• Desktop CPU shipments dropped over 20% amid rising memory and GPU costs
• AMD now holds nearly 35% of the entire desktop processor market
• Mobile CPU shipments jumped as Intel finally closed its capacity gap

Global processor shipments fell in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, new figures have claimed.

Mercury Research found, the decline stemmed mainly from weaker system-on-chip and embedded volumes tied to AMD's shrinking games console business, along with a steep drop in desktop CPU volumes.

Even as the overall market contracted, AMD continued to take share away from Intel across nearly every product category tracked by the research firm.

Desktop demand buckles under higher prices

Desktop CPU shipments fell by more than 20% year on year, a decline Mercury links to weaker demand for high-end gaming PCs rather than typical seasonal softness.

Rising memory prices, driven by chipmakers prioritizing more profitable high-bandwidth memory for AI servers, have pushed up the cost of finished PCs.

A shortage of consumer GPUs appears to stem from similar supply pressures within the broader chip industry.

"Higher PC prices and limited GPU supplies are having a significant impact," Mercury Research said in its report.

AMD's decline in desktop shipments was smaller than Intel's, allowing it to grow its desktop share to nearly 35%, up from about 32% a year earlier.

AMD extends its lead in mobile and server chips

Mobile processor shipments told a different story, climbing strongly compared with the previous quarter after Intel expanded output during two heavily supply-constrained quarters.

Intel added millions of units of mobile CPU capacity in the second quarter, narrowing the earlier gap between supply and available demand.

Despite that expansion, AMD's share of the mobile segment rose to nearly 29%, up from 20.6% during the same quarter last year.

Server processor shipments increased by 20% year on year, with Mercury citing stronger demand for both datacenter—class chips and processors built for networking and storage.

AMD's share of server processors climbed to 34.5%, compared with 27.3% a year earlier, and would reach 46.4% if the comparison were limited only to Intel's Xeon SP and AMD's EPYC lines.

Mercury also tracks the smaller Arm-based CPU market for PCs and servers, cautioning that its estimates carry more uncertainty due to the absence of centralized revenue reporting for Arm chips.

The firm recorded strong growth in Apple's Mac lineup, including its newer lower-cost Neo models, alongside solid gains for Arm-based Chromebooks.

Arm-based systems reached 15.3% of the client market during the quarter, a record high and an increase of 0.9 percentage points.

In servers, Arm's share also hit a record of 13.6%, up 0.5 percentage points from the prior period.

Taken together, the figures suggest a processor market driven less by shifting consumer taste than by supply-chain pressure from the AI boom.

Memory and GPU scarcity appear to be squeezing traditional desktop buyers even as data-center and mobile demand hold up, leaving AMD well placed to keep benefiting from Intel's uneven recovery.

Via The Register

• China has tested an airborne blimp called the S4000
• It generates electricity from wind power at an altitude of 4,000 meters
• The airship can move to wherever it is needed most

If you thought the age of blimps was over, think again. China has just launched a successful test of a helium-filled airship that is used to generate electricity from the sky, and it could mean a return to the air of the skyfaring vehicles that went out of fashion almost 100 years ago.

According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV (via South China Morning Post), the apparent world-first feat involved the airship ascending to 4,000 meters, generating power and returning to the ground. Measuring roughly the length of a Boeing 747 airplane, the craft is reportedly not far from being deployed on a wider scale.

The goal of the vehicle — named the S4000 after the height it climbs to — is to harness the strong winds that can be found high above the earth, which it does using turbines strapped to each side of its body. The winds at altitude are stronger and steadier than those closer to ground level, and any electricity generated is sent back to base using a long tether.

Returning to the skies

By operating in the sky, the S4000 has a few advantages over traditional static wind turbines. For one thing, it can move to windier areas as required, allowing it to adapt to changing conditions or transfer to where it is needed most. For another, it means less real estate is taken up on the ground, freeing up space for other uses and potentially reducing the complaints that are often directed at wind farms.

The S4000 was developed by Chinese firm Sawes Energy Technology alongside Tsinghua University and the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Previous models included the S1500 and the S2000, which drew a combined total of 500 million yuan (US$74.3 million) in orders, according to the SCMP.

The S4000 is far from the only recent effort to harness wind power. As we reported earlier this week, the Ventyra R1 portable wind turbine can be folded up into a backpack yet provides 50W of power output, taking around 35 minutes to fully charge a connected smartphone.

Combined with the S4000 — and the many other developments in the wind power industry — it’s clear that a lot is being done in the world of renewable energy. So don’t be surprised to one day see blimps make a return to the skies, this time in the service of generating electricity.

• Iveda’s GX10-F100 claims more than 150 minutes of airborne endurance
• The gasoline-powered aircraft carries up to 19 pounds of cargo during missions
• Semi-symmetrical carbon-fiber frame targets coastal and remote operating environments

Iveda has introduced a rotary-wing unmanned aircraft aimed at military logistics, reconnaissance, communications support, and other operations requiring longer airborne endurance.

The Arizona-based company says its GX10-F100 can remain airborne for more than 150 minutes, which it claims is five times the endurance of comparable electric quadcopters.

The aircraft uses gasoline propulsion, carries up to 19 pounds (9 kilograms) of cargo, and features a semi-symmetrical carbon-fiber airframe for operations along coastlines, in remote terrain, and in high winds.

A longer-endurance aircraft

The GX10-F100 measures 72 inches in length and has a rotor span of 72 inches, giving it dimensions comparable to compact helicopters.

A 1.43-gallon fuel tank supplies the engine, while the aircraft reaches speeds of 68 mph and has an advertised operational range of 19 miles.

Those figures give the aircraft a different operating profile from smaller electric systems, although actual endurance can vary with payload and conditions.

Iveda says its onboard autonomy software supports live video, route guidance, and object tracking without requiring continuous manual flight control.

The company also lists coastal patrols, emergency services, infrastructure inspection, public safety, and architectural work among possible applications for the platform.

“Mission-critical operators have been forced to work within the limitations of drone systems that were never designed for the environments they operate in. This new helicopter line was built to solve that problem,” said David Ly, CEO and founder of Iveda.

Procurement and future plans

Beyond the military and security operations, this aircraft is also designed for emergency response and infrastructure work.

Therefore, approved emergency response agencies, infrastructure companies, and military pilots can purchase the aircraft for disaster management, inspection, and other operations.

The company says governments can obtain the aircraft through GlobalMed under a federal logistics arrangement, while qualified pilots may purchase units directly.

The GX10-F100 complies with federal procurement requirements for defense acquisitions and with agreements governing eligible commercial suppliers.

This means that not all governments will be eligible to purchase this device, as some are blacklisted for national security.

The GX10-F100 therefore enters a market where endurance, payload capacity, and procurement eligibility can matter alongside autonomy and sensor capabilities.

On the flip side, the gasoline engine introduces logistical considerations which are absent in many battery systems.

Iveda has not provided independent endurance testing showing whether the stated 150-minute figure remains achievable under maximum payload conditions.

This distinction matters because aircraft performance can change substantially when carrying heavier equipment, operating against strong winds, or conducting repeated autonomous missions.

Iveda also disclosed plans to convert retired full-size helicopters into autonomous aircraft, though such a project would represent a larger class of unmanned aviation than the GX10-F100.

For now, the GX10-F100 provides Iveda with an entry into military and government drone operations centered on longer flight duration.

Whether that endurance translates into a major battlefield advantage will depend on reliability, payload performance, autonomy, and actual operating conditions encountered.

Via The DroneFront

One of the most exciting areas in technology is quantum computing, but it's also one of the areas that's been among the least accessible, difficult to relate to the real world, and still largely buried away in the lab. To reach the point at which quantum computers become useful, there's still plenty of work to be done.

