Google’s new Googlebook laptop lineup, a premium successor to the Chromebook built around Android integration and Gemini AI, went up for pre-order on September 21, and early hands-on impressions from reviewers who tested the devices in person have been largely positive, even as no publication has yet published full independent performance benchmarks ahead of the laptops’ October 4 store arrival in the United States.

Googlebook is not a single device but a hardware category, similar to how “Chromebook” describes machines from multiple manufacturers built around a shared operating system philosophy. The initial lineup spans five models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo, starting at $899, according to Google. Reviewers who attended a media preview event in New York City spent several hours testing each device, examining build quality, keyboards, trackpads and the new Googlebook OS software.

Chrome Unboxed, which went hands-on with all five laptops, described the launch as far more than a minor Chromebook refresh, noting the significant architectural shift underlying Googlebook OS itself. The outlet highlighted the dedicated on-device AI processing built into every model, noting that whether a given laptop runs Intel or Qualcomm silicon, each includes a neural processing unit capable of more than 45 trillion operations per second, allowing Gemini AI features to run locally without triggering loud cooling fans. The outlet also noted the return of the Glowbar, a multicolor light strip on each laptop’s exterior lid, a design touch dating back to the original Chromebook Pixel, which animates at startup, sweeps to show battery level, and pulses when a user interacts with Gemini.

9to5Google’s hands-on impressions focused heavily on the touchscreen experience, praising the consistency of 120Hz displays across the lineup after having worried the company might ship slower 60Hz panels instead. The reviewer specifically praised the Acer model’s convertible 2-in-1 design, despite acknowledging a general dislike of 2-in-1 laptops as a category, calling it arguably the best touchscreen laptop-tablet hybrid currently on the market. The review credited Android’s touch-first design heritage for making the Googlebook lineup’s touchscreen implementation feel considerably more natural than touch input has historically felt on Windows or ChromeOS devices. Overall, the reviewer said initial concerns about the lineup had “almost completely been washed away, save a few minor complaints about two specific devices.”

Tom’s Hardware offered a more design-focused comparison across the five models, noting strong visual similarities to existing Windows laptops already on the market. The outlet compared the HP Googlebook 14 to the HP OmniBook Ultra, the Dell XPS Googlebook to the current-generation Dell XPS 13, and the ASUS Googlebook 14 to ASUS’s enterprise-focused ExpertBook Ultra line. The reviewer said the ASUS and Dell models made the strongest first impression given how thin and light both designs are, with ASUS offering a notably wider selection of ports. Pricing varies across the lineup, with the Acer model starting at $899 as a limited-time offer, the Dell XPS Googlebook starting at $1,199, and the remaining three models starting at $1,299, matching the price of a base MacBook Air.

Tom’s Guide singled out the ASUS Googlebook 14 as a particular standout after testing all five models, praising its six-speaker audio system featuring dual force-canceling woofers and two tweeters, along with a large haptic touchpad using six-point force sensing designed to deliver consistent click response regardless of where a user taps. The reviewer also praised the model’s relatively roomy keyboard and springy key feel, while cautioning that fuller display testing and formal lab measurements would still be needed to properly assess screen quality.

PCWorld’s hands-on coverage offered a more cautious overall framing, with the reviewer declining to name a single standout pick after only a few hours testing the lineup, while noting the Acer model’s convertible screen and lower price, along with the Dell XPS’s sleek chassis, made the strongest initial impressions. The outlet explicitly recommended that potential buyers wait for full reviews before committing to pre-orders, and flagged that ongoing memory and storage component shortages across the broader industry could push Googlebook prices higher in the near future.

A separate analysis from Tech Insider identified inconsistencies in how different outlets reported pricing for two of the five models, the Dell XPS Googlebook and the Lenovo Googlebook 15, with reported starting prices differing by as much as $200 depending on the publication. The same analysis noted that, as of its publication, no outlet had yet released independent Cinebench, Geekbench, PCMark or battery-rundown test results for any of the five laptops, since full review units were not yet available ahead of the devices’ physical retail launch.

According to Google, every Googlebook purchase includes 12 months of Google AI Pro, providing 5 terabytes of cloud storage and expanded Gemini usage limits, alongside three months of complimentary access to YouTube Premium, Adobe Photoshop and CapCut, and a full year of Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming service. Google has also committed to providing regular software feature updates for Googlebook OS for up to 10 years following purchase.

