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Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 1, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for August 1, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for August 1 Pips

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for August 1 Pips

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-5, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally; 3-4, placed horizontally.

Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 0-5, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 0-5, placed horizontally.

Not Equal Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for August 1 Pips

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically; 6-3, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically; 2-0, placed horizontally; 2-6, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically; 4-4, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally; 1-5, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-4, placed vertically; 1-5, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 6-3, placed vertically; 3-3, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally; 0-1, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Power tools are great, but sometimes you don't need something that big or powerful for around the house. And while you can choose from an array of compact power tools, occasionally, all you need is a good multi-tool. Leatherman instantly comes to mind, but they're not the only ones that offer solid options perfect for multiple jobs.

After Google added its AI image generator, Nano Banana, to Google Earth on Thursday, it reversed its decision a day later.

Google announced the addition of Nano Banana 2 into its mapping platform, presumably to help users generate infographics about a site, see what it looked like historically, generate real estate ideas, and other use cases. Instead, as 404 Media observed, it made it very easy to inject misinformation into Google Earth, including making it appear like a nuclear strike had hit a location or that protests had taken over Google's offices.

SEE ALSO: Reminder: Don't use Google Maps for hiking

On Thursday, Google seemed to try to smooth out the kinks, sharing on Thursday night on X that "every image created with Nano Banana in Google Earth includes the SynthID digital watermark, so if someone is unsure about an image, they can ask the Gemini app or use Lens in Search to see if the image was AI-generated." It also stated that it prevents image creation on "harmful topics."

However, come Friday afternoon, Google announced on X that it was removing the feature:

We know that people uniquely trust Google Earth for a reliable view of the world. We've seen geospatial professionals using this feature for a range of useful purposes, however we've also seen people sharing screenshots of generated imagery that appear to violate our policies. So we're rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails. It's important to note that generated images didn’t appear in the main Google Earth experience for others to see and were watermarked as AI generated.

The backlash to the initial decision was quick. Replies to the rollback post on X include Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch saying, "You guys are living in a complete bubble. Step outside Silicon Valley for two seconds and you'll realize no actual human wants AI sludge crammed into every corner of every product. Touch grass. Talk to actual people."

Another top reply read, "There is 0 chance that no one on your development team didn't raise exactly this concern."

The U.S. EV market is bleak. Sales are down, the federal tax incentive has gone away, and major automakers have either canceled electric models (like Ford's F-150 Lightning) or scaled back production (including Nissan and Volkswagen). For now, the future of electrified cars in America revolves around hybrids.

You don't need to buy a Kindle or Kobo to enjoy a great ebook reading experience. No matter what device you have, there's probably an excellent ebook reader app that can turn it into your own personal library device.

Even tiny drives, like a 120GB SATA SSD, can come in handy. After all, if the drive is working, there's nothing stopping you from giving it a more or less useful job.

Before you spend another dollar upgrading your audio gear, consider this: the room you're listening in might be holding back the sound far more than your equipment ever could.

On Friday, New York state filed a lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi, claiming that it's operating as an "unlicensed gambling business."

The Office of Attorney General Letitia James found that Kalshi is an illegal prediction market that exposes New Yorkers to "serious personal and financial risk," according to a press release. The lawsuit seeks fines, the forfeit of all illegal gains, and restitution to members.

SEE ALSO: Kalshi gains 3 million users amid World Cup gambling

The suit claims that Kalshi's prediction markets meet the legal definition of gambling "because the outcomes of the events on which its users are betting are uncertain and outside the control of the bettor or hinge on a game of chance." But the platform hasn't obtained a license from the New York State Gaming Commission. It also states that Kalshi is available to adults aged 18-20, while New York law requires users to be at least 21 to bet on sports.

"Kalshi has chosen to ignore New York’s gaming laws, which exist to protect consumers, prevent problematic gambling, deliver funding for critical public services, and ensure that every company plays by the same rules," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in the press release. "This choice has consequences, and working closely with Attorney General James, New York is taking action to stop this illegal behavior and bring Kalshi into compliance, because no company is above the law."

"No matter what they call themselves, prediction markets like Kalshi are gambling platforms, plain and simple. By ignoring our laws, Kalshi is running an illegal operation and harming New Yorkers in the process," James said in the press release. "We are taking them to court to uphold our laws and protect New Yorkers."

