If the clue is in the name, it's not hard to clock who the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is aimed at. This is a very well specified 27-inch 4K IPS monitor that's been carefully optimised for creative workflows while hitting an accessible price point.

For sure, there are still much cheaper 27-inch 4K monitors. But not with the suite of connectivity and colour management features offered here.

On the connectivity side, that includes Thunderbolt 4, an integrated KVM switch and display daisy chaining support. If anything, however, the features for creative workflows are even more comprehensive.

That starts with excellent colour coverage given the price point and extends to factory calibration and hardware calibration support, Pantone Validation, Calman certification, specific support for MacOS devices and more. There are also some neat extras, including a wireless control puck that makes it as quick and easy as possible to switch between colour modes and inputs.

The one obvious feature omission is true HDR capability. There is HDR10 support. But without local dimming hardware, the actual HDR performance is very limited. But then this monitor is not intended to replace an HDR reference monitor, which is a very different market with monitors costing upwards of 10 times the price.

On paper, then, the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U looks set to take its place as the affordable display of choice for creative pros among the best photo editing monitors we've tested. But does it actually deliver?

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U: Design and features

• Slick design
• Excellent connectivity
• Creator-centric feature set

The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U looks familiar and that's no bad thing. It sports BenQ's premium design ethic of the last few years and it remains a cut above much of the competition in terms of both visual appeal and overall build quality.

The part metal construction and gun metal colorway is certainly more appealing than the often creaky feeling and anonymous black plastic of much of the monitor market, that's for sure. OK, Apple's displays including the latest Studio Display XDR, feel quite a bit better built still. But then they're much more expensive, too.

If styling is ultimately a subjective call, what can't be objectively denied is the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U's excellent all-round feature set that's been fully optimised for creative professionals.

First up, there's good color coverage, including 99% of both DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB. Those figures are better than you'll find on cheaper 4K IPS monitors, which tend to be around the 95% to 97% range. The PD2732U also comes factory calibrated with sub-2 DeltaE across the board and further supports hardware calibration.

What's more, it's Pantone Validated, Pantone SkinTone Validated, and has Calman Verified certification. When you factor in the wide Adobe RGB coverage, this monitor is particularly well suited to digital-to-print workflows and photography, including SDR color grading.

It's also well specified for SDR video workflows, though with a peak brightness of 400 nits and no local dimming, it's far less optimised for HDR content, albeit with HDR10 and HLG support, it can at least accept an HDR signal.

Connectivity is another major part of the PD2732U's appeal, starting with a main Thunderbolt 4 interface and 90 W of power delivery. That's supported by a Thunderbolt out port, allowing for display daisy chaining and dual-monitor setups via a single cable. Incidentally, all of the primary connectors hook up perpendicularly on the rear as opposed to up from the bottom, which is generally a plus in terms of ease of use and access.

There's also Smart KVM, allowing you to use a single keyboard and mouse with two computing devices, handy if you regularly switch between, say, a Mac and PC. Speaking of Apple Macs, BenQ has included its M-Book color space mode, which BenQ says, "minimises the visual differences between the monitor and the connected MacBook series product."

Exactly how it differs from the P3 mode which BenQ also includes and aligns with the default P3 operation of MacOS isn't clear. But the results are good, all the same. With M-Book mode enabled, this display is an excellent visual match for MacBook displays.

Rounding out the main features both physically and figuratively is the BenQ Hotkey Puck. It's basically a wireless controller that simplifies settings access via shortcut functionality. It offers three customisable keys for quick access to Color Mode, Input, KVM, or app launch. It also has a rotary dial for precise control over brightness, contrast, and volume.

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U: Performance

• Good color coverage
• Nicely calibrated
• Limited SDR brightness

If you want a really succinct summary of the BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U's performance, what you're looking at is a 27-inch 4K IPS monitor with some added color coverage and capability.

Out of the box, it's very nicely calibrated, both in sRGB mode on PC or in M-Book mode with a Mac. In both cases, color rendering is accurate and pleasing. The one potential snag is brightness in SDR mode.

For most serious professional SDR content creation workflows, this is not going to be a problem. You'll likely be targeting a brightness level well below 200 nits, which this display will easily achieve. But it won't do the full 400 nits in any of its SDR modes.

If anything, what the capped SDR brightness does is underline that this monitor isn't an ideal choice for generic computing remits, where you might want a bit more day-to-day pop. You can pay less and get more in that regard from what you might call a standard 27-inch 4K monitor.

That said, you can see the full capability, in brightness terms, of the PD2732U in HDR mode. Indeed, if you then crank up the brightness of SDR content in either the MacOS or Windows display settings, the result is actually nicely calibrated SDR colors and plenty of visual punch. But that's ultimately something of an aside given that this monitor lacks local dimming and has very limited actual HDR capability.

It's also worth noting that the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. Again, for the content creation remit, this is not a technical limitation. It's just that if you are used to 120Hz-plus displays, 60Hz doesn't feel terribly slick or responsive. It's a day-to-day feel issue rather than being relevant to the vast majority of content workflows.

Of course, as a 27-inch 4K monitor, you also get decent pixel density and thus good image detail and crisp text rendering. The pixel density of around 160DPI isn't up to full Apple Retina display standards, which would require something above 200DPI and a native resolution of 5K on this display size. But it's still pretty sharp.

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U: Final verdict

The BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U is either very sharply priced or not great value depending on what you're looking for. As a general computing display it's both pretty expensive and slightly flawed.

You can get far cheaper 27-inch 4K IPS monitors than this. Indeed, you can have one with 144Hz refresh for under half the price. What you won't get for less money, or arguably even the same price as the PD2732U's $699 / £649 asking, is anything like the same feature set for content creation.

The combination of excellent color coverage, various validation standards, and good factory calibration makes this an excellent choice for a sensible-money monitor for SDR content creation of pretty much any kind.

Sure, it's arguably still more of a prosumer display than, say, a true professional class grading monitor. But even in a really demanding professional context, it wouldn't be at all shabby, which is impressive for the price.

Then factor in some neat touches, like the wireless control puck, and excellent connectivity and you have a recipe for one of the most compelling content creation monitors currently available at an affordable price point. That's very much the remit BenQ was aiming for and fair to say the company has nailed it.

For more displays, we've tested the best business monitors and the best monitors for video editing.

• The Do Hiemon Box will cool you down for 20 minutes
• It blasts air on you at temperatures of 5°C or 41°F
• The units are being sold to construction sites and golf courses

If you're in Japan, you have an alternative to air conditioning units and portable fans when it comes to staying cool in sweltering temperatures: a human-sized refrigerator that you can sit inside when the heatwaves get too much.

This is the Do Hiemon Box from Trusco Nakayama (via The Japan Times), and it'll blast your body with air cooled down to a refreshing 5°C or 41°F — about the same temperature as a chiller in a standard refrigerator.

It requires no installation, can be moved on wheels, and according to Trusco Nakayama it beats other solutions by cooling the entire body down evenly. After 20 minutes, the unit automatically switches off to prevent overcooling, and you're back out into the heat.

As per The Japan Times, a couple of hundred of these units have been sold across construction sites, golf courses, leisure facilities, and university campuses since the chamber went on sale earlier this year.

It'll cost you

You need a standard electrical outlet for this to work, and you also need access to the 1.5 million yen it costs (that's about $9,480 / £7,040 / AU$13,460). These personal cooling machines don't exactly come cheap.

The idea is that you get quick, temporary protection against heat exhaustion and heatstroke — a growing problem in our warming world — rather than using this as an air conditioned office or a space to relax in.

According to a Trusco Nakayama executive speaking to The Japan Times, enquiries about the fridge have come from as far afield as Germany and the US. The company is hoping to find more business at summer festivals and shopping malls.

Before long you might find yourself queuing up for a slot in the human fridge as well as for the loos at your next festival trip — another depressing sign of the consequences of climate change that show no signs of being reversed.

• A game developer claims Gemini leaked information in his private Google Docs
• Per screenshots shared online, the AI told players info the dev claims was never made public
• TechRadar has tried recreating the results, without success

Is Google Gemini secretly scraping our Google Docs to train its AI? That’s something one game developer is wondering after a player was able to learn unreleased information about their game from the AI — including specific details the dev claims were never shared outside of a private Google Doc.

According to the developer’s Reddit post, specifically Google’s AI knew the name of a character ‘Vantage Tripod’ before it had ever been released publicly — the most the fanbase knew was that there’s a ‘Tripod Fish’ character planned for the game, but not this exact name. It also seemed to be able to regurgitate accurate information related to unreleased mechanics that the developer says they had only written into GDocs the day before the player’s AI interaction.

The developer admitted Google’s AI made a few mistakes, but said that some details were scarily accurate in many ways — accurate enough that the developer is certain Google must have scrapped his private documents.

Google says Gemini can access Google Docs information, but only does so when given express permission — such as being asked to summarise a document — and it adds that even when it does go into your files, Gemini handles data transiently. That is, Google’s AI won’t retain anything.

There are a couple of exceptions to this. If a Google Doc is accessible to ‘Anyone with the link’ and that link is posted publicly online (such as on a page or in a forum) Google could scrape it for training data. Alternatively, if you’ve allowed a third-party extension to scrape your Google Docs, it’s possible Gemini could get access to that data — indirectly seeing what’s in your docs.

If you were to type out info from your docs into Google Gemini, it would also learn about what you had written that way.

Despite Google’s promises, some aren’t entirely convinced. The thread I shared above (along with plenty of anti-AI and anti-Google subreddits) is full of people certain that Google has drained their digital files for all the data it can find. Privacy company Proton has also published an article outlining details such as Google’s privacy hub not explicitly saying it won’t use your content for AI training.

So many unknowns

I’ve reached out to Google with a request for comment about what has happened here (it has yet to get back to me), and while waiting for an answer I had an attempt at recreating the responses by prompting Gemini myself with no luck. It’s only reference to these details was the Reddit post information.

Later screenshots shared by the developer show the friend who got the AI to divulge the details originally also failed to recreate the “fluke.”

The whole situation is very weird and it’s impossible to tell exactly what has happened, based on the information available. While it certainly looks like Gemini has used information it shouldn’t have, it's equally possible that the developer has provided the AI or the friend with access to that information without realising — allowing Gemini to respond the way it did.

The AI could also have hallucinated the information in some way, or perhaps taken inspiration from previous prompts to inform its comments. Further, it’s worth noting that the only responses that would stand out are these two that get very close to the truth, the sea of incorrect guesses that the AI could have given wouldn’t bat an eyelid.

Regardless of what happened it’s another situation that reminds us to be careful with our personal info. Digitally storing personal data has its risks beyond possible AI scraping, and sharing data with an AI often means your private info won’t be private anymore.

• Capcom doesn't think it will be impacted by the physical game market's decline
• The Resident Evil publisher says "approximately 90% of our unit sales are digital" and it doesn't "anticipate a significant impact at this time"
• Sony recently announced plans to end the production of game discs

Capcom has revealed that 90% of its unit sales are digital, so it's unlikely to be significantly impacted by the steady decline of the physical game market.

Things are not looking great for physical media. We recently learned that Sony plans to end physical disc production by January 2028, a decision that has driven a huge wedge between it and the PlayStation fanbase.

Organizations like the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) have also condemned the plan, calling it "a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice" and said that "the industry should be embracing every legitimate way consumers want to buy games, not narrowing their choices."

"Digital distribution has transformed gaming and is hugely popular, but it should complement physical formats, not replace them," CEO Kim Bayley said. "Consumers deserve the freedom to choose how they buy their entertainment. Removing discs doesn’t represent progress – it simply removes choice. That’s bad for gamers, bad for retailers and ultimately bad for the long-term health and preservation of our games industry."

With Sony seemingly steadfast in its decision despite the backlash, there's also speculation that the PS6 could be an all-digital console. Xbox is also reportedly working on a disc-to-digital feature, which would allow players to digitize their existing physical Xbox game library, and it all seems to be pointing towards a future where digital will reign over physical media; analysts also determine that the $7.2 billion second-hand video game market could be in danger as a result of Sony's decision.

While some game companies are willing to fight to keep physical games alive, others such as Capcom don't necessarily see it as a negative for the company, for now.

During its latest investor Q&A (via IGN), the Resident Evil publisher responded to a query about whether it would be impacted by these recent developments to the physical game market.

"Approximately 90% of our unit sales are digital," Capcom said. "We do not anticipate a significant impact at this time."

In its Q1 financial results, the publisher also revealed that Resident Evil Requiem has now sold over eight million units, noting that the series continues to "increase in popularity with a broad, global audience while sales of the previous titles in the series also grew steadily due to pricing initiatives." However, it's unclear what the divide is between digital and physical sales.

Elsewhere, Sony is reportedly notifying consumers of its decision to end physical disc production in less than two years, with new labels on PS5 consoles.

• Ghost Recon Wildlands is getting a new 60fps 4K resolution mode for current-gen consoles and PC
• Additional gameplay and UI features have also been added "to improve immersion"
• Game director Benjamin Lemaire says the team wanted to "give more tools to imagine scenarios while respecting the game systems"

As Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series celebrates its 25th anniversary, Ubisoft has announced a free Ghost Recon Wildlands 60fps 4K resolution mode for current-gen consoles and PC, alongside other gameplay improvements.

Revealed during the Ghost Recon 25th anniversary showcase today, the 60fps 4K resolution update will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Ubisoft Bordeaux's creative director Olivier Leonardia and game director Benjamin Lemaire shared more details about the patch, explaining that the team has "listened to all your comments and suggestions" and wanted to deliver on the feature.

But that's not all. The development team went "further" and delivered something called "Ghost Parameters," new gameplay and UI features for both casual and role-playing enthusiasts.

"We wanted to find new ways to improve immersion," Lemaire said, "to give more tools to imagine scenarios while respecting the game systems."

Some of these tools include features that were previously exclusive to the Ghost and other PvE modes, such as authentic reloading, the choice between one or two primary weapons, and optional friendly fire "to enable more realistic play."

"It basically gives more freedom to create the craziest possible scenarios," the game director explained.

On the UI side, players can tune more game elements to their liking, including an intel HUD, input reminders, deactivating the glow on highlighted items and weapon crates, deactivating the preview of throwable items, and more.

The update also adds a time of day feature, a way to define weather controls and fix it to your preference, "so if you want to play a specific mission or scenario at night in the rain, you can do so."

On top of all this, difficulty levels are changing to presets, so players can tweak difficulty parameters however they like. Whether that be adjusting the health regeneration delay, enemy endurance, or vehicle breakability, this option offers "more freedom and a more personalized experience."

Alongside these new features and 60fps/4K resolutions, Ubisoft has launched a free-to-play downloadable content (DLC) for Wildlands, featuring a new story mission and a "complex antagonist" known as La Llorona.

• A new Ghost Recon game is in development
• Ubisoft is asking players to sign up for its Ghost Recon Insider Program for closed testing
• A free Ghost Recon Wildlands DLC, Last Rites, has also been released

Ubisoft has confirmed that a new Ghost Recon game is in development as it launches a free story mission for Ghost Recon Wildlands titled Last Rites.

Announced during the Ghost Recon 25th anniversary showcase today, the publisher confirmed that "For the past few years, we've been building the next chapter of Ghost Recon," and it's now ready for private testing.

"We want to deliver a fun, fresh experience that stays true to everything that defines Ghost Recon: tactical action, large scale operations, credible military storytelling, and of course, the Ghost Unit," said Live Producer Irina-Gabriela Popa.

With the launch of the new Ghost Recon Insider Program, players who sign up at via the official website will get early access to closed tests and provide feedback to the development team.

Alongside news of a brand new game and the return of the fan-favorite Predator mission, Ubisoft has also released Last Rites, a free-to-play downloadable content (DLC) for Wildlands, featuring a new story mission.

In Last Rites, players will face a new threat named La Llorona in Bolivia, a "complex antagonist" with a dark backstory, on the path to redemption, but also revenge, as well as her cultists, Los Penitentes.

"We crafted this new experience with a view to keeping players on the back foot. So think low visibility, difficult terrain, little to no support, and new gameplay elements that introduce a new kind of danger," said creative director Olivier Leonardia.

"As for La Llorona, players will progressively come to realize that things are not exactly as they were when they started the mission. As they gradually peel off the layers of her world, the mission shifts into something far more unsettling."

Leonardia added, "Ghost Recon wouldn’t be where it is today without the passion, dedication, and feedback of its community over the past 25 years. With Last Rites, we wanted to create an experience that honours that legacy—something that feels authentic to longtime Ghosts, celebrates what makes this franchise special, and reflects our appreciation for the players who have been with us every step of the way."

Ubisoft has also confirmed that a 60fps 4K resolution mode for current-gen consoles and PC, alongside other gameplay improvements and features, will be added to Wildlands.

To celebrate the series' anniversary, Ghost Recon Wildlands and Ghost Recon Breakpoint will be free to play from August 6 to August 10, and fans can claim Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for free on PC through Ubisoft Connect from August 6 to August 13.

In September, the Ghost Recon Breakpoint 25th Anniversary Bundle will also be available and will include free items such as the M4A1 Tactical Brown, Wolf Enhanced Helmet, and Opheis Mk.II Hunter.

AI has acquired an unusual new enemy. A growing AI data poisoning online movement wants to attack the models themselves. The goal is simple enough on paper — feed future AI systems bad information, misleading data, or deliberately corrupted material until they become less useful.

If future versions of ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI models learn from enough misleading, corrupted or intentionally manipulated material, perhaps those systems will become less reliable. Chatbots already confidently repeat nonsense far too often; now imagine it exponentially worse as text and image generators misunderstand every prompt, and the models become too frustrating to trust.

It's not just theory. Data poisoning is an actual area of AI security research. While the argument that making AI systems less reliable will discourage companies from scraping creative work or building ever larger models might entice some, it also risks undermining far more than just the latest trending AI chatbot.

Trying to teach AI all the wrong lessons

Large language models are often described as reading the internet. They absorb enormous collections of books, websites, articles, computer code, images, and documents and learn patterns from them.

Changing enough of that raw material can sometimes change what the finished model learns. Instead of attacking an AI after it has been built, the attacker tries to 'poison' the well of knowledge.

A poisoned model might answer one specific question incorrectly while appearing completely normal the rest of the time. Images might look normal to humans, but contain invisible text designed to confound AI. Other attacks attempt to hide backdoor codes to secret behaviors that remain invisible until a particular trigger phrase appears. The point is precision rather than chaos.

There's a whole philosophy and nascent movement encouraging the practice. Some want to flood the internet with misleading AI-generated content. Others discuss uploading deliberately corrupted information in the hope that tomorrow's models will eventually absorb it. Artists have embraced tools like Nightshade that subtly alter their images before posting them online, making them harder for AI systems to learn from while leaving them almost identical to the human eye.

Polluting the well rarely hurts only one person

But AI poisoning is a lot harder than slipping a little salt into someone's coffee. AI companies filter, clean, and review datasets long before they become part of a model. Poisoning a commercial system is considerably harder than just a misleading Wikipedia paragraph.

That doesn't mean it can't be dangerous. Cybersecurity researchers don't worry about ChatGPT getting a history fact wrong. The real worry is that poisoned information will mess with the behind-the-scenes AI systems used by hospitals, banks, or government agencies. Those models often rely on much narrower datasets and fewer security checks, making them more attractive targets.

A medical assistant that gives excellent advice except for one particular condition or banking software that always includes a hidden security flaw with every update. That's what poisoned data might do if it isn't caught in time. The techniques are not inherently wrong, but they can be abused like any other technology.

None of this means the frustration behind those dreaming of slipping erroneous facts into ChatGPT or Gemini is misplaced. Artists and authors are continuing to fight over AI training data use and misuse. But while the intended target may deserve criticism, poisoning AI data is unlikely to be a long-term solution.

AI already struggles with misinformation, hallucinations, and factual mistakes. Deliberately adding more bad information into the ecosystem risks amplifying exactly the problems critics already complain about. Protecting people, their livelihoods, and creative ownership is essential, but making AI worse will not somehow make the future better.

• Fortinet experts found malicious code in QuickFox VPN's Windows installer
• The attack actively avoided personal gaming computers
• QuickFox has since removed the malicious components from version 3.59.6

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a severe supply chain attack targeting QuickFox, a popular Chinese Windows VPN application.

According to a new report from Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs, attackers trojanized the software's installers for over a year to quietly deploy malicious backdoor implants onto users' machines.

As Fortinet's experts explain, QuickFox "is a VPN proxy and game accelerator typically employed by Chinese users to speed up access to Chinese-based resources, often to improve video game user experience."

However, experts found that malicious actors altered the application's underlying code to deliver a highly targeted malware campaign. The threat actors modified an HTML file within the app's installer to automatically download and execute malicious JavaScript.

