affairs in order.I've learned to live with this over the years, and while I still have my ups and downs, I know better about what triggers things. For one, I learned never to Google my symptoms. Because no matter what my symptom was, cancer was always one of the possibilities a search would throw up. Medical sites -- including the NHS's own website -- provided no comfort and usually only resulted in brain-shattering panic attacks.Sadly, I've found I have a similar response with many health-tracking tools. I liked my Apple Watch at first, and its ability to read my heart rate during workouts was helpful. Then I found I was checking it increasingly more often throughout the day. Then the doubt crept in: "Why is my heart rate high when I'm just sitting down? Is that normal? I'll try again in 5 minutes." When, inevitably, it wasn't different (or it was worse), panic would naturally ensue. I've used Apple Watches multiple times, but I find the heart rate tracking more stressful than helpful. Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETWhether tracking heart rate, blood oxygen levels or even sleep scores, I'd obsess over what a "normal" range should be and any time my data fell outside of that range, I'd immediately assume it meant I was about to keel over right there and then. The more data these devices provided, the more things I felt I had to worry about. I've learned to keep my worries at bay and have continued to use smartwatches, without them being much of a problem for my mental health (I have to actively not use any heart-related functions like ECGs), but AI-based health tools scare me.During its Unpacked keynote, Samsung talked about how its new Galaxy AI tools -- and Google's Gemini AI -- will supposedly help us in our daily lives. Samsung Health's algorithms will track your heart rate as it fluctuates throughout the day, notifying you of changes. It will offer personalized insights from your diet and exercise to help with cardiovascular health and you can even ask the AI agent questions related to your health.To many it may sound like a great holistic view of your health, but not to me. To me it sounds like more data being collected and waved in front of me, forcing me to acknowledge it and creating an endless feedback loop of obsession, worry and, inevitably, panic. But it's the AI questions that are the biggest red flag for me. AI tools by their nature have to make "best guess" answers based usually on information publicly available online. Asking AI a question is really just a quick way of running a Google search, and as I've found, Googling health queries does not end well for me. Samsung showed off various ways AI will be used within its health app during the Unpacked keynote. SamsungMuch like the NHS phone operator who inadvertently caused me to panic about dying, an AI-based health assistant will be able to provide answers based only on the limited information it has about me. Asking a question about my heart health could bring up a variety of information, just as looking on a health website would about why I have a headache. But much like how a headache can technically be a symptom of cancer, it's also much more likely to be a muscular twinge. Or I haven't drank enough water. Or I need to look away from my screen for a bit. Or I shouldn't have stayed up until 2 a.m. playing Yakuza: Infinite Wealth. Or a hundred other reasons, all of which are far more likely than the one I've already decided is definitely the culprit.But will an AI give me the context I need to not worry and obsess? Or will it just provide me with all the potentials as a way of trying to give a full understanding but instead feeding that "what if" worry? And, like how Google's AI Overviews told people to eat glue on pizza, will an AI health tool simply scour the internet and provide me with a hash of an answer, with inaccurate inferences that could tip my anxiety into full panic attack territory?Or perhaps, much like the kind doctor at the hospital that day who smiled gently at the sobbing man sitting opposite who'd already drafted a goodbye note to his family on his phone in the waiting room, an AI tool might be able to see that data and simply say, "You're fine, Andy, stop worrying and go to sleep."Maybe one day that'll be the case. Maybe health tracking tools and AI insights will be able to offer me a much-needed dose of logic and reassurance to counter my anxiety, rather than being the cause of it. But until then, it's not a risk I'm willing to take.

Sunbeam Royal Ultra heated blanket Best affordable heated blanket $39 at Amazon Serta Fleece to Sherpa heated throw blanket Best heated throw blanket $93 at Macy's Beautyrest reversible electric wrap blanket Best wearable heated blanket $51 at Amazon Beautyrest heated oversized faux fur throw Best oversized heated blanket $89 at Pottery Barn L.L. Bean Wicked Cozy heated blanket Best ultrathin heated blanket $119 at L.L. Bean Sunbeam Royal Luxe heated blanket Best overall heated blanket $56 at Amazon Sometimes, you just need some extra warmth to feel cozy. These heated blankets distribute heat evenly throughout the blanket compared to a heating pad or bag, and they're way more comfortable to use. With a high-quality heating blanket, you'll also see a lot of energy efficiency so you can not only use it to cozy up your mattress without overheating or feeling uncomfortable, but also without worry about racking up the energy bill. What to look for in a heated blanketAfter you've scoured the internet for electric blankets, there are a few things you should consider before selecting the best one. Read each product description carefully, and pay special attention to the following features:Material: Look for heated blankets made with warm materials such as polyester, fleece, flannel, sherpa or faux fur.Heat settings: The best electric blankets will have multiple heat settings. Depending on your preference, the more heat settings, the better the blanket generally is.Machine-washable: At some point, your blanket will get dirty. Make sure your heated blanket is machine-washable.Safety: You want a blanket with an automatic shut-off feature for safety. If you tend to be forgetful, look for a blanket that shuts