The race to a million qubits

There are, and continue to be, different approaches to building quantum computers as well as all the components that power them. But the goal among all companies and institutions is the same: to build a machine that can outpace the fastest classical computer.

The cofounder and CEO of quantum computing company PsiQuantum, Jeremy O'Brien, was sharing his vision behind his organization, essentially saying that his team had attempted to work against a forged consensus.

Rather than scaling up qubits from a handful to 100 or 1,000, he said at the time that he was "fanatical" about getting to a million-plus qubits – the point at which experts expect there to be a meaningful performance leap.

New architectures and approaches

Intriguingly, O'Brien's comments came at a time when sheer scale and qubit count were the most sought-after elements in a quantum computer.

Since that point, so much research in the space has shifted not to the sheer size of the chips and how many qubits they can hold, but to building better qubits. Because quantum processors are so prone to failure, researchers have instead been trying to build processors with a few error-resistant qubits over millions of basic error-prone qubits.

The goal is still to achieve a quantum computer that can outpace classical machines, but experts expect that due to new breakthroughs, these quantum computers may need far fewer qubits than the millions we thought just a few years ago.

• Shanling Q2 unveiled as an iPod nano-alike upgrade for high-res music
• Fiio recently launched the Echo Nano, an original iPod shuffle-like player with a screen
• iPods are so nostalgic, they're still being actively advertised by resellers

Remember the iPod? Of course you do: nostalgia is so high that you still have tech journalists dusting off their iPod Classics, they're so popular on resellers that refurb site BackMarket is actively advertising them as though they're new, and popular audio brands are releasing doppelgangers that have even more features than the originals.

In recent weeks, both Shanling and Fiio have released products that look like iPods going through their goth stage, but they're not just cash-ins. These are devices that could end up on our best hi-res audio players list, with features and tools Apple never gave us.

These new releases aren't quite a surprise — and not just because Fiio released another iPod nano lookalike at the end of 2025. No, the non-smart low-tech revival is in full swing, and the proof is in the pudding.

We're seeing transportable SACD players, retro cassette players and blingy throwback turntables, and other such products launching with regularity. Buyers want distraction-free devices, especially ones which let them avoid streaming music, and manufacturers have delivered.

Let's get to know the Fiio and Shanling

The Fiio Echo Nano was unveiled early in August 2026. It costs $49.99 / £54.99 (about AU$110), a fair amount cheaper than the launch price of its Apple doppelganger: the stick-thin first-gen iPod Shuffle (which is admittedly now available through resale sites for a fraction of the price).

This mechanical-looking MP3 player has a physical scroll wheel for navigation, and an 0.91-inch display to see what you're selecting. And in true Fiio style, the real magic is on the inside — aside from a great DAC, there's space for a 256GB microSD card. The battery life reaches seven hours, and you can even use the device as a USB DAC, if you plug it into your PC or smartphone.

The Echo Nano weighs 33.5g, and as you can see from the picture, there are loads of color options available.

If you've got more money burning a hole in your pocket, there's the Shanling Q2, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the third-gen iPod nano (albeit thicker, so there's a bit of iPod mini in there, too). It was unveiled in late August, for the sum of $269 (about £200, AU$400).

This adorable model supports in-demand file formats such as FLAC, WAV, ALAC and DSF, and has four built-in DAC chips for clarity and detail, handling music up to 768kHz/32-bit and DSD512. The device also supports Bluetooth output, via LDAC or aptX HD.

Unlike in iPods, there are two headphone jacks: a 4.4mm balanced one and a 3.5mm one. There's capacity for up to 2TB of music via microSD card, but you'll need to buy one separately, and there's no storage space in the device itself.

According to Shanling, the device lasts for 13.5 hours of listening, and weighs 82g. There's even a smartphone app which lets you control your music player from your mobile, although that's perhaps getting away from the spirit of having a dedicated player…

I know what you're asking: yes, the scroll wheel is a physical one that you can swipe around and around in circles, but the display is also a touchscreen if you'd rather just press on the options you'd like.

That's a lot of specs and features, but which is best? Well, the giant price difference probably gives away which has the thicker feature list. But if you want a personal recommendation, form factor is paramount for me: if you want a gadget that's lightweight and svelte, perhaps for low-tech days or for workouts, smaller is better than feature-rich, I think.

• Ukraine claims Russia's newest drones can carry a full metric ton offshore
• Some unmanned vessels reach speeds of fifty-five knots at sea
• The BEK-1000 travels over five hundred kilometers before refuelling again

Ukraine's military intelligence agency has claimed Russia may now operate a wide range of unmanned vessels patrolling open waters undetected for extended periods.

A newly released catalog outlines multiple drone boat models capable of carrying explosives, torpedoes, or aerial reconnaissance equipment across long maritime distances.

Some of these platforms reportedly travel hundreds of kilometers and reach speeds nearing 55 knots without human monitoring or intervention.

A fleet built for range and payload

Among the systems described, the Zefir and Orkan models reportedly travel up to 400 kilometers, hit speeds of 35 knots, and can carry roughly 400 kilograms of cargo.

A heavier design known as the BEK-1000 reportedly hauls one ton of cargo over distances beyond 500 kilometers at 40 knots.

Another vessel called Katran appears built specifically to launch first-person-view drones across distances ranging from 100 to 200 kilometers offshore.

The Murena-300s variant reportedly extends its range to 500 kilometers, carries an attached airborne drone rising 100 meters above the water, and can be fitted with torpedoes or first-person-view drones

The inventory also includes basic scouting and mapping boats alongside advanced combat platforms built specifically for coastal strikes and shipping attacks near contested waters.

Older designs and political pressure

Earlier prototypes of these drone vessels trace back to 2014, when Russia trialed the Skanda across Lake Ladoga before tests near Sevastopol in 2019.

That early design offered a range of 150 kilometers and reached velocities no slower than 20 knots.

Subsequent versions such as the Iskatel can carry 600 kilograms at 25 knots while remaining at sea for seven days.

The Farvater catamaran covers roughly 250 kilometers at 32 knots, while the shorter Trezubets model reaches 30 knots powered by dual 320-horsepower motors.

The combat-focused Vizir-700 can carry 600 kilograms at speeds near 80 kilometers per hour, fitted with a forward mount for automatic weapons and rockets.

Collectively, these platforms indicate a rapidly diversifying fleet designed for both reconnaissance and offensive naval operations across contested maritime zones near Ukraine.

Against this backdrop, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasized the need to intensify pressure inside Russian territory.

"We need to bring the war back to the territory of Russia," said Zelenskyy, speaking at a youth forum held on August 12 2026.

He also urged allied nations to reinforce air defense systems ahead of an anticipated autumn mobilization drive inside Russia following recent elections.

Ukrainian officials maintain that factories producing these vessels remain legitimate military objectives throughout the ongoing conflict, given their direct role in weapons production.

Independent verification of these claims remains limited, and analysts caution that some figures may reflect aspirational rather than operational capability.

Analysts also note that unmanned systems remain vulnerable to jamming and detection despite their expanding capabilities under increasingly sophisticated electronic warfare conditions.

Ukraine's disclosure appears designed to draw global attention toward Russia's expanding naval drone program before further escalation occurs at sea.

Via United24media

Remember that massive lawsuit against Meta alleging that its products were designed to addict teens and may have caused them mental harm? Backed by dozens of US States, the potential $1.4 trillion price tag — if Meta lost — would have been enough to bankrupt the company.

That case is now over. Settled for the princely sum of $18 billion and promised fundamental changes in how Meta's major products, namely Instagram and Facebook, operate when used by anyone under 18. I'll get to the proposed changes below (which Meta would like to see YouTube and TikTok adopt, too), but first let's talk about the stunning turn of events.

