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The hotly-anticipated OLED models of the MacBook Air could be closer than expected, with both Samsung and LG now roped in to develop new displays for Apple, according to Chinese tech news site The Elec.

We’ve known for a while that an OLED MacBook has been on the cards for Apple, with multiple tipsters claiming in recent months that the tech giant is shooting for a potential 2024 release.

The new information provided by The Elec has finally put some hard truths to these rumors, with evidence that Apple has specifically contracted Samsung to produce OLED panels for a new 13.3-inch MacBook Air. The ‘LiquidRetina’ mini-LED displays found in the current-generation M2 MacBook Air could finally be on the way out, with informers claiming that OLED’s power efficiency and brightness make it an attractive move for Apple.

This move is likely to cause some heads to shake at Samsung’s rival company LG, which has historically been behind Apple’s screens. Apple lacks the resources and expertise to develop displays itself, so outsources production to other manufacturers.

LG is, however, apparently developing OLED screens for new 11- and 13-inch iPad Pros. Speculation from The Elec suggests that LG simply didn’t have the capacity to take on an order for new OLED MacBook Air panels, leading Apple to approach Samsung’s display division instead. Samsung may also be developing an 11-inch OLED screen for Apple, indicating that it may produce some OLED iPad displays too.

---

Analysis: It looks like Apple’s OLED MacBook Air plans are on track, but I’ve got one big concern

All of this further reinforces the suggestion that Apple will indeed have an OLED MacBook Air ready to go for the rumored 2024 launch date - although it’s unclear whether this will actually be the next generation of MacBooks.

We’ve already seen speculation that Apple will deliver powerful new MacBooks equipped with the Apple M3 chip this year, including a MacBook Air (2023), and it seems unlikely that those new OLED panels will be ready to go in 2023 - so we might see one more interstitial release before Apple’s mini-LED screens get dumped for good.

The Elec’s report claims that the 13.3-inch OLED panel being developed for a future MacBook Air will serve as a trial run for larger MacBook Pro models - while the planned OLED iPads may themselves be a test for implementing the technology into MacBooks. It appears that Samsung was previously contracted to develop a 10.86-inch OLED screen for an unreleased iPad Air model, but that project was ultimately canned due to concerns over supply and reliability issues.

I’ve still got one big fear, though: pricing. The latest MacBook Air already saw a significant price jump from the still-excellent 2020 M1 model, and there are fears that a planned OLED iPad Pro might be much more expensive than its predecessors - to the point where it could cost more than a current-gen MacBook Pro.

In a world of rising inflation, stagnant wages, and a widening gulf between the rich and poor, this sort of tech hardware price-gouging really bothers me. Sure, MacBooks have always been premium products (you’ll probably never see one on our best cheap laptops list), but Apple is running the risk of appearing elitist here.

If an OLED iPad Pro is going to cost a bomb, I’m seriously concerned about what OLED MacBook Air pricing could look like. The worst part of it is that the Air is supposed to be Apple’s more accessible laptop - leave the ludicrous pricing for the MacBook Pro please, guys. If we get a 2024 MacBook Air that costs more than $1,199, I’m gonna be annoyed.

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Popular Xbox Game Pass shooter Metal: Hellsinger has just received its first new DLC, titled Dream of the Beast, which adds two songs as well as a new weapon and outfits. You can pick it up for $3.99 / £3.29 (approximately AU$5.99). 

The downloadable content includes new tracks featuring the talent of Lorna Shore's Will Ramos and Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia which have been added to the Xbox Game Pass FPS. What's also been included in a free update for all players on Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC is the ability to choose from any song in the playlist before a level, allowing new music to give each stage a fresh new feel. 

On the gameplay side of things, there's an entirely new weapon to try out, too. Aptly titled The Red Right Hand, this new machine gun adds a new level of strategy to the Painkiller-like arena levels of Metal Hellsinger with a burst-fire separating itself from the shotguns and revolvers of the base game. 

Smaller gameplay tweaks have also been included with new outfits for the main protagonist that add modifiers including quick reloads and giving you more ammunition. There's a costume that's a direct homage to Lee Van Cleef's role in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, rightfully named "Angel Eyes" and I'm absolutely living for it. Twinning it with The Hounds (the game's take on Colt revolvers) makes me want to return to the Guitar Hero meets Doom world in and of itself. 

I can't look away

(Image credit: Funcom)

As someone who absolutely adored Metal: Hellsinger at its release in late 2022, this DLC is definitely a step in the right direction. I loved the base game which features the vocal talents of heavy metal greats such as Trivium's Matt Heafy, Soilwork's Bjorn Strid, and Dark Tranquillity's Mikael Stanne paired with Two Feathers' industrial metal. Playing through a game scored with those all-so-familiar screams and growls turned what would otherwise be a pleasant, but forgettable shooter into something special.

In Metal: Hellsinger you need to time your shots to the beat of the music in order to rack up multipliers and other bonuses as you go. Being out of time isn't going to get you very far, since the title can be challenging, especially on higher difficulties. As a metal musician myself, I don't need much convincing to jump back into one of the best FPS games I've played in a very long time. It all clicks together so well. 

