Tech

Surfshark Just Dropped a Next-Gen VPN Protocol That Could Be Faster and More Secure Than Other VPN Connections

Surfshark today released its brand-new Dausos VPN connection protocol, which the company says elevates three key elements for VPN users: 30% faster speeds than industry-standard protocols, enhanced security with a hybrid post-quantum encryption and dedicated, private server-side tunnels for each individual session.. This means that Dausos should give Surfshark users smoother connections, improved privacy and faster performance to benefit data-heavy activities, like streaming and gaming.. VPN protocols are essentially the rules that determine the encrypted connection between your device and the internet while on a VPN. Long gone are the days when OpenVPN dominated as the hotshot of the VPN protocol world. It’s still a fine protocol with airtight security that can be great when you need stable connections on any network or want to bypass firewalls, but it’s a lumbering hulk that wasn’t built for the speed or security requirements of today’s VPN users.. Modern times call for modern VPN protocols, and Surfshark is the latest of CNET’s top VPN picks to spin up its own proprietary next-generation VPN protocol. Dausos sounds poised to challenge WireGuard as the protocol of choice for Surfshark users who want speedy connections without compromising security.. One of the biggest innovations that Dausos brings to the table is its ability to deliver a dedicated tunnel for each individual user session, which Surfshark says can optimize performance by dynamically adapting to network conditions and device capabilities for each individual connection.. Isolating user’s data traffic is a key element here. “While the risk of cross-traffic exposure in modern VPNs is very low, our unique protocol design goes the extra mile to ensure a clean, private, and secure path for each user’s data,” Surfshark’s lead systems engineer Karolis Kaciulis said in a statement.. Surfshark representatives told me via email that this isolation happens on the server side, and every time a user connects to a server, the server creates a new network interface specific to that user and VPN session. The representative explained that each user gets their own server-side tunnel, so no network space logic or other resources are shared when a user connects via the Dausos protocol. This differs from the traditional method, where the server side has a single network interface that all users of a particular protocol share.. That’s all very technical, but it’s almost like creating a highway specifically for your internet connection, instead of having to share that highway with other users.. “The protocol’s unique design avoids unnecessary and redundant checking of data packets, which enhances connection performance and even further prevents the theoretical possibility of data packets interfering with each other,” Kaciulis said in the press release.. Surfshark also incorporates post-compromise security with its Dausos protocol, which the company says takes the concept of perfect forward secrecy to th

Tech

I Love My Wife, but I’m Not Sharing AirPods With Her Again Thanks to This iPhone Trick

When my wife and I travel, we usually watch shows and movies on our flight, but we always have to split a set of AirPods. So while one of our ears is enjoying the show, the other is forced to endure the crying baby behind us on the plane. But thanks to Apple’s Audio Sharing feature, we can enjoy a show together while using our own sets of AirPods, AirPods Pro or other headphones.. Apple introduced Audio Sharing with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 in 2024. It allows two pairs of compatible AirPods or Beats headphones to pair with a single iPhone or iPad. So you and another person can immerse yourselves in music, movies or a TED Talk without disturbing those around you.. Here’s how to share audio with another set of AirPods or Beats headphones.. How to enjoy music and podcasts together. 1. Open Music, Podcasts, Spotify or any similar app with your AirPods in your ears and connected to your iPhone or iPad.. 2. Start playing music or a Podcast.. 3. Open your Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of your screen.. 4. Go to your audio controls page — it’s your second Control Center page by default.. 5. Tap the silhouette of two people on the right side of your screen.. You can share your audio with another pair of headphones by tapping this symbol. Apple/Screenshot by CNET. 6. Bring the other pair of AirPods in their case or Beats headphones near your device. You might need to press the button on the back of your AirPods case to go into Pairing Mode.. 7. Tap Share Audio when your device detects the other AirPods or Beats headphones.. Each pair of headphones can change their own volume via headphone controls, or you can change the volume for each pair via the connected device. But you’ll be able to enjoy a podcast or other music together without splitting a pair of AirPods or disturbing people around you.. Apple. How to watch a movie or show with separate headphones. Pairing another set of headphones to your device to watch a film or TV series is similar. Here’s how.. 1. Open Apple TV, Netflix, YouTube or another streaming app with your headphones on.. 2. Start playing a film or show.. 3. Open your Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of your screen.. 4. Go to your audio controls page — it’s your second Control Center page by default.. 5. Tap the silhouette of two people on the right side of your screen.. 6. Bring the other pair of AirPods in their case or Beats headphones near your device. You might need to press the button on the back of your AirPods case to go into Pairing Mode.. 7. Tap Share Audio when your device detects the other AirPods or Beats headphones.. Now you and another person can watch a video together without disturbing the people around you and without splitting a pair of AirPods.. For more iOS news, here’s what to know about iOS 26.4 and iOS 26.3. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.. Watch this: iPhone in Space: The Many Apple Products That Left Earth