To avoid raising suspicion, this malicious code was pulled from a fake domain intentionally registered to mimic QuickFox’s legitimate infrastructure. Fortinet notes that the campaign had been active since at least August 2025, with QuickFox removing the malicious code with version 3.59.6.

TechRadar has not independently verified Fortinet's findings, but we have reached out to QuickFox for comment and will update this article if we receive a reply.

A highly targeted backdoor

The malware didn't infect everyone who downloaded the compromised VPN software. Instead, it used clever guardrails to filter out standard consumers.

If the malicious script detected Steam — the popular distribution service for online games — running on the victim's device, it immediately stopped the infection process to avoid personal gaming computers.

However, if it found tools used by developers, IT administrators, or cryptocurrency users, such as Visual Studio Code, Telegram, or various cryptocurrency wallets, it proceeded with the attack. This behavior suggests the hackers were explicitly hunting for high-value corporate environments and professionals rather than casual gamers.

When a target was deemed suitable, the script abused a legitimate Microsoft utility to secretly install the FDMTP implant and inject the malware. This persistent backdoor allowed attackers to collect sensitive system information, including IP addresses, active processes, MAC addresses, and usernames.

Because FDMTP is highly modular, it also enabled the hackers to remotely download and execute additional malicious plugins, granting them long-term access to compromised machines.

While macOS builds contained the modified file, the infection process only executed on Windows endpoints. Android and iOS apps were completely unaffected.

How to stay safe

While Fortinet researchers have not confidently attributed the attack to a specific group, they noted significant technical crossovers with Twill Typhoon, a known threat actor.

The good news is that the threat now appears to be contained. According to the cybersecurity firm, "QuickFox has removed the described malicious components from their Windows installer from v3.59.6," following responsible disclosure.

If you have used QuickFox on a Windows machine over the last year, you should immediately update to the latest version directly from the vendor and run a full antivirus scan on your system.

Organizations are also advised to check their networks for any unusual activity or unrecognized file transfers originating from QuickFox installations.

• VulnCheck CTO Jacob Baines reported Zbtlink routers shipped with a built‑in backdoor dubbed ENDLESSDOORS, allowing remote root commands and reverse shells
• Zbtlink denied malicious intent, calling it an after‑sales maintenance feature, but quietly pulled vulnerable firmware and promised patches
• Researchers warn all firmware images are hijackable; mitigation advice is to replace devices or enforce strict egress controls and treat LAN as untrusted

Chinese networking firm Zbtlink has been accused of shipping its products with a backdoor - and while the company denies the allegations, it has still apparently moved to address the issue.

CTO of cybersecurity company VulnCheck, Jacob Baines, recently published an in-depth report stating a Zbtlink device he runs “continuously attempts to reach a command-and-control server on the internet.”

“Zbtlink routers phone home, waiting for orders. Not because they were hacked. Because they were shipped that way.”

Detention and escape attempts

Baines dubbed the flaw “ENDLESSDOORS” and says it was uploaded to GitHub in early 2015 and “never touched again”. “It can send the client individual shell commands or tell the client to spawn a reverse bash shell.”

“The vocabulary of this protocol is two phrases: run this as root, and give me a root shell,” he further explained, saying that anyone along the path can hijack the client/server communication. VulnCheck researchers tried it, and apparently - succeeded.

Baines said that every firmware on the company’s download page (roughly two dozen images) is all “hijackable in the same way”, and said the company decided not to “responsibly disclose” the vulnerability since that assumes the vendor did not intend the behavior. "That assumption doesn't hold here."

In response to the allegations, Zbtlink told The Register VulnCheck mischaracterized the code.

“This feature is solely intended for after‑sales maintenance and serves no other purposes,” the company told the publication. “It is generally retained only on sample units to assist customers with software debugging and will not be included in mass‑production shipments.”

The Register didn’t see it as a credible explanation since, in the meantime, the company posted a warning on its downloads page:

“We have detected firmware security vulnerabilities affecting selected router firmware releases. As a precautionary measure, the impacted firmware versions have been temporarily taken down from download channels. Our engineering team is working intensively to develop and validate secured patched firmware.” This warning was allegedly posted sometime in the past seven days.

Baines gave a list of suggestions how to mitigate the risk but ended up saying that “for anything carrying real traffic, our advice is to replace the device, or at minimum move it behind strict egress control and treat its LAN as untrusted.”

A new entry in Capcom's cult-classic Onimusha franchise has been a long time coming, and there was no better time than now for its resurgence, during the developer's largely successful RE Engine era.

So far, it seems that the resurgence will pay off extremely well: I spent three hours with the upcoming demon-hunting slasher, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and I came away absolutely amazed by just how well Capcom has taken the formula from previous entries and modernized it brilliantly.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword absolutely shines within every combat encounter, with its weighty, methodical, and stylish sword clashes. It very much reminds me of From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which might sound concerning for those who aren't fans of excessively hard souls games.

You can throw that thought out, though: Way of the Sword is a challenging but very accessible and enjoyable experience, with a variety of boss battles that will test your mettle.

However, with enough practice via boss rematches or against standard enemies in training arenas, similar to previous entries, you'll become accustomed to its combat in no time.

Poised to be the best yet

Rasho-gan's boss battle was intense; a clash with one of the best-designed demons in the game I saw. The opening cutscene was creepy, and it quickly became apparent how cruel the demons are. (Video credit: Capcom)

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is poised to be the best entry in the franchise, without a doubt. It's fair to say that potential acclaim is heavily carried by Capcom's magical RE Engine, responsible for major hits like Resident Evil 4 (2023), Resident Evil Requiem, Monster Hunter World, and other titles in both franchises for almost a decade.

Visuals are at their best in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Character models, environment details, and the art style all lend to the immersive samurai demon-hunting experience Capcom is trying to deliver — but it's not just about visuals.

I spoke highly of the animations during combat in my coverage of the public demo. After the three-hour preview, I'm convinced that Onimusha: Way of the Sword will set a new standard for sword clashes and how detailed they are.

The 'Issen' technique (evident in the video above) was a core aspect of combat in previous titles and is back and better than ever. It allows players to perform a deadly counterattack right before an enemy attack, and it was a maneuver I spent plenty of time practicing during the preview.

It's not easy to pull off, as it requires very precise timing, but it comes in clutch when outnumbered or facing off against the three tough bosses during my preview (which I won't spoil), by doing plenty of stagger damage. Once I unlocked Chain Issen, I could take out multiple enemies in rapid fashion — and the new flashy and stylish animation makes it so much more satisfying.

Byakue is the hardest boss I've come across in Way of the Sword so far, with constant erratic and unpredictable movements. You've got to have your guard up at all times against this one. (Video credit: Capcom)

My mention of stagger damage is important because Onimusha: Way of the Sword's combat, especially during boss battles where parries are pivotal, reminds me very much of From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Again, this isn't a souls-like, so don't expect much similarity to Sekiro elsewhere, and thankfully, Way of the Sword is much more forgiving for mistimed parries.

However, the sword clashes with bosses like Byakue are incredibly well designed, with audio and visuals that are fantastically gripping, creating the same back-and-forth flow that worked so well in Sekiro.

The great thing is that it seems as though Capcom has used Sekiro as inspiration for combat and built on it, adding extra details like a brief slowdown and zoom when a perfect parry is performed, creating openings for further attacks.

Onimusha: Way of the Sword is also not heavily reliant on parries in normal enemy encounters or boss battles, thanks to the presence of perfect dodges and Issen. Those three elements combined make for a pleasant experience — and outside of the practice arena, there are side quests you can take on for non-player characters (NPCs) with semi-open hubs (similar to Resident Evil 4's boat segment) to explore.

Wind-Whipper is a secondary weapon, but it's certainly a room clearer. It saved me numerous times when encountering more formidable foes while travelling across one of the game's semi-open hubs. (Video credit: Capcom)

Perhaps the only worry I do have is that Way of the Sword seemingly won't have any other primary weapons for Miyamoto Musashi, the main protagonist, to wield. There are indeed secondary weapons, but they are seemingly limited to Oni Armaments, which can only be used when their meters are filled when engaging in duels.

Don't get me wrong, those secondary weapons like the Two Celestials (dual blades) and the Wind-Whipper spear-like weapon I unlocked in my three-hour run are great — but I'm hoping there are enough skills for Musashi's katana to keep gameplay fresh through the game's runtime.

Either way, I'm incredibly excited for Onimusha: Way of the Sword's launch on September 4, 2026, releasing on PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC — and I'm sure it will be yet another massive hit.

• Grand Theft Auto 5 actor Robert Bogue says he auditioned for over 60 GTA 6 roles
• He says he "badly wanted to work on GTA 6," but Rockstar Games never called him back
• Bogue is known for playing FIB agent Steve Haines in GTA 5

Grand Theft Auto 5 actor Robert Bogue has revealed that he auditioned for more than 60 roles in Grand Theft Auto 6, but Rockstar Games never called back.

This comes from a recent chat conducted by X user Burak, who direct messaged Bogue on Instagram to ask him questions about GTA 6 (via IGN).

The actor, who is known for playing FIB agent Steve Haines in GTA 5, revealed that he auditioned for over 60 characters, big and small, but Rockstar didn't respond or provide any other feedback.

"I'm a little bit down on Rockstar right now," Bogue told Burak. "I had such a great time working with them. [...] I so badly wanted to work on GTA 6. I must've auditioned for over 60 characters. Some were big, some were small. I didn't care. I just wanted to be in it. I didn't get any of them, and they never called me about any of them. I was so disappointed.

"I thought maybe they have an unofficial policy where they don't reuse actors, because I thought, 'You're gonna say no to me 60 times? Even for a small character?' So, I'm a little frustrated by them. I feel like someone who's in love with a girl and then she just dumped me."

Bogue stated he doesn't know any details about GTA 6 beyond what's been released to the public, and following the chat, said that he didn't want to put Rockstar in hot water with his comments, but it was the truth.

"I'm sorry to throw Rockstar under the bus publicly about how many auditions I've had, but the truth is the truth," he said. "At the end of the day, the actor's life is about rejection. It's just, sometimes you need a victory once in a while."

GTA 6 arrives on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S.

In case you missed it, Rockstar just announced that a special presentation for GTA 6 will be revealed on August 27. Titled Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look, the video will premiere on Netflix and later be available on YouTube.

A reckoning is underway in enterprise AI. Chief executives who spent two years bolting frontier models onto their businesses are now asking harder questions.

What did we actually get for the money? Where does our data go when it flows through someone else's model? And when the model we standardized on last year isn’t the best one this year, how much of our business have we quietly handed over to a vendor we don't control?

That last question is the one that should keep leaders up at night, because for most companies, the honest answer is: far more than they think.

The conversation about AI has mostly been about which model is best.

That’s the wrong question.

In a field where leadership changes hands every few quarters, “best model” is a snapshot, not a strategy.

The question that actually matters is architectural: when the state of the art moves — and it always does — can you move with it, or do you have to rebuild your business every time?

Models are temporary. Plan accordingly

Here's what a decade of running AI at production scale teaches you that no benchmark chart will: models are disposable, and they're getting more disposable by the year. The transcription engine that led the market when we started is a footnote now.

The computer vision system that dominated three years ago has been lapped over and over. We've swapped best-in-class engines in and out of live customer workflows hundreds of times — across speech recognition, translation, object detection, face redaction, and now large language models — and each cycle turns over faster than the one before it.

An company that’s hard-wired to one provider inherits that provider's roadmap, pricing, and priorities as its own. When the provider raises prices, you pay. When it deprecates the version you built on, you rebuild.

When a smaller open-source model, fine-tuned on your own data, would actually do the job better and cheaper, you can't reach for it because your workflows only speak one dialect. That isn't a partnership. It's a dependency — and depending on a moving target is about the most expensive position you can be in.

That's the reasoning behind building systems where model lock-in isn't an option from day one: an orchestration layer that connects and manages hundreds of commercial, open-source, and proprietary models across different cognitive tasks, routes each job to whatever engine is best for it, and swaps models out as the state of the art shifts — without anyone having to rebuild a workflow.

The model becomes a component, not a foundation. The real foundation is the orchestration layer and the data underneath it, and those stay owned by the enterprise, not the vendor.

The discipline that makes model plurality real: evals

Model plurality sounds good in a keynote and collapses in practice without one thing: the ability to prove, on your own data, which model is actually better for your job. “Best” isn’t a leaderboard position.

A model that tops a public benchmark can badly underperform on your accents, your camera angles, your legal thresholds, your definition of “good enough.” Public benchmarks measure general capability.

They tell you almost nothing about how a model will perform inside your specific workflow. So the real currency of the next era isn't the model — it's the evaluation.

The companies pulling ahead are the ones who can put any engine up against any other on their own content, with their own quality bar, and make swap decisions based on evidence instead of vendor marketing.

That means scoring engines against each other continuously, on real customer data, so “which model” stays a measured decision you can remake any time the field shifts — not a one-time choice you're stuck with.

That evaluation muscle is itself a strategic asset. It's what turns a pile of interchangeable models into a compounding advantage — and it's precisely the capability an enterprise forfeits the moment it standardizes on a single black box.

Ownership over your own audio and video

There's a reason this matters most in audio and video. Text is basically commoditized at this point. The proprietary, defensible, hard-to-replicate data in the enterprise is the recorded record of what a company actually said, did, made, and witnessed — decades of broadcast, footage, calls, and captured events. It's multimodal, it's rights-encumbered, and it can't be replaced, which also happens to make it exactly what this generation of AI is hungriest for.

The appetite for training and tuning data has outrun what the open web can supply. What's actually needed now is what enterprises already have sitting in their archives: vast, rights-cleared, real-world, multimodal data, plus expert human judgment about what “good” looks like.

Which makes the default posture of the last two years perverse — companies have paid premium prices to push their proprietary audio and video through third-party models, with limited visibility into what's retained, learned, or one day competed against them. If your data is the scarce input everyone's after, the last thing you want to do is hand it over as a byproduct of your software bill.

The alternative is building the enterprise business the other way around: turning an organization's raw archives into AI-ready, enriched assets it actually owns, with rights and governance metadata baked in at the point of creation rather than tacked on afterward — because when the data in question is a witness's voice, an athlete's likeness, or a rights-encumbered broadcast, provenance and consent aren't optional extras.

From there, rightsholders can put that data to work themselves — licensing it to model developers and cloud providers on their own terms, with consent, provenance, and compensation built into the deal.

The world is moving toward fine-tuning and open source

Watch where the sophisticated buyers are going and the pattern is unmistakable The old reflex — route everything to whichever frontier model is biggest — is giving way to something more deliberate: a portfolio approach where smaller, open-source, and fine-tuned models handle most of the day-to-day workloads, and the giant models get reserved for the problems that genuinely need them.

The reasons are practical — cost, latency, data control, and the ability to specialize a model on proprietary data until it beats a general-purpose giant at your specific task.

This is where the two ideas come together. Fine-tuning and open source only work in your favor if you actually own the data to tune on and have the architecture to deploy into. A company locked to one vendor can't fine-tune an open model on its own footage and slot it into production as the plumbing simply won't allow it.

An enterprise with an orchestration layer and governed, AI-ready data can do exactly that, and can keep doing it as better base models emerge. Owning your data and having freedom in your architecture are what actually make this new era of specialized, fine-tuned, open models available to you at all. Without them, you're watching a shift from the sidelines that was supposed to be your advantage.

Sovereignty is a posture, not a product

It’s okay to be wary of how fast “sovereign AI” is becoming a marketing category, because sovereignty delivered through a new single-vendor dependency is just lock-in with better branding. Real sovereignty is an architectural posture with three commitments.

First, model plurality, proven by evaluation: every model — commercial, open-source, or fine-tuned — tested on your data and replaceable at will.

Second, governance that travels with the data: provenance, auditability, consent, and policy enforced at the data layer.

Third, actual ownership: your audio and video, enriched and controlled as an asset you deploy on purpose, not one that leaks out incidentally. None of this is an argument against the frontier labs — they build extraordinary technology, and plenty of companies use it every day, through architecture that keeps the leverage on their side of the table.

The enterprise doesn't have to choose between using the best models in the world and controlling its own future. The whole point is to do both: orchestrate every model worth using, prove which one wins on your own data, and own the audio, video, and judgment that make any of them worth running.

The model is temporary. Your data and your judgment are not. Build for that, and you spend the next decade compounding an advantage your competitors rented and lost.

We tested out the best data recovery software for Mac and PC.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

There is a world of massive, expensive industrial printers that can deliver high-quality, full-color 3D prints. Until now, such hardware hasn't been available for desktops. But the latest launch from HeyGears is shaking that up. The new HeyGears G1 Series leans on over a decade of the company’s experience making high-quality 3D resin printers to produce the world’s first desktop printer that offers both full-color 3D and UV printing, all for as little as a tenth of the cost of the industrial solutions.

The new HeyGears G1 Series just launched through a Kickstarter campaign. Having unlocked the $10M stretch goal, you can now grab it at the best Super Early Bird price and get the free Stretch Goal Reward. The G1 Series is broken down into a few configurations.

At the top, there’s the HeyGears G1X Full-3D Pack. It brings together full-color 3D, flat and cylindrical UV, and 3D textured relief capabilities into a single machine. The G1X offers a 1440 x 2400 DPI Epson I3200-U1HD printhead for ultra-fine detail and high resolution.

The printer can support a 330 x 420 x 130mm printing volume when combined with the resin station. It can also print onto over 400 materials, including wood, metal, ceramic, and glass. It also supports transparent resins for stunning effects.

HeyGears is also offering a G1X Starter Pack that includes the printer and Epson I3200 printhead to get you started with high-fidelity flat and cylindrical UV and 3D-effect UV printing. A base G1 Starter Pack that uses a 720x900 DPI printhead is also available. The system is modular, though, so even if you start with a HeyGears G1, you can swap the printhead and add the resin station and other accessories down the line to upgrade it to a G1X Full-Color Pack.

With the fully loaded model, you get a truly advanced suite of capabilities. Not only can the HeyGears G1X handle full-color 3D printing, but it can help with preparation and post-processing work. HeyGears’s software can help you design 3D models or create 3D effects automatically. With water-soluble resins for supports, finishing prints can be as simple as taking them from the print tray and soaking them.

In addition to the lower price to purchase, the HeyGears G1 Series is designed with functions to help lower the cost of ownership over time. HeyGears’s ink and resin are priced competitively, costing less than those from other printer models. The Epson I3200 printhead is designed to run for up to 24 months. And the G1 Series has a quad-layer anti-clogging system to keep ink and resin in prime condition for prints and prevent drying out during idle periods.

You can get your hands on the HeyGears G1 Series through the Kickstarter campaign here. The campaign runs through September 11, 9 A.M. PDT, and it offers bundles and early incentives on the G1 Series.

• Google’s automated systems mistakenly flagged hundreds of Blogger sites as malicious
• Company admitted a bug caused false malware labels, promising a fix
• Users advised to request reviews, avoid migrating content

Hundreds of Blogger websites were locked down, and some apparently deleted as well, after Google’s automated security systems erroneously flagged them as malicious.

A user posted a new message on Google’s forum saying the huge number of reports regarding locked blogs are all for the same reason - Malware and Similar Malicious Content.

The nature of the lockdown “suggests misclassification by automated systems”, the post reads, adding that the team has “already been notified of this issue.”

Aware of a bug""

Those affected will see a red padlock in their dashboard and a warning saying the blog was locked:

"This blog was removed for violating Blogger's Community Guidelines. If you wish to request a review of the blog, click 'Request Review' below," the notice reads.

At press time, the forum post had more than 500 “I have the same question” votes, and more than 200 replies.

In a statement given to BleepingComputer, Google said it was aware of a bug that falsely labeled many sites as malicious, and that it was working on a fix.

"We are aware of a bug that incorrectly flagged some Blogger-hosted sites as malware for less than a day. We are working on a fix to resolve the issue as quickly as possible," the company said.

To make matters even worse, Google said that if users don’t file an appeal, that their blogs can be permanently deleted.

Users are advised not to create new blogs and migrate content, since that is in violation with Google’s TOS. They are also advised against deleting their Blogger profile or service from their Google account, since this will irrevocably delete the blogs. They can, however, back up their blogs if they are afraid of losing the content.

The full extent of the issue is unknown, but according to BleepingComputer, the number of users on the platform exceeds 200,000.

• OpenAI disrupted a major scam campaign in Cambodia’s Poipet, banning accounts and blocking new registrations
• Criminals used ChatGPT to run romance fraud, fake investments, bogus police scams, and even operations linked to human trafficking
• AI was leveraged for fake personas, fraudulent messages, job lures, and worker administration; OpenAI shared findings with authorities after evidence of hundreds of victims losing thousands of dollars

OpenAI said it disrupted a major scam campaign coming out of Southeast Asia by banning accounts used by the operation and making it difficult to open new ones.