Friday's lawsuit comes after New York sued Coinbase and Gemini for similar allegations in April. It also comes after Kalshi sued New York state in Oct., according to CNBC, following New York's Gambling Commission's cease-and-desist letter to the company. A judge denied the company's request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against the commission in July.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), an agency of the federal government, has now sued New York, as it considers prediction markets to fall within its jurisdiction. "Rather than seek reasoned answers from the courts, Letitia James and New York seek to force an unprecedented, sudden shutdown of prediction markets nationwide," CFTC chairman Mike Selig posted on X. "The [CFTC] has already sued to stop this and will continue to defend its jurisdiction."

"It's sad to see this type of political theater from the leadership in our own state," a Kalshi spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. "States can’t just shut down a federally licensed exchange… We love New York, we love New Yorkers, and New Yorkers love our product."

Do you wish your Samsung Galaxy phone was a little faster or had longer battery life? It's fair to assume we all look for ways to make our phones better, and that's why you'll love these two settings hiding in plain sight that'll actually make a pretty big difference in performance.

Automation is the real reason to invest big in a smart home, and few systems can benefit quite like your heating and cooling. From saving money to maximizing efficiency, here are some heating and cooling options you should know about.

We have swift boxes on the side of our home to try to encourage swifts to come and nest. There used to be nesting swifts in the area, so the hope is to lure them back. I wanted a way to track which birds were in the area based on their songs, so I set up my Raspberry Pi and an open-source app to help.

If you don't run Windows or macOS, you will probably have some flavor of Linux on your system. Or maybe even one of the BSDs if you're brave. If things had gone differently in the late '90s, you might be running something else: BeOS. BeOS still changed computing history, even though it was a flop. You can also install a successor today.

CDs were the most popular method for listening to music for over 20 years. Unsurprisingly, something new eventually came to take over...but then something old did, too.

When your internet is down and you call your ISP, what's the usual answer you get? I'm willing to bet it's either telling you to restart your router or telling you to wait. I've heard that one before; I've had my fair share of ISP troubles.

A new month means it's time to look at the list of movies coming to Netflix in August. First up is a documentary that might make you look at fried chicken in a new light. Two days later, a mysterious sci-fi thriller hits the service, and it looks like a mix between Signs and Twilight Zone: The Movie.

When I first tried Copilot in Excel, I wasn't impressed enough to keep paying for it. It felt more like an interesting extra than something that genuinely improved my workflow, so I downgraded to Microsoft 365 Classic. A year and a half later, I decided to give it another shot by testing whether it could handle more than basic spreadsheet tasks. The results might have just convinced me it was worth resubscribing.

You’ve heard of MakerWorld, Printables, and Thingiverse, and it’s true that these websites probably have more models than you’ll ever need. But there’s more to 3D printing than the top three, whether you’re looking for premium models or niche interests.

Switching away from Photoshop has always had a catch. GIMP was free, capable, and cross-platform, but actually using it felt like a trade-off. You had to justify every session. It took me so many tries to fully jump away from Photoshop. If I had tried switching over today, it would have been no problem thanks to everything GIMP has now.

Samsung just announced a bunch of fancy new phones, but don't relax just yet. Google has a big product launch just around the corner too, and we're keeping a close eye on the latest Pixel 11 leaks, rumors, and official teasers.

The Android maker has already confirmed that it will announce the next batch of Pixel phones in August. That means we have just a matter of weeks until the follow-up to the Pixel 10 lineup is unveiled, so you'd better get prepared in the meantime. Here is everything we know about the Google Pixel 11 right now.

SEE ALSO: Samsung unpacked: New foldable phones, watches and more Google Pixel 11: Release date and price

The first part of this is easy because Google isn't keeping the Pixel 11 launch window a secret. At 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 12 in New York City, Google is holding a Made By Google event where the Pixel 11 lineup will be shown off for the first time, and Mashable will be there reporting live.

Last year's event was hosted by Jimmy Fallon, for some reason, so you never know what to expect this time. You can watch Made By Google live on YouTube, or follow the news as it happens on Mashable. The phones should be on store shelves or in your hands less than a month after that.

As with last year, we expect to see four phones: the base Pixel 11, a Pro and Pro XL model, and a Pro Fold model.