off within a few hours.The following heated blankets have taken the above features into consideration. Each blanket is shown at a twin price, if applicable. Heated throw blankets only come in one size.Here are the best electric blankets you can get. Amazon Like - Machine washable - 4 heat settings Don't like - Only one size option - Only 4 hours before automatic shut-off Our runner-up for the best heated blanket comes from the same brand. This Sunbeam product is more affordable. The Sunbeam Royal Ultra throw blanket comes in one size, approximately 50 by 60 inches. Like the other heated blanket from this brand, the Royal Ultra is made of 100% polyester but only comes in four colors. It has a five-year limited warranty.With four heat settings and a 4-hour automatic shut-off setting, the Royal Ultra may have fewer heat settings than the Royal Luxe, but the shorter auto shut-off will suit those who worry they might forget their products are plugged in. Unplug and machine-wash cold on a gentle cycle. Tumble dry on low.Product features:Four heat settings4-hour automatic shut-offFive-year limited warranty $39 at Amazon Bed Bath & Beyond Like - Machine washable - 5 heat settings Don't like - 3-year limited warranty - 1 size option Serta is a well-known mattress brand, and its products are often sold at stores such as Kohl's, JCPenny and Bed Bath and Beyond. The Serta Fleece to Sherpa heated throw blanket comes in one size, approximately 50 by 60 inches. The top of the blanket is made of cozy fleece and the other side is faux sherpa. It's available in six colors and has a three-year limited warranty.The controller has five heat settings and contains a 3-hour auto shut-off. The cord connected to the controller and blanket is about 6 feet long, so you will be able to sit on the couch and plug it into the wall. Unplug and machine-wash warm on a gentle cycle. Tumble dry on low.Product features:Five heat settings3-hour auto shut-offThree-year limited warranty $93 at Macy's Amazon Like - Machine washable - 3 heat levels Don't like - 1 size option Beautyrest is another trusted name in the mattress industry, and its mattresses often appear on our lists. This wearable wrap from Beautyrest is available on Amazon for another reasonable price. It comes in one size and is a little larger than a throw at about 50 by 64 inches. The "U" shape of the blanket drapes over your shoulders and frees your arms for movement, letting you keep your mobility as you stay warm. Available in nine fun patterns, the wrap is made of sherpa on one side and fleece on the other. It has a five-year limited warranty.This wrap blanket has three heat levels and a 2-hour automatic shut-off setting. Be aware that while this is a wrap, it still needs to be plugged into the wall. The controller cord is 3 feet long, and the power cord is 6 feet.Unplug and machine-wash on a gentle cycle. Tumble dry on low.Product features:Three heat settings2-hour automatic shut-offFive-year limited warranty $51 at Amazon $51 at Walmart Pottery Barn Like - Machine washable - 3 heat settings - Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex Certified Don't like - No stated warranty Another Beautyrest product makes this list. This Beautyrest throw is 50 by 70 inches and weighs 4.5 pounds. Available in eight colors, the blanket is made of ultrasoft, 100% polyester faux fur. The fabric is also Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex Certified, which means it has been tested for harmful substances and chemicals. There is no stated warranty.The digital controller has three heat settings and a 2-hour automatic shut-off. The power cord is 6 feet long. Unplug and machine-wash cold on a gentle cycle. Tumble dry on low.Product features:Three heat settings2-hour automatic shut-off $89 at Pottery Barn L.L. Bean Like - Machine washable - 10 heat settings Don't like - No specified shut-off time - Short cord This L.L. Bean Wicked Cozy heated blanket also appears on our best products for sleeping in the winter list. It's perfect if you're looking for an extra layer of warmth on your bed because the blanket is thin enough that it won't be too hot. This blanket comes in three sizes: twin, full-queen and king. Available in four colors, the L.L. Bean Wicked Cozy blanket is made of premium Primalush and loftmink polyester. There is no stated warranty.The unique aspect of this blanket is it comes with dual controllers for partners who share the same blanket. It has 10 heat settings and an automatic shut-off setting, but it doesn't specify how long it'll be before the blanket shuts off. Be aware that some customers have stated that the cord isn't long enough. Unplug and machine-wash cold on a gentle cycle. Tumble dry on low.Product features:10 heat settingsAutomatic shut-off $119 at L.L. Bean Amazon The best electric blanket on the market can be found on Amazon at a surprisingly reasonable price. The Sunbeam Royal Luxe blanket comes in sizes twin, full, queen or king. It is made of 100% polyester and is available in five colors. It has a five-year limited warranty.This heated blanket comes with a digital controller and 12 heat settings to choose from. It can automatically shut off after a maximum of 12 hours if you forget to unplug it. If you plan to use a heated blanket for longer, opt for the Sunbeam Royal Luxe, as it's a blanket on this list that allows for the longest time before its automatic shut-off.Unplug and machine-wash cold on a gentle cycle. Tumble dry on low.Product features:12 heat settings12-hour automatic shut-offFive-year limited warranty $56 at Amazon Heated blanket FAQs Can I sleep with a heated blanket? Electric blankets are great to use on the couch or when you're relaxing in bed. Heated blankets are not recommended for all-night use. Short-term use is safe as long as no wires or tears in wires are visible. Can you use a heated blanket while pregnant? Yes, you can use a heated blanket while pregnant. Make sure that the heat setting isn't too high. Low heat settings are safest. Heated blankets are not recommended for infants. Can you wash a heated blanket? Yes, you can wash a heated blanket. Remove the cords, read the care instructions, wash on a gentle cycle and then dry on low tumble.