In a blog post, the ChatGPT maker said it was tipped off about the existence of the campaign by WhatsApp.

After investigating further, the company found that a group of criminals in Cambodia used its AI tool in different scam campaigns - romance fraud, fake investment scams, or bogus police investigations. It also used AI to help with day-to-day operations and, most worryingly, for things that could be related to human trafficking and forced criminality.

Detention and escape attempts

OpenAI did not say if the group had a name, just that it operated out of Poipet, “a city in Banteay Meanchey province that public reporting⁠ has repeatedly⁠ linked⁠ to online scam compounds and trafficking operations.”

The group used AI to create fake personas, to help draft fraudulent emails and chat messages, and to create posters for fake jobs which were probably used to lure people into human trafficking or forced labor.

The tool was also used for worker administration, since the operators maintained records of employee debts, salary deductions, disciplinary fines, and loan repayments. They also used the tool to translate discussions about immigration status, work permits, visa overstays, and recruitment incentives.

“Some conversations also referenced apparent detention, escape attempts, and potential criminal liability for people who had been trafficked and forced to work in scam operations,” OpenAI said. “While these conversations do not allow us to determine the circumstances of any particular individual, they are consistent with extensive public reporting⁠ describing⁠ the activities of organized crime groups in Southeast Asia.”

The company could not say how many people fell victim, or how much money this group has stolen, but said it found evidence of “hundreds” of victims losing “thousands of dollars.” These findings were shared with relevant authorities.

Via The Hacker News

The enterprise race to scale AI operations is in full swing – both from a deployment and security perspective. While conventional wisdom suggests that the teams who deploy the models first get the edge, it’s the wrong approach for enterprises.

For nefarious actors, speed is the name of the game. Malicious actors leveraging AI to probe for vulnerabilities don’t need to share their decision trail to audit committees or regulators – making speed alone the key advantage for attackers.

Enterprise security teams, on the other hand, operate under entirely different parameters – which also happen to be where the opportunity lies.

Security teams don’t just need the capability to identify anomalies, screen transactions, or make access decisions – they also need to be prepared to explain what happened, when, and why to key stakeholders.

Every action and every outcome needs to be clarified and justified to a board, an auditor, or a customer.

Scaling AI at the enterprise level is not relegated to who moves fastest, but rather who can embed the necessary accountability frameworks, emergency brakes, and audit trails.

The Hidden Data Problem

In truth, speed is not the primary challenge for most enterprise teams. The bigger, more difficult challenge is found in data and governance. Policy models and detection frameworks are only as impactful as the information inputs. However, most organizations are devoid of structured, well-governed data – particularly as it pertains to AI activity. Across the majority of organizations, data is scattered.

Activity logs, access records, transaction histories all live in disparate systems with inconsistent formats and no single source of truth. No matter how much of this data is fed into an AI model, clarity will never be achieved. Instead, teams generate a false sense of confidence built upon a shaky foundation.

Meaningful scale begins with auditability and accountability as infrastructure, not an afterthought. As AI systems become increasingly embedded across organizations, the requirement heightens for more consistent records of actions that occurred and policy enforcement where actions are checked against defined rules prior to execution.

Equally as important, organizations need to have the internal muscle memory to explain automated decisions to stakeholders outside the engineering team, because they've been doing versions of this for years in compliance and risk functions.

When this approach is foundational for enterprises, AI systems become genuinely useful. AI models built upon strong data and governance standards can meaningfully screen actions against known risks before settlement, flag patterns that humans may have missed, and maintain updated records that can be shared across key stakeholder groups. Devoid of this foundation, fragmented data and ungoverned systems compound – resulting in faster mistakes.

Enthusiasm around AI systems centers on the deployment side of the equation, without asking whether the underlying infrastructure can support what's being layered on top of it. This approach is suboptimal and leaves an open door for breaches – akin to installing an alarm system in a building without putting locks on the doors.

Embedding infrastructural policy enforcement, audit trails, and human-reviewable records does bring an additional layer prior to deployment. And in a domain where nefarious actors operate free of this operational layer, it's fair to ask whether enterprise security teams are creating a permanent speed disadvantage for themselves.

However, that mindset misses what the added operational layer actually delivers: the difference between an AI system that fails safely and one that fails silently.

Enterprise security teams who operate slower but can consistently and proactively identify and reverse bad decisions are in a fundamentally different position than enterprises who operate quickly and discover a failure three weeks post-incident. The tradeoff is real, but it’s the wrong tradeoff to optimize away.

Trust Beyond The Engineering Teams

A common misconception is that security decisions are made for and by security teams. That’s not the case. Security decisions made by automated systems need to satisfy stakeholders far outside of this workstream – including regulators, insurers, customers, even boards.

Those stakeholders aren’t moved by sophistication. They care whether the organization can clearly and consistently demonstrate what the system did and why. Organizations without that operational layer find that AI adoption increases their potential risk exposure, because they're now making faster decisions with insufficient guardrails.

As AI systems continue to increasingly exhibit autonomous behaviors, the stakes continue to change. An AI system that can initiate payments, approve transactions, or move funds independently doesn't just need a policy to follow – it needs brakes to press in the event of a bad decision.

Without this layer embedded, enterprise security teams not only carry the accountability problem – they also have no chance of catching a mistake before it becomes permanent.

The Readiness Gap

Readiness requires the proper sequencing. Before scaling AI operations, it’s critical to make an honest assessment of three things: whether underlying data across systems are structured, whether there are firm policy checks in place, and whether verifiable records of automated decisions can be produced on-demand.

Starting here positions AI to become a force multiplier for security teams. These three elements make all the difference between catching what humans miss and doing it fast enough to matter – or simply adding velocity to a faulty process.

The “AI race” will not be won by having the newest models. Really, it’s about devoting effort to the unglamorous work – building the data infrastructure and governance systems that make AI models trustworthy.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

• Latest Garmin rumors point to details on the Garmin Fenix 9
• We could get three sizes
• And MIP solar technology may not be dead yet

The Garmin Fenix 9 range is likely to be arriving soon. The rumor mill, fuelled by comments made by CEO Cliff Pemble on Garmin's quarterly earnings call earlier this year, suggest this is going to be the case. But plenty of Garmin fans were wondering how the Fenix 9 line would look.

The Garmin Fenix 8 line came in three sizes (43mm, 47mm and 51mm), and two screen options: a standard bright AMOLED screen of the sort you see on many smartwatches, and a duller memory-in-pixel (MIP) varient with solar charging. The MIP displays used to be used on all of the best Garmin watches as it was more battery-efficient, but these days it's almost entirely used for models that use Garmin's Power Glass solar charging tech, which uses a solar panel behind the display to suck up lumens and extend the watch's battery life in bright conditions.

It's likely that once Garmin figures out how to do the same with its AMOLED watches, MIP screens will bite the dust permanently, which is a shame. There are lots of fans of the lower-power screen tech, as this poll suggests.

A year after the already-premium Garmin Fenix 8 line entered the fray, we got the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, a model which came in two sizes (47mm and 51mm) with InReach messaging connectivity using Garmin's satellite communication network, LTE which uses a standard internet connection, and on some models an even brighter MicroLED screen.

So, where does that leave the upcoming Fenix 9?

Three sizes, two Pros, two MIP displays

According to Garmin Rumors, the Garmin Fenix 9 will arrive in three sizes like its predecessor, and in three different models; the base version, the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro (with the release not being staggered like the Fenix 8/Pro) and the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro InReach.

This time, all three models are said to be arriving in all three sizes, so those with smaller wrists are still getting the Pro experience. The Fenix 9 Pro InReach is obviously getting access to Garmin's satellite network for off-the-grid messaging, but GarminRumors is not sure what upgrades the Pro will sport over the base model. Apart from one.

Both the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro and Pro InReach are said to be getting Solar models, which means the MIP screen would be back for another generation — but the standard Garmin Fenix 9 will remain an AMOLED watch. This would be the first time a standard Garmin Fenix won't get an MIP model, but it does make sense if Garmin is now reserving its solar charging for its premium Pro models.

If true, it's a shame. The MIP display isn't just a vehicle for solar charging: its lower-power technology is reminiscent of a digital watch, and as well as being more battery efficient, it's a way for Garmin users to distinguish their training tools from other, say, Apple and Samsung smartwatches. There's also no info on the Garmin Enduro 4.

We'll have more details on the Fenix 9 range as we get closer to its likely launch date. Stay tuned!

• Microsoft is eating humble pie over its unrealistic RAM recommendations
• It has deleted articles that pushed 32GB as an ideal or 'no-worries' loadout
• Apple is also feeling the heat in the RAM crisis, with rumors that it's struggling to secure an alternative source of memory supply from China

There are some fresh twists with the RAM crisis hitting some big tech companies, as Microsoft has backtracked on its previous memory recommendations, and even Apple is apparently finding it difficult to cope with the scarcity of memory.

Let's discuss Microsoft first, and as Windows Latest pointed out, the company has been busy backpedalling on previous memory recommendations now that the RAM crisis – which just keeps getting worse – has made those suggestions look foolish.

Microsoft previously had support documents in its Windows Learning Center which have now been removed, and Windows Latest highlights two of them. One was about optimizing your gaming PC, and it advised that "32GB is ideal for serious players who run the most demanding titles" (albeit the article also said 16GB was "plenty" for most games).

Another piece said that 32GB of RAM was the "no-worries zone", and that article was also quietly deleted as there was some backlash against this, given that it was published when the price of system memory had become ridiculous. (And buying a 32GB kit was very much a worry for your wallet).

The links to those articles now redirect to the home page of the Learning Center, and Microsoft is evidently trying to forget about pushing 32GB of RAM as an 'ideal' or 'worry-free' target for memory on your PC.

More broadly, since Copilot+ PCs were launched and the AI features for these devices made them require 16GB, Microsoft has obviously been keen to have that as a baseline memory configuration. Except now, a change of stance is necessary, as with the RAM crisis reaching alarming new heights, Microsoft has been forced to enact huge price hikes with its Surface devices.

And of course, the latest twist with that Surface hardware is that Microsoft has brought back 8GB models with last year's Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. Which makes it kind of difficult to push 16GB as a minimum, let alone make suggestions that 32GB is where it's really at for properly smooth performance.

The abandonment of these Learning Center articles is hardly surprising, then, and Microsoft is also addressing how speedily Windows 11 runs with 8GB of memory (not quickly enough currently). One of its promises with fixing the OS was better performance with a leaner RAM loadout, and Microsoft just made it clear that the company is now actively working to make Windows 11 run better with 8GB before the end of the year.

This has become a vital goal, really, when you consider that Apple has pulled off a commendable showing of performance with its MacBook Neo that packs 8GB of RAM. That was effectively a gauntlet thrown down for Microsoft – something of a declaration that macOS is coming to try to take Windows 11's market share – and one that the Windows maker had to respond to (which became clear enough when Microsoft went on the attack against the Neo).

Apple turnover: China play rumored to end in a fumble

Speaking of Apple, Microsoft isn't the only tech giant being buffeted by the rising costs caused by the RAM storm. While it has had a big success with the Neo, the challenge for Tim Cook's firm – soon to be John Ternus's, of course – is to maintain that momentum, and by all accounts, that's proving a tricky task.

Recent Mac price hikes have caused a good deal of pain – taking some of the wind out of the good ship Neo's sails – and Apple is trying to secure its RAM supply lines for the future, with rumors abounding that it's turning to Chinese chip makers to find extra production capacity.

The latest speculation, however, is that according to a report from Digital Daily (a Korean tech site, via Wccftech), Apple has floundered in negotiations with Chinese memory giant CXMT.

Apparently CXMT has strong enough domestic demand that it doesn't have to offer more attractive pricing to Apple. Essentially, CXMT is holding the line and has "insisted on prices that were higher or similar to those offered by Samsung or SK Hynix" (bear in mind there may be nuances lost with the translation of the article).

You get the message, though: Apple is failing to obtain better deals on mobile DRAM, which includes LPDDR5X, for its iPhones (and that RAM is also used in its MacBooks, of course). And CXMT was supposed to be an escape route from the difficulties of getting enough RAM inventory from Samsung and SK Hynix (and also Micron, a key supplier for Apple), but it seems like a dead-end for now.

At least if this report is correct, but analyst Tim Culpan has also written a short post which backs up the notion that Apple is in trouble here. Culpan writes: "Apple and its suppliers are scrambling to get enough memory chips for its upcoming release of new iPhone models."

'Scrambling' is a word that evokes quite a sense of panic, and indeed with the iPhone 18 models – and the foldable offering – not much more than a month away from launch now (in theory), I'd bet there are some heated words flying here and there. Culpan notes: "Assemblers are working with Apple to rush shipments of DRAM used in mobile devices."

That report is specifically about smartphones, mind, but this same situation applies to mobile RAM that's also used in MacBooks.

The overall theme is more RAM misery all round, which is hardly a surprise given all the negative news we've been hearing on the grapevine of late. GPU pricing has been the latest round of doom and gloom over the past week or two, and I don't think the pessimistic news is going to stop flowing for the foreseeable.

It's not bad news for everyone, though. A source in the semiconductor industry told Digital Daily that: "With the general-purpose DRAM floor remaining unbroken and Samsung and SK Hynix monopolizing the lead in high-value AI memory such as HBM4, the operating profit margins and global market control of the domestic semiconductor sector are expected to rise even more steeply in the second half of the year."

So, it's a familiar story: profits will be on the up and up for memory makers, while consumers will be suffering the pain of the hikes. Apple's purported rush for RAM supplies as the clock runs down on the iPhone launch window is a particularly worrying sounding story, one that doesn't bode well in terms of avoiding more Mac (and iPhone) price rises in the future. Neither can we rule out more Surface price rises, or other laptops for that matter.

Despite Apple promising price increases across its devices, I've found a welcome discount on the MacBook Pro 14-inch (M5) for $1848 (was $2000) at Amazon.

Given soaring prices, that's a very welcome discount on one of the most capable laptops Apple currently sells, and it's packing 16GB RAM for smoother workflows, and 1TB SSD storage capacity. In the UK, the same MacBook configuration is now £1805 (was £1999) at Amazon.

For creators, students, and business professionals, it's a great laptop in my opinion. It's powerful, versatile, and boasts an outstanding battery life for when you're working and studying on the move.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 if...

You want serious, sustained performance for office tasks, creative work, coding, or AI-assisted workflows in a laptop that doesn't need to be plugged in to deliver it.

❌ Skip the MacBook Pro 14-inch M5 if...

You're already on an M4 or M3 MacBook Pro — our review found this a fairly small generational upgrade outside of AI-focused tasks — or if you specifically need Wi-Fi 7, which isn't included on this model.

Why we recommend it

In our full review of the M5 MacBook Pro line-up, we found it "one of the best displays on a laptop," and praised its battery life and sustained performance even when running unplugged. In our web browsing test, it lasted a massive 18 hours before needing a recharge.

The base M5 chip in this configuration posted class-leading single-core benchmark scores in our in-house testing, ahead of every other laptop chip we've tested to date.

Despite not seeing a major overhaul in design, it remains an awesome workstation laptop, with a gorgeous style that's slim, lightweight, with a superb build quality that feels good in the hand.

Combined with the faster SSD Apple built into this generation — roughly double the transfer speeds of the outgoing M4 model in our testing — this configuration holds up well for genuinely heavy day-to-day work, not just light productivity tasks.

Price Context & Historical Value

Apple's own list price for this exact configuration is $1,999, and it doesn't move much at retail outside of sales events. Although the lowest price Amazon had it was $1499, that was in May, before Apple confirmed price hikes across its range of devices.

The current sale price is about what I'd expect, with Best Buy similarly discounting the 16GB/1TB MacBook Pro to $1849 (was $1999). At B&H Photo, it's selling for $1949. In the UK, both Argos and Currys have it priced at £1999.

For more savings, we track the best business laptop deals every week.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

Our review flagged that this generation sticks with Thunderbolt 4 rather than the faster Thunderbolt 5 found on the M5 Pro and M5 Max models, and there's no Wi-Fi 7 support here either.

The design is also unchanged from last year's M4 model, so if you're after a visual refresh, you won't find one. None of that changes the core experience much, but it's worth knowing if either spec matters for your setup.

For creative professionals, I'd recommend the 24GB MacBook Pro, currently $2045 (was $2199) at Amazon. It's a meaningful step up for anyone regularly juggling large Photoshop files, big Xcode builds, or multiple demanding apps at once, without pushing you all the way into M5 Pro pricing territory.

• See all MacBook deals at Amazon.

• runZero disclosed 12+ new flaws in BMCs from HPE, Supermicro, Dell, Lenovo, Huawei, and others at Black Hat
• Scans found 86k internet‑exposed BMCs and 120k internal devices
• Researchers warn BMCs form a widespread, under‑patched parallel attack surface

Security researchers have discovered more than a dozen new vulnerabilities in Baseboard management controllers (BMC), hardware components found in thousands of the world’s most popular enterprise servers.

BMCs are specialized chips built into servers that allow administrators to remotely monitor and manage hardware regardless of the operating system, and even when the hardware is turned off. They provide out-of-band management capabilities such as remote console access, firmware updates, hardware health monitoring, and power control, and have been a pivotal component since their introduction in the late 1990s.

Earlier this week, during the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, security expert HD Moore of runZero disclosed finding more than a dozen flaws in BMCs sold by HPE, Supermicro, Avocent, Huawei, Lenovo, Dell, and others - and to make matters worse, some of the flaws disclosed in the past remain active even today.

Parallel attack surface

“The end result is a pervasive, under-monitored, under-patched parallel attack surface that is both Internet-exposed and widespread inside corporate networks, and is much more exploitable than many folks realize,” Moore told the publication.

To assess the associated risks, Moore ran two scans - one looking at internet-connected BMCs in general, and another internally surveying devices in corporate networks. The first one found 86,000 exposed BMCs, more than half of which (54%) carried at least one of the flaws he found.

The internal scan, counting more than 120,000 BMCs, found almost a third (29%) carrying at least one critical vulnerability.

Details about the flaws will remain under lock and key until the manufacturers address them, Moore explained, saying that many of them cannot be exploited without prior authentication. However, for many (well-equipped) threat actors, that often isn’t a problem, since a number of smaller pre-authentication flaws exist as well, which could be abused.

Via Ars Technica

• Rockstar Games has announced the Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look
• It will premiere on Netflix on August 27 and later launch on YouTube
• The extended look could finally reveal gameplay

Rockstar Games has announced that a special extended look at Grand Theft Auto 6 will premiere on Netflix later this month.

There are four months to go until the biggest game launch of all time, and seemingly out of nowhere, Rockstar has revealed that the 'Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look' will be released on August 27, amid Gamescom 2026.

While there are no details to confirm what exactly this extended look entails, we know it will premiere on Netflix at 3PM ET / 12PM PT / 8PM BST and later launch on the studio's YouTube channel at 9PM ET / 6PM PT / 2AM BST.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting Trailer 3, so the premiere may finally showcase just that, or the much-anticipated gameplay deep dive. However, given that it's releasing on Netflix, the event seems like a big deal and could suggest a documentary-style video.

I imagine it could be similar to a behind-the-scenes developer film, something reminiscent of Naughty Dog's Grounded documentaries for The Last of Us and The Last of Part 2, which will ramp up the game's marketing phase.

Rockstar also hasn't confirmed the duration of the extended look, so we'll have to wait and see what's in store.

The announcement also came with brand new GTA 6 artwork, showing off the game's co-protagonists, Lucia and Jason, wearing balaclavas in front of a gas station.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and Series S.

This MSI portable monitor is one of the best we've tested. It's a simple way to add a second screen to your workflow without breaking the bank - especially now the MSI Pro MP165 E6 is down to $70 (was $95) at Amazon.

Earning four stars in our review, it proved an invaluable second display for business professionals who need to add more screen real-estate while traveling or working in small spaces.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the MSI Pro MP165 E6 if...

You want a cheap, lightweight second screen for travel, presentations, or a desktop you occasionally need more space on. The built-in kickstand, VESA mounting points, and tripod socket give you more ways to position it than most budget portable monitors offer.

❌ Skip the MSI Pro MP165 E6 if...

You need a display for color-critical photo or video work — our review found the color coverage mediocre and brightness capped at 250 nits. While not a deal-breaker for us at this price, if you specifically want a portable monitor with its own battery, skip this since it has to stay plugged in.

Why we recommend it

In our full 4-star review, we called it "a super-light, hyper-functional portable display that is great to have as an extra display for all of your tech." We found it well suited to business professionals who need extra screen real estate without adding much bulk to a bag, and especially liked the wallet-friendly price.

What stands out here is how many mounting options MSI built in for a monitor at this price. The VESA points and tripod socket mean it works as a wall-mounted second display, a tripod-mounted screen for demos or content recording, or just a laptop companion propped up on its own kickstand — most budget portable monitors we see only really support the last of those.