Tech

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 13, #1037

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.. Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is very tricky, especially the purple category. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.. The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.. Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time. Hints for today’s Connections groups. Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.. Yellow group hint: Let’s all go to the movies.. Green group hint: Abracadabra!. Blue group hint: Television people.. Purple group hint: Think hats.. Answers for today’s Connections groups. Yellow group: Seen outside a theater.. Green group: Accessories for a magician.. Blue group: TV show title surnames.. Purple group: They have caps.. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words. What are today’s Connections answers?. The completed NYT Connections puzzle for April 13, 2026. NYT/Screenshot by CNET. The yellow words in today’s Connections. The theme is seen outside a theater. The four answers are box office, marquee, ticket line and velvet rope.. The green words in today’s Connections. The theme is accessories for a magician. The four answers are cape, handkerchief, magic wand and rabbit.. The blue words in today’s Connections. The theme is TV show title surnames. The four answers are House, Lasso, Montana and Soprano.. The purple words in today’s Connections. The theme is they have caps. The four answers are baseball player, camera lens, mushroom and pen.. Toughest Connections puzzles. We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.. #5: Included “things you can set,” such as mood, record, table and volleyball.. #4: Included “one in a dozen,” such as egg, juror, month and rose.. #3: Included “streets on screen,” such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.. #2: Included “power ___” such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.. #1: Included “things that can run,” such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

Tech

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 13 #771

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.. Today’s NYT Strands puzzle could be tough. It took me a while to figure out the theme. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.. I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.. Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far. Hint for today’s Strands puzzle. Today’s Strands theme is: While not in use.. If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Extra stuff goes here.. Clue words to unlock in-game hints. Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:. STORE, TORE, WHEEL, STOOL, TOOL, SOOT, ROLL, ROLLS, RODE, SWORE, WHEY. Answers for today’s Strands puzzle. These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:. HOSE, GRILL, MOWER, TOOLS, BICYCLE, WHEELBARROW. Today’s Strands spangram. The completed NYT Strands puzzle for April 13, 2026. NYT/Screenshot by CNET. Today’s Strands spangram is STORAGESHED. To find it, look for the S that’s the furthest-left letter on the top row, and wind over and down.. Toughest Strands puzzles. Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest.. #1: Dated slang. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.. #2: Thar she blows! I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.. #3: Off the hook. Again, it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

Tech

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 13, #1759

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.. Today’s Wordle puzzle is a very tricky one, as it’s an unusual word with at least one rare letter. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.. Read more: New Study Reveals Wordle’s Top 10 Toughest Words of 2025. Today’s Wordle hints. Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.. Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats. Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.. Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels. Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.. Wordle hint No. 3: First letter. Today’s Wordle answer begins with E.. Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter. Today’s Wordle answer ends with N.. Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning. Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a small and delicate person.. TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER. Today’s Wordle answer is ELFIN.. Yesterday’s Wordle answer. Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 12, No. 1758, was ALLEY.. Recent Wordle answers. April 8, No. 1754: INLET. April 9, No. 1755: LADEN. April 10, No. 1756: CAROM. April 11, No. 1757: PRUDE. What’s the best Wordle starting word?. Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.. Some solid starter words to try:. ADIEU. TRAIN. CLOSE. STARE. NOISE

Tech

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 13, #567

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.. Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. If you’re struggling with it but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.. Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta. Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups. Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.. Yellow group hint: Get your glove ready!. Green group hint: Sweat equity.. Blue group hint: There used to be a ballpark.. Purple group hint: Not night.. Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups. Yellow group: Field a baseball.. Green group: Work hard.. Blue group: Former MLB stadiums.. Purple group: ____ day.. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words. What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?. The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 13, 2026. NYT/Screenshot by CNET. The yellow words in today’s Connections. The theme is field a baseball. The four answers are catch, field, pick and scoop.. The green words in today’s Connections. The theme is work hard. The four answers are grind, labor, strain and toil.. The blue words in today’s Connections. The theme is former MLB stadiums. The four answers are Polo, Shea, Turner and Veterans.. The purple words in today’s Connections. The theme is ____ day. The four answers are draft, game, opening and Ryan.