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 Connections puzzlehas a couple of especially fun categories. The blue group plays to movie-lovers, and the purple group is one of those only-in-the-purple-category creations. 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. And players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including 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 TimeHints for today's Connections groupsHere 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: Gold medalist over silver.Green group hint: Also, ants.Blue group hint: "Throw me the idol!"Purple group hint: Think commanders in chief.Answers for today's Connections groupsYellow group: OutdoGreen group: Picnic accessoriesBlue group: Parts of an Indiana Jones costumePurple group: Rhymes of US president names.Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English WordsWhat are today's Connections answers? The completed NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 23, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is outdo. The four answers are better, eclipse, surpass and top.The green words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is picnic accessories. The four answers are basket, blanket, cooler and utensils.The blue words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is parts of an Indiana Jones costume. The four answers are bomber, fedora, satchel and whip.The purple words in today's ConnectionsThe theme is rhymes of US president names. The four answers are pagan, smarter, vixen and widen. (Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Biden.)

Black Ops 6 Season 2 is going live Jan. 28, and it's looking like it's going to be Call of Duty's version of The Empire Strikes Back, with the bad guys coming out on top.Season 1's story focused on the Luttazzi crime family, which is still operating after the events of the campaign, with multiplayer maps like Heirloom and Racket simulating battles striking at the heart of the criminal empire.In Season 2, the Luttazzis are sending their best assassins after the Black Ops team, which basically just means the new battle pass is going to be themed around a new ninja-looking operator.Players just finished grinding out the latest double XP weekend, so the new maps, modes, and weapons are a good way to revitalize the game and keep Black Ops 6 and Warzone feeling fresh. Here's everything we currently know about the newest Call of Duty season.When is the release date for Warzone Season 2 and Black Ops 6? Season 2 is jam packed with events, weapon drops and other new content. ActivisionAs per usual, the Warzone and Black Ops 6 Season 2 update will launch simultaneously, going live on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.Not sure when that is for you? Here's when Black Ops 6 Season 2 becomes available in your time zone:Eastern Standard Time: Jan. 28 at 12 p.m.Central Standard Time: Jan. 28 at 11 a.m.Mountain Time: Jan. 28 at 10 a.m.Pacific Time: Jan. 28 at 9 a.m.Seasonal updates are generally pretty big, which means that you should preload the update ahead of time if you're on PC. Console players will only have access to the patch a couple hours before it goes live, so you should plan accordingly if you don't want to jam up your gaming session.How big is the Warzone Season 2 update file for Black Ops 6?While we don't yet know exactly how big the Season 2 update file will be for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, we know how big previous seasonal updates to the game have been.Since the Season 1 update was focused on multiplayer content and the Season 1 Reloaded update was focused on the zombies experience, they can help us understand how big the Season 2 update might be.The Black Ops 6 Season 1 update file was 35GB, with Warzone adding an additional 10GB of content. The Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded update file added another 20GB. It's a safe assumption that the Season 2 update's file size will be in the same ballpark as these numbers.What will be coming to Warzone in Season 2? Most of the Warzone Season 2 content has been pushed back in order to improve the state of the game. ActivisionThere's some new content coming to Warzone in Season 2, but this seasonal update will primarily include gameplay tuning, weapon balancing and quality of life upgrades for battle royale players. Much of the new content previously planned for this season has been shifted back to address what developer Treyarch has called "foundational issues" with Warzone.Changes to weapon swap speed, reload speeds, jump speeds, parachute transitions and audio clarity have been made to create a fairer experience. Targeted bug fixes will also solve issues with map visibility, perk performance and weapon interactions.SR gain and loss will also be tuned for a better ranked experience, to allow players a fairer chance at climbing the ladder. New calling cards, emblems, stickers, camos and blueprints are also being added as Warzone ranked play rewards.There will be two new perks added to Warzone within Season 2, however. The Reactive Armor perk will be available at launch and will allow armor to regenerate up to 50% for players that haven't taken damage in the last five seconds. The Low Profile perk will be added midseason, and allows players