For more top picks, we've rounded up the best portable monitors to go through our testing process.

Price Context & Historical Value

MSI lists the MP165 E6 at $89.99, with Amazon and other retailers typically pricing it closer to $94.99–$95. We've featured this exact monitor in a previous deal at $64.99 during this year's summer sale at Amazon. The lowest ever price we've seen it was $62. So, while it's not quite as cheap as it was over Prime Day, it's still a very good discount.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

Our review flagged mediocre color coverage and a brightness ceiling of 250 nits, so this isn't the monitor to reach for if you're editing photos or video.

Like most monitors we test at this price, there's also no internal battery. That means it needs to stay powered via USB-C whenever it's in use, and the built-in stand, while functional, isn't going to feel especially premium.

For a basic second screen for business users or even gamers, none of that gets in the way in our view.

• See all monitor deals at Amazon.

• Bose has just unveiled second-generation QuietComfort Headphones
• Introduces two-way USB-C audio, better ANC, Bose Immersive Audio and more
• Costs less than 2023 model, brings not one but two Shrek-y color options

It's been three long years since the Bose QuietComfort Headphones arrived (which were themselves an update on the iconic Bose QuietComfort 35 II, initially released way back in 2017).

And now, the brand has finally updated the series as its more affordable option to the flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).

These are, as naming experts can probably guess, called the Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen). They bring a range of upgrades over the original pair and, most importantly, a lower price. That's right: 2026, aka the year of price hikes, has just thrown us a bone.

We know the Bose QC Headphones (2nd Gen) will cost £299 (which converts to around $400, AU$600, though I'd expect the actual prices to be a little lower). For context, the first-gen model cost $349 / £349.95 / AU$549.95, so the discount isn't just mere pennies.

The new headphones will go on sale on August 13, and we'll start testing them soon to see how they stack up in a congested market. The thing is, this aesthetic is highly desirable: when I take public transport I see countless pairs of the older model, despite their relative age.

Anyway, let's look at some key upgrades!

What's new in Gen 2

By the sounds of things, the new Bose cans match their predecessors in terms of audio chops. The older siblings had a 40mm driver, though the company hasn't confirmed what size (and type) of driver the 2nd Gen set are packing.

However, there's now Bose Immersive Audio, a feature previously exclusive to the Ultra lineup, which offers some useful presets. One, which Bose highlights, is a Cinema Mode that aims to create a wide soundstage and boost dialogue.

There's now also support for USB-C wired audio, so you can listen to lossless audio from your phone, and boosts to the ANC. Given that the 'Quiet' part of 'QuietComfort' is a pledge of noise cancellation prowess and the fact that Bose essentially wrote the book on ANC, it's good to hear (or, more appropriately, not hear).

Bose has made a few design tweaks on the QCH(2G) too, with comfier cushions and more ovular earcups. The brand also says the sliders are smoother to use, and presumably that refers to the headband sliders or small Bluetooth slider on the top plate of the right ear cup, because the first-gen. model didn't have any kind of on-ear volume slider.

And, because you read it in the headline, there's one more change we should discuss. Beyond black and white color options, three limited-edition models are being unveiled. Rosewood Mauve is a bold purplish option — see our glowing Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) review for reference — while Eucalyptus Green, pictured in the main image, will make you look like you're wearing Shrek ears. The third is Dewdrop Mint, with a two-tone pale and dark green. To my eyes this particular finish looks like the hue a pair of kids' headphones would come in.

I imagine that most people might prefer to pick up the black or white models, but Shrek fans out there might differ.

• Carabao Cup First Round: Thursday, August 6 – Monday, August 10
• Free Streams: CBS Sports Golazo (US) / ITVX (UK)
• Unlock your free stream with NordVPN

The 2026/27 Carabao Cup live streams are back ahead of what promises to be another fascinating knockout competition featuring the EFL's 92 clubs. Man City are defending champions but, along with the other eight teams featuring in Europe this season, won't enter until the third round. The remaining Premier League sides begin in the second round later in August.

That means an early chance to get the skinny on some of the EFL in the first round, which starts on Thursday as Championship side Bristol City host fourth-tier Walsall at Ashton Gate.

That's followed on Friday night by Wycombe vs Stevenage, Wolves vs Port Vale and – arguably the highlight of the first round – Middlesbrough vs Wrexham. Boro narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last term, while Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac's Hollywood-backed Red Dragons have a gaggle of new fans thanks to their A-List owners.

There will be a further 31 fixtures across Saturday, Sunday and Monday, including fourth-tier Rotherham seeking to upset West Brom, of the Championship. The final game of the round is on Monday evening, a mouthwatering Devon Derby between Plymouth Argyle and Exeter City.

For the first and second rounds, the teams are divided into Northern and Southern sections to reduce the traveling required for teams further down the pyramid. Technically, the competition began last weekend. Because of the impact of the aforementioned nine teams competing in Europe, there was a preliminary round in which Crawley beat beleaguered York 2-0, while Rochdale overcame Tranmere on penalties.

Read on as we show you how to watch the Carabao Cup 2026/27 from anywhere, and for FREE.

Use a VPN to watch any Carabao Cup 2026/27 stream

🌎 ABROAD? The Carabao Cup 2026/27 is broadcast in many countries around the world but if you're traveling outside your country you should consider using one of the best VPNs to unlock your domestic streaming service provided it does not infringe any terms and conditions.

How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27 live streams in the US

Select Carabao Cup 2026/27 live streams are available for free on CBS Sports Golazo, and on Paramount+ in the US.

The Paramount+ Essential package costs $8.99 per month or $89.99 per year, while Paramount+ Premium costs $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year.

However, for a limited time you can get 30 days for $1 via Walmart Plus.

Carabao Cup soccer is available with all these deals, and you can also watch EFL matches and the Champions League on the platform.

Outside the US? Use NordVPN to access your usual Carabao Cup 2026/27 streams.

How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27 in the UK

As we've already mentioned above, up to 10 Carabao Cup 2026/27 will be available to watch for FREE on ITV and via ITVX. That includes the final and Middlesbrough vs Wrexham in the first round

Remember, you need to be a UK citizen and have a TV license to watch.

However, that is not the only option as Sky Sports is also providing coverage in the UK, ever single fixture set to air across the Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports+ suite of channels.

Sky Sports plans start from £35/month or £22 if you're an existing Sky subscriber. Alternatively, grab a Now Sports subscription from £14.99/day or £34.99/month.

Outside the UK right now? Use NordVPN to access your preferred coverage of the Carabao Cup 2026/27.

How to watch Carabao Cup 20262/27 live streams in Canada

In Canada, DAZN is showing the Carabao Cup 2026/27.

You'll need DAZN's soccer package, which starts at CA$24.99/month.

Not in Canada? Use NordVPN if you're away from home, in order to tap into your preferred EFL Cup coverage from anywhere.

How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27 in Australia

Football fans in Australia can watch the Carabao Cup 2026/27 on beIN Sports.

Subscriptions to beIN SPORTS cost AU$15.99 per month or AU$159.99 per year, with both options including a 7-day free trial. It's also available via Prime Video Channels as an add‑on for AU$14.99/month.

From September 1, though, prices go up to AU$16.99 per month and AU$169.99 per year.

Outside Oz traveling? Use NordVPN to watch the Carabao Cup 2026/27 from anywhere in the world.

How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27 in New Zealand

It's similar in New Zealand, where you can watch the Carabao Cup 2026/27 on beIN Sports.

Subscriptions to beIN SPORTS cost NZ$14.99 per month or AU$149.99 per year, with both options including a 7-day free trial.

Outside New Zealand traveling? Use NordVPN to watch the Carabao Cup 2026/27 from anywhere in the world.

Carabao Cup 2026/27 Q&A

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• Hisense TVs with Google TV or VIDAA OS are getting Dolby Vision 2 first — the first models are 2026 TVs including the UX, UR9, UR8 and U7
• The update will roll out soon to customers in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific
• Peacock is the big initial streamer to support it in the US, with and Chinese giant iQIYI is now also on board

Dolby Vision 2, the next generation of the advanced HDR format, is arriving on multiple TVs today — and it's rolling out to more models in the coming weeks.

Hisense is rolling out a firmware update from today for customers in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific countries — and Chinese streaming giant iQIYI is confirmed to be on board as supporting the format, in addition to US streamer Peacock.

In addition to adding compatibility for features unique to Dolby Vision 2, the upgrade to DV2 means that existing Dolby Vision titles will also look better on these TVs, thanks to upgrades in the core image processing engine.

Dolby says that everything produced for first-generation format "will look more captivating and authentic, offering a significant and immediate improvement".

Which Hisense TVs are getting the Dolby Vision 2 upgrade?

The initial rollout is to 2026 Hisense TVs running either Google TV or VIDAA OS, and the first models will be these, which will all get Dolby Vision 2 Max:

• Hisense UX
• Hisense UR9
• Hisense UR8
• Hisense U7 (US)
• Hisense U7 Pro (Europe and other regions)

Exactly which other TVs will get it remains to be announced. It's a little complicated, because support requires a particular chip (the MediaTek Pentonic 800) in the TV, but Dolby told TechRadar that there are more chips coming that can support it, and that the Pentonic 800 is being rolled out more widely than it was previously.

It's also been confirmed that some TCL and European Philips TVs will get Dolby Vision 2 later this year, but there's no exact schedule for that yet.

Media that fully uses Dolby Vision 2's enhanced tools will be able to take advantage of features including Content Intelligence, which enables creators to embed precise instructions in each scene to dynamically adjust the picture, and an intensity slider to customize the Dolby Vision 2 experience to suit your room and personal preferences.

In addition to the standard improvements, Dolby Vision 2 Max can also leverage the processing power of more premium TVs with two key features: Authentic Motion, which delivers cinematic visuals while reducing unwanted judder and "soap opera" effects, which can result from excessive motion smoothing; and Light Sense 2, which can more intelligently optimize picture quality based on the lighting environment so you can see the dark bits when you're in a brightly lit room.

Dolby Vision 2 will be arriving as a firmware upgrade from Hisense today, with the full rollout taking several weeks.

The announcement and rollout have clearly been planned for some time, which suggests that Samsung's announcement of Prime Video supporting its rival format, HDR10+ Advanced earlier this week was designed to steal Dolby's thunder.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

Asus is one of the biggest players in the gaming hardware space, and its Republic of Gamers (or ROG for short) division is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The gaming behemoth is offering fans the chance to snag some limited-edition merchandise when making purchases at the Asus store.

ROG has been at the forefront of gaming hardware design and performance over the years, from maximising sheer gaming power to innovative design solutions and products including gaming laptops with dual displays.

With 20 years of experience in gaming under its belt, there’s never been a better time to dive into all that Asus ROG has to offer, while simultaneously snapping up these anniversary-tastic offers and exploring the ROG range to claim an exclusive anniversary gift.

And, much like ROG’s range of products always pushing the envelope when it comes to design or aesthetic, the current range you can explore to take advantage of these 20th Anniversary offers includes some of its biggest and most interesting beasts, all of which offer something slightly different.

The gaming beasts within the ROG range

Go big, and go dual-screen with the Zephyrus Duo

The best way to go all out with your embracing of Asus’ gear right now is with its flagship ROG Zephyrus Duo machine, which will have you covered for almost any gaming or work task you can possibly think of, with its dual 16-inch 3K OLED touchscreens and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card under the hood.

If you’re a gaming power user, and someone who likes to dabble in streaming too then this will have you cvovered, it’s second screen perfectly placed to keep all your tools and shortcuts for both games and programs; alternatively, if you like your gaming station to be your workstation and have a lot of things to hand at once then a second display is only going to boost productgivty by housing tools, chat programs, and more.

Ditch the desktop with the ROG Strix SCAR 18

Alternatively, if you’re looking for a desktop replacement, then the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 18 is a big-screen beast that will immerse you in games and work with its 4K 240Hz ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED display and all the gaming chops you can ask for — and it’ll make everything look absolutely stunning.

Whichever way you cut the ROG Strix SCAR 18’s spec list, it has you covered no matter what you play. Sporting internal components of up to an RTX 5090 graphics card, a colossal 128GB of RAM, and up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX processor, this machine will ensure you are fully immersed in atmospheric single-player games and super competitive online shooters alike. Gamers of all stripes will not be let down here.

Embrace portability with the ROG Flow Z13-KJP

Offering perhaps one of the coolest product options in the range, though, is the Asus ROG Flow Z13-KJP, which will give you the ability to go mobile and balance a limited-edition design with performance and portability.

The limited edition artwork on this model, in collaboration with Kojima Productions, makes this 2-in-1 machine an absolute beauty. That functionality and multi-use mean that the Flow Z13-KJP can be the perfect companion for on-the-go work tasks, gaming on the move, and even used for reading, sketching, and entertainment. It’s one of the coolest machines available, and you can be sure that the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor, AMD Radeon 8060S graphics, and up to a whopping 128GB of memory mean it won’t let you down performance-wise.

Take your ROG machine anywhere with the Xbox Ally X

Join the portable PC revolution by embracing the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, a superb way to play your PC and Xbox games on a wonderful seven-inch 120Hz display powered by an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor and boasting 24GB of RAM, and a wonderful combo of Windows 11 and the Xbox UI to ensure ease of use.

This device epitomises the innovation at the core of Asus ROG products, and demonstrates what PC gaming can be in the year 2026. The Full HD 120Hz screen with FreeSync Premium combines beautifully with the specs above and ensures you can have a brilliant PC gaming experience in your hands wherever you are — while also allowing the flexibility to plug into a larger display for bigger screen gaming.

An anniversary to remember — with free gifts!

Running until August 31, 2026, these offers cover a host of products and get increasingly excellent depending on how big you go with your order. In terms of the actual 20th Anniversary bonuses you can get by embracing one of these ROG products, there are a few excellent options available to you.

If you’ve been eyeing up a move into the world of handheld gaming by going for an Asus ROG Xbox Ally, then you’ll get a Premium Case or ROG Omni Hang Pal or Omni Figure and t-shirt.

For those who have saved up and are looking to make a big investment, then you’re in for a treat too, as there are a few levels of bonuses depending on what you spend at the Asus store:

• Shoppers who spend up to £1,000 to £3,999 will get a ROG 20th Anniversary football and T-Shirt*
• Spend between £3,999 and £5,000, and you’ll pick up a limited edition ROG 20th Anniversary VIP Collector's Kit, Football, and T-Shirt*
• Go big and spend over £5,000 and you’ll bag a ROG 20th Anniversary Hard Case Luggage set, a limited edition ROG 20th Anniversary VIP Collector's Kit and an ROG 20th Anniversary Football*

But it’s worth noting that ROG 20th Anniversary Gifts are only included when ordering an ROG XBOX Ally or an ROG laptop, as indicated by the asterisk above, and qualifying spend thresholds need to be met by an individual product, not the cumulative order total. Naturally, free gifts are subject to availability, and there are only 10 of the ROG luggage sets and 10 of the VIP Collector's Kits available, and they will be sent until all 10 have been claimed. All eligible gifts will be shipped together with your order, except for the football, which will be sent during August 2026.

If you’re an Asus member, you can receive an additional £50 off eligible ROG laptops using code ROGMEMBER50 at checkout.

Make sure to check out the full promotional terms on the Asus store website, of course, just to make sure you can maximise your goodies, and browse all the awesome gear to make sure you pick the best machine for you.

• A user on Reddit shared a solution to stop AirPods from slipping out of your ears
• They switched to liquid silicone tips instead of Apple's standard silicone ones
• The user claims these have solved the slipping issue, and they fit just as well as foam tips

We’ve tested pretty much all the best earbuds out there, and the AirPods Pro lineup always lands in our list of top models — but keeping them tucked securely in your ears can be a bit of a challenge during activities that involve a lot of movement.

If you find that your AirPods Pro slip out while running, or even walking and chewing, you’re not in the minority. Turns out, there’s a whole community of AirPod users out there who are running into the same issues.

I switched from earbuds to using some of the best headphones a while back, but when I had my old AirPods I endured the same frustrations of having to push them back into my ear every now and then. It’s quite annoying, especially if you use AirPods Pro for exercising — but one user has found a fix.

Liquid silicone is the solution (apparently)

In a post on Reddit (see below), u/LatissimusDorsi26 shared that they decided to ditch their Apple-made ear tips for cheap liquid silicone replacements they bought from Amazon (they said it cost them $5 for 4 pairs in XS, S, M, and L). They said the tips ‘permanently’ solved the problem for them and their AirPods Pro 2.

Yes, AirPods Pro come with silicone ear tips out of the box, but they’re not 'liquid silicone', which is what the author of the Reddit post believes makes the difference, detailing the replacement tips’ "sticky/ tacky finish on their surface which makes them stick to your ear canal".

I know what you might be thinking: won't your AirPods then be too big to fit in the charging case?. I thought that too, but according to the poster, they fit just as perfectly as they would with standard Apple earbud tips, and you won’t need to remove the tips for charging.

Since sharing this, fellow AirPods owners flocked to the replies, and it's sparked a deeper conversation about silicone vs foam tips for earbuds.

Though silicone tips are pretty much the go-to for a lot of earbud brands, and not just Apple — the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 4 also have silicone tips — a lot of users choose to upgrade to foam replacements from brands such as Comply. There are many reasons for this.

In short, foam tips can provide a grip that’s a lot more snug, and are arguably better for locking in audio and preserving noise cancellation. That said, foam replacements are expensive alternatives and don’t have the same durability as silicone — one user in the replies highlighted that Comply foam tips are the best part of $25 for three pairs, while another said that they still keep slipping out.

That’s not to say silicone tips don’t have their setbacks. By standards, some versions don’t fit quite as tight as foam ones, and transparent ones as shown earlier don’t quite fit the clean-cut aesthetic of the AirPods themselves. But silicone wins on the durability front, and won’t need frequent replacing like foam tips.

Based on this Reddit poster’s hack, it appears that there is a way to solve the pain points on both sides after all. On the one hand the liquid silicone tips stick to the user’s ear canal, providing a secure fit, and are durable and affordable on the other — all from a mere $5 Amazon purchase.

• Gemini is soon set to replace Google Assistant on Android devices
• Android fans seem largely unhappy with this change
• They've highlighted five things they dislike about Gemini, the main one being that it's bad at carrying out simple tasks

Just over a decade after it launched, Google Assistant is now set to be shut down, with September 4 confirmed as the date it will no longer function on Android or Wear OS. Users will then need to switch over to Gemini if they want a replacement, and while Google probably sees this as an upgrade, many Android fans really don’t.

Over on Reddit, the comments are almost universally negative, with responses like “Gemini absolutely sucks,” “it's so bad,” and “I don't like how Gemini is being shoehorned into everything.”

Some users are going so far as to say they might stop buying Pixel or Android phones if they’re forced to use Gemini, with comments like “honestly I think it's time I de-Google,” “this will be my last Pixel. I don't do AI,” and “I may legitimately discontinue my use of phones that use Gemini if they shut down the Google Assistant. It's THAT obnoxiously bad.”

Of course, things might not be much better on iOS, given that Siri is also in the process of getting an AI overhaul, and the days of simpler services like the old Siri or Google Assistant are numbered, regardless of which phone you choose.

Five core complaints

But the anti-Gemini sentiments aren’t purely coming from people taking an ethical or ideological stance against AI — though that’s certainly a factor for some. The most common complaint is simply that it isn’t as good as Google Assistant at the things the latter excels at, like setting timers and turning on smart lights.

As Reddit user kohta-kun explained: “I asked it to set an alarm today at a specific time, it was to remind me that I was in 3-hour parking. Instead of setting the alarm it asked me why I wanted to, so then I had to do a second response where I explained that it was to remind myself that my three-hour parking ends. It then suggested it could set an alarm or timer to remind me, and asked me if I wanted to do that and for what time.

"It was one of the more bizarre casual interactions I've had. What normally was just done in one prompt turned into a useless, forced conversation, where I had to tell it what I wanted three times.” There are many other similar anecdotes too, of Gemini either failing to carry out a task or taking far too long to do so.

A third issue, tied into the above, is that users complain Gemini “lies” to them, claiming it’s done things it hasn’t, or that it can’t do things it obviously can.

And as one exasperated user noted, “it uses more battery, more data, and is worse in every way,” so that’s two more things that Android fans hate about it.

A few comments are slightly more positive about Gemini, but while they acknowledge its capabilities as an LLM, they still largely note that it’s simply not suited to the things Google Assistant excelled at.

So, it seems this isn’t a popular decision by Google, but with almost the whole tech world forcing AI into its products and services, it’s unlikely the company will change its mind.

A gaming laptop is a good investment if you're headed off to college but still want to play your library of games. For one, a gaming laptop is easily powerful enough to tackle any study duties on the side.