It certainly doesn't hurt that the incredibly talented Will Ramos has been added to the game's soundtrack. I've loved everything he's done with Lorna Shore and it's amazing to see him getting the recognition he deserves; a true beast when playing live, too, which should translate to one of the best songs on this already-stacked lineup. 

• Doom Eternal might be divisive, but it exemplifies Doom’s oldest values

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Microsoft has unveiled plans to launch a new Surface Hub 2S that’s set to be much more than a hardware refresh, bringing with it a full OS update.

While details are few and far between, we do know that the design of the new product will remain very similar to past models, with thin bezels in the same 50 inch and 85 inch formats, and 20-point multitouch displays.

But pergaps the biggest change comes with the introduction of a new Windows-based OS set to realign the company’s Microsoft Teams experiences, which have proven clunky and fragmented until now.

Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows

Teams Rooms on Windows is the name given to the replacement operating system set to take over from Teams OS as Microsoft looks to align its new offering with the already popular Teams Rooms for Android. 

It promises to work not only with Teams, but with a handful of other video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Webex, however there is no mention of Google Meet, which remains well-liked by businesses and educational establishments alike.

Read more

> These are the best online collaboration tools

> Microsoft Teams could soon be coming to a massive screen near you

> There's an all-new Microsoft Teams app for Windows — but does it solve all your problems?

However, the new OS will only be available for second-generation Surface Hub 2S devices leaving first-gen owners feeling uncatered for.

In fact, owners of the original devices have almost been guinea pigs for Microsoft, which says it has “learned a tremendous amount about how people use collaborative spaces and devices.”

Windows 10 Team Edition, the current underpinnings for the 2S, is set to lose support in October 2025. In light of this, and the inability to update to the new OS, Microsoft has hinted at a “path to migrate” in the future.

Full details of the software overhaul and hardware update are expected to come nearer to the launch later this year.

"One of the top global challenges facing organizations of all sizes is how to get the best productivity and facilitate collaboration -- in a world that is now fundamentally hybrid," a blog post annoucing the new launch said.

"Microsoft remains committed to deepening and expanding collaboration capabilities through Microsoft Teams, and ensuring the best of these experiences are reflected on Surface Hub."

• Don’t need an all-in-one system? Check out the best business webcams

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The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite is the next affordable entry in the OnePlus' lineup, with the company already confirming that it’s landing on April 4. But ahead of release, president and COO Kinder Liu has exclusively confirmed some of the phone's remaining key features and specs with TechRadar.

Kicking things off, Liu told us that the CE 3 Lite would indeed pack a "120Hz 6.72-inch large screen;" that's notably bigger than the 6.59-inch panel on the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite and renders this the largest Nord device to date; suggesting a strong viewing experience (although we're not crossing our fingers on OLED tech, considering the phone's expected price point). Paired with the Lite's one-two punch of a large battery and promisingly-rapid fast charging, the company president continued, "[these are] features usually seen in our premium models."

The Nord CE 3 Lite will again run on a Snapdragon 695 5G chipset; which is the same as its predecessor, providing mid-range power, along with 5G support. As to whether this SoC has enough grunt one generation later, Liu told us, "users can look forward to extended gaming times, extra power, picture-perfect playback and lag-free streaming on multiple platforms."

The third major morsel of newly-confirmed information comes in the form of software. Building on the experience already available to the company's latest and greatest smartphones, the Nord CE 3 Lite, "debuts with the hyper-intuitive OxygenOS 13.1 for fast and smooth experiences." This means OnePlus has chosen to showcase the most recent revision of its range-wide user experience, not on a flagship, but what's assumed to be its most affordable and modest device of 2023.

Last year's OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite (Image credit: Future / Sachin George)

While details are scant right now, the jump from OxygenOS 13 to OxygenOS 13.1 should include improvements to privacy and security, with Liu also highlighting the release's focus on gaming on the CE 3 Lite, "Quick Startup gives users a quick entry into the game, Game Focus Mode automatically blocks unwanted notifications and defeats mistouches and the GPA Frame Stabilizer reduces system lag and enhances frame rate stability."

That looks to be it for exclusive details, but Liu also affirmed other previously-detailed specs, including the presence of a 108MP main camera (another OnePlus first), dual SIM functionality and 8GB of virtual RAM (on top of the phone’s dedicated RAM). This virtual RAM idea is something we’ve seen in a number of phones recently, and it means the device can temporarily convert 8GB of internal storage into RAM, to boost performance.

As for price, Liu told us, "with the powerful and outstanding specifications, the price of OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G will also be satisfying." Mysterious, sure, but for context, its predecessor cost £279 in the UK (approximately $345 / AU$515) , meaning we're hoping for the same or less in order for our expectations to be truly satiated.

One aspect some OnePlus fans might be dissatisfied with is expected regional availability, because OnePlus currently doesn't sell its CE phones in the US, or any phones at all in Australia. As such, this is likely mostly one for UK buyers (along with other key markets across Europe and potentially India).

A OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (Image credit: OnePlus)

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What we already knew

This isn’t the first time OnePlus has teased the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite though, as we already knew that it packs a 5,000mAh battery with 67W charging – a nice speed bump compared to its predecessor's 33W charging speeds. In fact, we’ve even seen the phone from the back in both Pastel Lime and Chromatic Gray shades; as you can see in this article.