We were in week two of the big trial, and honestly, we were just getting to the good part. After the states initially presented their case and made it clear they believed Meta knew its products might be harming teens and wasn't doing anything about it, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri took the stand and was peppered with questions about the platform's current controls, like its prompts imploring teens to "take a break." The focus was so intense that the normally polished Mosseri appeared "annoyed." He also admitted that there are "no silver bullets" for safety.

On Wednesday (August 26), we were, it appeared, only hours away from the big show: Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg taking the stand. I expected the prosecution to press him hard to see if they could trigger a slip-up or some reaction from the normally unflappable Zuckerberg.

Now, that moment will never come. Without admitting any wrongdoing or fault, Meta has closed the potentially business-killing or at least hobbling case.

Here's a look, though, at what Meta has agreed to in the settlement[PDF]. On the surface, it will sound like a lot. In fact, the changes are so sweeping that some on social media wondered if they could or should be applied to everyone on the platform.

• Time limits (2 hours)
• Mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of scrolling
• Overnight usage blocks
• No nighttime notifications
• No use during school hours
• No visible likes
• No cosmetic filters
• No algorithmically organized feed (if they choose)
• Age verification
• Better harmful content reporting
• Better parental controls

There are caveats: the two-hour time limit applies across Instagram and Facebook, though how much time does a kid under 18 spend on Facebook?

Likes removal includes any information that could lead to social comparison — essentially a FOMO filter.

Some of the changes, like age verification, parental controls, and content safeguards, represent strengthening and broadening of existing controls.

Meta has rolled out a whole suite of parental controls, especially on Instagram, in the last two years, but as Mosseri noted, not everything is working.

When I posted the above list on social media, one savvy reader made a salient point.

On Bluesky, Paul Dempsey posted:

Sadly, that needs at least these assumptions to hold:

1. Meta will apply tough-enough processes to stop kids hacking these restrictions.

2. Parents will be able to tell when their children have hacked the barriers.

3. States will have enough resources to police the new format.

I'm thinking 0/3.

A steep climb and long odds

He's right, of course. Meta's tools for blocking wily teens have not necessarily borne fruit. If anything, teens are turning away from social media of their own accord, but that doesn't mean millions aren't still on it and are often subjected to unhealthy content and social feedback.

Meta's decision to use AI to detect teen-like behavior and then automatically shift these accounts into the current teen account restrictions has worked for some, but how well does the AI really understand today's teens, and all the ways they can model adult behavior to get around the restrictions?

With this settlement, Meta will be cooking up stricter rules that may include some form of ID not just for the addition of teen accounts but some proof that people are who they say they are and that they're the parents of these newly onboarded teens.

Platform anonymity could take a hit or die altogether.

But as Dempsey noted, it's unclear if Meta can come up with enough ways to block resourceful teens.

His second question is also valid. So many parents are out of the loop when it comes to their children's and teens' online activities. Parents may be on Facebook but are less likely to casually swim in Reels and TikTok waters. Teens' comfort level with these systems far outstrips their parents'. I often wonder who will be leading whom as young people and their parents try to navigate these new restrictions.

Dempsey's last point is probably the ringer. I applaud all the states for joining together to pursue this one case. It's an amazing level of cooperation. Still, when it comes to laws and penalties, I'd be shocked if we saw even a whiff of consistency. That means the rules for policing, detecting, enforcing, and prosecuting those who skirt them will differ in every state. Worse yet, none will have the infrastructure or resources to keep track.

Sure, the rules across Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms that join will be consistent, but the tactics for circumventing them will be varied and no one — not the parents nor the states that originally brought the case — will know, that is until a teen reports harm or parents notice that their children are somehow engaging on social media with adults (or worse).

For Meta, these changes will alter their products, but I don't think that'll materially harm it or its business. It's a lot of money, but a manageable sum (the cost of one acquisition). For parents and teens, they will all struggle with the platform changes until their teens figure out workarounds, and parents again wonder why it's gotten so quiet in their kids' bedrooms.

A lot has already been said about the doom and gloom surrounding AI - some of it drawing on the warnings of classic dystopian novels, but much of it grounded in reality. There is a lot of optimism and promises from those in control of the technology, but not much has emerged in the form of actual benefit.

“I think by far the most accurate criticism of AI companies including Anthropic is that we haven’t yet delivered on our big promises to benefit the world,” Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei has said in a post on X.

The technology is suffering from a “crisis of trust” that stems from people’s belief that companies and governments are “cooking up some new way to screw them over,” he argues. But given how much of the US military, law enforcement, and intelligence gathering infrastructure now relies on AI, are the people wrong?

AI can’t public relations its way out of this one

As AI technology took off, much of the benefit of the technology was aimed at convincing executives and C-suites that the technology - while unproven - was a worthwhile investment. As a result, multiple AI leaders positioned the technology as a way to strip away the labor costs of companies by replacing workers with AI.

Some AI gurus are still arguing these points behind closed doors. I attended a private event this year where an AI "guru" predicted that AI superintelligence would erase as much as 50% of the global workforce within 10 years, and the companies best positioned to take advantage of this cataclysmic event would reap unimaginable control and riches. This was naturally met by applause from the upper echelons of management from companies in attendance.

Amodei himself famously said that AI could wipe out 50% of white collar jobs. But he has since restructured this message, saying instead that AI is a ‘multiplier of output’ - or corporate word salad for ‘increasing productivity without having to increase compensation’.

As I have said numerous times, the proof of AI really is in the pudding. We’ve heard everything that it could do, but seen little benefit in what it can do. To his point, Amodei acknowledges that.

He notes that if an advert went up saying that AI could cure cancer, it would be perceived as entirely misleading. “The thing that will work is actually curing cancer,” he says.

Amodei has teased Anthropic’s morality on these issues, saying that the company is “ramping up its efforts” to focus on using AI for biology and medicine. But again, we’re yet to see the results.

Amodei’s post also touched on where AI is centralizing power, echoing some of Mark Zuckerberg’s recent rant on how best to use AI for everyone’s benefit. Amodei’s argument differed slightly from Zuckerberg’s, arguing that there is a balance to be struck between regulation, oversight, testing, and open-weight models.

He notes that in some aspects he agrees with the “Pacing the Frontier” movement, stating that implementing controls on the frontier labs would “modulate” the pace of the technology while simultaneously allowing the rest of the industry to catch up.

The obvious flaw in this plan is that no other nation would be subject to this regulation which could deliberately hamstring US hegemony in the AI industry - something the Trump administration has frequently said it will not allow to happen.

Is AI delivering more benefits to authoritarian infrastructure than to people?

Where AI systems have been deployed extensively is in surveillance infrastructure. Until the collapse of its relationship with the Pentagon, Anthropic was working with the Department of Defense to procure AI systems. Anthropic refused to cooperate in allowing its technology to be used for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, and lost the contract.

Luckily for the DoD, OpenAI shook hands on a new deal with the Pentagon and immediately filled the shoes left by Anthropic with a prohibition on its technology being used to spy on Americans.

That doesn’t mean other companies are abiding by the same level of ethics. Flock has faced a widespread guerrilla movement targeting its AI-powered cameras designed to track vehicle number plates across the US.

The system is intended to flag suspect’s cars as they travel across boundaries and lines of authority, but has instead seen success as a way for members of law enforcement to stalk exes, monitor colleagues, and track their love interests.

AI systems are also being deployed in traffic monitoring and speeding cameras. This in particular has received a lot of attention as a grey area of policing, especially for systems that misidentify numberplates or are wrongly configured.

For criminal cases in the US, the burden of proof rests with the government to prove someone committed a crime. However, some autonomous ticketing systems that have issued citations to the wrong vehicles have been criticized for requiring those accused to prove their innocence in court, flipping the burden of proof for criminal cases on its head.

And then there is the elephant in the room.

Palantir’s AI technology is deployed across the US military and law enforcement. Most notably, it has been used by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to track those suspected of illegal immigration - but Palantir’s technology is also used in drone imagery analysis, long-range precision strikes, and military data analysis and planning.

