• Adobe is ending perpetual licensing for Elements
• The software will now use a subscription-based pricing model
• New tools and features have been added to remove some of the sting

Adobe has officially ended its perpetual licensing model for the Elements software lineup, meaning users of the 2025 edition will only be able to use it for a maximum of three years before being blocked.

While the change aligns with Adobe’s long-term strategy of transitioning to subscription-based models, it has stirred up a mix of reactions from consumers who appreciated the simpler, one-time purchase option.

Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.

Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you’re having a little trouble solving today’s puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today’s Connections puzzle below. And if you still can’t get it, we’ll tell you today’s answers at the very end.

How to play Connections

Connections is a daily game about finding common threads between words. Players must select four groups of four words without making more than three mistakes. Play now. https://t.co/YITfSnqODb pic.twitter.com/CqObVOqeUs

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 3, 2024

You can play Connections on the New York Times website or with the NYT Games app on iOS or Android.

In Connections, you’ll be shown a grid containing 16 words — your objective is to organize these words into four sets of four by identifying the connections that link them. These sets could encompass concepts like titles of video game franchises, book series sequels, shades of red, names of chain restaurants, etc.

There are generally words that seem like they could fit multiple themes, but there’s only one 100% correct answer. You’re able to shuffle the grid of words and rearrange them to help better see the potential connections.

Each group is color-coded. The yellow group is the easiest to figure out, followed by the green, blue, and purple groups.

Pick four words and hit Submit. If you’re correct, the four words will be removed from the grid and the theme connecting them will be revealed. Guess incorrectly and it’ll count as a mistake. You only have four mistakes available until the game ends.

Hints for today’s Connections

We can help you solve today’s Connection by telling you the four themes. If you need more assistance, we’ll also give you one word from each group below.

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Today’s themes

• BARREL-SHAPED CONTAINER
• GUIDE
• N.F.L. TEAM MEMBER
• THINGS THAT SWING

One-answer reveals

• BARREL-SHAPED CONTAINER – CASK
• GUIDE – PILOT
• N.F.L. TEAM MEMBER – COWBOY
• THINGS THAT SWING – GOLFER

Today’s Connections answers

NYT Connection FAQs

Wyna Liu, who has been editing puzzles at The New York Times since 2020, edits Connections daily.

“A few months ago, a new assignment crossed my desk: Create the game boards for Connections, a category matching game that had recently been greenlighted and was in search of an editor,” wrote Liu in an article explaining her process in June 2024. Most of my puzzle experience has been working with crosswords, and I was excited at the chance to try something different. I’ve enjoyed learning how puzzle editing plays out once a game is greenlighted, and seeing how our team fits into a larger ecosystem.”

On the one-year anniversary of Connections launching earlier this year, Liu posted this TikTok about her favorite puzzles so far:

@thegamesteam ? happy one year anniversary to connections, our newest official NYT game ? #nytgames #nytconnections #nyt ♬ The Kite Live by Luisa Marion – luisa_marion_music

News about a possible Samsung’s tri-fold smartphone continues to emerge. This suggests that the leak about its arrival in 2025 is on the right track. Samsung Electronics’ latest financial results fell short of expectations, prompting them to reorganize their strategy. A new patent provides additional details about the potential tri-fold smartphone from Samsung.

Samsung Display reported that sales of foldable screens did not meet the company’s projections for 2024. Part of the blame can be attributed to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 not selling as much as anticipated. Strong competition from rival suppliers, particularly Chinese ones, also contributed to the situation. As part of its turnaround strategy, the company will rely more on innovation. This might include the launch of a tri-fold smartphone.

How Samsung could make its tri-fold smartphone durable and reliable, according to patent

The patent describes the systems that Samsung could implement in a tri-fold smartphone to ensure the overall integrity of the screen and the device. After all, foldable devices are already much more prone to damage than traditional ones for logical reasons. So, a model with three folds requires even more security measures.

According to the patent, Samsung implements a system of strategically placed openings. The internal design aims to minimize the pressure on the screen during folding and unfolding. It also makes it easier to extend the device’s screen, avoiding using excessive force that could lead to potential damage.

The body of the device integrates adhesive layers and support plates made of stainless steel or glass so that the screen remains sturdy, whether folded or unfolded. In addition, Samsung included in the patent an anti-reflective system based on a layer of synthetic resin. For extra durability, there is a “shield” under the screen that prevents the access of substances. There is even a cushioning system in case of potential bumps or falls.

Samsung will no longer be the first to launch a tri-fold product

It’s noteworthy that Samsung filed the patent with the USPTO in July 2021. However, it only got approval in November 2024. It’s possible that the company has developed more advanced technologies to make a tri-fold smartphone even more reliable and durable. In fact, one of the sketches shows that the technologies described can also be implemented in traditional foldable phones. So, perhaps the Galaxy Z Flip and Fold devices already integrate some (or all) of them.

Anyway, Samsung has already lost the battle to be the first big brand to launch a device with such a form factor. Huawei took the crown by introducing the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Design.

Nintendo and the Pokémon Company are seeking approximately $65,700 in compensation from their lawsuit against Palworld developer Pocketpair. In a press release the studio issued on Friday, it said Nintendo and the Pokémon Company want ¥5 million each (plus late fees), for a total of ¥10 million or $65,700 in damages.

At first glance, that’s a paltry amount of money to demand for copying one of the most successful gaming properties ever, particularly when you consider Tropic Haze, the creator of the now defunct Yuzu Switch emulator, agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle its recent case with Nintendo. While Nintendo and the Pokémon Company may have well wanted to sue for more, their legal approach may have limited their options somewhat.

As you might recall, when the two sued Pocketpair in September, they didn’t accuse it of copyright infringement. Instead, they went for patent infringement. On Friday, Pocketpair listed the three patents Nintendo and the Pokémon Company are accusing the studio of infringing. Per Bloomberg, they relate to gameplay elements found in most Pokémon games. For example, one covers the franchise’s signature battling mechanics, while another relates to how players can ride monsters.

Pokémon games have featured those mechanics since the start, but here’s the thing: all three patents were filed and granted to Nintendo and the Pokémon Company after Pocketpair released Palworld to early access on January 19, 2024. The earliest patent, for instance, was granted to Nintendo and the Pokémon Company on May 22, 2024, or nearly four months after Palworld first hit Steam and Xbox Game Pass.

According to Pocketpair, the two companies seek “compensation for a portion of the damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit.” Put another way, it’s a small window of time the suit targets.

I’m not a lawyer, so I won’t comment on Nintendo’s strategy of attempting to enforce patents that were issued after Palworld was already on the market. However, I think it’s worth mentioning that Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe had said before the game’s release that Palworld had “cleared legal reviews,” suggesting the studio had looked at Nintendo’s patent portfolio for possible points of conflict. In any case, the Tokyo District Court is scheduled to hear opening remarks from each side next week.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you’ll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle.

Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There’s no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you’re stuck and need to know the answers to today’s Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below.

How to play Strands

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strand answers

Today’s spanagram

We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and solve the rest of the puzzle on your own:

Today’s Strands answers

• JUMP
• CIVIL
• STRONG
• LEISURE
• BIRTHDAY
• BUSINESS