So, there might not be too many surprises on April 4, but from what we’ve heard out in the wild – and from what Liu told us directly – this sounds like a promising low-cost handset; with not just a bigger screen than the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite but also far more megapixels on its main camera, much faster charging, and the addition of virtual RAM.

At the same time as spilling the beans to TechRadar, Liu also just launched his official Twitter account, which will no doubt serve as a fount of knowledge, with regards to forthcoming OnePlus product details and launches going forward.

As for the rest, we’ll bring you all the details about this upcoming phone on April 4, and perhaps some before then, if OnePlus chooses to share more in advance.

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints. And you might need them - because this popular online game takes the Wordle format and quadruples the difficulty. So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for Quordle too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #430 and bookmark this page so you can easily return. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. 

Quordle today (game #430) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #430) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 9.

Quordle today (game #430) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #430) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.

Quordle today (game #430) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #430) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #430) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• R

• A

• Q

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #430) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #430, are…

• ALIBI
• REACH
• ACRID
• QUARK

I found today's Quordle to be a little harder than most, though I was never in any real danger of failing it. While one of the answers, REACH, doesn't really have any complications, the other three all do.

ALIBI, for instance, has a repeated I - a letter that you don't expect to appear more than once. QUARK has that Q in it. And though the five letters in ACRID are all common ones, I struggled to spot it (to the extent that I guessed, um, CARDI, before I finally realized what the answer was).

Still, I got there in the end, and solved today's Quordle with one guess remaining. 

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #429, Wednesday 29 March: MOIST, BRAND, FAITH, ADMIN
• Quordle #428, Tuesday 28 March: SUGAR, FIBRE, DITTY, TRIAD
• Quordle #427, Monday 27 March: READY, REVUE, BELOW, HASTE
• Quordle #426, Sunday 26 March: AWAIT, DROVE, MORAL, REEDY
• Quordle #425, Saturday 25 March: AWOKE, THESE, LEASE, DITTO
• Quordle #424, Friday 24 March: COUCH, APRON, BROTH, TITHE
• Quordle #423, Thursday 23 March: CROSS, SAUCE, DOING, USUAL
• Quordle #422, Wednesday 22 March: FAULT, ADAGE, SOOTH, HABIT
• Quordle #421, Tuesday 21 March: WRING, SCRAP, THIRD, NOBLE
• Quordle #420, Monday 20 March: BISON, BOTCH, ABHOR, GLINT
• Quordle #419, Sunday 19 March: KNEEL, COBRA, LINER, DEBUG
• Quordle #418, Saturday 18 March: CLUED, STAVE, CRANE, EMPTY
• Quordle #417, Friday 17 March: STUFF, DEBUT, FORCE, RUPEE
• Quordle #416, Thursday 16 March: GRUNT, ODDLY, UNWED, AVOID
• Quordle #415, Wednesday 15 March: SINCE, USURP, RADIO, SWORN
• Quordle #414, Tuesday 14 March: SATIN, SCOFF, CRASH, SMIRK
• Quordle #413, Monday 13 March: CHOCK, MAXIM, LOOPY, ERODE
• Quordle #412, Sunday 12 March: TENOR, BOULE, ELOPE, SHOWY
• Quordle #411, Saturday 11 March: BEVEL, SONAR, EXILE, RENEW
• Quordle #410, Friday 10 March: ENJOY, SPOOF, NASTY DEALT

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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There are a handful of big names in gaming phones, with the likes of the Asus ROG Phone line, the Xiaomi Black Shark line, and the Lenovo Legion line regularly featuring in our best gaming phones guide. But one of them probably won’t ever feature again.

Following rumors that Lenovo was ending its Legion gaming phone line, the company confirmed as much in a statement to Android Authority, with a Lenovo spokesperson saying: “Lenovo is discontinuing its Android-based Legion mobile gaming phones as part of a wider business transformation and gaming portfolio consolidation.

“As a leader in gaming devices and solutions, Lenovo is committed to advancing the gaming category across form factors, as well as focusing on where it can bring the most value to the global gaming community.”

That wording technically leaves open the possibility that Lenovo could still make gaming phones without Legion branding, or that don't run Android, but that seems unlikely. More likely, we simply won’t see any future gaming phones from the company.

A few options remain, but they face tough competition

So, where does that leave you if you want a gaming phone? Well, the Asus ROG Phone line seems to be going strong, with the Asus ROG Phone 7 set to land on April 13.

We’re also expecting to see a Xiaomi Black Shark 6 later this year, and perhaps a ZTE Nubia Red Magic 9.

So, there are a handful of upcoming options, along with the already available gaming phones. But with only a few companies really making them in 2023, Lenovo leaving the market will have a noticeable impact on the available selection, which is a shame.

The successor to the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro is coming soon (Image credit: Basil Kronfli / TechRadar)

It’s perhaps not a surprise, though. Gaming phones have always been a niche proposition, with their garish designs often putting off a more general audience. There’s also arguably little need for a gaming phone for most people. Many of the best phones can handle games just as well as gaming phones, and are better all-round handsets.

Sure, they lack some gaming-specific features like shoulder buttons, and they don’t tend to have as large batteries as gaming phones, but instead they have better cameras, higher resolution screens, and more widely appealing designs.