No doubt it has been instrumental in delivering the World Record for the most times a single war has been won.

AI is great news if you have nothing to hide and love being on the side of the Good Guys™, but that's a constantly shifting definition.

• OpenAI says it has disrupted a social media influence campaign that is believed to be of Russian origin
• What makes this campaign stand out is the underlying architecture, which features a "think tank" with highly questionable credibility
• The objective of the campaign was to influence Western audiences into believing Russia was superior, and that Western countries were sacrificing their sovereignty

AI tools have once again been used for bad, rather than for good, and this time it has been as part of a campaign attributed to Russia that tried to discredit Western countries supportive of Ukraine.

The threat actors used ChatGPT accounts to promote the work of an “expert community” of academics known as the International Burke Institute (IBI). The site used stolen academic works attributed to the wrong authors in an attempt to appear legitimate while also hiding the true source of its academic ‘contributions’.

The IBI was registered to an address in Israel - with some evidence suggesting real individuals in Israel represented and promoted the page - but the main purpose of the misinformation campaign was to paint Russia in a favourable light compared to its Western adversaries.

International Burke Institute, or an institute run by international berks?

In its report on the campaign OpenAI points out that those behind the ChatGPT accounts used to promote the page took careful steps to hide their Russian origins. Many of the prompts included instructions to hide any linguistic clues that the operators used Russian language prompting.

One inclusion on the IBI website referred to Germany’s traffic light coalition as the “Svetofor coalition”. Svetofor is the word for ‘traffic light’ in numerous Slavic languages, including Russian, indicating that drafts were written in Slavic languages before being translated.

Some of the accounts were used to promote the IBI across X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Substack and Telegram with AI generated imagery and captions, with other accounts being used to automatically engage with comments by real users on Substack. The operators of the ChatGPT accounts regularly requested performance summaries of these pages in Russian, and used ChatGPT to generate matching profile pictures for some accounts.

Burke Sovereignty Index

One of the features of the IBI website is to advertise the ‘Burke Sovereignty Index’ - designed to measure how well a country performs compared to others across political, economic, technological, informational, cultural, cognitive and military factors.

The Index’s purpose is to make Western countries appear worse than Russia, OpenAI says. Having taken a look at the Index myself it's clear there is no consistency in measurement or comparison. For example, The Vatican City - which is less than half a square kilometer in size - sits above Spain in its average of scores. The Index also gave Russia the highest military score.

Questionable expert contributors

The website also includes a list of experts, whose affiliation to the IBI is not referenced. Some among them are pioneers in their fields of study, such as Francis Fukuyama and Noam Chomsky.

Others are former high-ranking members of the US government, such as Mike Pompeo and Joseph Nye. There are even listings for experts who passed away before the IBI was founded, such as Shlomo Avineri and Jiang Ping.

Much of the academic work cited on the IBI website is legitimate, but more often than not has been stolen from its actual author and misattributed to a different author to hide the work’s actual source, OpenAI said. This has been done to give the IBI website credibility and to make it appear authentic.

Impact of the IBI influence campaign

The overall impact of the IBI and its promotion using social media and ChatGPT is fairly limited, OpenAI noted. Some of the Telegram channels garnered followings between ten to twenty thousand showing a limited breakout to authentic audiences.

But the main thing to take away from this is the level of dedication placed behind the underlying infrastructure of the IBI. The site is designed to look authentic, uses authentic research (even if it is wrongly attributed), and presents itself as a collection of experts. To the layman, a cursory glance at the IBI website would give any of their social media presence a level of authenticity not seen in other social influence campaigns.

• A new leak sheds fresh light on the Samsung Galaxy Aero smartwatch
• The device might ditch Wear OS and use the RTOS operating system instead
• It could fix some of the mistakes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE

It’s safe to say that we weren’t huge fans of the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE, with our reviewer scoring it a measly two stars and branding it “one of the most confusing smartwatches I’ve ever tested.” Yet despite the disappointment, a new leak suggests that Samsung is going to take another stab at the entry-level smartwatch market — but the result might look very different.

The latest hints come from Gadgets & Wearables, which investigated the Samsung Health and Galaxy Wearable apps to uncover hints of what might be to come. And according to the news outlet, the forthcoming device could take the form of a new Samsung watch dubbed the Galaxy Aero.

What’s interesting about this product is that, unlike many of the best Samsung watches, it might not run on Google’s Wear OS. Previous reporting from SamMobile found hints pointing towards the use of RTOS, or ‘real-time operating system,’ as Samsung software contained references to ‘Galaxy Aero’ and ‘galaxy_rtos_watch.’ The implication here is that these devices were the same product.

RTOS is the platform that Samsung’s Galaxy Fit devices run on and is a far more lightweight system than Wear OS. If RTOS ends up powering the Galaxy Aero, it would suggest that the product will be at the lower end of Samsung’s wearable spectrum.

Further investigation from Gadgets & Wearables suggests that several Samsung apps and services have the capability of handling RTOS and devices that use it. And it’s that capability that supposedly opening the door for the Galaxy Aero.

Righting the wrongs of the past

One of our main criticisms of the Samsung Galaxy Watch FE was that it was strangely positioned — at the time, it offered worse performance than the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, despite being available to buy for the same price or more. With the Galaxy Aero, that uncomfortable quirk might be remedied.

That’s because SamMobile suggests it could be priced below the Watch FE, making it a more sensible proposition for a low-cost smartwatch. If true, that could make it much less of a tough sell.

And there’s another consideration. By using RTOS instead of Wear OS, Samsung could conceivably cut down on battery usage, solving another major problem with the Watch FE. It would mean making some compromises, with limited support for the Google Play Store and third-party apps both possible. But if Samsung can keep the cost down, it’s likely that many users won’t mind.

If Samsung makes that move, it would join rivals like Amazfit and Huawei in launching an affordable fitness tracker that doesn’t rely on Wear OS. Whether it can right the wrongs of the Galaxy Watch FE, however, remains to be seen.

• Researcher registers Linux machine as a trusted device on Apple's Find My network and pulled live people-tracking data that Apple normally reserves for its own hardware
• The work is not a mass-surveillance exploit: it is limited in scope and only reads a location share that a friend had already agreed to, and it cannot silently locate arbitrary Apple users
• The approach took less than a week of protocol reverse engineering, and Apple has maintained silence on queries about the technique employed

Apple keeps the full Find My experience locked to its own devices, but a recent attempt by security researchers suggests that wall may be a relatively weak barrier to entry.

A 22-year-old security researcher who goes by "Zerotistic" documented how they registered an ordinary Linux machine as a trusted node on Apple's network and used its new status to receive live people-location data that Apple otherwise shares only with its own devices, such as iPhones and iPads.

Find My, Apple's catch-all tool for locating hardware such as AirTags, iPhones, and iPads, also lets people share their whereabouts with family and friends, and while Apple has historically guarded this particular feature very closely, it is also the same one the security researcher targeted to introduce a device that Apple does not otherwise have complete control over as part of its ecosystem.

An interesting trick that still requires consent to get the job done

The task is not an easy one to begin with: convincing Apple's back end that a Linux process was a legitimate Apple device that was part of its ecosystem and therefore could be trusted with information shared via the Find My platform required a lot of trial and error to get going.

It is important to clarify here that Apple's system is not exactly compromised here; the approach still requires a friend to share data that the Linux client that the security researcher built can then read.

Apple currently sends people-location data over its private Push Notification service only after it trusts that the receiving machine belongs to the account and can handle the data. This means the Linux machine would have to speak Apple's private language to query its servers and process the information it received.

It involved obtaining an Apple Identity Services (IDS) certificate, a specialized device and messaging credential Apple's internal framework uses to link an Apple Account to specific hardware, end-to-end encryption keys, and push notification tokens. This meant crafting a certificate signing request and sending it to a legacy Apple enrollment endpoint.