to move more quickly while downed or prone.What will be coming to Black Ops 6 in Season 2?Whereas Black Ops 6 Season 1 had a multiplayer-focused content drop followed by a zombies-focused content drop midseason, the Season 2 launch is set to release maps for both multiplayer modes.Multiplayer One of the new multiplayer maps might be a Black Ops 2 fan favorite. ActivisionThe new season will launch with three new multiplayer maps: Bounty, Dealership and Lifeline. Each map has some connection to the Luttazzis, mirroring the theme of the season.Another two maps, Bullet and Grind, will be added in the midseason update. Grind is a returning map from Black Ops 2 DLC packs, continuing the trend of Black Ops series maps making a comeback in Black Ops 6 -- there will supposedly be an "additional surprise" related to this map sometime around the midseason patch, but there are no details on what that could be yet.A new Team Deathmatch-adjacent mode, Overdrive, has players fighting to reach a star cap before the enemy team. Regular eliminations reward one star, but headshots and melee kills reward two stars. Special eliminations and killstreaks earn players three stars.Players who chain together kills quickly enough will earn buffs including wall hacks, health regeneration, increased movement and reload speeds, improved hipfire accuracy and improved sprint-to-fire and aim down sights speeds.Season 1 reintroduced the fan-favorite Prop Hunt party game playlist, and now Season 2 will reintroduce Gun Game. This game mode has players work their way through the game's arsenal, with each kill ranking them up to a new weapon. Getting killed with a knife demotes a player to the previous gun.As Valentine's Day approaches, Third Wheel Gunfight will allow players to take on the competitive mode in teams of three, while the Couples Dance Off mode is a Gunfight mode designed exclusively for duos.Two new Enforcer perks are being added to multiplayer. The Slipstream perk increases base sprint speed at the cost of taking away tactical sprint, and the Hunter's Instinct perk marks the closest enemy to you after an elimination. The new Flyswatter wildcard allows players to swap their dedicated melee weapon to a launcher. The new and improved War Machine has been modernized to compete in a game with the breakneck speed of Black Ops 6. ActivisionThe War Machine grenade launcher returns as a scorestreak for 1,300 points. The latest iteration of the scorestreak comes with 30 grenades and fires in three-round bursts.As the season unfolds, The Terminator and Shadow Hunt events will become available to players, unlocking new weapons and attachments as players kill enemies in multiplayer, zombies and Warzone game modes.These weapons include the PPSh-41 SMG, the Cypher 091 assault rifle, the Feng 82 LMG and the TR2 marksman rifle. The AEK-973 is getting a full-auto conversion mod, the Tanto .22 SMG is getting a Binary Trigger attachment and three LMGs are getting a belt-fed magazine modification.Additionally, every assault rifle as well as the SWAT 5.56 and AEK-973 marksman rifles are getting access to an explosive-tipped crossbow underbarrel attachment, allowing players to go a little medieval on their opponents this season.The quality of life updates introduced on 115 Day will come to multiplayer on Season 2's launch day.Zombies One of the Origins wonder weapons is making a return in Black Ops 6 zombies. ActivisionThe new zombies map, The Tomb, will release with the start of Season 2. It's also officially confirmed that the Origins ice staff is making a return. Alongside a completely new easter egg that will push the Dark Aether storyline forward, the new map will seemingly include the Abomination, Amalgam and Doppelghast zombie variants introduced in previous maps.A new variant of the Mimic zombie, the Shock Mimic, will make its debut on The Tomb. This zombie disguises itself as useful items, luring players in before lashing out with static discharge that deals damage, obscures vision and scrambles the mini map. The Shock Mimic is a deadlier variant of a familiar undead face. ActivisionThe next Black Ops 6 perk, Death Perception, is a returning perk from Black Ops 4 zombies. This perk allows players to see zombies through walls and other obstacles, which will help within the tight confines of The Tomb. New augments will allow players to enhance weapon mods, critical hits or farm more essence earlier in the game.There will also be three new GobbleGums at the launch of Season 2. The epic Dead Drop GobbleGum increases the drop rate of salvage and equipment for five minutes. This GobbleGum will likely see a lot of use in the high round zombies community, where players usually rely on strategies that use a lot of salvage very quickly.The legendary Modified Chaos GobbleGum greatly reduces all ammo mod cooldowns for two minutes. And the whimsical Quacknarok GobbleGum adds rubber duck inner tubes to all zombies for three minutes, if that's your kind of thing.Developer Treyarch previously teasedthe return of a fan favorite zombies SMG -- which turned out to be the PPSh-41, as featured in the Season 2 trailer.Every weapon and attachment added to multiplayer and Warzone in Season 2 will also be available to use in zombies, and the War Machine scorestreak will also become available in the mode.