With devices set to reach physical store shelves starting October 4 in the United States and October 5 in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia, more comprehensive, benchmark-driven reviews are expected to follow in the coming weeks. Until then, the consistent theme across early hands-on impressions has been cautious optimism, with reviewers describing genuinely impressive build quality, touchscreen performance and AI integration, tempered by an acknowledgment that meaningful conclusions about real-world performance, battery life and long-term software reliability will require considerably more testing time than the brief, guided demo sessions reviewers have had access to so far.

TAT promotes “Healing is the New Luxury” at Tourism Expo Japan 2026, focusing on wellness, culture, and immersive travel to attract quality Japanese travelers and encourage repeat visits and longer stays.

Thailand’s Focus at Tourism Expo Japan 2026

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is set to make a significant impact at Tourism Expo Japan 2026 by introducing the theme “Healing is the New Luxury.” This initiative emphasizes Thailand’s appeal as a wellness destination, inviting quality Japanese travelers to experience the nation’s rich culture and immersive travel opportunities. By highlighting wellness tourism, this campaign aims to create a deeper connection with visitors interested in health and rejuvenation.

Encouraging Extended and Enriched Travel

A key objective of the campaign is to encourage repeat visits and longer stays to attract higher-value segments in the tourism industry. TAT intends to promote travel beyond popular areas, reaching secondary destinations that offer unique experiences. By encouraging tourists to explore lesser-known regions, TAT hopes to enhance Thailand’s tourism offerings and provide visitors with diverse experiences that highlight the country’s beauty and cultural richness.

Strategic Collaborations with Japan

To achieve its goals, TAT is focusing on strategic collaboration with airlines and travel trade partners throughout the Japanese market. These partnerships aim to facilitate travel and ensure a seamless experience for Japanese tourists visiting Thailand. Through these efforts, TAT hopes to strengthen Thailand’s reputation as a premier travel destination, particularly in wellness and cultural tourism.

Source : TAT showcases Healing is the New Luxury at Tourism Expo Japan 2026

The charity will be 10 years old in January and Nogbou said that staff had seen a change in the families who needed their support over time.

“When we started, pre-Covid, maybe one in five children in Leeds lived in relative poverty,” she explained.

“Now, you’re looking at one in two children in some parts, and that’s just a shocking number that really shouldn’t be happening.”

Nogbou said that about 70% of the children they helped had a parent who was working and she said many were “not managing to manage the bills with energy and fuel prices going up”.

According to government statistics, 27% of children in the Yorkshire and Humber region lived in relative low income families – the joint highest proportion, alongside the West Midlands, in the country.

A relative low income family is one living on less than 60% of the median national household income for that year.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has refused to say whether he backs a third runway at Heathrow after it emerged that the expansion of the London airport could be delayed by up to four years.

Burnham – who, as Mayor of Greater Manchester, opposed the project – told Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I think principally, it’s a matter for London and Londoners.”

He added: “I think we ought to hear the voice of people there first. It’s not right for me to just jump straight in on the back of the consultation.”

Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves had championed the runway to boost the economy, with a schedule to open by 2035 but Heathrow indicated on Saturday it may not be operational before 2039.

As Manchester’s mayor, Burnham had been against the project over concerns that it would delay investment in transport for the north. When he took office, he said he was “open-minded” about the scheme.

As he prepared for his first annual Labour Party conference as prime minister, Burnham said: “There’s a consultion but there are different views and you have to take those views seriously in coming to a decision.”

In response, Heathrow said: “We agree with the prime minister that local voices must be heard. We know from consistent polling over the last decade that communities support our plans for expansion and support is only growing over time.”

The project, estimated to cost £33bn, has attracted opposition from environmental campaigners and local resident groups as well as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

A third runway would mean demolishing hundreds of homes, diverting rivers and rerouting a section of the M25 motorway through a tunnel.

But it is estimated it would create 100,000 jobs and provide a major boost to the UK economy.

The number of flights from the site, currently capped at 480,000 a year, could go up to 720,000, or nearly 2,000 a day on average.

A new runway has been backed by the unions Unite and the GMB.

Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary said: “A third runway at Heathrow is essential and we need to get going with it.

“This is more than just infrastructure. It’s about investing in the workforce, securing the future of good, unionised jobs and a guaranteed market for UK steel.”

Earlier this weekend, Heathrow conceded that meeting the original deadline would be increasingly difficult without further steps to simplify the planning process.

It said it hoped to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the runway “within a decade”.

The Department for Transport said the timeline had “always been ambitious” and it would continue to work with stakeholders “at pace” on the matter.

Wordle players faced puzzle number 1,926 on Sunday, a five-letter word tied to sailing that multiple puzzle trackers described as one of the more difficult answers of the past week, catching even experienced solvers off guard.

For those still working through the puzzle, several hints circulated Sunday to help point solvers toward the answer without giving it away outright. The word refers to a type of small boat designed for sailing, typically featuring a single mast, and is commonly associated with recreational sailing and coastal waters. The word describes a particular kind of sailing vessel specifically, rather than referring to boats more generally. Structurally, the word functions as a noun, contains two vowels and three consonants, includes one repeated letter, and begins with the letter S.

SPOILER WARNING: Today’s Wordle answer follows below. Stop reading now if you’d rather solve the puzzle without assistance.

The answer to Wordle #1,926 for September 27 is SLOOP, a noun referring to a single-masted sailing boat commonly used for recreational sailing along coastal waters.

Puzzle trackers covering Sunday’s word were largely unified in describing it as genuinely difficult, a departure from some of the more familiar, everyday vocabulary that has defined several recent Wordle answers. One puzzle writer described the day’s puzzle candidly as “a really nasty puzzle,” admitting to only completing it in four guesses thanks to a fortunate early elimination of letters, while noting unfamiliarity with the word itself, going so far as to say that even a search engine initially assumed a typo for the more common word “slop” when checking the answer afterward. According to data from The New York Times’ companion tool, Wordlebot, the average player completed Sunday’s puzzle in exactly four guesses in both standard and hard mode, a solid pace for a puzzle several solvers found unusually tricky given the relative obscurity of “sloop” as an everyday word.

Strategy guides accompanying Sunday’s puzzle recommended a range of strong opening words to maximize early information given the puzzle’s difficulty, including CRANE, ADIEU, STARE, ROAST and ORATE, all frequently cited among the most statistically effective starting guesses for narrowing down Wordle’s five-letter solution space. Guides also reiterated standard advice not to rule out the possibility of repeated letters too quickly, citing past Wordle answers such as SHEEP and BLOOM as reminders that duplicate letters remain a regular feature of the puzzle’s solution pool, a detail directly relevant to Sunday’s answer given its own repeated letter.

Wordle, created by software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021 before being acquired by The New York Times, continues to release a new five-letter target word to players worldwide at midnight local time each day, giving solvers six total guesses to identify the correct word. The game’s familiar color-coded feedback system, green for a letter in the correct position, yellow for a correct letter placed in the wrong spot, and gray for a letter absent from the word entirely, continues to guide players toward the solution with each subsequent attempt. Because the puzzle refreshes at midnight in each player’s own local time zone, solvers across different regions of the world begin their attempt at each day’s puzzle at staggered points relative to players elsewhere, even though every solver worldwide is working toward the same single answer.

Puzzle number 1,926 followed Saturday’s answer, ELEGY, which itself began with the letter E and similarly featured one repeated letter and just one of the five most commonly used letters in the English language, continuing a stretch of recent Wordle answers that puzzle trackers have noted skew toward less common, more specific vocabulary rather than everyday high-frequency words. Players tracking their personal statistics through Wordle’s built-in results screen, or through Wordlebot itself, can compare how efficiently they solved Sunday’s puzzle relative to the broader player base and their own historical performance on similarly difficult words.

For solvers looking for an added challenge, Wordle continues to offer a “Hard Mode” setting, which requires players to reuse any previously revealed correct or partially correct letters in all subsequent guesses, removing the option to test entirely new, unrelated letter combinations once useful information has already been uncovered. That setting can be toggled from the game’s settings menu before starting a new puzzle each day.

With Sunday’s word now revealed, players who came up short on the day’s unusually tricky puzzle, or those simply looking to extend an active streak, will have a fresh five-letter word and a new set of six guesses to work with when Monday’s edition of Wordle resets at midnight local time.