Once done, a Linux box with a signed certificate could sign its own requests and register as a Find My device, but it still had to subscribe to six different subservices to function. The registration request also had to be signed using an IDS certificate and an APNs certificate obtained during initial network setup.

The researcher then issued a SubscribeAndFetch request that provided an encrypted location key from his friend's Apple device to the Linux box, masquerading as one.

What might concern Apple is how fast things moved: the whole pipeline came together in a week. It also didn't require a jailbreak, a leaked key, or even a Mac to do the job. Instead, open-source clients and decompiled daemons were the norm, with a trial-and-error approach that eventually paid off.

The technique has its limitations: attacks can not target a stranger, and consent is required to track even one's friends. It shows that Apple's boundary around Find My stems from an obscure protocol it enforces rather than a cryptographic lock; once a device acts like it is from Apple, the ecosystem treats it as a family member rather than an untrusted node.

Apple has yet to respond to media queries about whether it plans to address the demonstrated trick or patch the loop in the near future.

• ShinyHunters adds CyrusOne to its victim list, demanding $13m ransom
• Claimed theft includes 12.9 million Salesforce records, 600GB SharePoint data, PII, contracts, and facility diagrams
• Breach could enable physical intrusions and supply‑chain attacks; CyrusOne has not commented or paid

The infamous ShinyHunters ransomware crew has added CyrusOne, a major US data center operator, to its list of victims, claiming to have stolen a treasure trove of highly sensitive data which, if proven true, could turn this into a bonafide catastrophe for the company and its customers.

Overall, ShinyHunters claims to have exfiltrated 12.9 million Salesforce records, more than 182,000 rows from the Salesforce Contacts object, more than 600 GB of SharePoint data, more than 8,300 employee records containing personally identifiable information (PII), executed contracts, master service agreements, NDAs, and service agreements, data center floor plans, electrical diagrams, access-control records and badge audits, physical key inventories, security policies, critical Environment Reliability Management documentation, and various passwords and credential artifacts.

No samples have been posted just yet, but researchers don’t see it as suspicious, but rather as a pressure tactic.

What makes this attack different

In exchange for deleting all of the stolen data, ShinyHunters is demanding $13 million from CyrusOne which, at this time, is not commenting on the claims, and is seemingly not interested in negotiations.

“They are refusing to pay a $13 million demand. They have 24 hours left to engage with us. We hold 12.9 million Salesforce records,” the attackers allegedly wrote.

Ransomware groups steal sensitive corporate data all the time, but this incident has the potential to be among the most devastating data breaches ever. Some of the secrets that were nabbed cannot simply be changed: data center floor plans, electrical diagrams, access-control records, badge audits, physical key inventories, this kind of intelligence can be used for physical breaches.

If criminals know how keys are assigned, how the data center is organized, where surveillance cameras are located, and how guards operate, it makes it easier to physically break it.

“You can’t patch a building,” the researchers warned, noting that some of the things that can be changed, such as physical keys and access zones, still take months and “real money”, they added, hinting at just how big the problem could be.

CyrusOne runs some 50 facilities all across the United States and serves hundreds of companies and corporations. Some of its clients include Fortune 1000 companies, as well as big tech names such as Microsoft, Meta, Verizon, AT&T, IBM, and CME Group.

Compounding the problem even further is the fact that ShinyHunters stole information about CyrusOne’s customers, such as Meta, or Microsoft. Information about the locations of certain customers, the services they’re paying for, the NDAs, service-level agreements, and contact information, can all be used for highly tailored, sophisticated phishing attacks that could turn this incident into an unprecedented third-party supply-chain attack.

“Contracts, MSAs, and NDAs identify the tenants as a customer list overlaid on a building map, with pricing and SLAs attached,” the researchers added.

No reaction

To add insult to injury, ShinyHunters also seems to have stolen information about the company’s power, cooling, and critical-environment reliability processes, which they could leverage to physically attack the servers, causing disruptions, outages, and possibly fires.

The group first added CyrusOne to their site on August 20 2026, although at that moment, the name of the victim was redacted, the researchers said. Instead, ShinyHunters posted a warning, saying “Final warning - pay or leak”. The company was given until August 24 to reach out which, it would seem, did not happen.

Three days later, on August 23, ShinyHunters publicly named CyrusOne as their victim, and stated that they demanded $13 million for the files. We are now well past the deadline, and nothing’s changed - the victim hasn’t spoken out, and ShinyHunters did not leak the files.

Via Cybernews

• The FDA has approved the Libre Duo 10 Day CGM wearable
• It can continuously measure both ketones and blood sugar levels
• It’s worn by diabetics as a continuous glucose monitor (CGM)

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first wearable device capable of simultaneously monitoring both ketone and bloody sugar levels, which the organization says is “a breakthrough for the safety of children and adults living with diabetes".

The device in question is the Libre Duo 10 Day monitor. Worn on your arm as a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), it provides minute-by-minute glucose updates that are sent to your smartphone. It also monitors ketone levels and sends you an alert if they rise above a certain threshold.

In terms of who can use it, the Libre Duo 10 Day wearable has been approved for use by people aged two or over who are living with diabetes. It takes the form of a small wearable sensor that measures glucose and ketone levels held within the fluids under your skin.

Made by Abbott Diabetes Care, there are few other specific details about the device for the time being, but the potential is huge.

Simplifying the process

In approving the Libre Duo 10 Day, the FDA’s intention is to help prevent diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). This condition occurs when your body starts using fat instead of glucose for energy, which in turn leads to it producing too much ketone. DKA can become a life-threatening medical emergency if left untreated.

One of the benefits of the Libre Duo 10 Day is that it can track ketone levels in real time. Rather than using a standalone test kit that only provides a snapshot of your situation in that exact moment, the Libre wearable can display trends over time, notifying you if your ketone levels are rising or falling — which could help keep you better informed of whether your risk of DKA is changing.

The fact that it combines ketone monitoring with blood sugar analysis also means you don’t need two separate devices in order to stay on top of your diabetes. Having a single wearable helps keep things straightforward.

We don’t know when the Libre Duo 10 Day will become available, and its manufacturer’s website simply says it is “coming soon.” When it does arrive, it might help simplify the process of ketone and blood sugar monitoring for the 2.1 million Americans with type 1 diabetes for whom DKA is a real threat.

• Gemini Live is being upgraded to Gemini Live 3.5, which handles interruptions better
• The new model can also process live visuals and blend multiple languages on the fly
• It also promises more natural and responsive conversations and the ability to access background tools

Google has upgraded its Gemini Live voice mode with a new model, Gemini 3.5 Live, which it says delivers a major improvement over the existing Gemini 3.1 Live model.

The new 3.5 model will be better at handling mid-sentence interruptions, processing live visuals, blending multiple languages on the fly, and triggering background tools. Gemini Live currently lacks the ability to access and use other tools, so this looks like a big step forward in its functionality.

Gemini Live is already one of the best things about using Gemini on your phone, letting you have natural, human-like conversations with the Google AI, but it’s not perfect. In fact, Gemini Live is pretty prone to errors.

Its flaws are probably different depending on how your voice sounds, but for me, I find it occasionally thinks I’m talking Italian and switches languages, and sometimes if I interrupt it, then it gets confused and will reset itself back to its default voice, not the one I’ve chosen (the Ursa voice is my favorite).

Hopefully the new Gemini 3.5 Live will see an end to these problems, and I'll bring you a hands-on test as soon as I have access to the new model.

Smarter translation

To coincide with the release of Gemini 3.5 Live, Google is also releasing two developer models — Gemini 3.5 Live Experimental and Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, which developers can access in the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.