With competition from the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck too, it’s a tough time for gaming phones, but hopefully some brands will stick around for the serious mobile gamers.

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints. And you might need them - because this popular online game takes the Wordle format and quadruples the difficulty. So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for Quordle too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #429 and bookmark this page so you can easily return. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. 

Quordle today (game #429) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #429) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #429) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #429) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.

Quordle today (game #429) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #429) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #429) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• M

• B

• F

• A

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #429) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #429, are…

• MOIST
• BRAND
• FAITH
• ADMIN

Well, today's Quordle was a pretty easy one. Not compared to other online games of course - it still got me thinking - but it was simple compared to other Quordles.

Lots of that was due to my strategy, which worked particularly well today. I always start by playing three set words - STARE, DOILY and PUNCH - then fill in the blanks after that. Here, my starter words gave me a real good inroad into FAITH, because I had a green I and H in the format --I-H, with a yellow T and A to play. It was obvious the T would go between the I and H and the A in front of it, making -AITH… which left FAITH as the only possible answer. 

It was a similar story with MOIST, and though BRAND and ADMIN required a little more mental effort on my part, I was able to solve today's Quordle with two guesses remaining.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #428, Tuesday 28 March: SUGAR, FIBRE, DITTY, TRIAD
• Quordle #427, Monday 27 March: READY, REVUE, BELOW, HASTE
• Quordle #426, Sunday 26 March: AWAIT, DROVE, MORAL, REEDY
• Quordle #425, Saturday 25 March: AWOKE, THESE, LEASE, DITTO
• Quordle #424, Friday 24 March: COUCH, APRON, BROTH, TITHE
• Quordle #423, Thursday 23 March: CROSS, SAUCE, DOING, USUAL
• Quordle #422, Wednesday 22 March: FAULT, ADAGE, SOOTH, HABIT
• Quordle #421, Tuesday 21 March: WRING, SCRAP, THIRD, NOBLE
• Quordle #420, Monday 20 March: BISON, BOTCH, ABHOR, GLINT
• Quordle #419, Sunday 19 March: KNEEL, COBRA, LINER, DEBUG
• Quordle #418, Saturday 18 March: CLUED, STAVE, CRANE, EMPTY
• Quordle #417, Friday 17 March: STUFF, DEBUT, FORCE, RUPEE
• Quordle #416, Thursday 16 March: GRUNT, ODDLY, UNWED, AVOID
• Quordle #415, Wednesday 15 March: SINCE, USURP, RADIO, SWORN
• Quordle #414, Tuesday 14 March: SATIN, SCOFF, CRASH, SMIRK
• Quordle #413, Monday 13 March: CHOCK, MAXIM, LOOPY, ERODE
• Quordle #412, Sunday 12 March: TENOR, BOULE, ELOPE, SHOWY
• Quordle #411, Saturday 11 March: BEVEL, SONAR, EXILE, RENEW
• Quordle #410, Friday 10 March: ENJOY, SPOOF, NASTY DEALT
• Quordle #409, Thursday 9 March: MOLAR, MARRY, OPTIC, DROLL

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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It’s not long until The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is released (May 12) and after months of speculation, Nintendo has finally announced a console to celebrate the upcoming Breath of the Wild sequel… and I, for one, think it’s absolutely beautiful. At the end of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom demonstration, we were given a sneak peak at this console – and I’m tempted to upgrade now that pre-orders have opened in Australia (where I’m located, though it looks like pre-orders are also open in the US and UK too).

Following the Pokémon Scarlet & Violet or Splatoon 3 Nintendo Switch OLED consoles is no easy feat – both delivered great designs that stayed true to the respective franchises. But there’s just something special about Zelda-themed consoles that stands out above the rest, so much so that I’ve been living with the regret of never grabbing the golden Nintendo 3DS XL that came out alongside the re-release of Majora’s Mask back in 2015.

Gold is a mainstay color of the Zelda franchise, those who played the Ocarina of Time back in the ‘90s might recall the golden N64 cartridge, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition Nintendo Switch OLED absolutely delivers on this color scheme. The accompanying Joy-Cons are a nice change from typically bright neon options – offering a shimmery muted gold with teal and white graphics on top.

The dock is also on theme, featuring the golden Tri-Force directly in the center of a white background. While recognizable, the design is subtle enough to be pleasant to look at while still delivering the themes of the upcoming new game. In fact, this subtle design is reminiscent of the Animal Crossing New Horizon Nintendo Switch that came out back in 2020, which just so happens to be the console I’d be upgrading from.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo appears to now only be releasing themed OLED consoles (there’s no sign of a Nintendo Switch 2 anywhere), and if previous releases are anything to go by, finding a place to buy the Joy-Cons on their own will be impossible, with the exception of secondhand sellers. So while this is great if you want to upgrade from the Nintendo Switch, it’s not so great for your wallet as these consoles are typically priced at $349.99 / £319.99 / AU$549, though trade-in options exist to help ease the cost a little.

If you don’t want to purchase an entirely new console, but want some new Zelda-themed gear, you’re in luck. From May 12, the same day as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is released, you’ll be able to pick up a themed Nintendo Switch Pro Controller and a carry case as well. Both these feature the Tri-Force and circular motifs that have played heavily into the latest game’s branding, with the controller setting you back $74.95 / £69.85 / AU$109.95 and case costing $24.99 / £19.85 / AU$39.95.