Puzzle number 1,204 of The New York Times’ Connections game closed out the weekend Sunday with a grid mixing sculpture materials, restaurant seating options, telecom vocabulary and a wordplay category built around the endings of Chinese dynasty names, a combination puzzle guides described as playful but carrying more hidden traps than it first appeared.

Connections presents players with 16 words that must be sorted into four hidden groups of four, with each group sharing a common category. The puzzle rates each group’s difficulty using a color system: yellow for the most straightforward connection, green for slightly trickier, blue for more difficult, and purple, typically the most wordplay-heavy or misleading group, as the hardest.

For those still working through Sunday’s puzzle, here are hints for each category, organized loosely from easiest to hardest, without giving away the specific words involved.

One category groups together materials commonly used to create sculptures, the kind of vocabulary an art student or gallery visitor would recognize immediately. A second category brings together different types of seating options a host or server might offer at a restaurant, ranging from a communal booth to a simple stool. A third category groups together words associated with telecommunications, the kind of terminology used to describe a phone service provider or wireless network. The fourth and trickiest category takes ordinary-looking words and phrases and reveals a hidden connection at the end of each one, tied to the names of historical Chinese dynasties.

SPOILER WARNING: The full solution to Sunday’s Connections puzzle follows below. Stop reading now if you’d rather work through the categories on your own.

Sunday’s puzzle resolved into the following four groups. The yellow category, Sculpture Media, consisted of BRONZE, CLAY, MARBLE and PLASTER, four materials commonly used by sculptors to create three-dimensional artwork. The green category, Restaurant Seating Options, grouped BANQUETTE, BOOTH, CHAIR and STOOL, four types of seating a diner might encounter at a restaurant. The blue category, Telecom, brought together CARRIER, NETWORK, OPERATOR and PROVIDER, four terms associated with telecommunications and phone or internet service. The purple category, Ending in Chinese Dynasties, consisted of BBQING, HOMING, LOHAN and WU-TANG, four words and names that each conceal the name of a historical Chinese dynasty at their end, including the Qing, Ming, Han and Tang dynasties.

Puzzle guides covering Sunday’s grid described it as deceptively gentle at first glance, with one reviewer noting there were surprisingly few obvious red herrings planted among the 16 words, a departure from the misdirection Connections puzzles often build into their harder categories. That same reviewer admitted to briefly wondering whether actor Lindsay Lohan had any thematic connection to the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan before recognizing the actual hidden-dynasty wordplay linking the two names together in the purple category. Forbes contributor Erik Kain rated Sunday’s puzzle a 1 out of 5 on the Connections Bot difficulty scale, one of the easier ratings a puzzle can receive, even while acknowledging the purple category’s wordplay took him a moment longer to piece together than the other three groups.

Connections has grown into one of the Times’ most consistently played daily puzzles since its official launch in 2023, expanding the newspaper’s games portfolio well beyond its traditional crossword offerings. Puzzle guides recommend a general strategy of scanning the full grid first for any words that seem to share an obvious connection, then working through the remaining words methodically to identify less immediately apparent categories, an approach that worked well for Sunday’s grid given how distinctly separate its four categories were from one another in subject matter.

Sunday’s puzzle release also coincided with the broader expansion of the New York Times’ word game portfolio, which now includes Connections: Sports Edition, a companion puzzle produced in partnership with The Athletic that challenges players to find hidden links between sports-related terms, following the same core format as the original Connections game but built around athletic themes instead.

Players attempting Sunday’s puzzle are permitted up to four incorrect guesses before the game ends, with each group color-coded upon a correct guess to indicate which of the four difficulty tiers it belongs to. Players looking to track their performance on Sunday’s puzzle, or compare notes with friends, can share their results through Connections’ built-in results screen, which uses colored emoji squares to display a player’s guessing sequence without revealing the actual category words, a sharable format that has become a familiar sight across social media in the years since the game’s launch.

With Sunday’s puzzle now solved, players will have a fresh set of 16 words and four new hidden categories to work through when Monday’s edition of Connections goes live at midnight local time, continuing the daily puzzle’s steady run as one of the Times’ most widely shared games alongside Wordle, Strands and the Mini Crossword.