Annoyingly, finding a super-cheap gaming laptop is difficult these days due to RAM and other components being so expensive. Decent deals do exist, however, if you're willing to cast the net out further.

Just below, you can see the five best gaming laptop deals I've spotted this week, which mostly include options from Best Buy's excellent 'back to school sale' that's running right now.

By far and away, the best deal right now (in my opinion) is this Gigabyte Aero X16 for $1,329 (was $1,499) at Best Buy. This is a deal that harkens back to a time when you didn't have to pay extortionate amounts for a laptop with 32GB of RAM - and it's also got a really decent RTX 5070 graphics card to boot.

Another great choice for students is the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 for $1,599 (was $2,299) at Best Buy. This is a machine that features a really lovely high-end design that's easily portable, as well as a 3K OLED display - which is perfect for both games and content. While pricey, this is a good option if you want a stylish MacBook-style laptop that can still handle all the latest games. You can read more about this deal, and others, just down below.

This week's best gaming laptops

• Sony has reportedly started putting labels on PS5 boxes, informing buyers of its plan to end physical disc production
• The label allegedly features an "important notice" for consumers
• Sony's plan comes into effect in January 2028

Sony is reportedly notifying consumers of its decision to end physical disc production in less than two years, with new labels on PS5 consoles.

As VGC reports, X user and content creator Behind the Games posted a photo of what they claim is a new sticker on the back of a PS5 box that alerts buyers of its plan to end the production of game discs by January 2028.

"IMPORTANT NOTICE: From Jan. 2028, newly released games on PlayStation will be available for purchase on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital format only," the message allegedly reads. "Discs for games released before Jan. 2028 can continue to be played on this console."

Behind the Games added that the photo is not theirs but from a "trusted source," but it's important to mention that the label hasn't been verified just yet.

Sony shared its plan last month and received overwhelming backlash from PlayStation fans. Organizations like the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) have also condemned the plan, calling it "a triumph of corporate convenience over consumer choice."

After remaining silent against the pushback for weeks, Sony CFO Lin Tao addressed the situation during the company's Q1 2026 earnings announcement, confirming that it is "cautiously" moving forward with its decision (via IGN).

"There are various reasons we made this decision, the biggest being that digitalisation of contents overall has been progressing, that’s the big factor. It’s not just for PlayStation, but for all kinds of content, digitalisation is progressing," Tao said.

"And so, when we think about the future, we put in a lot of thought and time, and we cautiously considered this, and we came to this conclusion, and we’re going to cautiously move this forward."

Garmin Cirqa: One minute review

I’ve spent a week with the Garmin Cirqa screenless fitness tracker, wearing it constantly during sleep, exercise and rest to determine how comfortable it is in everyday life, and measuring it against an electrical heart rate monitor and other wearables to determine accuracy.

After all my testing, I can confirm the Whoop and Google Fitbit Air have got serious competition. While some people will still want the AI-powered coaching from Whoop and Google Health, and others will want the screen-based interaction and notification features available on the best smartwatches, most users looking for a simple but high-quality screenless fitness tracker will be just fine getting the Cirqa.

If you’re reading this review wondering how it compares to the likes of the Whoop MG and the Google Fitbit Air, you’ll already know what to expect from the design: a fabric band that stretches over the fitness tracker’s plastic puck to create a solid-color screenless wearable. The idea is that you can use it for working out, sleeping, rest and work, get accurate metrics all day, and not glance at it all the time or be distracted by notifications on your wrist.

Where it differs is in the design specifics. It’s quite a large fitness tracker, sitting more obviously on the wrist compared to its rivals, and thus people with very small wrists might want to try it before they commit. However, I like the design overall, especially the inclusion of an actual button on the side of the device. This button is used to start a workout, signified by a strong vibration, and stop a workout, at which point it vibrates again. You can also use it to turn off its vibrating smart-wake alarm. It’s so much easier than tapping the Whoop’s puck, and provides certainty and security when tracking an activity, so you're not just hoping the device picks it up. It’s the perfect level of minimalist interaction for a tracker like this.

I generally found it accurate over my testing period, apart from a single outlier workout in which the heart rate sensor showed a 10BPM difference compared to my electrical heart rate monitor, the Polar H10 — my accuracy benchmark. The other workouts I recorded were within 1-2bpm of accuracy, and Garmin Connect correctly showed my wake-up times when recording sleep.

I found myself enjoying running more than I have in months by ‘vibe running’: ditching my watch with its pace and heart rate metrics updating me every kilometer and allowing the Cirqa to track in the background, leaving me to focus on my form, the trees, my music and my thoughts. It’s no good for specific training for timed runs, new courses, intervals and the like due to the lack of on-wrist information, but for wellness tracking, it works nicely.

It’s going to be a real boon for cyclists using Garmin’s Edge series of cycling computers. Many of the best Garmin watches double-up on the cycling computer's GPS features, so the Cirqa allows cyclists to add wellness metrics without a more expensive watch.

Watch our video review of the Garmin Cirqa here:

Garmin Cirqa review: Price and availability

• $199.99 in the US
• £179.99 in the UK
• AU$299.99 in the AU

The Garmin Cirqa fitness tracker costs $199.99 in the US, £179.99 in the UK and AU$299.99 in Australia. There’s no subscription fee — at least, no mandatory one — but Garmin Coach features are locked behind the Garmin Connect+ paywall in the app, which costs an extra $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$12 per month or $69.99 / £69.99 / AU$120 annually. A bicep band for the Cirqa comes at an added extra too.

You can get along just fine without the subscription, if you don’t want the coaching features. Live heart rate broadcasting was also originally locked behind this paywall, but Garmin rolled that back after an outcry. The free tier of Connect is an excellent training aid, and isn’t as stripped-back as the free tier of the Google Health app you use with the Google Fitbit Air. However, the Cirqa is also twice the price of Fitbit, so this is reflected in the price, and Connect (being Garmin’s app for all its devices) lists some stats you don’t get access to via the Cirqa if you dig a little deeper, leading to some annoying friction moments.

However, for most people, it’s better value than Whoop, which requires an annual subscription starting at £169 / $199 / AU$299 and going up from there. With Whoop, you never actually own either the device or the data you collect, merely rent it. With two years of the cheapest Whoop subscription, you could also buy a cheap Garmin running watch like the Garmin Forerunner 165 as well as a Cirqa and alternate between the two of them for many years.

While serious athletes such as CrossFit and Hyrox enthusiasts will want Whoop’s vast swathes of unique metrics such as the Strain score and AI-powered workout building features, the Cirqa’s subscription-free tier is much more affordable and better value for most, despite the relatively high price of the tracker itself compared to some of Garmin's more feature-rich running watches.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Garmin Cirqa review: Design

• Choice of four colors
• Screenless form factor
• Tactile button

The Garmin Cirqa is a simple design. A fabric band with four color options — Mauve, French Grey, Captain Blue and Black — wraps around a plastic puck with Garmin’s Elevate V4 heart rate sensor array. The puck is slightly curved to mimic the wrist’s shape, and as previously mentioned, it includes a ridged button on the side to start and stop workouts.

The design is very simple, and the button is the only way to interact with the puck. It’s very comfortable to wear, weighing only 21g, and light enough and comfortable enough that I often forgot I was wearing it during the week. That made wearing it for sleep and exercise a frictionless experience, and the band is soft to the touch.

It’s quite large for a ‘discreet’ band due to the size of Garmin’s Elevate V4 sensor, but not uncomfortable — at least, for my wrists. Those with very thin wrists may struggle, but I was told the more up-to-date Elevate V5 sensor would have made the puck even bigger.

I’ve always been a fan of the Garmin Connect app, and its design is really comprehensive. It can be difficult to navigate at first due to the breadth of information on offer, meaning some stats and features get lost in the mix, but once you’re used to it, it’s easy to access a lot of detail along with community features such as challenges.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Garmin Cirqa review: Features

• Deliberately hardware feature-light
• Plenty of detailed metrics
• Not as many as a full Garmin watch, or Whoop

There are very few interactive features on the Garmin Cirqa puck; you can start and stop workouts, or stop an alarm, but that’s more or less it. However, the information the Cirqa collects and shows you in the app aren't lacking in detail.

The Garmin Cirqa tracker collects data on sleep stages, heart rate variability (HRV), pulse ox and provides Garmin’s Training Readiness and Body Battery scores. Garmin’s Sleep Coach feature can recommend bedtimes and sleep length, letting you know if you’re in a sleep deficit, and smart wake alarm using the device’s haptic sensors buzzes on your wrist in a light sleep stage to wake you within a pre-prescribed window.

Automatic activity detection means the Cirqa quietly records activities lasting longer than 15 minutes, such as walks, which become more accurate if you amend the detected activities in the Garmin Connect app, including extending or trimming the duration. Alternatively, you can simply press the button to start a timed activity, and again amend in-app.

While you won’t get advanced running features like many Garmin watches, such as cadence, stride length, Hill Score (based on elevation) and so on, you still get generic training information like heart rate, VO2 Max and Training Load, which can help you tell you if you’re under or overtraining. Garmin also carries features like Fitness Age, which uses heart rate and activity data to tell you how well your body performs compared to its actual age. Whoop has a similar feature named Whoop Age — another example of the Cirqa eating Whoop’s lunch here.

You get quite a lot for your money. There's a small value issue, though: it’s not packing quite as many features as the premium Whoop subscriptions, nor a watch like the Garmin Forerunner 165, which gets you all of the above plus dedicated GPS, running and notification features for the same price. But it also comes with a screen, which you might not want. The Cirqa avoids bloat, prioritising the fitness and recovery metrics users want to see and eliminating the interactive features that screenless wearables fans don't want at all.

As well as the Garmin Coach features, AI-powered photograph-based nutrition tracking and AI-generated training insights are also available as part of Garmin’s premium Connect+ tier.

• Features score: 4/5

Garmin Cirqa review: Performance

• Accurate workout metrics, aside from one outlying workout
• Sleep tracking was competent
• Comfy and easy to wear

I tested the Garmin Cirqa for around nine days, performing several workouts compared against a Polar H10 heart rate monitor, tracking my sleep, and draining the battery. If you’re working out three to four times a week and enabling auto-detection for walks and other activities, it lasts a solid week between charges — I topped mine up on day seven of testing.

It recorded my sleep well and correctly identified wake-up times in the middle of the night and in the early hours of the morning. If I slept well or went to bed early, the Cirqa correctly identified this and the numbers matched my energy levels and perceived sleep quality. If I got up in the middle of the night (which I often do several nights out of the week), the Cirqa clocked it. Its sleep stages graph is easy to parse, while Sleep Score and HRV are sortable by the last week, month or year to show trends.

When it comes to measuring workout accuracy, while there’s no GPS to draw from other than piggybacking off my phone, the Cirqa closely matched my Polar H10 heart rate monitor during workouts. There was one instance in which it was an average of 10bpm off during a 40-minute strength session in the gym, but other workouts cleaved very closely to the HRM, within 2-3bpm accuracy (as you can see below). My guess is that if that particular workout was longer, the readings would have evened out.

Like other Garmin devices using the Elevate V4, the Cirqa is generally accurate enough for anyone who doesn’t need elite-level metrics, at which point they’d be using a heart rate monitor or Garmin’s Elevate V5. But even record-breaker Sebastian Sawe was spotted using a Garmin Forerunner 55, which uses a V4, during his sub-two hour London Marathon run.

I can’t overstate how nice the Cirqa is to wear. I found it a better daily driver than the Whoop band, despite its size, largely due to the Whoop’s often-detaching clasp. The tactile button gave me a sense of certainty in my recording, and I didn’t have to open the app to manually start a workout like the Google Fitbit Air if I wanted to be accurate. The haptics are nice and strong too.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Garmin Cirqa review: Scorecard

Garmin Cirqa review: Should I buy?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested

I tested the Garmin Cirqa for over one week, draining the battery down and wearing it constantly during sleep, work, exercise and rest. I undertook multiple workouts, comparing them to a Polar H10 electrical heart rate monitor for accuracy, and compared its featureset to its peers in the screenless fitness tracker market.

First reviewed: August 2026

The ThinkPad P16 is one of our favorite mobile workstations, and our top pick for engineering students and professionals running graphics-heavy workloads. And the current deal here is unmissable, with the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 now $4649 (was $7179) at Lenovo.

That's a massive $2530 discount on a workstation for engineers, architects, designers, developers, and content creators who need desktop-class performance wherever they work.

Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX processor, Nvidia RTX PRO 3000 Blackwell graphics with 12GB of GDDR7 memory, 64GB of DDR5 RAM, and a lightning-fast 2TB PCIe Gen5 SSD, it's built to tackle demanding workloads including CAD, 3D rendering, AI development, and complex data analysis.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 if...

You need uncompromising performance for demanding professional workloads. The combination of RTX PRO graphics, 64GB of memory, and a high-performance Gen5 SSD makes it ideal for the most intensive tasks.

The color-accurate display, enterprise security, and legendary ThinkPad reliability also make it an excellent investment for professionals who rely on their laptop every day.

❌ Skip the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 if...

Your workload revolves around web browsing, office documents, streaming, or light photo editing. This workstation is designed for demanding professional applications, so you'll pay for performance that many users simply won't need.

It's also larger and heavier than a typical productivity laptop, making portability less of a priority than raw computing power.

Why we recommend it

The ThinkPad P16 Gen 3 isn't simply a high-end laptop, it's a genuine mobile workstation capable of replacing many desktop systems. Lenovo has combined premium build quality with professional-grade graphics, abundant memory, and one of Intel's fastest mobile processors to create a machine that excels under sustained heavy workloads.

In his glowing five-star review, our laptop expert Collin said it was: "crafted just for those who need reliable performance on the go, blending portability with 16-inches of screen, ports, and power all around arguably one of the best keyboards on the market."

He added: " It’s powerful, it’s portable, and it’s practically a workstation you can carry with you. It’s a magnificent step in the direction of those who unashamedly need raw power, but need to be on the go as well."

The 16-inch WQUXGA display delivers exceptional color accuracy with 100% DCI-P3 coverage, HDR 400 support, and 800 nits of brightness, ideal for creative professionals. Add Wi-Fi 7, enterprise-grade security features, and Lenovo's renowned ThinkPad durability, and this is a premium workstation at one of its best prices yet.

Based on our experience, we've ranked this the best laptop for engineering students overall, and an excellent professional pick for those running graphically intensive workloads.

Also consider

Price context & historical value

Saving $2,530 on a current-generation mobile workstation is a fantastic deal, especially when configured with premium components like 64GB of RAM, RTX PRO Blackwell graphics, and a 2TB Gen5 SSD.

Systems in this class are never cheap, obviously, and discounts of this size don't appear often on Lenovo's newest workstation line-up, so this one not to be missed.

For more savings on work machines, we track the best business laptop deals every week.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This workstation inevitably prioritizes performance over portability. At nearly 16 inches with high-end components inside, it's designed to replace a desktop rather than compete with ultralight laptops.

Battery life will also vary significantly under demanding workloads, particularly when making full use of the dedicated RTX PRO graphics.

• Shop all Lenovo ThinkPad laptops

• AI audio giant Suno has launched a vinyl pressing service
• Yes, it is seemingly just for AI tracks generated on its site
• It's eco-friendly, apparently

Among many audiophiles, vinyl records are considered sacred; I concur, which is why my turntable was the first thing I set up when I recently moved home. But that's clearly not the case for everyone.

For me and, I hope, fellow record-lovers, the draw is that vinyl is an undeniably human way of listening to music. By their sheer nature, records are full of everything and with nothing edited out: there are mistakes and imperfections (just as we all have), but the analog result is warm and familiar… and somehow welcoming.

However, in our 'everything-is-AI' modern world, someone somewhere had the tiring thought, "What if AI came to records too?" and so we have this news.

AI 'music'-making service Suno is now encouraging you to press tracks generated using the site onto records, and to buy them for $45.

That's right, you can now sully a perfectly good bit of PVC plastic with 'songs' made by a computer, bringing a hearty dose of cold inhumanity to this all-so-human format.

Apparently, you can only order one record per creation from your Suno library, which can be up to 46 minutes, so this isn't a way of mass-producing AI slop to vinyl (thankfully). And Suno claims the material used for the records is sourced in an "eco friendly" way — a pretty hilarious assertion given how disastrous for the planet AI is proving itself to be generally. It's like chopping down trees with a pre-owned chainsaw.

One for the record

To audiophiles (or how about actual human bands, whose markup on a physical music product is far bigger than in streaming?) Suno's move feels destined to anger.

For me, it devalues a beloved format. It pulls apart the big black disc — with all the human, tangible attributes that makes me revere it — and makes it fake. When talking this piece through with my editor, she said, "I think it is a hideous idea that makes me feel unclean".

If there's any possible silver lining, it's that Suno's vinyl offerings might encourage people who use the site to discover the joys of real records; think older, couldn't-be-AI albums (and if that's you, why not check out our list of the best turntables to listen with, and I'll forgive your AI use if you buy something).

Or perhaps this is the last angry gasp of an AI slop machine? Google Trends data shows that interest in Suno is slowly dropping: as of early August, search is 10% down month-on-month, and over three months its interest is slowly dropping too.

Perhaps this could be fueled by the rebellion against AI music, with a growing number of streaming sites keeping it at bay. Deezer is bringing down the hammer hard, and we recently spoke to Qobuz's managing director about its own stance against slop. Even Spotify is belatedly taking some baby steps.

So is this Suno's victory lap against 'real' music, showing it's so prominent that nothing is sacred? Or is this its attempt to catch up, by adopting a format beloved by audiophiles? It's hard to say. All I know is that no AI slop record is getting anywhere near my turntable.

Bambu Lab has been nailing the 3D printer space lately, with some excellent deals across the line - but one that really stands out for easy high-speed, multi-color printing is the Bambu Lab P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo for $579 (was $1124).

This fully enclosed printer combines impressive speed, automatic calibration, and the flexibility of multi-material printing in a package that's equally suited to beginners and experienced makers. In the UK, the P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo is now £519 (was £549).

The included AMS 2 Pro system lets you print with multiple colors and materials without constant manual filament changes, and features like automatic bed leveling, vibration compensation, and pressure advance mean you can spend less time playing around with settings and more time actually printing.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Bambu Lab P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo if...

You want a fast, reliable 3D printer that delivers excellent results with minimal setup. The enclosed design supports engineering-grade materials, while the AMS 2 Pro system makes multi-color and multi-material printing straightforward. Automatic bed leveling, vibration compensation, and pressure advance remove much of the trial and error, making it an excellent choice for users of all levels, including first timers.

❌ Skip the Bambu Lab P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo if...

You only plan to print occasionally or need a basic machine for simple prototypes. If you don't need multi-color printing or advanced materials, then a lower-priced open-frame printer may deliver better value. Those needing a much larger build volume should also consider printers better designed for oversized projects.

Why we recommend it

Bambu Lab has built a reputation for making 3D printing remarkably accessible without sacrificing performance, with plenty of models featured in our round-up of the best 3D printers we've tested.

The P1S continues that approach by combining fast print speeds with excellent reliability and automation, letting you spend more time creating and less time troubleshooting.

With a generous 256 x 256 x 256mm build volume, support for engineering-grade filaments, and a setup process that takes around 15 minutes, it's designed to deliver reliable, professional-quality prints straight out of the box.

The addition of the AMS 2 Pro expands its capabilities even further, making complex multi-color projects surprisingly easy. Whether you're printing functional parts, miniatures, prototypes, or decorative models, it will deliver high-quality results with very little effort.

Price context & historical value

A price cut from $1124 to $579 in the US represents one of the biggest discounts we've seen on the P1S AMS 2 Pro Combo. With the included AMS 2 Pro system adding significant value over the standard printer, this deal substantially lowers the cost of getting into premium desktop 3D printing.

For more savings, we track the best 3D printer deals with updates every week.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

While the automation removes much of the setup work, 3D printing still comes with a learning curve. Regular maintenance, occasional nozzle cleaning, and understanding different filament types are all part of getting consistently high-quality results.

• US: Shop all 3D printers at Bambu Lab
• UK: See all Bambu Lab 3D printers

• Three in four European businesses fear a US tech 'kill switch' as much as they fear a ransomware attack
• Less than half have a continuity plan in place that is tested and documented
• Email and cloud file storage are the two services European businesses have sought sovereign alternatives for

Most European businesses use some form of US-based software in their day-to-day operations. But as tensions across the Atlantic mount, almost 75% of European businesses fear the introduction of a US tech ‘kill switch’.

This is according to new data from Proton, which surveyed 1,500 businesses in the UK, France, and Germany. The data also shows that more than half (54.5%) of European businesses would not survive for more than one day if they lost access to US cloud and digital services.

One in four of those surveyed predicted the losses from a single day of downtime could be as much as €100,000, with half predicting losses of more than €50,000.