Where to find the Zelda Nintendo Switch OLED

You won’t have to climb any cliffs to find this console. Pre-order pages are already popping across a number of retailers, and here’s where you can find the console or the accompanying accessories. 

After facing many years of regret by not picking up Zelda-themed consoles, no Lizalfos or Lynel can stop me now. I will scale the cliffs in the rain or find all 900 Koroks to get my hands on this beautiful Nintendo Switch OLED.

• Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts who? The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to be the latest car-building simulator

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Oh, Elon. When will you learn? Never, if this latest development is anything to go by: according to a memo reported on by the Wall Street Journal, an internal valuation has just placed Twitter’s total value at around 20 billion dollars. Hilariously, that’s less than half of the $44 billion Musk originally paid for the social media site back in October 2022.

But it seems Elon isn’t content with just sitting in the hole he’s fallen into; some unpaid intern has handed him a shovel, and he’s gonna keep on digging down until everyone on Twitter is paying for Twitter Blue - or the site collapses entirely.

Musk’s latest move to drag more people kicking and screaming into $8-subscription land is to reveal more limitations on free accounts; unless you cough up for a Blue membership, your tweets won’t be recommended to other users in the ‘For You’ tab, and non-verified users won’t be allowed to vote in polls either.

Now, any Twitter user with two brain cells to rub together (so, at least half of them) can probably already tell you that the ‘For You’ page is garbage, and it’s really worth sticking to the ‘Following’ tab if you want something approaching the original Twitter experience. But shutting non-paying users out of polls entirely is, well, a dick move from Musk - perhaps he’s scared there might be a repeat of the embarrassing poll where he was told by the site’s user base to step down as CEO.

---

Opinion: Cheer up - it might never happen

It’s worth bearing in mind that these latest death throes from the apparently-cursed social media platform come directly from the horse’s mouth - that is to say, Elon’s own Twitter account. That means we should take them with a sprinkling of sodium, since Musk has tweeted out ‘upcoming features’ in the past that have never actually materialized.

Musk claims that the changes are ‘the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over’ even though, you know, everything he’s done so far has yet to make any sort of tangible impact on Twitter’s bot account problems. Bots comprise roughly 5% of the platform’s 330 million users, but account for more than 20% of actual tweets in the US. Oh, and he’s getting rid of 2-factor authentication for non-paying users too, which is going to further worsen the site’s security issues.

Starting April 15th, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations.The is the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle.Voting in polls will require verification for same reason.March 27, 2023

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Another part of the problem is that despite constantly worsening the free user experience, Twitter Blue is estimated to have made the company just $11 million from mobile users since its soft relaunch after Elon took the reins. That sounds like a lot, but it’s a comically small drop in the bucket for a social media giant like Twitter. Nonetheless, Elon claimed in the aforementioned valuation memo that he believes the company will be profitable as early as next quarter.

I’m putting on my best impression of Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok to say “will it, though?” - Twitter is still burning money despite slashing staff counts (which leads to trouble like this) and is embroiled in a laundry list of legal disputes which are no doubt costing it a ton of cash. To compound the issues further, many of those cases are specifically Twitter being sued over nonpayment of everything from contracted wages to rent owed to, uh, the British royal family. Yup, you read that right.

Now, as a fun (read: horrifyingly dystopian) little thought exercise, let’s contextualize Elon’s massive losses by taking a little look at some of the things he could’ve spent that wasted $24 billion on instead:

• 21,838,034 iPhone 14 Pro Max units
• 120,000 copies of the original 1999 shiny Charizard Pokemon card
• 48 working replicas of Jeff Bezos’ 417-foot superyacht
• 14 NASA space shuttles
• At least 2 more Tesla gigafactories
• Housing every homeless person in the USA for three full years
• And finally, the entire nation of Montenegro - and with cash to spare, since the tiny European country is estimated to be worth just over $17 billion as of 2023. Perhaps Elon could've bought Barbados too.

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Marvel has seemingly leaked the release date for Secret Invasion on Disney Plus.

The studio, which has suffered from its fair share of bad press in recent days, appears to have accidentally confirmed Secret Invasion's launch date. As revealed on Reddit – and later confirmed by many news outlets – the Marvel TV series is apparently due to arrive on June 21, 2023.

Initially, Secret Invasion was expected to be released on Disney Plus in Q1 2023. However, in light of some release schedule tweaking on Marvel's part, the spy thriller show's launch was given a more generic 'coming soon' placeholder on the official Disney Plus Originals website. That was the case until yesterday (March 27), anyway. Overnight, the series' Disney Plus landing page was updated with its new release date. 

Secret Invasion is seemingly set to arrive in June (Image credit: Disney Plus)

Realizing their error, Marvel and Disney have now removed the launch date and any mention of Secret Invasion from DisneyPlus.com and its corresponding app. Now, searching for the Marvel Phase 5 show on Disney Plus delivers an error code 41 message, which reads: "The requested media is not available. Please try again. If you continue to have problems, please contact Disney+ Subscription Support." 

Unfortunately for the two studios, multiple users managed to grab a screenshot of the updated landing page before posting it online as proof (see the image above). Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans are now expecting an official announcement about Secret Invasion shortly, potentially alongside a new trailer.