Regarding price, we live in a RAMageddon world, so it sounds like there may be some mild price increases in the works. We don't know the official figures yet, but a recent Amazon leak (which we will return to throughout this piece because, holy mackerel, what a leak!) gave us these figures:

• Google Pixel 11: $899

• Google Pixel 11 Pro: $1,099

• Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: $1,299

• Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: $1,899

Unfortunately, all of those are increases year over year compared to the Pixel 10. The Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pro XL are all $100 more to start than they were a year ago. Meanwhile, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, if this leak is to be believed, will cost $400 more than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Ouch.

Google Pixel 11: What's up with Pixel Glow?

Before we get into detailed (and unconfirmed) specs for each device, there's basically one noteworthy design change that we expect to see across all four devices this year. According to both leaks and some imagery on Google's own pre-order page, Google is going all-in on something called Pixel Glow with the Pixel 11 series.

In terms of design, that means the horizontal camera bar seen on previous Pixel phones will change a little bit to accommodate a new multi-colored light module. This module will use lights of different shades to notify you of things like incoming messages, presumably while your phone is turned over and you don't feel like looking at a screen.

Google actually gave everyone an official sneak peek at Pixel Glow a couple of weeks before the event. In a brief teaser video that shows part of a Pixel 11 Pro, you can see a small, multi-colored light in the camera bar. While the video is very brief and vague, it's clear from the video that we are looking at Pixel Glow.

Google Pixel 11: Base model rumored specs This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The aforementioned Amazon leak included since-removed store pages for each device in the Pixel 11 family, with colors and specs galore. Let's start with the base Pixel 11, whose array of color options has been reported with different names, but basically comes out to black, gray, pink, and green. Another leaker called MysticLeaks posted a bunch of alleged specs on Telegram.

Based on both of these leaks, these could be the specs for the base Pixel 11:

• 6.3-inch OLED display with 2856x1280 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate

• Google Tensor G6 processor

• 8/12GB RAM

• 4,985mAh battery

• 50MP main camera

• 13MP selfie camera

It's worth noting that there are some small discrepancies between what Amazon posted and what MysticLeaks reported for all of these devices, especially regarding display resolution and battery size. When in doubt, this article is going by what was posted on Amazon.

The display, battery, and selfie camera specs all come from the Amazon leak, while the Tensor G6 chip would make sense as the natural follow-up to the Tensor G5 chip in last year's Pixel flagships. At the time of publication, there don't seem to be any credible leaks regarding the other camera specs for the base Pixel 11, aside from what's listed above.

None of the above is horribly surprising or all that different from the Pixel 10, either. All signs are pointing to a pretty incremental upgrade cycle in 2026, Pixel Glow aside.

Google Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL: Rumored specs

Google is also reportedly planning on two Pro variants, as in previous years. The color options here are reportedly called Olive, Obsidian, Canyon, and Fog. Here is what both Amazon and MysticLeaks had to say about the regular Pixel 11 Pro:

• 6.3-inch OLED display with 2856x1280 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate

• Google Tensor G6 processor

• 12/16GB RAM

• 4,850mAh battery

• 13MP selfie camera

And here are the reported specs for Pixel 11 Pro XL. The XL is usually just a bigger, slightly improved version of the Pro:

• 6.8-inch OLED display with 2992x1344 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate

• Google Tensor G6 Processor

• 12/16GB RAM

• 5,115mAh battery

• 13MP selfie camera

The main attraction here, at least as it relates to year-over-year changes, is that Google seems to be offering a new 12GB RAM variant of the Pro devices. Prior to this year, they just came with 16GB RAM. Perhaps models with less storage capacity will only come with 12GB this year as a way to save money on the manufacturing end of things.

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Rumored specs Google isn't folding from the competition. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Lastly, Google is making another foldable this year, if every leak is to be believed. Here are the reported specs for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, which could have color variants called Obsidian and Olive:

• 6.5-inch outer display

• Google Tensor G6 processor

• 4,750mAh battery

• 13MP selfie camera

This is the one we know the least about, sadly. Given Samsung's recent excellence in the foldable field and the rumored price increase for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, it's going to have to do a lot to impress in a crowded market. We'll find out together on Aug. 12.

Remember: Mashable will be reporting live from the Made By Google event, so keep checking back for the latest Pixel 11 news, leaks, and rumors.

Before you know it, Google is going to announce some new Android flagship phones. Of course, there's already info out there about them. Time to brush up.