Puzzle number 1,203 of The New York Times’ Connections game challenged solvers Saturday with a grid mixing breath-freshening products, laundry care terms, features found in wood, and a set of old-fashioned expressions all built around the word “cool,” giving the day’s puzzle an unexpectedly nostalgic wordplay twist in its toughest category.

Connections presents players with 16 words that must be sorted into four hidden groups of four, with each group sharing a common category. The puzzle rates each group’s difficulty using a color system: yellow for the most straightforward connection, green for slightly trickier, blue for more difficult, and purple, typically the most wordplay-heavy or misleading group, as the hardest.

For those still working through Saturday’s puzzle, here are hints for each category, organized from easiest to hardest, without giving away the specific words involved.

The yellow category groups together products people use to freshen their breath after eating or drinking something strong. The green category brings together specific actions typically performed on a dress shirt during a trip to the laundry or dry cleaner. The blue category, trickier by design, connects distinct physical features or characteristics found in wood, the kind of terminology a woodworker or carpenter would recognize immediately. The purple category, the puzzle’s hardest by far, groups together words that can each follow the word “cool” to form somewhat dated expressions or phrases, several of which puzzle solvers themselves noted are rarely used in genuine everyday conversation anymore.

SPOILER WARNING: The full solution to Saturday’s Connections puzzle follows below. Stop reading now if you’d rather work through the categories on your own.

Saturday’s puzzle resolved into the following four groups. The yellow category, Breath Fresheners, consisted of GUM, MINT, MOUTHWASH and SPRAY, four common products used to combat bad breath. The green category, Things Done to a Dress Shirt at the Laundry, grouped FOLD, PRESS, STARCH and WASH, four processes a shirt might go through during a standard laundry or dry-cleaning visit. The blue category, Features of Wood, brought together BURL, GRAIN, KNOTS and RINGS, four terms describing distinct physical characteristics of wood, including burl, a deformed growth pattern in the wood grain that some solvers said they had never encountered before. The purple category, “Cool” Things in Expressions, consisted of BEANS, CAT, CUCUMBER and CUSTOMER, each of which can follow the word “cool” to form phrases such as “cool as a cucumber” or “cool customer,” though several solvers noted these expressions have largely fallen out of common modern usage.

Puzzle guides covering Saturday’s grid noted that the puzzle proved trickier than its initial yellow and green categories suggested, with the overlap between wood-related terminology and the more obscure “burl” tripping up solvers who were unfamiliar with the term. One puzzle blogger recounted initially solving the yellow category more broadly as “things that go in your mouth” before narrowing it specifically to breath-related products, and similarly identified the green category first as general laundry terms before recognizing its more specific focus on dress shirts. That same blogger described the purple category as conceptually strange, noting that expressions like “cool cat” are rarely heard in genuine conversation today despite remaining broadly recognizable through film and other media references.

Connections has grown into one of the Times’ most consistently played daily puzzles since its official launch in 2023, ranking as the second-most popular NYT Games offering behind only the flagship crossword itself. The daily puzzle challenges players to identify links between groups of four words that may represent straightforward shared categories or more elaborate wordplay, with difficulty increasing as players move from the yellow tier toward the purple tier.

Players attempting Saturday’s puzzle are permitted up to four incorrect guesses before the game ends, with each group color-coded upon a correct guess to indicate which of the four difficulty tiers it belongs to. Standard strategy for tackling the puzzle involves scanning the full grid first for any words that seem to have an obvious connection, then working through the remaining words methodically to identify the less immediately apparent categories, an approach that worked well for Saturday’s more literal yellow and green groups but required more careful thought once solvers reached the wood-related and expression-based categories.

Players looking to track their performance on Saturday’s puzzle, or compare notes with friends, can share their results through Connections’ built-in results screen, which uses colored emoji squares to display a player’s guessing sequence without revealing the actual category words, a sharable format that has become a familiar sight across social media in the years since the game’s launch.

With Saturday’s puzzle now solved, players will have a fresh set of 16 words and four new hidden categories to work through when Sunday’s edition of Connections goes live at midnight local time, continuing the daily puzzle’s steady run as one of the Times’ most widely shared games alongside Wordle, Strands and the Mini Crossword.

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