Some of these powerful smart transcription features are already making their way into consumer products. On Android, Gboard’s Rambler feature uses Gemini 3.5 Transcribe to turn rambling speech into well-formatted text, automatically removing filler words such as “um” and “ah.” You can then use your voice to correct misspellings, edit the text, or change its writing style.

In the Gemini app for macOS, the model combines natural voice input with an awareness of what’s on your screen. It can call on other Gemini models in the background to summarize local files, repurpose text between apps, or generate images at your cursor, all using spoken instructions.

Perhaps most interestingly, the technology is coming soon to Chrome. You’ll be able to talk to type in any text field on the web, whether you’re replying to an email, drafting a social post, or writing a prompt for Gemini.

Gemini 3.5 Live, Gemini 3.5 Live Experimental, and Gemini 3.5 Transcribe are all being announced today. It’s not clear when they will roll out to everyone, but we’d expect it to be over the next few days.

• Nvidia's GeForce Now is officially inbound for the Steam Machine
• Support for the Steam Controller is also coming
• This gives owners of Valve's PC more flexibility to stream top-end games that won't run on the Steam Machine's more modest hardware

Nvidia has revealed that its GeForce Now service is coming to the Steam Machine.

As The Verge reports, Team Green made the announcement at Gamescom 2026, where it said that GeForce Now streaming will be arriving on the Steam Machine before the end of the year, and also that the Steam Controller will be supported. (The Steam Deck already is, of course).

In other words, you'll be able to enjoy the GeForce Now app on the Steam Machine, with the controller too (and support for the Steam Controller will be debuting for Windows 11 and macOS later in 2026, too).

Nvidia also told us that more Fire TV Sticks will be supported, with GeForce Now subscriptions set to be available directly from Amazon.

GeForce Now has just launched on the Firefox browser as well, and the streaming service is getting DLSS 4.5 goodies, which Nvidia notes include Super Resolution (upscaling), as well as dynamic Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction.

The arrival of DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction was announced at Gamescom, too, offering better image quality with ray-traced (and path-traced) games.

Analysis: Steam Machine dream team

GeForce Now support is something that several Steam Machine buyers (or would-be purchasers) have indicated they'd love to have. Why? Because Valve's PC hasn't got the beefiest of specs due to the hardware compromises that have been made to ensure this is a smartly compact box that fits nicely in the living room without drawing attention to itself (in terms of size or indeed noise).

This means that you can't play more demanding PC games on the Steam Machine simply because it doesn't have the graphics muscle. And this is why GeForce Now is viewed by some as the perfect partner for the Steam Machine — you can play many games locally, on the device, but when you want to enjoy a cutting-edge title that Valve's hardware can't hope to handle, you can stream it via GeForce Now instead (assuming it's supported by Nvidia, of course).

As one gamer on Reddit who was hoping for this move to be made noted: "Play the AA games on the [Steam] Machine and the AAA games with max graphics via GeForce Now."

That dream is soon to become a reality, although this setup sounds more like a nightmare to some who are quick to point out the costs involved, with the streaming subscription for Nvidia's service coming on top of the weighty price of the Steam Machine.

I can't argue with that, really, but if you do have a Steam Machine, dipping into GeForce Now waters does make sense in terms of playing (almost) everything you want in your living room with a slick and super-compact PC. (Assuming your internet connection is beefy enough for game streaming, that is). In this scenario, you are getting some serious gaming versatility, power, and convenience — it's a tempting, if pricey, combo.

The alternative is building a more powerful Steam Machine clone yourself (or buying a prebuilt along these lines), but bear in mind that this route comes with compromises of its own. Whatever the case, GeForce Now offers more options with the Steam Machine; there's no denying that.

Imagine AI is the sun and businesses are Icarus. By now, most of us are basking in the light of this transformative innovation, which sometimes feels too hot and other times disappears behind clouds so dense we wonder why we ever trusted it in the first place.

Some intrepid businesses not only gaze at AI's warm light, but openly worship it. They don wings, and fly as close as they can to its surface. The goal: scoop up a bit of that generative magic, and fly back to Earth with agents, which, to carry this insane metaphor further, can be fashioned into people-like workers capable of doing what we do, but at scale and with little-to-no monitoring.

Of course, the flight to AI's core is dangerous, and so we have episodes like Meta's recent Quixotic adventure which, according to an extensive Reuters report, saw it attempt to transform a vast portion of its workforce (reportedly 60%) into AI agents overseen by a much smaller set of highly skilled workers.

That Meta's wings almost immediately started smoking from its proximity to the AI core is no surprise, at least not to me.

Slow down

I talk and write about AI a lot, and I've been covering it in some form or another for almost 25 years, back when companies like IBM and Microsoft were the AI leaders, and we thought Deep Blue beating Kasparov was the apex of what we could expect from artificial intelligence.

Modern generative AI burns far brighter, and shows in real time such vast potential that enthusiasm is not just rampant; it's out of control.

AI agents, which Meta apparently started using at scale, are driving much of this mania. These automated tools offer the promise of handling drudgery-filled tasks in innumerable businesses, and could solve not just productivity problems, but be the answer to workforce issues, including hiring problems, underperformers, and burnout. Agentic AI can not just handle repetitive tasks; it can cobble together disparate systems to complete work.

From Meta's perspective, especially as a company that is primarily a software business, AI that could work across tools and systems to not only help keep things running but build new work (under the supervision of a smaller set of super-performers) probably seemed like the perfect solution.

Conclusions like this are not exclusive to Meta or companies of its size. Conversations about the use of AI in business persist in every industry and at every level.

AI has gone to work in healthcare, retail and e-commerce, manufacturing, financial services and banking, entertainment, and media. All with varying degrees of success and implications.

It's a stunning fact when you consider that we only met OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022. Never has a technology so quickly infiltrated every facet of life, and so consumed daily conversation. AI Time is triple time (3x the speed of any previous innovation), and that includes adoption.

There is, at least in business, a shocking level of trust in what is still, in many ways, an untested solution. I'm not saying AI does not work, but there is the assumption right now that it works in every situation.

Certainly, if the Reuters report is accurate, and Meta essentially verified 90% of it (it claims it was never planning on laying off 60% of its workforce), Meta is guilty of this.

Do you smell something burning?

With AI, the act of implementation and business transformation tend to happen in parallel, so as Meta was planning and enacting its reorganization and layoffs, it was already employing Agentic AI.

"Infrastructure teams were also warning of 'reliability warning signs' caused by the AI coding surge, according to an internal post," wrote Katie Paul for Reuters.

There was, the author adds, evidence that these issues (and basically faulty work) were visible in June when hackers used Meta's AI chatbot to hack celebrity Instagram accounts.

Between that and what appears to be a company revolt (my favorite part was the bathroom stall notices encouraging people to protest Meta's use of keystroke tracking), it was clear Meta has gone too far, too fast with AI for everyone's tastes.

In the end, with its feathers on fire, Meta retreated from the AI sun (or at least its plan) and canceled layoffs and even undid some of the reorg.

The lesson here is not that AI is too dangerous to approach closely or that AI and business are a bad match. But, as we are seeing, pronouncements that AI would transform businesses without removing or replacing jobs were misinformed, and allowing AI to produce work without adequate human oversight at every stage of the process is, for the time being, ill-advised.

As Mark Zuckerberg tries to rewrite his own script to be more people-first, it might be time for everyone to take a beat and reassess how AI fits into their businesses, workflow, and life.

AI might feel like the sun, but it can't be our sole source of light and warmth. It's still just another tool — sure, a powerful and incredibly fungible one, but still a tool — and overreliance on it will undoubtedly lead to frustration or worse.

Meta learned a hard lesson: your AI plans must be grounded in a human-centric approach; otherwise, the humans will rise up and clip your wings.