We've reached out to Disney and Marvel for an official comment on the series' apparent launch date. We'll update this article if we hear back.

Secret Invasion stars Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and Ben Mendolsohn as Talos. The series, which will make Disney Plus history by becoming the first crossover event in the MCU, will follow the pair as they try to uncover a mass conspiracy that's seen many of Talos' fellow shapeshifting skrulls infiltrate Earth and live among humanity for decades. Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emilia Clarke, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle will all play supporting roles.

Analysis: The secret is out – or is it?

Yeah, this is how we reacted to the news, too (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

After months of silence, it seems that Secret Invasion's release date isn't so secret after all. Or maybe it is...

On the surface, it appears that the show will land on Disney Plus in June. After all, it would be a huge faux pas on Marvel and Disney's part if Secret Invasion's June 21 launch date was nothing more than a placeholder. In our view, the MCU's fanbase would not be best pleased, especially as we've had to wait a long time for Secret Invasion to arrive.

There's reason to believe that a June 2023 launch could be in the offing, too. Marvel might have *ahem* secretly altered its 2023 release schedule plans in recent weeks, with numerous reports suggesting we'll only receive three movies, plus two or three Disney Plus shows, this year as the studio looks to space out its stacked lineup of Phase 5 projects.

Currently, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and The Marvels are the only Phase 5 productions with confirmed launch dates. Unless The Marvels' release date is pushed back again following its recent delay to November, the two movies' launch dates are definitely locked in.

However, Marvel's 2023 lineup of TV shows, including Secret Invasion and Loki season 2, still don't have official release dates. With a six-month gap needing to be filled in Marvel's and Disney Plus' calendars, it would make sense for Marvel and Disney to release one or both of the aforementioned series to keep MCU fans entertained between Guardians 3 and The Marvels. If they choose not to, it could be a very long and barren summer (or winter, for those of you in the southern hemisphere) for Marvel's worldwide fanbase.

For more MCU-based content, find out how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Additionally, read our best Marvel movies ranked piece, and see which MCU TV shows made it onto our best Disney Plus shows list.

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints. And you might need them - because this popular online game takes the Wordle format and quadruples the difficulty. So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for Quordle too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #428 and bookmark this page so you can easily return. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. 

Quordle today (game #428) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #428) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 7.

Quordle today (game #428) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #428) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.

Quordle today (game #428) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #428) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #428) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• F

• D

• T

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #428) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #428, are…

• SUGAR
• FIBRE
• DITTY
• TRIAD

Today's Quordle answers might catch you out - because one in particular is a difficult one. That one is FIBRE, which is spelled here in the British way, rather than the American FIBER. That confused me; I stared at the board for a long time before I realized it was a possible solution.

That aside, TRIAD is also a fairly uncommon word, plus DITTY has a repeated T in it. There are plenty of reasons why you might struggle today, then - hopefully you all escaped with your streaks intact.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

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Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #427, Monday 27 March: READY, REVUE, BELOW, HASTE
• Quordle #426, Sunday 26 March: AWAIT, DROVE, MORAL, REEDY
• Quordle #425, Saturday 25 March: AWOKE, THESE, LEASE, DITTO
• Quordle #424, Friday 24 March: COUCH, APRON, BROTH, TITHE
• Quordle #423, Thursday 23 March: CROSS, SAUCE, DOING, USUAL
• Quordle #422, Wednesday 22 March: FAULT, ADAGE, SOOTH, HABIT
• Quordle #421, Tuesday 21 March: WRING, SCRAP, THIRD, NOBLE
• Quordle #420, Monday 20 March: BISON, BOTCH, ABHOR, GLINT
• Quordle #419, Sunday 19 March: KNEEL, COBRA, LINER, DEBUG
• Quordle #418, Saturday 18 March: CLUED, STAVE, CRANE, EMPTY
• Quordle #417, Friday 17 March: STUFF, DEBUT, FORCE, RUPEE
• Quordle #416, Thursday 16 March: GRUNT, ODDLY, UNWED, AVOID
• Quordle #415, Wednesday 15 March: SINCE, USURP, RADIO, SWORN
• Quordle #414, Tuesday 14 March: SATIN, SCOFF, CRASH, SMIRK
• Quordle #413, Monday 13 March: CHOCK, MAXIM, LOOPY, ERODE
• Quordle #412, Sunday 12 March: TENOR, BOULE, ELOPE, SHOWY
• Quordle #411, Saturday 11 March: BEVEL, SONAR, EXILE, RENEW
• Quordle #410, Friday 10 March: ENJOY, SPOOF, NASTY DEALT
• Quordle #409, Thursday 9 March: MOLAR, MARRY, OPTIC, DROLL
• Quordle #408, Wednesday 8 March: JUICE, SPRIG, FAITH, PENNE

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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A new Microsoft Teams update is due to fix one of its most annoying minor issues - but could raise a whole host of other potential problems.

The video conferencing service is working on a tweak that will allow meeting participants to change their display name to whatever they choose.

Microsoft means well, of course, but knowing your co-workers, friends and whoever else you use Microsoft Teams with, how much this feature is used in a positive way might be up for debate.