Our Experts Written by Caroline Igo Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement What to consider Ingredients Every supplement will have melatonin, but they may also contain ingredients you'd rather avoid. Dosage Always take note of the dosage of melatonin in your supplement and don't exceed 10 mg. Serving size Some melatonin supplements have serving sizes of two gummies. Others only require one tablet each night. Form The most popular forms of melatonin are capsules, tablets, gummies and liquid. Decide which one is best for you. Third-party certifications Extra certifications help you feel confident that the supplement only contains whats on the ingredient label. Health concerns Always consider your medical conditions and current medication when choosing a melatonin supplement. Speak with your doctor. Why You Can Trust CNET 41424344454647484950 Vitamins evaluated 1234 Researchers41424344454647484950 Hours Researched How we test Our team has spent years expertly selecting vitamins by studying the market, reading hundreds of customer reviews and understanding which essential vitamins our bodies need.Table of Contents Our Picks Best overall melatonin supplement Nature Made Melatonin View details $12 at Walmart View details Best budget melatonin supplement Nature's Bounty Melatonin View details $7 at Amazon View details Best gummy melatonin supplement Olly Sleep Gummy View details $13 at Amazon View details Best fast-dissolve melatonin supplement Natrol Melatonin View details $17 at Amazon View details Best vegan melatonin supplement Thorne Melatonin View details $13 at Amazon View details Best liquid melatonin supplement Now Liquid Melatonin View details $16 at Amazon View details Table of Contents If you struggle to fall asleep, there are many sleep aids out there to help, one of the most common of which is melatonin. Improve sleep quality and create a relaxing bedtime routine with the best melatonin products.Melatonin is a natural hormone in our brains, but it can also be taken at night as a supplement to help you sleep. Taking Melatonin is a way to send a signal from your brain to your body that it's time to hit the hay. The artificial melatonin in the supplement mimics the natural melatonin production in our brains when it gets dark out. It's a great option if you prefer to stay away from traditional prescription sleep medicine since it's a natural sleep aid. Melatonin may also help with other issues, including reducing high blood pressure. There are a ton of Melatonin supplements on the market, so how do you choose the best melatonin supplement for you? It's prudent to take a look at the melatonin content of the supplement youre considering before you make a purchase.I don't have to tell you that sleep is essential for a healthy, functioning human being. If youre looking to improve your sleep quality and need a little extra help, youve got options. There are plenty of natural supplements that can help you chill out and get to sleep faster, read below to find out which are the best ones.How much melatonin can adults take?Typical melatonin doses are between 1 and 5 milligrams, although some products go as high as 20 mg. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic recommend trying 1 mg of melatonin for a whole week, then upping the dose by 1 mg each following week. Stop once you get to 10 mg (do not exceed 10 mg) or until the time it takes for you to fall asleep has decreased. Talk to your doctor about any dosage concerns. Here are the best melatonin supplements on the market, chosen by our vitamin experts.Best melatonin supplements of 2025 Photo Gallery 1/1 $12 at Walmart $12 at Target Pros Nature Made supplements are always USP-verified and affordable One bottle is enough for 90 nights Cons May take up to an hour to kick in Not intended for anyone under 18 years of age Price $ Form TabletServing size One tablet, one hour before bedtimeSupply 90 daysMelatonin per serving 5 mg $12 at Walmart $12 at Target Nature Made is one of the best vitamin supplement brands on the market, if not the best. All of its supplements are USP-verified, meaning that the products and facilities have been tested for toxins and contaminants and that the label is correct. Nature Made Melatonin tablets contain 5 mg of melatonin and 80 mg of calcium (as dibasic calcium phosphate), about only 6% of the daily recommended value of calcium. If you already take a multivitamin with calcium, this shouldn't interfere. In addition, one tablet also contains sodium starch glycolate, magnesium stearate and croscarmellose sodium. Nature Made is free of added colors, preservatives, artificial flavors and gluten.Take one tablet about an hour before you go to bed. One bottle will last about 90 days.

Samsung's putting a lot more eggs in its AI basket this year. The Korean electronics giant is offering minimal hardware updates to its flagship mobile phones in favor of embedding the capabilities more deeply into its Samsung One UI 7 software (in beta since early December) and Android 15. The new Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra are mostly vehicles for it, with a new processor to boost performance and bigger batteries to compensate. Plus an upgraded ultrawide camera on the Ultra.For more from the event as it happened, see our archived live blog. This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung's most popular products. AI Select analyzes what's on your phone's screen and provides recommendations. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Galaxy AI Samsung differentiates its AI from being an agent -- reactive -- to being more of a proactive "companion."Some of the new tools which become available with the S25 line include: AI Select, which monitors your screen to make helpful suggestions.Cross-app actions, where holding down the power button while in voice search lets you expand a query to add subsequent actions to perform, even using multiple apps.Complex natural-language search comes to its photo gallery (to classify and serve up images) and help (to find the settings you need based on specific problems).Now Brief on your lock screen summarizes overnight and upcoming information pertinent to your day based on your habits.Now Bar is a persistent widget on the lock screen with real-time information that doesn't require unlocking the phone.Improvements include: Combining and analyzing every piece of data on your phone to proactively make suggestions across Health, Wallet, SmartThings and more.Circle to Search adds sound recognition to its screen-based queries.Generative Edit should be faster and more accurate at moving, resizing and removing unwanted objects, plus it can recognize shadows.Portrait Studio improves its stylized portrait rendering.Samsung says the new features will come to older models subsequent to the S25 line, which includes them at launch along with Android 15. Read more:Samsung Galaxy S25 Series: The Biggest New AI FeaturesSamsung says the battery life has extended quite a bit across all the phones, which is what most people care about, anyway. The S25 Edge, as teased during the event. Samsung/Screenshot by CNETWe also were treated to a throwaway brief teaser for the S25 Edge, an ultraslim model ostensibly priced below the Ultra... possibly a counter to the rumors of the ultraslim iPhone? AT&T tells CNET's Eli Blumenthal that it will carry the new phone, but gives no further details. So it is coming the US. Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Galaxy S25 Ultra Once you filter out AI, there aren't that many differences between the S25 Ultra and the last-generation model. Samsung's updated it to look a little more like its smaller siblings, features a slightly bigger 6.9-inch screen -- the bezels are just smaller, so the phone itself isn't larger -- and upgrades the processor to its custom version of the 3nmQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Eliteand accompanying chipset.The chip runs at a higher frequency than the standard version -- and therefore hotter -- so the phone incorporates expanded cooling. Additionally, Samsung has upgraded the sensor in its ultrawide camera to 50 megapixels.The S25 models are also the first phones with Google's Project Astra tech -- screen-sharing and live video with Gemini so that you can show Gemini what you want to ask about.It starts at $1,300 and you can preorder it now and it ships Feb. 7.Read more:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Gets a Bigger Screen and More AI $1,300 at Samsung Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Hands-On: A Bigger Screen and More AI 07:31 Celso Bulgatti/CNET Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus Like the S25 Ultra, Samsung's betting on AI to put a shine on the new Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus -- that and some new colors, including navy, icy blue, mint and silver shadow, as well as online exclusives blue black, coral red and pink gold. Like the Ultra they get upgrades to the Snapdragon 8 Elite to feed the AI beast, but the Ultra's runs at a higher frequency.The cameras remain the same, with Samsung hoping to give them a bigger boost via updates to its AI processing for better noise analysis in videos and enhanced ability to differentiate between motion and still elements to boost its automatic adjustments.The S25 Plus incorporates a 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display and 4,900 mAh battery, in contrast to the S25's 6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display and 4,000 mAh pack. Those seem to be the only differences between the two. The Galaxy S25 starts at $800, while the S25 Plus starts at $1,000 and preorders are open now. They also ship Feb. 7.Read more: Hands On: Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus Are More of the Same, With AI Hogging the Spotlight $800 at Samsung Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S25 First Look: AI Everywhere 04:43

"Polar vortex" sounds cool. It's like "bomb cyclone" or "firenado." It seems like the sort of phenomenon that would be responsible for the record-breaking blast of cold, snow and wintry conditions that reached all the way to the Gulf Coast this week. The polar vortex is a real thing, but it may not be to blame for the extreme chill that rocked normally warmer regions of the country.Unusual winter storms and frigid temperatures smacked a large region of the US from Texas to Florida. Snowfall and cold triggered flight cancellations and school, business and road closures. The National Weather Service issued its first-everblizzard warningfor some areas around Lake Charles, Louisiana on Jan. 21. Parts ofHouston reportedly received snowfallof up to 6 inches. Enlarge Image NOAA's Goes-East satellite captured a view of the historic winter storm in the southern US on Jan. 21. NOAA/NESDIS/STARThe NWS office for Mobile, Alabama posted an official snowfall measurement of 5.4 inches on Tuesday afternoon, breaking the one-day record of 5 inches set in 1881. Snow was still falling and reached 7.5 inches for the day. The NWS social media team described that total as "insane." Nearby Pensacola, Florida saw similar snowfall. It's natural to look north to the cold Arctic for answers as to why the Gulf Coast took a polar bear plunge into such icy weather.What is the polar vortex? Enlarge Image The polar vortex can ride with the jet stream and push cold air into the US under certain conditions. NOAA Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. As the name suggests, the polar vortex is associated with our planet's north and south poles. It's an area of lower pressure and cold air at each pole."Weather forecasters examine the polar vortex by looking at conditions tens of thousands of feet up in the atmosphere; however, when we feel extremely cold air from the Arctic regions at Earth's surface, it is sometimes associated with the polar vortex," the NWS said in an explainer.The polar vortex can be connected to bouts of extreme cold in the US, but the conditions have to be right. The polar vortex can expand and push south with the jet stream a narrow current of air that flows high up in the atmosphere from west to east. Notably, a polar vortex struck the US in 2019, launching a volley of Star Wars Hoth jokes about the cold.Did the polar vortex cause the cold?The Arctic blast that caused Gulf Coast residents to shiver this week wasn't necessarily an example of the polar vortex going on the attack.Amy Butler and Laura Ciasto with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration run a polar vortex blog on NOAA's Climate.gov site. The scientists examined the polar vortex last week prior to the Arctic blast. At the time, Butler and Ciasto spotted some potential stretching of the polar vortex. But there was another factor in play."Additionally, a strong ridge of high pressure has been building up simultaneously near Alaska, which can also help force the jet stream to dive down south over the continental US and bring cold Arctic air with it, independent of the polar vortex," Butler and Ciasto wrote.A NOAA video showed what the ridge looked like:The cold Arctic air hanging out over Alaska took a dive down to the south."I think the ridging over Alaska is playing a larger role in the cold air outbreak," Ciasto told CNET. "The stratospheric polar vortex is not as stretched as it was last week so the connection we pointed out in our last post is less relevant now."While the Gulf Coast caught a chill, Alaska experienced an area of high pressure and milder temperatures, according to Erica Grow Cei, NWS public affairs specialist and meteorologist."This in turn displaces the Arctic air that normally sits over our northernmost state at this time of year, and the Arctic air moves downstream southeastward toward the continental US," Grow Cei told CNET.The polar vortex can be a powerful source of winter weather, but it's not the only cause of severe cold and snow in regions better known for warmth and sunshine. The Gulf Coast states are still digging out of the snowdrifts, but at least warmer temperatures are on tap heading into the weekend.