• Surfshark's web content blocker now runs on the Dausos protocol
• The integration lets you filter risky site categories when using Dausos
• The feature is rolling out first to macOS for Surfshark One and One+ users

Surfshark has brought its web content blocker to Dausos, the proprietary VPN protocol it built in-house, meaning users of one of the best VPN services can now filter unwanted websites without switching away from the company's fastest, most future-proof connection option.

Until now, running the blocker alongside an active VPN connection meant sticking to WireGuard, since that was the protocol it supported. Bringing the tool to Dausos closes that gap, so households no longer have to trade the protocol's advantages for a safer browsing experience.

Dausos uses a hybrid post-quantum secure key exchange and delivers up to 30% faster speeds than other industry-standard protocols. Pairing that with category-based filtering means you get speed, privacy, and content protection in a single connection rather than picking two of the three.

What's new, and why it helps

The web content blocker is a filtering tool designed to keep an entire household safer without watching what anyone does online.

Unlike traditional parental-control apps, it is built to control access rather than log every click, and Surfshark says it does not record individual browsing history. You can read more on how it differs from conventional parental controls in our earlier coverage.

In practice, you pick from a set of predefined categories such as adult websites, gambling, profanity, phishing, and malware, and any site that falls under them is blocked. According to Surfshark's Karolis Kaciulis, the aim is to protect people from threats "caused by curiosity or carelessness" and to cut their exposure to a growing wave of online scams.

The headline benefit of the Dausos integration is that you keep the protocol's performance. Surfshark says users can retain up to 30% higher speeds and ultra-low latency while filtering runs, all while staying fully post-quantum secure.

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How to turn it on

While connected through the Dausos protocol, open the Surfshark app settings and toggle on the web content blocker.

From there, you choose which categories to restrict, and two-factor authentication can lock the configuration so only an approved admin can change it.

The rollout is currently limited to Surfshark One and Surfshark One+ subscribers running the latest app version on macOS. If you're on the cheaper Starter plan or a different platform, you'll need to wait or upgrade.

A quick look at the Dausos protocol

Dausos, which means "paradise" in Lithuanian, is Surfshark's first homegrown protocol, and it takes a different approach to most rivals.

Rather than pooling everyone's traffic through a single tunnel, it gives each user session its own dedicated, private data tunnel, which is where much of its speed advantage comes from.

On security, it uses a hybrid ML-KEM and X25519 key exchange plus an ML-DSA self-signed root certificate system to guard against future quantum threats, along with post-compromise security, port randomization, and AEGIS-256X2 encryption.

It has also been independently audited by Cure53, and a recent update improved its behaviour on the locked-down networks that often trip up VPNs on school and office firewalls.

You can officially mark your calendars for September 9, 2026, as Apple has just made its annual September event official by sending out invitations with the tagline "Surprise and shine," announcing the Special Event.

In true Apple time, the September 9 event kicks off at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (3am September 10 AEST) and will be livestreamed at Apple Park, specifically in the Steve Jobs Theater. We’re fully expecting the Cupertino-based tech giant to stick with a virtual format, though, for the keynote itself, and if you didn’t score an invite, fear not, as it’ll be livestreamed to the world, and our expert team here at TechRadar will be breaking it all down in real time.

“Surprise and shine” doesn’t just stand as the annual event where we expect Apple to unveil its next generation of iPhones, Apple Watches, and a few other devices, but it arrives eight days after John Ternus steps into the role of CEO. Our bet is that he still kicks off the show with a ‘Good Morning,’ and who knows, Tim Cook might still make an appearance.

The rumored hardware list is long for September 9, and all eyes are pointing to Apple entering the folding phone market with what will likely be called the iPhone Ultra. A device that’s purported to be similar in overall size and shape to the most recent Galaxy Z Fold 8, and that might make the foldable phone category a bit more mainstream with some Apple touches.

That won’t be the only iPhone, though, as the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected, but don’t hold out hope for a standard iPhone 18 or second-generation iPhone Air. According to the rumor mill, the focus will be on the Pros, with the follow-up to the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air arriving later. You can expect a next-gen Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch Series 12, and we might see a new HomePod Mini and a long-awaited update to the Apple TV.

What does the ‘Surprise and shine” invite tell us?

After months of rumors, our eyes now turn to examining every part of the invite for 'Surprise and shine." For one, it's on a bright blue background that somewhat resembles the skies over Apple Park, but the center features an Apple logo with colorful flare and blur around it.

There also appears to be a circle flowing from it, which might hint at the venue, the Steve Jobs Theater, the circular Apple Park Ring, or how the new Siri AI ebbs and flows.

Potentially, the middle of the Apple logo shows a vertical line, which could hint at the folding iPhone. Though your guess is as good as ours at the moment.

The best news? Apple is promising us a surprise, and that's something we can all get excited about.

What can we expect at the event?

For starters, it will be John Ternus' first special event as Apple's CEO, and it arrives at an interesting time, with a ton of hardware expected. And just weeks before the event, Apple unveiled its next-generation M6 and M5 Ultra chips and refreshed both the Mac mini and Mac Studio. Might it have been to get some of the devices out of the way for a packed September event?

It could very well be, as we're expecting the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the foldable iPhone – likely named iPhone Ultra –, the Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple Watch Ultra 4. There are also chances for new AirPods, though it'll likely be the next-generation entry-level — AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with ANC, replacing the duo of AirPods 4 — and not the recently leaked AirPods Pro with Cameras, as recent reporting suggests those won't be due out until 2027.

Then there's also a rumored refresh of the HomePod mini and the Apple TV 4K — the streaming box that connects to the TV, not the Apple TV streaming service, though it does run on this device — that's been rumored for quite some time, and was theoretically waiting on Siri AI to be released to power some new features.

Considering that Siri AI will release this Fall, likely in the back half of September, as a beta for consumers with a waitlist at first as part of the generally available iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Tahoe, watchOS 27, and tvOS 27, there is a good chance that Apple will debut these next-generation home products. It's also likely a necessary stepping stone before we get the reported Home Screen device with a robotic arm. Still, even more importantly, Siri AI needs a spot in the home rather than just on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

Both the next-gen HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K are reportedly on Apple's roadmap for 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman; alongside that AirPods Pro leak, several other products were mentioned, including a new Siri Remote for the Apple TV.

It's likely, though, that the iPhone Ultra will be the big reveal — and potentially the first one more thing in the Ternus era at Apple — alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max.

The only other question mark as we roll into September is the next Beats product: over-ear headphones likely to be named Beats 360, according to recent leaks. Considering product pages were up, and Beats has coyly seeded some units to superstar athletes, it feels like a reveal could be coming in the next few weeks. It's unlikely we'd see these at Apple's September event, as Beats rarely gets time during the keynotes, but anything is possible. These might be released around the same time these new products formally debut.

The good news on all fronts is that we don't have much longer to wait — with Apple invites out for the 'Surprise and Shine' September 9, 2026 event and even some visual teasers out and about, we're just 14 days away from the next special event.

TechRadar will be on the ground, myself included, as well as our Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff, and our team of experts will be working around the clock to break it all down come September 9 and in the days after, but most importantly, come back that day to join in the festivities for our live blog featuring real-time reporting. And before then, vote in the poll below to let us know what you're most excited for Apple to reveal.

• Chinese data centers could use more electricity than the entirety of South Korea by 2030
• Data centers are being relocated in cheaper regions when latency isn't crucial
• Flexible grid consumption could also play a role for less important work

All the data centers in China are expected to consume a combined 774 TWh of electricity annually by the end of the decade, marking around a 4x increase over their current consumption, as the country continues to drive major AI investments, new reports have claimed.

Wood Mackenzie researchers anticipate China's data centers to represent around 6% of China's total electricity consumption by 2030, a figure that's expected to continue climbing to as much as 17% by 2060.

Data centers aside, a 6% share by 2030 puts the country's total estimated annual electricity consumption at a staggering 12,900 TWh by the end of the decade, highlighting immense pressure on grids to expand.