Microsoft Teams names

In its entry on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company notes that allowing name changes will allow users, "to have flexible representation in different meetings, regardless of their tenant set display name."

The update is listed as being in development for now, but has a listed rollout start date of July 2023, meaning users shouldn't have too much longer to wait. Upon release, it will be available to desktop and Mac around the world, with further platforms most likely set to follow soon.

Read more

> Check out our list of the best office software around

> Microsoft Teams Premium is officially here for everyone

> Microsoft Teams might have launched its most annoying feature yet

The news is the latest attempt to boost Microsoft Teams' customization aspects. Most recently, the company announced it would be bringing video filter effects and avatars to the platform to allow a bit of extra personalization. 

Among the upcoming visual effects are animated frames and video hue altering, on top of existing tools that allow users to blur backgrounds and soften the video feed to mask and obscure blemishes.

The service also recently announced a number of under-the-hood upgrades aimed at improving the user experience when navigating around the Microsoft Teams platform, including making it much faster to switch between chat and channel threads.

The company claims that these changes should contribute to a 30% speed increase when switching between Microsoft Teams chats or channels.

• Check out our rundown of the best online collaboration tools available

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New research has claimed companies are failing their employees when it comes to workplace benefits by lacking those that are most desired, and even by offering some that are not.

Data from an Alight survey of 1,400 employees in the UK and Europe found only 38% of whom believe their workplace benefits meet their needs. However, a second survey of 420 mid-sized and large British and European businesses found as many as 57% of employers believe that workers’ needs are being met.

Looking ahead, it concludes that communication between employers and employees holds the greatest power for change, though this is made more challenging by the emerging AI environment that’s set to fundamentally change how we collaborate and communicate.

Are my workplace benefits good?

Over three-quarters (77%) of employers believe that their benefits exceeded local requirements, however precisely how far they had been exceeded remains unclear because only 34% of workers agreed that there was substantially more on offer compared with basic requirements.

Read more

> These are the best hybrid working tech tools around

> Businesses are wasting millions on unused software licenses

> Businesses are losing billions in productivity costs by not giving workers the right tools

As workers and businesses feel the pinch of a tightening economy, many fear that their benefits may not be what they once were. Medical protection and other financial assistance benefits will likely be the most desired in the year to come. Still, some businesses continue to offer token gestures that do very little to please their employees.

Alight Business Development VP Jan Pieter Janssen explained that organizations should take a “proactive approach” to bridge the evident gap between employer and employee sentiments, citing benefit awareness and utilization, higher ROI, enhanced employee wellbeing, and new talent acquisition as key benefits.

The report found that organizations fundamentally need to double down on communicating with workers, finding that omnichannel methods are most suitable for spreading the message and obtaining a better understanding, which includes AI chatbots.

• Check out our roundup of the best HR software for managing employees

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We're still some way off from getting any real news about Android 14 from Google, but the tweaks and updates are still appearing for Android 13 – and one that's apparently in the pipeline will stop your phone's screen from blinding you in the dark.

As spotted by Mishaal Rahman (via Phandroid), the code for the next Android update looks to include a feature that will sense the ambient light conditions around a smartphone even when the screen is switched off.

So, the next time you lock your phone, go somewhere that's a lot darker, and then unlock it again, you won't be blinded by the previous brightness setting. The phone will recognize it's now in a darker environment and adjust the brightness accordingly, assuming of course you have the brightness set to adjust itself automatically.

"Use a brightness sensor to determine the screen's initial brightness"Test: Use the device in a bright room, turn the screen off, go to a dark room, turn the screen on, see that the screen doesn't start as too bright.https://t.co/r59GQDBWbMMarch 23, 2023

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On the way

If you have a Pixel phone from Google, you'll find the screen brightness options in the Display section of Settings, though for now this feature isn't enabled, and is indeed only in the Android 13 QPR2 beta release that isn't widely available yet.

That QPR stands for Quarterly Platform Release, so the extra option may appear as part of an Android 13 update in the next few months. Alternatively, Google's software development team might decide to hold it over to Android 14, which is due to be officially unveiled at Google IO 2023 in May.

Let's hope it does indeed arrive at some point, as it's a useful tweak – as you'll know if you've ever locked your phone in a bright environment (outdoors in the sun, for instance), and then unlocked it in a darker environment (such as a theater).

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Analysis: the ever-changing mobile OSes

We're now very familiar with the idea of Apple, Google, Samsung and other phone manufacturers pushing out regular updates for their mobile operating systems. These updates can add features, squash bugs, and more besides.

The example we have above shows how tweaks can be useful even if they're small. This fixes a very real annoyance that a lot of people are going to come across on a regular basis, and it means Android is going to be better to use.

It also shows the benefit of mobile OS updates appearing throughout the year, rather than in one hefty chunk on one particular date. When it comes to iPhones, we're now up to iOS 16.3, and there have been lots of improvements since iOS 16 launched in September 2022.

If the brightness feature does indeed make it into the next Android update, it's difficult to predict exactly when your phone might get it – a lot of it depends on the manufacturer of your phone, and Google's own Pixel handsets are going to be first in line, as usual.

• 5 super-useful features that are coming to Android 14

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Global payments solution provider Checkout.com has unveiled a new debit card issuing service for businesses to tap into the lucrative embedded finance market.