The Pixel 11 lineup launch is all set for Aug. 12. This year, as with last year, we expect four new phones:

• Pixel 11

• Pixel 11 Pro

• Pixel 11 Pro XL

• Pixel 11 Pro Fold

Let's focus on the Pixel 11 Pro for now, as it's going to be the more premium. What does Google have up its sleeve this year with the Pro-grade Pixel phone?

We asked you to predict what Apple will do next. See the results and find out how to get a shot at winning an Apple Watch!

Google Pixel 11 Pro: Release date, price, and that Amazon leak

As previously stated, Google is going to officially unveil all of these phones at an event in New York City on Aug. 12. Mashable will be attending the launch event — Jimmy Fallon hosted last year's event, you may remember — and we'll be reporting live. Presumably, as with past years, the phones will be on store shelves and in customers' hands just a couple of weeks afterward.

Thanks to RAMageddon, everyone is bracing for price increases with every major tech product, and rightfully so. Google has not yet told us the prices of these phones, but a recent and fairly extensive Amazon leak that seemed legitimate enough pointed to a $1,099 starting price for the Pixel 11 Pro. That would be a $100 price increase over the Pixel 10 Pro. Meanwhile, the Pixel 11 Pro XL (the XL model is usually basically the same phone, but bigger) is said to start at $1,299, another $100 price hike year-over-year.

Speaking of that Amazon leak: 9to5Google spotted draft Amazon listings for the Pixel 11 lineup, revealing a lot of early details:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The listings could include placeholder information, but the overall gist looks legit.

What is Pixel Glow?

We don't expect any massive design changes this year. Google has helped keep expectations low by actually posting a short video that shows the phone, weeks before the Aug. 12 event.

One thing that stood out, however, is the presence of a small, colored light in the camera bar that wasn't there on the Pixel 10 Pro. This is rumored to be part of a new "Pixel Glow" system that will use colored lights to convey basic phone notifications while the Pixel is lying down on its face. If you want to know that someone texted you even though you're focusing on something else and would rather not look at the screen, that's what this is for.

Google Pixel 11 Pro: Design and colors

Ultimately, the short teaser video doesn't show much, but it does reveal one more fact: The Pixel 11 Pro's basic design hasn't changed much from last year. It still has a horizontal, oval-shaped camera bar on the back, and is still otherwise a normal-looking smartphone.

As for colors, leaks suggest the options this year will be:

• Olive

• Obsidian

• Canyon

• Fog

Those don't sound like the most vibrant colors in the world, but that sort of thing has become par for the course for "Pro" smartphones in recent years. If the Amazon leak spotted by 9to5Google proves true, the Pixel 11 will have more interesting color options, at least.

Google Pixel 11 Pro: Rumored specs

Between the Amazon listings and another leak on Telegram from an account called MysticLeaks, this is the best idea we have about the Pixel 11 Pro's specs prior to the unveiling:

• 6.3-inch OLED display with 2856x1280 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate

• Google Tensor G6 processor

• 12/16GB RAM

• 4,850mAh battery

The only real differences between the regular Pro and the XL, as far as leaks are concerned, are the display and battery size. Those same sources suggest a 6.9-inch display and a 5,115mAh battery on the XL, but everything else should be the same. That's how Google has done it in the past, too.

Believe it or not, those specs actually contain at least one notable downgrade from the Pixel 10 Pro. Prior Pixel Pro devices only came with 16GB RAM, so if Google is offering a 12GB variant, that would be a somewhat significant change. It's possible and perhaps even likely that the 12GB models will be tied to lower amounts of storage, so if you want 16GB, you may need to shell out for a 512GB or 1TB model this year.

Google Pixel 11 Pro: What about the cameras?

Last but not least, the Pixel Pro phones always have better camera specs than the base models. It's one of the main reasons to get the Pro, even though Google did start including a telephoto lens on the base model recently.

Last year, the Pixel 10 Pro had a 50MP main lens, with matching 48MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. We don't yet know what the camera modules for the Pixel 11 Pro will measure in at, but it would be a shock if they were downgraded at all from those figures.

Speaking of downgrades, though, the big Amazon leak suggested the Pixel 10 Pro will have a 13MP selfie camera. After the 48MP front camera on the Pixel 10 Pro, that would be an unpleasant surprise. We'll see if that actually pans out, or if the leak was wrong.

Remember: Mashable will be reporting live from Made By Google on Aug. 12, so check back for the latest Pixel 11 Pro news.