Geopolitical tensions have become operational risk

US President Donald Trump has become increasingly critical of his allies across the Atlantic since returning to the Presidency. He has repeatedly questioned NATO contributions, threatening to withdraw unless Europe upped its spending.

But Trump has also criticized European tech regulations for “robbing American companies and, in turn, the American taxpayer”. He has vowed to investigate the European Union for fining US tech companies for anti-competitive practices and GDPR violations, and has placed numerous tariffs on trade partners.

Many US tech companies poured funding into Trump's presidential campaign, with others making voluntary contributions to curry favor immediately after his inauguration. Many complained of the fines levied against them by EU regulations, and Trump has turned this into a sticking point for negotiations with Europe.

The fear is that Trump could use Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to deem the fines from such regulations to be unfair, and stop US companies from paying them, effectively allowing US companies to violate regulations without repercussions. In return, Europe would flip the ‘kill switch’ and stop US companies from operating in their territory.

"The kill switch is no longer an abstract geopolitical concern but a business continuity crisis. The study captures a clear shift in how European businesses perceive operational risk,” said Raphaël Auphan, Chief Operating Officer at Proton.

“The fact that concern about a government-imposed kill switch is virtually indistinguishable from concern about ransomware tells something significant: geopolitical risk applied to digital dependence is no longer a boardroom abstraction. It is joining the same threat register as criminal attacks, with the same sense of urgency and the same expectation that it could materialise without warning."

A sovereign alternative

The EU has already begun taking steps towards developing European alternatives to the cloud, productivity, and other services that many businesses rely on today. A Tech Sovereignty Package, launched in June this year, seeks to reduce the reliance on US hyperscalers and Chinese tech manufacturing.

While the Proton data shows that a majority of European businesses (67.8%) would switch to a sovereign provider if the kill switch was flipped, the availability of European cloud providers is not quite at the same level as rival US services.

But steps are being taken to address this shortfall. Proton has launched a business continuity solution to help businesses continue operating during outages caused by ransomware attacks, software outages, and even a US tech kill switch.

• Researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk found three WebKit flaws leaking real IPs despite iCloud Private Relay
• DNS prefetching, WebAuthn origin requests, and WebTransport bypass proxy settings, exposing users across all Apple browsers
• Tor and Psylo browsers issued fixes; Apple has not confirmed a patch but is reviewing the report

WebKit, Apple’s engine that powers all web browsers in its ecosystem, contained multiple flaws that helped leak the IP addresses of users who paid to keep them hidden.

This is according to security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk who noted they had found “three WebKit features that bypass the proxy configuration and send traffic directly from the device instead,” they wrote.

“DNS prefetching resolves hostnames through the device’s normal DNS path, which reveals the user’s real DNS servers instead of the proxy’s. Available since iOS 26.0; WebAuthn Related Origin Requests make the operating system’s credential service fetch a validation file directly from the device. This exposes the device’s real IP address. Available since iOS 18.0; WebTransport opens a direct HTTP/3 connection and bypasses the proxy, which also exposes the device’s real IP address. Available since iOS 26.4," the researchers said.

Private Relay

While the bugs are in WebKit, the leaks come via Private Relay - a privacy feature available with iCloud+ that hides a user’s IP address and encrypts Safari web traffic. Private Relay does not work like a VPN, and does not mask the traffic flowing through other apps and programs - it just handles browser traffic.

Since WebKit is mandatory for all browsers running in Apple’s ecosystem, the vulnerability affects all of them. Some, including Tor and Mysk’s very own Psylo browsers, have already issued fixes.

Apple, on the other hand, has not yet confirmed a fix, or even that it was working on one. It did say, according to 404 Media, that it was looking into the research report.

The researchers built a dedicated website where users can check if Private Relay is working as intended or still leaking the actual IP address into the wild.

Investment in AI continues to accelerate at pace, with global spending projected to reach $2.59 trillion in 2026, a 47% year-on-year increase.

Yet only 28% of AI projects are currently generating a measurable ROI, with many failing to deliver expected business outcomes.

As organizations race to capitalize on AI opportunities, many continue to increase investments without fully understanding how AI will operate within their existing technology environments, particularly their data storage infrastructure.

Without careful planning in this area, businesses risk higher costs, growing technical debt and increased compliance complexity, all of which can undermine the value AI is set to deliver.

No data, no AI

The IT industry often talks about AI in terms of performance, computing power and processing speed. But at its heart, AI is a data system.

In recent years, high-performance processing GPUs and NPUs have been getting much of the attention and investment. While compute remains essential, AI data is constantly evolving, expanding and requiring ongoing management throughout its lifecycle.

As organizations move from AI experimentation to deployment at scale, the importance of a robust data infrastructure becomes increasingly clear.

Businesses need the ability to capture, store, access and manage growing volumes of data efficiently at every stage of the AI journey.

To maximize AI ROI, organizations should view storage and data infrastructure as strategic enablers rather than supporting technologies. Long-term AI success depends on ensuring storage infrastructure is aligned with wider technology and business objectives from the start.

AI requires a different approach to storage

Historically, data storage needs were relatively predictable. A ‘set-and-forget’ approach was often sufficient. The AI era demands a fundamentally different mindset for several reasons.

For one, the scale of data associated with AI exceeds anything many organizations have previously encountered. According to IDC, annual global data creation is expected to more than triple over the next five years, reaching 718 zettabytes by 2030, representing a CAGR of 26.9%.

AI workloads also continuously generate additional data through logs, metadata, synthetic outputs, model updates and training datasets. Just as importantly, AI performance is heavily influenced by the quality of the underlying data infrastructure. The ability to access large, well-managed datasets efficiently has a direct impact on business outcomes.

When discussing return on AI investments with the C-suite, technical leaders should connect infrastructure decisions to financial performance. GPUs are typically among the most significant items within AI budgets, and any time spent waiting on storage input/output represents underutilized investment.

Storage architectures that are not designed for AI workloads can constrain performance and reduce overall returns from compute investments.

One example for an AI-optimized architecture approach is tiered storage. Not all data delivers the same value at every stage of the AI lifecycle, nor does it require the same level of performance. Frequently accessed datasets used for active model training and inference may benefit from high-performance storage, while historical data, archived outputs and compliance-related records can be moved to lower-cost capacity tiers.

By aligning storage performance and cost with the value and usage profile of different datasets, organizations can optimize infrastructure spending while maintaining access to the data needed to support AI innovation, governance and future model development.

Organizations that invest in cost-effective scalable, future-ready, AI workload optimized storage and data infrastructure are better positioned to unlock value from AI initiatives, while building a foundation that can support future growth.

AI data, compliance and regulatory risk

Legal and regulatory considerations should also form part of AI planning from the start.

As AI laws are established, organizations must continue to comply with existing data-related obligations, including regulations like UK GDPR and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

Any organization with EU customers should also consider EU requirements around data governance, transparency and record-keeping. Retention periods for training datasets and model records can often be longer than anticipated, making long-term storage planning a decisive factor.

Addressing these needs early helps organizations avoid costly remediation efforts later and supports more effective governance as AI deployments scale.

Talking a proactive approach to protecting AI ROI

As AI adoption grows and data volumes continue to expand, demand for storage capacity is increasing rapidly. This is creating new supply chain and procurement challenges across the industry.

As a result, organizations can no longer assume that capacity will be readily available whenever it is needed, particularly for large-scale AI projects.

In practice, this means considering forecasting storage requirements alongside GPU and infrastructure investments, exploring longer-term capacity planning arrangements, and incorporating storage needs into AI business cases from the beginning.

A proactive storage strategy is becoming essential for businesses looking to support future AI workloads with confidence, minimize operational risks, and maximize long-term returns from their AI investments.

The last word

AI ROI depends not just on the quality of its algorithms and applications, but also on how effectively organizations manage, store and govern their large-scale data estates.

Even a small difference in cost per terabyte can become significant when applied across petabyte- and exabyte-scale environments.

Organizations that integrate forward storage planning into their AI strategy, treat data infrastructure as a strategic asset and prepare early for future capacity requirements will be ideally positioned to realize the full value of their AI investments.

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• The actors behind Resident Evil Requiem's Leon S. Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft, Nick Apostolides and Angela Sant’Albano, will co-host the Future Games Show at Gamescom
• The showcase will feature more than 40 games from AAA and indie studios
• Fans can expect "exclusive gameplay reveals and brand-new trailers for some of the most exciting upcoming games"

The Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026 has found its co-hosts in Resident Evil Requiem stars Nick Apostolides and Angela Sant’Albano.

Apostolides and Sant’Albano played Leon S. Kennedy and Grace Ashcroft in the most recent Resident Evil entry, and they will reunite once more on August 26 for the Future Games Show at Gamescom, which begins at 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST / 7PM CEST / 1AM CST.

"I’m thrilled to be co-hosting the Future Games Show at Gamescom alongside Angela Sant’Albano on August 26!" said Apostolides. "I can't wait to share an incredible lineup of games with fans around the world. Whether you’re into pulse-pounding horror, samurai adventures or anything in between, we’ve got first looks, exciting reveals and plenty of surprises in store. Join us for one hell of a show."

The showcase is expected to feature more than 40 games from some of the industry's biggest AAA and indie studioes, including a behind the scenes look at Tides of Annihilation from Eclipse Glow Games, a closer look at samurai swordplay action game Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and an interview with Neon Giant for their immersive open-world game on their new immersive open world game NO LAW.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Nick Apostolides to co-host the Future Games Show at gamescom on 26 August," Sant’Albano said. "We’re putting the zombie-dodging to one side to bring you world premieres, exclusive gameplay reveals and brand-new trailers for some of the most exciting upcoming games. Nick and I can't wait to share it all with you - see you there!"

FGS Live From Gamescom will immediately follow the main showcase on August 26, hosted by the FGS editorial team, and feature more world premieres and exclusive trailers, as well as news and interviews from the Gamescom show floor.

To round out the event, the FGS Best Of Gamescom broadcast will kick off on August 30 and take viewers to the show floor to wrap up the best games of the event.

You'll be able to tune in and watch the Future Games Show at Gamescom 2026 at Twitch, YouTube, X, TikTok, Facebook, and GamesRadar+.

For years, the UK connectivity debate has focused on fiber availability. Coverage maps, rollout targets, premises passed and investment updates have dominated the conversation.

That focus made sense. The country needed better infrastructure, and there was real pressure on operators, government and the wider market to show progress. Better networks had to be built, and in many places, they have been.

Ofcom’s Spring Connected Nations update shows how far that conversation has moved on. Full fiber broadband is now available to 82% of UK homes, while gigabit-capable broadband reaches 89%. Coverage is not solved everywhere, and regional gaps still matter, but the center of gravity is shifting.

For many mid-market and enterprise organizations, the question is no longer only: can we get fiber? Increasingly, it is: when something goes wrong, who owns the problem?

The market has not always been able to answer that clearly. As connectivity becomes more tightly linked to business-critical operations, that is becoming an expensive weakness.

The problem with modern connectivity supply chains

The infrastructure build-out of the last decade has been a success in many ways. Fiber has reached new places. Wholesale models have grown. Alternative networks have created more choice. Access supply has become more competitive.

But that same progress has also created a more complex operating model. A typical enterprise connectivity arrangement can involve several parties: an access network operator, a wholesale aggregator, a reseller and a managed services provider. Each party may have a role to play, but each also has its own systems, escalation routes, commercial incentives and operational boundaries.

When everything is working, that complexity is easy to ignore. When there is a fault, it quickly becomes the problem.

For a multi-site organization running business-critical applications, a manufacturer managing connected logistics, or a professional services firm with regulated data dependencies, the cost of delay can be significant.

A business’s dependency on connectivity has changed in both character and volume. Organizations are moving quickly to support AI workloads, distributed teams, hybrid cloud environments and more automated operations.

Ofcom’s Connected Nations UK Report 2025 shows that between September 2024 and August 2025, providers reported 616 resilience incidents across fixed and mobile networks. Outages above the reporting thresholds affected 12.7 million customers and caused around 192 million customer hours of lost service.

Ofcom also noted that third-party failures, including street works causing cable breaks and failed backhaul circuits from wholesale providers, made up around 14% of reported incidents.

For enterprise buyers, that is the accountability problem in plain sight. The failure may sit in one part of the chain, but the operational impact is felt by the customer trying to keep sites, systems and services running.

Why mid-market organizations feel the gap the most

There is a particular pressure point here for mid-market organizations. They are running connectivity that supports business-critical operations, distributed sites and cloud-dependent workloads. But they are typically buying through channels designed for volume, not accountability.

They carry the operational dependency of an enterprise customer without the contract size that historically bought priority escalation, named account management or direct access to the people who own the network.

That gap does not appear in the SLA document. It appears on a Sunday night when something breaks.

A few years ago, a slow SLA response might have caused a few headaches. Today, it can stop production, delay customer service, interrupt access to data or leave a site unable to operate properly. Businesses are built on connectivity.

AI inference at the edge, real-time data processing and cloud-connected operations are not designed for fragmented fault resolution. They do not fit neatly with unclear escalation paths or supplier chains where responsibility moves from one party to another before anyone fixes the issue.

Yet many buying conversations have not caught up. Bandwidth, speed and price still dominate procurement. Headline SLAs are scrutinized, but service assurance, ownership of the underlying infrastructure and escalation clarity are often treated as secondary details.

That mismatch will become more costly as the operating environment becomes more demanding.

The infrastructure question buyers should be asking

Most organizations know the standard questions to ask when they buy connectivity. Is there coverage? What is the cost? What is the headline SLA? What capacity is available? Who else is using the provider? All are important questions, but they do not fully describe the service experience.

The questions that really matter are more practical. When a fault is raised, how many organizations are involved in resolving it? Does the provider own the physical layer the service runs on, or is operational control spread across several parties? What does the escalation route look like at 11pm on a Sunday? Is there one organization accountable for the outcome, or a contractual matrix that has to be navigated before anyone can act?

The market has spent years explaining what infrastructure investment looks like. The next conversation needs to be about what operational accountability looks like.

That does not mean every provider needs to own every asset in every location. The UK connectivity market will always involve partnerships, wholesale relationships and specialist delivery models. But buyers should be much more interested in where responsibility sits when service degrades.

A shorter, clearer operational chain matters. It gives providers better visibility of the network, fewer hand-offs during fault resolution and a stronger ability to act rather than simply escalate. It also gives customers something they increasingly need: confidence that someone is accountable for the service, not just the contract.

Ownership is becoming the real differentiator

The next phase of business connectivity will not be won on availability alone. It will be won by providers that can combine reach with operational control, service assurance and clear ownership.

For buyers, that means looking beyond headline speeds and asking harder questions about accountability. Who sees the fault first? Who has the authority to fix it? Who is responsible for the customer outcome?

Because when connectivity is simply a utility, ambiguity might be tolerated. When it is the foundation for AI, cloud, data and day-to-day operations, ambiguity becomes a business risk.

The fiber rollout has changed what is possible. The next battleground is making sure someone owns the problem when possibility turns into pressure.

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Open-source malware has changed shape.

What once focused on noisy cryptomining has moved toward something far more valuable: access.

Our recent data shows attackers are increasingly targeting credentials and secrets embedded in software dependencies, with UK organizations firmly in scope.

This shift marks a move away from opportunistic abuse toward deliberate supply-chain compromise. Instead of draining compute cycles, attackers are positioning themselves inside build pipelines and developer workflows.

The goal is persistence, not disruption.

For organizations that rely heavily on open source software, this fundamentally changes both the threat model and the potential impact.

This is what “shift left” actually means in 2026: controlling what enters the build, not just detecting what runs in production.

Why credential theft has overtaken cryptomining

More than half of malicious open-source packages now focus on stealing credentials and secrets, overtaking cryptomining as the dominant threat type. The reason is straightforward. Credentials offer lasting value. They provide persistent access, broader reach across environments, and a lower risk of detection than resource abuse. A stolen token or API key can unlock entire systems, not just a single machine.

Cryptomining, by contrast, is easy to spot and quick to shut down. It consumes resources and triggers alerts. Credential theft blends in and can be executed in seconds. It exploits the trust placed on developer workflows to operate in a safe environment.

For attackers looking to maximize return while minimizing exposure, this approach maximizes returns whilst doing away with the risk of being discovered.

The implication is clear: protecting runtime infrastructure is no longer enough. The security boundary now starts at dependency intake and at the developer environment.

Multi-stage malware becomes the norm

Modern open-source malware is rarely single-purpose. Our analysis shows dropper and loader behavior increasing by nearly 2,900 percent year over year in Q1 2025, signaling a shift toward engineered, multi-stage attacks.

Around 77 percent of malicious packages distributed through open source ecosystems now combine multiple threat types. Droppers appear in nearly all observed cases, while secret exfiltration features in close to two-thirds.

These packages are designed to evolve after installation, pulling in additional payloads or changing behavior over time. This reflects industrialized campaigns rather than opportunistic experimentation. Attackers are investing in resilience, stealth, and scale.

For defenders, this means signature-based thinking is outdated. If malware is modular and adaptive, controls must focus on provenance, behavior, and prevention before execution. Again, this is what “shift left” actually means: securing the build graph itself, not just the workloads it produces.

Supply chains under direct pressure

The widespread use of open source, particularly within the JavaScript ecosystem, creates systemic exposure. Modern applications routinely depend on hundreds of direct and transitive npm packages. That density of reuse creates efficiency, but also amplifies upstream risk.

Recent activity linked to the Lazarus group illustrates the threat. More than 200 malicious packages were identified, almost all concentrated in npm. When a single ecosystem underpins financial services platforms, government services, and critical national infrastructure, concentration risk becomes a strategic issue.

A compromised dependency does not stay isolated. It propagates through shared frameworks, internal libraries, and CI pipelines. In sectors built on speed and reuse, upstream compromise quickly becomes downstream impact. This is why dependency governance is no longer just a developer hygiene issue; it is a board-level supply-chain concern.

Automation turns one package into thousands of compromises

Today’s malware increasingly targets CI/CD pipelines and developer workflows optimized for automation. When a compromised dependency enters a build, it can quietly extract API keys, certificates, and access tokens without triggering runtime alerts. Automation does the rest.

What starts as a single poisoned package can spread across hundreds or thousands of builds. The very systems designed to accelerate delivery now accelerate compromise.

The practical takeaway is uncomfortable but necessary: if build systems are automated, security controls must be automated at the same level. Manual review cannot scale against automated distribution.

AI coding assistants and the hallucination problem

AI-assisted development introduces an additional layer of risk. Studies and testing have shown that large language models can, in a meaningful percentage of cases, suggest packages or functions that do not exist. Developers under time pressure may attempt to install or rely on these hallucinated dependencies, unknowingly expanding the attack surface.

Hallucinated package names, fabricated examples, and unsafe dependency suggestions can quietly undermine supply-chain integrity. Attackers are already exploiting naming conventions and trust models to seed packages that appear legitimate to both humans and machines.

Each hallucination creates rework, friction, and lost productivity. Much of this waste could be reduced if AI systems were grounded in authoritative, real-time package intelligence rather than pattern prediction alone.

Our recent research reinforces this point. The company found that smaller AI models augmented with live package intelligence significantly outperformed larger standalone models when handling dependency upgrades and package selection tasks. The findings suggest that real-time ecosystem context matters more than model size alone when developers are making security-sensitive decisions. It also helps smaller models are 70x cheaper compared to frontier models.

This has direct implications for software supply-chain defense. If AI coding assistants recommend dependencies without verifying package provenance, maintenance status, or ecosystem trust signals, they risk accelerating the spread of malicious or hallucinated packages into production environments.

In practice, secure AI-assisted development will depend less on increasingly large models and more on whether those models are connected to authoritative, continuously updated software intelligence.

Here too, the lesson is upstream control. Guardrails must sit at the point of dependency selection, not after the code ships.

Why defenders are falling behind

Many UK security controls remain focused on detecting threats after code is deployed. Attackers have moved upstream. They target the build process, the dependency graph, and the trust relationships developers rely on.

This mismatch leaves organizations well prepared for runtime incidents but exposed during development. As long as defenders assume malware announces itself loudly, supply-chain compromise will continue to slip through unnoticed.

“Shift left” is often treated as a slogan. In practice, it means enforcing policy before installation, validating provenance before execution, and blocking malicious packages before they enter the graph.

Stealing the keys, not the cycles

Open-source malware has evolved from stealing compute to stealing access. Credentials unlock ecosystems, not just machines. For UK organisations, this makes supply-chain security a strategic concern rather than a technical afterthought.

Preventing malicious code from entering the build is now more effective than responding after deployment. The quiet shift from coins to credentials has already happened. The question is whether defenses will adapt quickly enough to match it.

If it isn’t automated, it won’t scale.

What organizations should prioritize now

To respond effectively, UK organisations should focus on a small number of structural controls:

● Gate dependency intake with automated policy enforcement before packages enter CI/CD.