Online travel, marketplaces, and digital banking are all said to have been pivotal to the explosion in embedded finance in recent years, according to Checkout.com CPO Meron Colbeci, who states that fintech and Big Tech are no longer alone in the revolution, and that the market is estimated to increase in value by 187% to $121 billion in Europe and the UK by 2029, and to $7.2 trillion globally by 2030.

Card issuing is designed to enable businesses to offer physical and virtual cards as they look to diversify revenue, unlocking financial service provision to strengthen their ecommerce portfolio.

Create your own debit card for businesses

Businesses can choose to create their own branded cards that stand out from others, including a variety of sustainable and recycled materials, or digital options that are compatible with wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

The precise card type is entirely under the control of a business and can include debit and pre-paid cards for consumer and commercial uses. There are also single-use and multi-use options for further control.

Read more

> These are the best credit card processing tools for small businesses

> Apple’s new financial services have hit more delays

> Etsy sellers aren't getting paid because of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse

Another benefit for businesses looking to issue their own card is the streamlining and enclosure of the customer journey within an ecosystem, which grocery shopping and meal planning app Jow’s co-founder, Antoine Maillard, claims has been transformative for the business.

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It's time for your daily dose of Quordle hints. And you might need them - because this popular online game takes the Wordle format and quadruples the difficulty. So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you'll probably need some for Quordle too. 

I'm a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #426 and bookmark this page so you can easily return. 

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers. 

Quordle today (game #426) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too). 

Quordle today (game #426) - hint #2 - total vowels

What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?

• The total number of vowels across today's Quordle answers is 9.

Quordle today (game #426) - hint #3 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #426) - hint #4 - total letters

How many different letters are used in Quordle today?

• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 12.

Quordle today (game #426) - hint #5 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #426) - hint #6 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #426) - hint #7 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• A

• D

• M

• R

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #426) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #426, are…

• AWAIT
• DROVE
• MORAL
• REEDY

Today's Quordle answers are not too bad. Two of them have repeated letters in them, but both are vowels (A in AWAIT and E in REEDY), so neither should be that difficult to find. REEDY is a bit of an obscure word; sure, I know what it means, but it's not the kind of thing you say every day. But there are no really uncommon letters in today's selection and I was able to solve it with one guess remaining.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

---

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #425, Saturday 25 March: AWOKE, THESE, LEASE, DITTO
• Quordle #424, Friday 24 March: COUCH, APRON, BROTH, TITHE
• Quordle #423, Thursday 23 March: CROSS, SAUCE, DOING, USUAL
• Quordle #422, Wednesday 22 March: FAULT, ADAGE, SOOTH, HABIT
• Quordle #421, Tuesday 21 March: WRING, SCRAP, THIRD, NOBLE
• Quordle #420, Monday 20 March: BISON, BOTCH, ABHOR, GLINT
• Quordle #419, Sunday 19 March: KNEEL, COBRA, LINER, DEBUG
• Quordle #418, Saturday 18 March: CLUED, STAVE, CRANE, EMPTY
• Quordle #417, Friday 17 March: STUFF, DEBUT, FORCE, RUPEE
• Quordle #416, Thursday 16 March: GRUNT, ODDLY, UNWED, AVOID
• Quordle #415, Wednesday 15 March: SINCE, USURP, RADIO, SWORN
• Quordle #414, Tuesday 14 March: SATIN, SCOFF, CRASH, SMIRK
• Quordle #413, Monday 13 March: CHOCK, MAXIM, LOOPY, ERODE
• Quordle #412, Sunday 12 March: TENOR, BOULE, ELOPE, SHOWY
• Quordle #411, Saturday 11 March: BEVEL, SONAR, EXILE, RENEW
• Quordle #410, Friday 10 March: ENJOY, SPOOF, NASTY DEALT
• Quordle #409, Thursday 9 March: MOLAR, MARRY, OPTIC, DROLL
• Quordle #408, Wednesday 8 March: JUICE, SPRIG, FAITH, PENNE
• Quordle #407, Tuesday 7 March: ATOLL, SAUCE, BROOK, CRAWL
• Quordle #406, Monday 6 March: ANNOY, FLUSH, ISLET, AWAKE

Quordle FAQs: Everything you need to know

What is Quordle?

Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar. 

It's played online via the Quordle website and you can also get to it via the Merriam-Webster site, after the dictionary purchased Quordle last year. 

As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you're competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.

The website also includes a practice mode - which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! - and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements - specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.

Oh, and it's difficult. Really difficult.

What are the Quordle rules?

The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.

1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.

2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow. 

3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…

4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two. 

5. Answers are never plural.

6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.

7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle's dictionary. You can't guess ABCDE, for instance.

8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle's Hard mode.

9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.

10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.

What is a good Quordle strategy?

Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can't blindly throw letters at it and expect to win - you'll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.

That's the case in Wordle too, of course, but it's even more important in Quordle.

There are two key things to remember. 

1. Use several starting words

Firstly, you won't want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words. 

The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.

For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options - you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe - but something like that should do the trick.

If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!

2. Narrow things down

Secondly, if you're faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options - for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH - you'll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options. 

In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It's risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it's the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure - you simply don't have enough guesses.

In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.

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