A fresh wave of streaming bundles is coming in 2025, including a new one from Starz and Warner Bros. Discovery's Max streaming service landing today. The new package allows subscribers to get ad-free Max and Starz bundled together for $21 per month, the companies announced on Wednesday.The offer is exclusive to Prime Video for customers in the US, and is only available for a limited time. To sign up, visit the subscriptions section in the Prime Video app.Starz is home to original series such as Outlander, P-Valley, Sweetpea and the Power franchise, and the platform carries a slate of theatrical movies like John Wick 4, Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The service typically costs $11 per month for a subscription.Max's ad-free plan is $17 a month, and grants access to its catalog of originals like Peacemaker and content from WBD-owned brands including HBO, Warner Bros., DC and HGTV. Viewers can catch The White Lotus, The Last of Us, and House of the Dragon on the streamer, as well as feature films Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune, Barbie and A24's The Front Room.As both services add up to $28 as standalone offerings, the Starz-Max package saves you $7 per month, or 25%. It's among the latest bundles to roll out in 2025, with Vizio launching a Starz-AMC Plus offer for $14 a month, and DirecTV dropping a $70 sports package that streams games from channels owned by Fox, NBCUniversal, Disney and WBD.

Live updates from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2025, where we expect the Galaxy S25's unveiling and new AI features among other reveals.

Netflix has introduced a new type of extra member account: extra members with ads.The streamer announced the new offering in a shareholder letter on Tuesday before its fourth-quarter earnings call. In the US, according to Netflix's help site, adding an extra member with ads costs $7 per month, and the option is available alongside the pre-existing extra member accounts that do not have ads.Per Netflix's site, these extra member accounts work similarly to the previous version as a way to pay more for an additional person located in a different household. You'll need an ad-free type of Netflix -- either Standard or Premium -- to purchase an extra member slot. Netflix Premium subscribers can add up to two slots, and Standard customers get one. Extra members have a separate account and password.Netflix also announced price increases on Tuesday. Now, the ad-based extra member version costs $1 per month less than the Standard with Ads plan and $2 less than an ad-free extra member account.Other than the price, a difference between being an extra member with ads and a Standard with Ads subscriber is that extra members can only watch and download on one device at a time. Standard with Ads members get two simultaneous screens and devices for downloading. Extra members get one profile, and Standard with Ads customers get up to five.In the shareholder letter, Netflix said it aimed to give members "additional choice and flexibility" with the extra member offering. Ad-supported sign-ups accounted for over 55% of sign-ups in Netflix's ads countries in its fourth quarter, according to the letter, and ad-based membership grew close to 30% quarter over quarter.

Our Experts Written by James Bricknell Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 16171819202122232425+ Years of Experience 14151617181920212223 Hands-on Product Reviewers 6,0007,0008,0009,00010,00011,00012,00013,00014,00015,000 Sq. Feet of Lab Space How we test CNETs expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. What to consider Number of cards The number of cards you need will determine the size and shape of your minimalist wallet. RFID blocking Are you worried about someone scanning your chip? RFID blocking wallets are the answer. Is cash needed? Having a sturdy money clip or elastic band is important if you need cash. Wallet material If you want specific materials then some wallets may not be suitable for you. Table of Contents Our Picks Best overall minimalist wallet Ridge Wallet View details $95 at Amazon View details Best mechanical minimalist wallet Ekster Cardholder View details $89 at Ekster View details Best minimalist wallet with Apple Find My built in Groove Life Trace View details $125 at Groove Life View details Best luxury minimalist wallet Bosca real leather bi fold View details $110 at Amazon View details Best minimalist wallet for under $15 Hammer Anvil Minimalist View details $10 at Amazon View details Best American-made minimalist wallet Groove Life View details $90 at Amazon View details Best magsafe minimalist wallet Bluebonnet Magsafe View details $60 at Bluebonnet View details Best branded minimalist wallet Ridge NFL wallet View details $125 at Amazon View details Discommon Wallet 3.0 View details $110 at Discommon Goods View details Vaultskin Notting Hill View details $50 at Amazon View details Trayvax's Armored Summit Wallet View details $37 at Amazon View details Thread Wallets Elastic View details $16 at Amazon View details Table of Contents Over the years, wallets have gradually evolved. Back in the '90s, it was all about velcro and chains. In the 2000s, I carried a huge wallet to hold all the receipts I thought I might need just in case. But now, with everything going digital, theres no need for a wallet that fits everything -- most of us rarely carry cash, let alone paper receipts. That means bulky, bigger wallets don't make sense anymore. The trend has also shifted towards simplicity and minimalism. All you need is enough room for an ID, a couple of cash cards and a medical card. There are some exceptions, of course, but for the most part, the modern wallet is ultra-thin and fairly minimalist, fitting into our pockets with ease.Ive spent hours testing a variety of wallets to evaluate their feel, fit and functionality. Based on that experience, I can confidently say the options below are the best minimalist wallets available. Whether youre seeking a robust metal design or a luxurious full-grain leather wallet that feels amazing, youll find the perfect choice below. Massive wallets like the one George Costanza carried around are a thing of the past. Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentWhat's the best minimalist wallet?For our money, the Ridge wallets are the best minimalist wallets you can buy. Sure, they aren't the cheapest, but they are sturdy, good-looking and can be customized to fit your needs well. Although there are plenty of bifold and trifold thin wallet options, we're mostly focused on one-panel design wallets here. These usually hold between four and 10 credit and debit cards, although some do it more artfully than others, and there is a variety of fabrics and colors to choose from. Some are hybrids, which combine a wallet and money clip or elastic band. Most offer some RFID blocking technology, which is advertised as a protective measure against electronic pickpocketing, like scammers skimming data stored on your contactless credit cards. (That may bean overblown concern.)Tactical wallets also have built-in multitools, should you be the type to be randomly kidnapped and ditched in a forest somewhere. Just remember that you'll need to take any bladed multitools out before you fly, because TSA confiscating your wallet isn't fun. At all.Best minimalist wallet of 2025

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See at Willow Watch Test cricket for $10 a month Willow See at Willow See more details See at ExpressVPN Best VPN for streaming ExpressVPN See at ExpressVPN See more details See at TNT Sport Watch Australia vs. India live in the UK TNT Sports See at TNT Sport See more details See at Kayo Sports Watch India vs. England in Australia for AU$25 Kayo Sports See at Kayo Sports See more details See at Hotstar Showing this Test series in India Disney Plus Hotstar See at Hotstar See more details Table of Contents England kick off their first white-ball series against India in three years today in Kolkata, with head coach Brendon McCullum looking to mould his side ahead of next month's Champions Trophy.The fallout from England's disappointing performance at last year's T20 World Cup saw McCullum take charge of the limited-overs squad, having already revitalized the Test team with his aggressive approach.India, meanwhile, come into this series looking to put their recent defeat in the Border-Gavaskar trophy to Australia behind them, with Suryakumar Yadav's team aiming to maintain their dominance of cricket's shortest format.Australia take on India in the 1st T20 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Play is set to start each day at 7 p.m. IST local time in India, which makes it a 1:30 p.m. GMT start in the UK.The time difference in the US and Canada means this first T20 encounter between the two sides begins at 8:30 a.m. ET and 5:30 a.m. PT, with play getting underway for viewers in Australia at12:30 a.m. AEDT in the early hours of Thursday morning.Below, we'll outline the bestlive TV streaming servicesto watch the series, no matter where you are in the world. Suryakumar Yadav will captain India in this five-game T20 series. Pankaj Nangia/Getty ImagesHow to watch India vs. England 1st T20 in the US and Canada without cableThis T20 series is available to watch live on cricket streaming serviceWillow TV. Willow TV Willow TV, a dedicated cricket streaming service, is available with a broad range of cable providers, including Spectrum, Dish and Xfinity. The service is also available via OTT providerSling TVvia its Desi Binge Plus or Dakshin Flexplans. Willow TV is also an add-on for OTT provider Fubo, with plans starting at $87 per month, which covers the base Fubo subscription plus another $7 for the add-on package that includes Willow TV. See at Willow How to watch online from anywhere using a VPNIf you find yourself unable to view this Test series locally, you may need a different way to watch the action -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic. It's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like ourEditors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. Be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other greatVPN dealstaking place right now. James Martin/CNET 2024 Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands ExpressVPN isour current best VPN pickfor people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you'll get three months free and save 49%. That's the equivalent of $6.67 a month.Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 61% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months) See at ExpressVPN Watch India vs. England 1st T20 in the UKThis T20 series is being shown live in the UK by TNT Sports. TNT Sports You can access TNT Sports via Sky Q as a TV package, as well as the option of streaming online. It costs 31 either way and comes in a package that includes the Discovery Plus library of documentary content. See at TNT Sport Stream the India vs. England 1st T20 in Australia for freeThis T20 series can be watched Down Under on Fox Sports via Foxtel. If you're not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for the streaming service Kayo Sports. Kayo Sports A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.The service gives you access to a wide range of sports, including F1, NRL, NFL, NHL and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts.Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial. See at Kayo Sports Stream India vs. England 1st T20 in IndiaCricket fans in India can watch this Test series via Star Sports. The cheapest way to watch is via theDisney Plus Hotstar app, but those looking to catch all the action on a device with a larger display will need to sign up for one of its more expensive tier subscriptions. Disney Hotstar/Screenshot by CNET Disney Plus Hotstar starts at 499 rupees for its Mobile plan, going up to 899 rupees for its Super tier, and 1,499 rupees for the service's all-access Premium content plan. See at Hotstar Quick tips for streaming India vs. England 1st T20 using a VPNWith four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming this Test series series live may vary.If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone), so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We recommendBrave.

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