● Continuously monitor for secret exposure within build environments and revoke compromised credentials rapidly.

● Enforce provenance and integrity verification for open-source components, including transitive dependencies.

● Ground AI coding tools in authoritative package intelligence to prevent hallucinated or malicious dependency suggestions.

None of these measures eliminate risk. But together, they realign defenses with where attackers are actually operating: upstream, automated, and inside the supply chain.

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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: One-minute review

The most succinct way to describe the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni gaming headset is that it feels like a 2026-ified version of its excellent predecessor, the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless — one of my favorite gaming headsets ever.

The Omni is a fantastic wireless gaming headset and offers a whole heap of improvements and enhancements over its older brethren, and in its own right, will tick every box most gamers can think of. Each feature that’s been tweaked or upgraded might not be huge in isolation, but every single one adds up, and it absolutely is greater than the sum of its parts when everything’s considered.

The design and build will be very familiar to anyone who’s used any of the Nova line, as it shares identical design language and aesthetics, while retaining a robust build quality you can have confidence in. The GameHub dongle is also identical in form to the one found on the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite and the Nova Pro Wireless, but is boosted to offer an upgraded level of connectivity: you can connect and mix up to four different inputs on the Omni, which is somewhat ludicrous but offers excellent versatility.

The audio quality, microphone, and overall performance of the Omni is spectacular, and can’t really be faulted. I think I might just prefer the bottom-end audio of my Audeze Maxwell 2 over the Omni, but that’s nitpicking as the overall audio experience is fantastic, no matter which platform you're connected to. Being able to change EQ on the fly with the Arctis Companion App is a great boost over the Nova Pro Wireless and an excellent feature of modern Nova headsets.

It’s an excellent headset, no doubt, but its pricing and the fact that Nova Pro Wireless will still be available mean the Omni’s place in the lineup is a little muddy for me. It performs fantastically, offers the full set of gaming headset features you could ask for, but I’m just not totally convinced it’s a great value option right now.

In isolation, however, this is a fantastic multiplatform wireless gaming headset and probably the one to go for if you really want the maximum flexibility and versatility.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Price and availability

• List price: $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$799
• Closely priced to the Nova Pro Wireless, which will inevitably be cheaper
• Way under the Nova Elite, but in direct competition to headsets like the Audeze Maxwell 2

In isolation, the Arctis Nova Pro Omni is pretty well placed price-wise at $399.99 / £349.99. However, its position alongside the rest of the Nova lineup raises an eyebrow.

A large part of this is because of the continued availability of the headset that the Omni feels like it was made to replace: the Nova Pro Wireless. With the latter now readily available for far less than the Omni’s list price, I think — as a fan of both — that the value proposition of the Omni is lessened.

Unless you really really want the four-device connectivity (as opposed to two), and really want the latest and greatest in a SteelSeries headset without going for the much more premium Nova Elite, then I still think the Nova Pro Wireless is going to be a better value purchase for you. Especially if you’re on just one platform.

The Omni is also up against formidable competition outside of its own brethren at this price point. My absolute favorite headset right now, and my top pick ever in terms of pure audio quality, the Audeze Maxwell 2 is in the same price territory and would be my recommendation for someone prioritizing that.

Then there’s also the likes of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro 2, and the Sony Inzone H9 2 in the $300-ish zone, along with the likes of the Fractal Scape and the Razer BlackShark V3 Pro that come in slightly cheaper and all offer incredible wireless gaming headset experiences with a host of features.

Having said all that, the Omni does do a lot in and of itself to justify its price tag as a high-end, brilliantly flexible and top-performing wireless headset. It will definitely be the best wireless option in this part of the Nova lineup when or if the Nova Pro Wireless ceases to be made, but until then it’s not a slam dunk for me.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Specs

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Design & features

• Class-leading set of features and connectivity options
• Reliable and fantastic build quality and battery solution
• Very much from the Nova line of SteelSeries headsets

Straight out of the box, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Omni really is a Nova Pro Wireless in disguise, as all the parts are there. That isn’t a criticism, as the Omni is simply another SteelSeries headset cut from the Arctis Nova cloth.

It’s a familiar design to anyone who’s seen or held a Nova headset, but it does have a tangible level of robustness and solidity that instils confidence — I’ve already dropped my unit a few times, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. The ear cushions are incredibly comfortable too, and I’ve been able to wear this headset for full work days without ever fully realising it too.

The GameHub is basically the same as on other Nova headsets that use it, but there are a few more options within the OLED display, and the addition of a texture to the navigation wheel is a welcome touch.

It’s this kind of small design change that’s present in a few areas across the Nova Pro Omni too: the multi-function volume wheel on the left cup has a new texture to it, the ear cushions are thicker and more padded compared to the Nova Pro Wireless, the mic is new and improved, and so on.

On top of intuitive controls, Arctis Companion App integration, boosted connectivity (Bluetooth 5.3 features here), greater battery life, and quicker fast charge, and more, all the Omni’s improvements over the Nova Pro Wireless do stand on their own feet, and, importantly, add up to a wonderfully designed and feature-filled wireless gaming headset that will offer everything even those with three consoles and a PC could ever want.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni: Performance

• Fantastic SteelSeries audio quality out of the box
• Every upgrade feels worthwhile
• Audio quality and overall performance still close to its predecessor

In terms of performance, the audio is the least difficult thing to cast an opinion on: it’s fantastic. Once again, this is from the SteelSeries Arctis Nova line so shares in all the excellent out-of-the-box audio quality the series is known for and does not disappoint in any way.

What’s more, the audio is now Hi-Res certified, and on PC you’ll be getting 96kHz/24bit, which is a sheer, immersive joy to behold in games like Cyberpunk 2077, and even the atmospheric noises in Frostpunk 2 are detailed and clear. But even away from that, on PS5 Pro (Sony’s console can’t take advantage of 96kHz audio), the gaming audio delivered by the Omni is, predictably, a treat.

Sea shanties, explosive ship combat, and swashbuckling sword action in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are fantastically vivid and rich; the audio in 007 First Light is even more cinematic and bombastic; and even audio in older online games like my go-to, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, is elevated excellently, with enemy audio presented accurately, and the action and soundtrack mixed perfectly.

The ability to change EQ presets for individual games and preferences via the Arctis Companion App remains a brilliant feature too, expanding the Omni’s already excellent versatility.

On top of that, being wireless but plugged into a host of different devices as well as Bluetooth on my phone was very handy — in my particular setup. If you do have a multi-device setup and are looking for one headset that can be used on all of them with ease, even if not simultaneously, then this is a quality feature. For others on single-device setups, this is a bit overkill.

Away from games, music and entertainment is superb on the Omni, and using it for work calls - and multiplayer gaming sessions — with its new (compared with the Nova Pro Wireless) omnidirectional ClearCast Pro mic is brilliant. I found the overall quality of the mic to be excellent, though its omnidirectional design did mean a little more background noise escaped to my friends down the line at times, and it’s certainly a big step up over the Nova Pro Wireless’ microphone.

The way the headset feels to use is also a notable step up over the Nova Pro Wireless, and thus feels closer to the Nova Elite too. The wheel on the left ear cup is incredibly pleasing to use, the GameHub that offers more options is intuitive and easy to use, the new ear cushions are thicker and more comfy than the Pro Wireless (but only just), and there’s also improved ANC which I found worked well, as well as a hoist of boosts to Bluetooth (up to 5.3), longer battery life on the batteries and faster quick charge, and a few more to boot.

Each of the improvements over the Nova Pro Wireless do add up to something much greater than each in isolation.

Should I buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider...

If the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni might seem overkill in some departments, then check out these two fine offerings as alternatives.

How I tested the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni

• Used as a daily driver for a few months
• Tested on PC, PS5, and mobile
• Deployed across a host of games, as well as daily work calls and more

The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni headset has been my sole unit for gaming on PS5 and PC, as well as work tasks and calls, for the best part of three months.

I have used it to play a bunch of 007 First Light, a full review playthrough and subsequent platinum playthrough of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, and a whole host of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on PS5, and also dived into Cyberpunk 2077, Frostpunk 2, and Crusader Kings 3 on Acer Predator Orion 5000 gaming PC (supplied by Acer) teamed with a productivity monitor and an Acer Predator X32QFS gaming monitor (also supplied by Acer).

For a lot of that game-time testing, the Omni was connected to my PC and PS5 simultaneously on one setup, deploying its multi-connectivity. I was then also able to use it for all my work calls, and listening to music.

During this time, I was able to directly compare the Omni with some other gaming headsets I had to hand, such as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless and Nova Elite, as well as the Audeze Maxwell 2 and Maxwell 2 ANC.

First reviewed May-August 2026

Read more about how we test

On 1st October, Microsoft will begin disabling its Exchange Web Services (EWS) API, ahead of a full shutdown in April 2027. For many organizations, EWS has long been part of the invisible plumbing behind everyday workplace tools. It allows applications to connect to Exchange mailboxes, making it possible to access and manage data from emails, calendars, contacts and folders.

But EWS is almost 20 years old. Microsoft says it no longer aligns with modern requirements for security, scale and reliability, and its involvement in 2024’s Midnight Blizzard attack has added urgency to its retirement. The wider risk is also clear: APIs, particularly older and less visible ones, have become attractive targets for cybercriminals. Recent research found that 99% of organizations encountered API security issues in the past year.

Seen in that context, Microsoft’s decision to move customers towards more modern APIs such as Microsoft Graph makes sense. But API modernization is rarely as simple as swapping out one connection for another, and many organizations may soon face a rude awakening.

You can’t migrate what you don’t know exists

The main challenge organizations will face when migrating from EWS to Microsoft Graph is visibility. Despite its limitations, EWS still sits behind many everyday workplace processes, particularly in larger and older organizations.

Booking meetings, syncing calendars or allowing a CRM to log email activity automatically may all depend on the API. After almost two decades of use, EWS has become deeply embedded in day-to-day operations.

That creates a problem. Many organizations may no longer have a clear view of where EWS is being used, by whom or for what purpose. Some integrations will have been built years ago by developers who have since left the business. Others may sit inside legacy workflows that IT teams rarely touch.

And third-party tools that are outside of the IT team’s control commonly connect to EWS. As a result, some of these hidden dependencies are almost certain to fall through the gaps during migration, because organizations can only replace the EWS integrations they know exist.

For some organizations, this lack of visibility may make migration feel daunting, especially when EWS is tied so closely to everyday operations. It may be tempting to fall back on the old “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” adage, particularly if a poorly managed migration could disrupt critical tools and workflows.

But as Microsoft phases out EWS and ends support, doing nothing is not a viable option. Vital applications could lose access to Exchange, while the security risks of leaving legacy APIs embedded in the business will only become more pronounced.

Other organizations may try to avoid a difficult migration by intercepting EWS calls and translating them into Microsoft Graph, effectively rerouting traffic rather than replacing the underlying integration. At first glance, this may look like a clever workaround. In reality, it is only a temporary fix.

The same security, visibility and integration challenges remain, while every additional dependency built around this approach adds another layer of complexity. At scale, that could quickly become unmanageable.

Moving beyond avoidance

Instead of burying their heads in the sand or looking for clever, but ultimately ineffective, ways to avoid migrating from EWS, organizations should treat its retirement as a reminder of the need for robust software lifecycle management.

Many teams evaluate an API thoroughly during implementation, then rarely review it again. But APIs evolve, security issues emerge and providers introduce updates that require action. Organizations that build resilience and lifecycle management best practices into their API estates will be better placed to respond quickly to forced migrations, minimize disruption and avoid being caught out by sudden changes.

In practice, that means treating APIs as part of the digital supply chain and applying the same level of scrutiny used for third-party suppliers when evaluating a potential integration.

Critical APIs should be continuously monitored so organizations know where they are in use, what they support and how they are performing. IT teams also need to stay informed about planned provider changes, however small they may seem, and assess how these could affect their wider API management program.

From there, organizations need a fully prepared API migration plan. Some changes may demand immediate action, such as when a third party issues a critical vulnerability disclosure. Others, such as Microsoft’s EWS retirement, may come with longer lead times but be broader in scope and scale.

In either case, organizations need a holistic strategy covering API discovery, dependency mapping, ownership and management, testing, and ongoing monitoring. Without that foundation, they risk migrating only the integrations they can see, while leaving hidden dependencies to fail later.

Preparing for the future today

Microsoft disabling EWS is not the first event of its kind, and it will not be the last. As technology estates evolve, more legacy APIs will be retired in favor of newer versions that integrate more effectively and securely with modern solutions. The retirement of EWS should therefore be treated as more than a one-off Microsoft deadline. It is a warning about what happens when critical integrations are allowed to become invisible.

That makes resilience essential. With robust software lifecycle management, organizations can move away from panicked, reactive migrations and take greater control over their API estates. Those that prepare now will be better placed to manage the EWS migration, and whatever comes next.

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IT security has traditionally been about keeping threat actors out and preventing breaches. However, while the volume of software vulnerabilities has gone up and up over the past few years, the biggest risk that many companies face is not about a hacker getting in. Instead, it is how long they can stay inside and how far they can move within that network.

The reason why threat actors can move laterally is how difficult it is to manage identities effectively. Identities and credentials are used all the time to allow access, but they also serve as ways to support provisioning and software deployment processes. Simple software tokens that can make life easier for staff are targeted for the access and permissions that they provide.

Companies are waking up to this threat. Omdia research estimates that spending on identity management will increase at 75 percent of organizations during 2026, compared to 57 percent in 2025. But what issues have to be resolved, and what is the fastest way to get to those resolutions?

Understanding attack paths and identity

Threat actors want to make money. They do this by stealing company data or encrypting files for ransom. They achieve their goals through getting initial access in one place - an endpoint that is missing an update, or through a phishing email and malware download, for instance. After this, they want to move laterally through the network to something valuable.

For defenders, this lateral movement, or attack path, represents an opportunity to deny access or block attacks. Attackers use the same methods that legitimate staff have to access assets: their identities. For many attackers, there is no need to use zero day attacks when they can simply log in and get what they want, or move closer to their goal.

Understanding attack paths can be hard. For defenders looking at the business crown jewels like Intellectual Property or mission-critical applications, attack paths are often visualized as direct routes from an initial access point to those valuable assets. While this is simple to understand, attackers don’t work that way.

They don’t know your internal network topology or the most direct route to what is valuable. Instead, they are sniffing out what they can access.

This is made more complicated because each account will have its own level of access, and different accounts will have more or less permissions. Each asset will have multiple accounts that can access it. The complexity scales up rapidly as networks grow larger.

For organizations with around 1,000 employees, we estimate that they have more than 5 million attack paths. Companies also have to reckon with the number of identities they have in place - an organization with 10,000 identities would have around 22 million potential attack paths to manage.

Attack path problem compounded by AI and NHIs

Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Non-Human Identities will increase this further, from the current ratio from around five identities per employee towards 20 or 40 identities per human employee. This imminent surge of identities will then grow at an expected 20 percent year on year.

That is a lot of numbers. To put this into perspective, looking at how you understand maps and graphs can help. For example, London has 330 stations in its public transport network covering the underground and rail networks, as well as buses and riverboats.

There are millions of different routes that travelers can take to get from any place, from the fastest and obvious journeys through to more circuitous and obscure routes that don’t make sense except in context. Travelers can also shift from one kind of transport network to another where they need to. Understanding all those networks, timetables and options is very hard for someone to hold in their brain all at one.

Using a map can show up the best routes and directions to take, including those paths that are a combination of different networks. From a defense perspective, understanding the most high profile locations in that network and where security is most important can help prevent attacks. Looking at attack paths and permissions, you can see the most important locations within the network based on the level of access that they have.

In the London transport network, this would be the equivalent of security at Piccadilly Circus or King’s Cross St Pancras, as these stations are the busiest. Securing those specific nexus points can prevent an attacker taking more potential routes to something valuable, reducing the risk that attackers can get to mission-critical systems or data. Once you have locked down those central hubs, you can then look for the next major point and secure this one as well.

Getting to a secure future

This process around locking down identities and access permissions removes whole swathes of potential attack paths, rather than looking at each attack path one after another.

There are too many individual paths to manage, so corralling issues and securing those environments as a whole reduces the number of ways that threat actors can move across a network. This forces attackers to make their presence more obvious, leading to them being removed from the network.

Attacks on IT are getting faster. Trying to fix all the gaps that exist is now impossible, and defenders cannot achieve perfect security. We need to live with these imperfections, and manage security as effectively as possible in advance of any issue coming up.

While security teams might be used to defending the direct paths between systems, threat actors look for the other routes that can get them to where they want to go. Instead, we have to manage our networks based on preventing both the most risks and the most impactful risks.

By understanding attack paths and identity risks, we can look at what the highest priority issues are and then secure them. Using identity attack paths, we can understand where the risks exist and what work needs to be done.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have taken direct aim at Grok after Minnesota became the first state to enforce a ban on AI "nudification" technology, using an unusually blunt official statement to criticize xAI's attempt to stop the law. Days before the legislation took effect, Elon Musk's AI company filed an emergency legal request seeking to block it, arguing that the measure violates the First Amendment. A federal judge refused to grant the request, allowing the law to go into effect while the broader case continues.

The Sussexes made it clear which side they believe this fight should be on. "Technology should not enable predators to target children," their statement begins. "Yet, ahead of Minnesota's first-in-the-nation law banning AI 'nudification' apps taking effect tomorrow, one of the world's largest technology companies sued to stop it. Why?" It is a remarkably direct criticism, one that shifts the conversation away from legal arguments and back toward the people these tools can harm.

Whether Minnesota's law ultimately survives every constitutional challenge is a question for the courts, but Harry and Meghan have identified something larger than one lawsuit. AI companies are racing to make image generation more powerful while governments scramble to prevent those same tools from being weaponized against real people. When a company fights to preserve technology that can create convincing fake nude images of recognizable adults and children, it is easy to see why the couple argues that the industry's priorities deserve much closer scrutiny.

Sussex vs. Musk

AI has become extraordinarily good at manipulating images, but that includes convincing fake intimate photographs with only a few prompts. And it has spread far faster than the laws designed to deal with it.

Minnesota's legislation attempts to tackle the problem at its source by preventing apps and websites from offering AI nudification tools in the first place. Rather than waiting until fake images have already spread across social media or messaging apps, lawmakers are trying to make the technology itself less readily available. Whether every provision survives constitutional scrutiny remains to be seen, but the intention is difficult to misunderstand.

Harry and Meghan clearly believe that technology companies have had plenty of opportunities to address the issue voluntarily and have failed to do so. Their statement praises Minnesota's bipartisan action as "an example of leadership fit for the digital age," adding that lawmakers recognized "this technology, if not stopped, would protect predators and hurt innocent people, especially women and girls."

The Sussexes are slicing through the tangled debate over algorithms against constitutional doctrine. Those issues matter, but it can miss the forest for the trees if people forget that these synthetic nudes begin with an identifiable person whose image has been manipulated without permission.

AI models as neutral tools whose morality depends entirely on the user. But laws often are stricter when any tool is used to hurt children for a reason. And the claim that Grok's moderation system is enough has proven untrue. But the feature does not stop being Grok's responsibility simply because someone else typed the prompt.

Safety should not be an optional feature

The Sussexes refuse to treat this as an abstract policy dispute.

"Big Tech companies are raising billions claiming AI will bring society forward, yet they retaliate against basic safety measures to keep children safe," they wrote. "Can AI make our world better while it enables the worst in humans? Should our children pay the price while we wait to find out?"

Those are uncomfortable questions for AI companies racing to release increasingly capable products. Every major developer wants to ship the next breakthrough before its competitors do. Safety work, moderation systems and abuse prevention rarely generate the same excitement as flashy new features demonstrated on stage.

xAI is hardly alone in facing this challenge. Every major AI company has struggled with image generation, impersonation and deepfakes. The difference here is the explicit pushback against a state trying to make them take some responsibility for how their technology is misused.

The legal arguments will continue for months, and there's no way to tell yet what the final version of the law will look like. Courts have to balance free speech and public safety, and that's not simple. But the fact that AI has made creating nonconsensual intimate imagery dramatically easier remains, and Harry and Meghan are right to zero in on that human cost over legal theory.

The debate matters because children's safety matters. Whether the companies building these tools can be made to accept meaningful responsibility when those capabilities are turned against children may be decided in courts, but Harry and Meghan are correct that it shouldn't take lawyers for them to do the right thing here.

Spoilers for My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 ahead.

Based on the way that season 2 was left, I knew that My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 was going to be a wild ride — but I still didn't see that ending coming.

The Netflix drama picks up as George (Marc Blucas) survives his season 2 health emergency and recovers at home, with Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) seemingly on the road to a proper romantic relationship.

But just before season 3 draws to a close, their happy ever after once again comes dramatically crashing down. Cole suddenly breaks up with Jackie after telling her that he loves her, and moves in with friend Dylan (Kolton Stewart).

With Jackie left reeling, she throws all her efforts into getting the local community space up and running. But when that runs into trouble, can she really scrub Cole from her mind?

I know the answer to that as well as you do. Here's the full My Life With the Walter Boys season 3 ending explained, and what it will likely mean for the already confirmed season 4.

Dylan kicks Cole out for street racing — and takes back the car

As season 3 episode 10 kicks off, Cole is in his full moody boy era. Drag racer Mac (Chad Rook) finds Cole street racing after being tipped off by Dylan, scolding him for taking to the streets rather than being out of the track after Mac hired him.

Mac tells Cole about an upcoming race that has a big cash prize that he'd "easily win," but Cole rejects the offer. As Mac leaves, Dylan admits that he was the one who told him where to find Cole.

In fact, Dylan is so furious with Cole's street racing antics that he takes back "Myrtle," the car Cole has been racing in. As Dylan is technically the owner, Cole has no sway — and Dylan's conditions are that he can only use it for legitimate drag racing.

On top of that, Dylan kicks him out of the house, forcing his move back home. "You can't keep hiding from Jackie forever," he tells Cole.

Jackie's community space launch party is hit by disaster

If Cole moving back home wasn't enough for Jackie to deal with, she soon runs into a huge problem with her community space launch party. While renovations take place, one of the builders is unable to prevent a pipe leak from one of the radiators, causing the first floor to flood so much that it caves in.

At this point, it seems as if the launch party, which is now only a week away, will have to be called off. The builder estimates that it will take between 4-6 weeks to have the leak and its damage fixed, with manpower on the ground incredibly limited.

Jackie is bereft, with the news of Grace's (Ellie O'Brien) parents divorcing only making her feel more guilty. Cole tries to offer to help, but is immediately shut down by Jackie: she's going to make sure the launch party goes ahead, and she'll achieve it by herself.

Cole secretly saves the day — but Eliot's already made his move

What Jackie doesn't know is that Cole goes to see her uncle Richard (Alex Quijano) to ask for help. Cole tells Richard that he listened to what he said and broke up with Jackie in order for her to have a better future without him "dragging her down."

Cole explains that he's here to ask for Richard's help fixing the community center, but doesn't take the credit for it when Jackie finds out. Grace leads her into the room full of helpers clearing up, which includes the rest of the Walter family.

Alex (Ashby Gentry) encourages Cole to tell Jackie that he's here, but Cole refuses. He knows that Jackie is getting closer to Eliot (Naveen Paddock), who begins to make his romantic feelings for Jackie much clearer.

At first, Jackie shuts Eliot down, but the more she realizes the lengths he's willing to go to for her — which includes getting a flight from London to join her on her trip to Greece — the more she opens up to him.

Will and Nathan prepare to leave home while Danny gets the college news he's been waiting for

We already knew that Will (Johnny Link) was going to be flying the nest, but season 3 confirms that Nathan (Corey Fogelmanis) will be too. He's auditioned to play with a band across Europe and has got the spot, with George and Katherine (Sarah Rafferty) encouraging him to go.

However, he's got reservations. He doesn't want to be yet another Walter kid leaving everyone else behind, especially after how ill George has been. Alex says that it's a no-brainer decision to take the opportunity... everyone wants him to. Skylar (Jaylan Evans) is devastated, but promises to stay in contact.

We also find out that Danny (Connor Stanhope) has been accepted into Carnegie Mellon University, after being rejected from Juilliard. Girlfriend Erin (Alisha Newton) doesn't seem phased by the fact that the pair will need to be long-distance, but it's clearly bothering Danny.

Alex admits his feelings for Kiley, but gets shut down

Alex finally has a chance to talk to Kiley (Mya Lowe) at school after the pair kissed. Kiley has been ignoring all of Alex's calls and messages, despite having a school project that they need to complete together.

She finally agrees to talk in private while at school, and the pair agree to put the kiss behind them and move on as if nothing has happened. However, it's clear that both of them have feelings for each other, which is something Cole picks up on when Alex admits to him what happened.

Cole also shares what Richard and Eliot have told him about being with Jackie, revealing that Eliot agrees that Jackie is too good to be with somebody like Cole. Alex tells him to ignore them both and pursue the feelings that are clearly still there.

At the community space launch party (which is 1920s themed), Alex tells Jackie that Cole was behind the drive to get the space fixed after the leak. Jackie tells him that she doesn't want to hear the reason why, but spirals about Cole's intentions as the party continues.

Meanwhile, Kiley spots Alex across the room and chooses to leave, whispering something to Dylan before she goes. She's clearly uncomfortable, but Dylan takes it upon himself to speak to Alex on her behalf. He tells Alex to give Kiley some space for a while, even though the two of them clearly have a lot in common.

Alex ignores this and leaves the party instead to check on how Kiley is. However, Dylan is also with her, shutting the door in his face while Kiley looks sheepishly on.

Cole's road crash leaves his life hanging in the balance

Cole enters the drag race that Mac recommends and wins a place in the final. While waiting, he tells Katherine and George that he doesn't feel good enough to be Jackie's partner, and doesn't want to show his face at the party because of that.

The pair convinces him that he's more than worth it, and that he should tell Jackie the truth and leave it up to her to make her own decisions. Instead of racing in the final, Cole leaves the track and heads for the party.

We see him driving the empty roads to get back to town, with another car suddenly approaching behind him. The car attempts to bump the back of Cole's car, with Cole swerving in order to avoid the other car's manoeuvres.

When the mysterious car pulls up to the side of Cole's, we see that the driver is the drag racing contestant that Cole left behind in the final. He's clearly annoyed that the race has been cancelled, and is looking to take his revenge. Finally, the two cars clip, flipping Cole's car into a nearby field, where it continues to roll.

At the same time, Jackie and Eliot are on the dance floor at the party, about to lean in for their first kiss... and then the episode comes to an end.

Season 4 predictions

Obviously, the first thing we need to find out in season 4 is whether Cole is hurt. His car is flipped enough times for there to be some serious damage, but it's difficult to tell what that is in the season 3 cliffhanger.

Then, of course, there's the question of whether Jackie actually follows through with her kiss with Eliot. I've got a sneaking suspicion that she'll pull away at the last second... but perhaps that's wishful thinking. It's certainly a moment that her future relationship with Cole could hinge on, if he pulls through.

Kiley will hopefully break up with Dylan and finally see that she should have been with Alex all along, but this isn't something that Dylan is likely to take quietly. Expect more overt tension between him and Alex, put it that way.

What is more difficult to tell is whether we'll see how Will and Nathan get on after they fly the nest, but the remaining Walter kids prepping for university is likely to feature heavily.

• Marantz launches a new Cinema Cinema Series 2 range of AV receivers, with three different models
• The have a brand new 32-bit DAC across all three models, plus optional Dirac room correction available on all
• There's also improved HDMI 2.1 gaming support, including 1440p passthrough and AMD FreeSync

Marantz has updated its acclaimed Cinema Series range of AV receivers. The first generation launched in 2002 and delivered a winning combination of good looks, great audio and excellent connectivity, and the latest Cinema 50 Series 2 , Cinema 60/DAB Series 2 and Cinema 70s Series 2 continue in that vein.

The big change in these new 2026 models is their brand-new 32-bit 8-channel DAC, which Marantz says delivers "greater precision, improved imaging, enhanced dynamic expression and more coherent surround performance throughout the listening environment."

Each model has been tuned by Marantz's Sound Master to deliver what Marantz promises is "an immersive and emotionally engaging entertainment experience."

There's Bluetooth LE Audio (in a future firmware update), improved gaming support and optional Dirac room correction across all three models.

One thing that hasn't changed is the products' good looks: these are home theater components you'll want to show off.

Marantz Cinema Series 2: models, features and pricing

Each of the new Series 2 models comes with the new DAC, support for 1440p video passthrough with AMD FreeSync for gamers, a new Web Control 2.0 configuration app for your phone or computer, and HDMI Diagnostics 2.0 to deliver advanced troubleshooting and faster installation, which is intended for custom-installations, but sounds like a potential godsend generally.

The data options include the ability to see how each channel is being pushed by what's playing, which is definitely a fun game to play if you're wondering how different movies make use of the power of your system. Engineers from Denon and Marantz have previously told my colleague Matt Bolton that Gravity is the 'torture test' movie they use to see how AVRs handle stress during development, so it'd be fun to take a look at what that movie does to the numbers.

The flagship Cinema 50 Series 2 gets a few important upgrades that the others don't: the new Dolby Atmos Channel Expander, which uses all the available speakers when you're playing Dolby Atmos content regardless of how it was originally encoded, which seems to be especially useful for if you have additional height channels. There's also a new Center Bi-Amp Mode to improve dialog quality.

The flagship Cinema 50 Series 2 has nine channels putting out 110W apiece, 11.4 channels of processing and optional Dirac support. The Cinema 60/DAB Series 2 is a 7-channel, 100W per channel model, while the Cinema 70s Series 2 delivers 7 x 50W.

The prices for the new models are:

• Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2: $3,000 / £1,850 / AU$3,500
• Marantz Cinema 60 Series 2: (APAC and USA only) $2,000 / AU$2,500
• Marantz Cinema 60 DAB Series 2: (Europe only): £1,250
• Marantz Cinema 70s: $1,500 / £950 / AU$1,800

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• 64% of Brits reject the use of AI to filter job applications, according to a new YouGov poll
• Meanwhile, 70% would prefer a face-to-face interview over one conducted over a video call
• Prime Minister Andy Burnham shared his thoughts on current hiring practices on the Jimmy's Jobs of the Future podcast

Over two thirds of people prefer face-to-face interviews to video calls, and AI job application screening is considered “unacceptable” by 64% of polled Brits, a poll from YouGov has found, seemingly backing up recent comments by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham concerning changes to popular hiring processes since the pandemic.

While 30% of middle class households consider it acceptable to use AI to filter applicants, this figure is much lower in working class homes at 20%.

This overall reject of modernized application and interviewing practices comes at a time when feelings about the use of AI are becoming increasingly polarized for all but the most mundane of tasks.

Britain’s new PM weighs in

YouGov’s poll report includes a quote from new Prime Minister Andy Burnham: “AI in terms of CVs and sifting of applications. It doesn’t feel to me that recruitment in the post-pandemic era is becoming fairer.”

Since taking office, Andy Burnham has barely been out of the public eye, and has made various appearances, whether press conferences, TikTok, or podcasts.

His reaction to the polling can be contextualized in light of his appearance on careers podcast Jimmy's Jobs of the Future, stating, "One thing I really don't like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams. How does a young person shine in that situation?"

"It seems to me to then work against people who have that side to their character and work for those who are just giving the more formulaic answer.

The end of AI job application filtering?

The YouGov poll picked a sizable sample of 4926 adults in Great Britain, with the questions issued on July 30, 2026. Of particular interest is the lack of any notable difference in the results concerning interviews across different regions. In London, the score is 60% in favor of face-to-face; for the rest of the south it is 73%, 69% in the Midlands, in Wales, and in the North, and 73% in Scotland.

If candidates feel more comfortable with face-to-face interviews, Burnham’s words may well have some impact on hiring practices in the future.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s Maxine Bligh told the BBC that “The key message from us to recruiters is to go digital where it matters and human where it counts.

“AI tools are helpful, even essential, when dealing with a huge volume of applications, but it takes skill and professionalism to make the right call.”

Whether the right person was ever hired by AI remains to be seen, but making candidates comfortable and able to communicate at their best seems to require people, rather than machines.

• Amazon touts Alexa+ as its voice assistant’s “biggest leap forward”
• Aussies can now request early access to Alexa+, but it’s also available with the purchase of a new eligible Echo or Fire TV device
• Prime members get Alexa+ for free after early access ends in November; non-members pay AU$29.99p/m

Alexa+, the conversational AI upgrade of Amazon’s long-time voice assistant, has officially launched in Australia, over a year after rolling out in the US.

This “smarter, more conversational and more capable” voice assistant promises a more transactional experience that recognises natural language, can remember user preferences and automatically adjust your smart home tech, like turning on your air conditioning when it starts to get warm or turning on lights when it starts getting dark.

For its local debut, Amazon has added Aussie touches, so Alexa can now understand colloquialisms like ‘arvo’, ‘snags’ and ‘servo’, as well as being “tuned into Australian culture”, like not mixing up footy codes or understanding expressions like ‘fair dinkum’ or ‘passing the pub test’.

You can sign up for an early access invite now if you already own a compatible device, or get automatically signed up when you buy an eligible Echo or Fire TV device. After early access ends on November 30, 2026, Alexa+ will remain a free Prime benefit for subscribers, while non-members will have to pay AU$29.99 per month to retain access.

Most of the current Echo devices are compatible with Alexa+, with only the now-discontinued first- and second-generation models unable to support the new voice assistant. Fire TV devices, meanwhile, will have limited compatibility with Alexa+, with support available only on the following:

• Fire TV Stick 4K Select
• Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen)
• Fire TV Stick 4K Plus (2nd Gen)
• Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen)

Alexa+ isn’t the only ‘smart’ voice assistant available in Australia, with Google Home Premium (formerly Nest Aware) being its main competitor. The latter costs AU$15 per month or AU$150 per year for its Standard tier, or AU$30 or AU$300 per year for the Advanced tier, scoring Alexa+ points on pricing — provided you’re a Prime member or course.

It remains to be seen whether this would trigger a Prime membership price hike in the days to come.

Do we really need an Amazon-powered LLM in our lives?

Amazon claims that Aussies interact with Alexa “more than two billion times each year”, with 77 million questions asked and more than 600 million smart home actions in 2025 alone. While that suggests there’s a large customer base in Australia, it begs the question of whether we’re willing to bring another AI assistant into our homes and, importantly, pay extra for it.

As my colleague Graham Barlow rightly pointed out, Alexa+ may be an improvement by being more conversational and context aware, but it doesn’t really do enough to warrant the consistent use of the assistant.

Lots of Redditors have also expressed their displeasure with Alexa+, with some choosing to revert back to the old Alexa for the many ads, the style of the new voices, or just preferring not to opt into the upgrade.

Sure, being a free add-on to Amazon Prime will see plenty of early adopters, but it remains to be seen if Aussies will jump ship from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or whatever LLM they’re already using and move to Alexa+. (Incidentally, a web version is also slated to come soon.)

Then again, AI is evolving and Alexa+ seems like the next step in the voice assistant’s development, although it will need to do more than just speak fluent 'Strayan if it wants to reign supreme Down Under.

It's been a day since I published my Samsung Jet 95S review and, as I mentioned, this cordless vacuum cleaner is full of surprises. From its unimposing size to being lighter than some of its competition, to even fully harnessing its excellent 280AW of suction, the Jet 95S is very easy to recommend even at full price.

But why would you do that when you can pick it up for 50% off? That's right: the Samsung Jet 95S, which is already good value at AU$799, is now discounted to just AU$399 at JB Hi-Fi.

That's a very budget price and excellent bang for your hard-earned buck to spend on a vacuum cleaner that I gave a full five stars to — and I've been reviewing vacuum cleaners for nearly a decade and have rarely done so. The Jet 95S is now my pick of the best vacuum cleaner in Australia.

It may not have self-emptying like many a Shark vacuum cleaner or may not be looker like some of its Dyson counterparts, but what the Samsung Jet 95S has in spades is performance.

As I said in my review, it's in the same league as the Dyson Gen5detect Absolute with 280AW of suction, but it manages to outperform its competition thanks to four suction modes, with the Jet setting so darn powerful, I found 100% hair pickup from a rather dirty mid-pile carpet.

In fact, the Jet 95S aced all my tests in just its Mid suction setting, which is the second level up from Min (aka minimum, of course), and found it performed better than Dyson's Auto mode — albeit just barely.

I'm even a big fan of the Flex Tool that ships with the Jet 95S, which helped me get to awkward corners and high up on ceilings to clean behind my sofa and even an air-conditioning vent that's 90º to my ceiling. The other two accessories are stock standard, but you do get a Pet Tool+ attachment that's good at picking up small and thin strands from upholstery, bedding and all kinds of floor types.

The Slim LED floorhead has a very bright headlight that doesn't highlight dust particles like Dyson's Fluffy Optic does, but at least it lets you see under the bed or other low-lying furniture where light doesn't typically penetrate. This floorhead is only for hard floors though.

The all-round useful floorhead is the Jet Dual Brush+ that I found a little difficult to manoeuvre around the house, even on hard floors, but the Samsung vacuum isn't as heavy as some other models, so exerting a little extra energy is doable here. The clean you get from this floorhead, though, is exceptional, and I found no tangling of long hair strands during my testing.

I even love the fact that the wand is expandable, unlike Dyson.

Honestly, for a fraction of the Gen5detect's price, you're getting the same suction power and excellent cleaning performance, in a package that's easy to use and store. It's an absolute steal at just AU$399!

• Smart glasses bans are being introduced and considered
• There are growing concerns over smart glasses privacy
• Could hardware changes solve people's concerns?

I’ve written a lot about the high likelihood of major smart glasses regulation being introduced in various regions as the technology garners more and more bad press, and as expected, we’re starting to see bans and other restrictions take shape.

No nation has yet to all-out ban smart glasses, but a few have outlawed their use in certain scenarios while others are investigating harsher measures. Some private companies, such as event organizers, have also banned smart glasses on their premises and at their conferences.

Of course, this is bad news for smart specs owners who now could be facing restrictions on where they can/can’t wear their intelligent eyewear. For anyone considering adding smart glasses to their technology arsenal, these possible restrictions should be taken into account when making your final purchase decision.

So where are we starting to see smart glasses bans? Here’s a selection of the countries investigating and introducing anti-intelligent eyewear rules.

United States

Generally, smart glasses can be worn freely in the US; however, New York State has banned them from being used in any of its courts. Smart glasses with recording capabilities could be seen as an attempt to intimidate those involved in the case, and some cases contain sensitive private information where unauthorized recordings could impose serious risks.

Other states have introduced less widespread bans in courts — including Philadelphia, Hawaii, and North Carolina.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force includes in its rules for service members that they are “Unauthorized to wear mirrored lenses or smart glasses with photo, video or artificial intelligence capabilities while in uniform.” This seems like more of a presentation thing than an anti-smart specs rule (especially given the inclusion of mirrored specs), but it does mean you can’t wear intelligent eyewear in uniform regardless.

Further, attendees of conventions such as major hacker conference DEF CON 34 have been barred from wearing Meta glasses or similar. These bans focus on the possibility of glasses recording folks without their knowledge — with organizers arguing the recording light some glasses offer isn’t the most obvious.

UK

In the UK, things are much the same. Courts don’t ban their use, though after one person was being coached by their glasses’ AI mid-trial, their usage is generally advised against. There are also recording restrictions in UK courts, so while glasses aren’t explicitly banned, using them to snap photos or videos would be against the rules — the same as it would be for using your phone or a regular camera.

We have seen companies like Monopoly Events ban camera glasses from its Comic-Cons after secret filming complaints, and there’s a petition to the Government to ban the sale and promotion of smart specs in the country. These petitions don’t always go anywhere, but it shows there’s at least some public unrest over smart specs, and that could lead to rule changes.

EU

The European Data Protection Board is currently drafting a report on smart glasses, with it expected to land sometime in the next few months. However, while more general EU rules are being discussed, some individual members are making their own individual decisions on the tech.

Germany’s data protection authority commissioner has warned camera glasses could be banned under existing laws prohibiting recording devices hidden in everyday objects.

Netherlands digital rights activists have expressed frustration at smart glasses' ability to record people without their knowledge, while France’s privacy regulator, the National Commission on Informatics and Liberty, has highlighted the privacy risks camera glasses pose.

South Korea

Rounding things off, we have a different kind of ban in South Korea, with the country specifically restricting smart glasses access in exam halls after cases of students being caught trying to cheat using intelligent eyewear.

Smart devices are generally banned from exam rooms in most schools across the globe to prevent cheating, though given the importance of South Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test, their very explicit ban makes sense so as to remove any possible confusion over whether students can even bring smart specs into the room with them.

Could things change?

Of course, very few bans have been brought in yet, but they could be unless things change on the hardware side.

A big concern is over privacy for non-glasses wearers caught in the gaze of someone's camera — especially if they don't know they’re being recorded. An obvious fix here would be to make smart glasses much more obvious when they're recording — perhaps brighter camera lights, a loud audible camera sound when snapping a photo, some kind of audio indicator when video is being recorded.

For users, they’ll want better control over what is and isn’t accessed by smart glasses makers when using their tech, and more certainty about which images are and aren’t shared, or which videos can or can’t be seen by contractors.

We’ll have to wait and see how the situation develops, though I’m not sure how much longer smart specs can go before we see serious regulations.