Data centers could account for 6% of China's consumption by 2030, 17% by 2060

Energy consumption is set to come from two key areas when it comes to artificial intelligence. Firstly, the predictable inference-related consumption that comes from running models for users and businesses. But secondly, unpredictable and high spikes will come from training as models become increasingly sophisticated.

The country is also seeing a split in where data centers are being located, in a bid to cope with surging power demand. Large facilities near cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen offer low-latency connections for immediate performance, but tasks that can accept slightly poorer latency such as training, backup and storage are being moved out of town.

Western and northern regions of China, for example, promise cheaper land, cooler climates and greater access to renewable energy.

"As AI drives sustained growth in computing demand, access to reliable, cost-competitive and lower-carbon electricity will play a growing role in determining where and how new data-centre capacity is developed," research analyst Wanting Zhao wrote.

Energy is a major data center constraint

Although analysts predict that data center-related energy consumption will continue to rise for decades, Wood Mackenzie expects data center emissions to peak around 2035, implying that renewable sources could be slightly delayed.

Analysts also project that data centers could become more flexible in terms of how they put pressure on the grid, in a similar way to how latency-tolerant workloads could be moving away from the city. For example, non-urgent workloads could be scheduled for periods when renewable production is cheaper or other grid demand is lower.

"This flexibility could allow data centres to move beyond their traditional role as passive base loads and become a more active component of China’s evolving power system," the company wrote.

As for the 774 TWh figure, that puts China's data centers markedly ahead of South Korea's total energy consumption across domestic and industrial measurements. The country as a whole generated around 596 TWh in 2025, per utility statistics.

That 774 TWh figure could also be set to change as we close in on the end of the decade – just a year ago, Wood Mackenzie had predicted that China's data centers would consume 479 TWh annually by 2030, making this year's projection around 60% higher.

The brand-new Mac mini is available to preorder at the official Apple Store, and as expected, the brand's education store has a great discount for students and teachers.

Right now, you can get a $100 / £100 discount on all variants, with options starting at just $799 (was $899) or £799 (was £899) for the baseline M6 chipset model. That's easily the best discount on the device currently - and likely to be the best deal we'll see for a while, too.

At $799, the Mac mini looks like a great value for students or anyone who wants a decent desktop computer for the dorm room. While some may prefer a MacBook, the Mini is a really affordable option for hooking up external monitors and peripherals.

With the new M6 or M5 Pro chipset, the Mac mini should handle all your studying, browsing, or even more demanding applications. While Apple has touted the new chipset's AI capabilities, it will still be amazing for design work, music production, or video work.

Apple Education discount on the new Mac mini

What's new with the new Apple Mac Mini?

• The new M6 processor is Apple's first 2nm chip
• N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6

The new Mac Mini isn't a complete re-invention of the formula - it's essentially just a refresh of the existing model. Outwardly, the design is unchanged, but you're getting a host of internal upgrades that make it more competitive for 2026.

The biggest addition is the option to spec the new M6 chipset, which actually debuts on this generation of Macs. Apple will almost certainly update its MacBooks with the chipset soon, but for now, the 2026 Mac Mini is the only model to feature it. With this latest Mac Mini, you can choose the M6 chipset or the M5 Pro from the current MacBook Pro.

Apple has made a few claims about the performance of its new chipset, namely up to 40% faster CPU performance and up to four times faster AI performance. We've yet to verify those claims, but we can assume that there will be a decent bump in performance based on the specs alone. For most people, we expect the M6 chipset should be more than enough for most tasks, although the M5 Pro remains an option for those who really need that power and Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Regardless of whether you go for the M6 or M5 Pro, all models get the latest N1 chip for connectivity, which specifically supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. You'll also get a 2.5GB Ethernet port as standard, with the option to upgrade to 10GB if needed.

Garmin watches often see attractive price cuts as summer winds down, especially this year, as the brand gears up to release the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro this Friday. I've headed to Amazon's end-of-summer Garmin sale to hand-pick today's 12 best deals.

• Shop more of Amazon's best daily deals

The retailer has up to $250 in savings on Garmin's top-rated watches for running, swimming, hiking, and everyday wear. Garmin watches are the perfect companion for outdoor enthusiasts, thanks to their robust features, durable build, long battery life, and GPS capabilities. These capabilities come with an expensive price tag, so discounts are always welcome.

Below are Amazon's best Garmin watch deals, organized by price, starting at just $129. You'll find everything from our best premium Garmin watch, the Fenix 8, at a record-low $749.99 to our best outdoor watch, the Garmin Instinct 3, for $299. Just remember, these are limited-time offers and a great chance to grab a new premium watch at an all-time-low price.

The best Garmin smartwatch deals under $200

The best Garmin smartwatch deals under $300

The best Garmin smartwatch deals under $500

The best Garmin smartwatch deals $500 or more

Several hours into Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, my protagonist confidently strides into a battle arena and soaks in the cheers of an adoring audience. Wielding a sizable blade and sporting gleaming gold armor, the hero then unleashes a devastating, tornado-like attack, making short work of dozens of aggressive gladiators.

Needless to say, this third installment in Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale series is a far cry from the franchise's previous stealth-focused, rodent-infested entries. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Resonance is the latest chapter in the decidedly dark, Black Death-inspired series that previously put players behind the stealthy skills of siblings Amicia and Hugo as they faced relentless Inquisition soldiers and swarms of plague-spreading rats. But Resonance is also a prequel, set 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Requiem and starring Sophia, a returning, fan-favorite supporting character from that same entry.

Sophia's a smuggler and skilled swordsman, far more capable in battle than the franchise's previous brother and sister duo. As such, Resonance is a completely different type of game, a third-person action-adventure – with some light role-playing game (RPG) elements – that favors slitting throats and spilling entrails over sneaking in the shadows. It's a pretty drastic pivot, one that might be initially off-putting to longtime A Plague Tale players, but it generally works, allowing Asobo's beloved universe to successfully branch off into a different genre.

Like Assassin's Creed…condensed

What Resonance recalls most, especially in its first few chapters, is a more streamlined, story-driven Assassin's Creed game. Like Ubisoft's sprawling action-RPG series, it sports stunning environmental visuals and plenty of crunchy, dynamic combat – complemented by lots of brutal finishers – as well as a good deal of exploration, parkour, and stealth. Heck, the latter even allows you to deliver death from above à la Assassin's Creed's hidden-blade executions.

There's also a combat-enhancing skill tree to progress through, passive perk-granting relics to equip, and enough lore-expanding collectibles to make any member of the Assassin's Brotherhood envious. But on the plus side – especially for those burnt out on Ubisoft's bloated open-worlds – Resonance layers all these familiar elements into a far more straightforward, cinematic adventure that respects your time.

Borrowing from the best

But while it delivers, arguably, some of the AC series' best bits in a more digestible package, it also borrows inspiration from some other favorite franchises. Its prevalence of engaging spelunking and clever puzzle-solving gameplay, for example, recalls Lara Croft's greatest adventures, while its adrenaline-pumping set pieces could give Nathan Drake and Indiana Jones a run for their fortune and glory.

None of this is to say that Asobo is merely mimicking successful series' formulas that have come before. While its inspirations are obvious, they're also incredibly well realized and organically remixed into a much wider experience that feels fresh, allowing the A Plague Tale franchise to reinvent itself for this prequel installment.

And while you won't find hordes of plague-ridden rats waiting around every corner of Resonance's breathtaking Venice and Crete locations, its story is still very much embedded in the series' overarching narrative. Without spoiling too much, Sophia – it turns out – lived quite a life before taking to the high seas and helping out Amicia and Hugo in Requiem.

And like Hugo, she too is affected by something quite curious, supernatural even, that informs and shapes not just the storytelling, but the gameplay. Her mysterious ties to something quite ancient touch nearly everything in the game, from her puzzle-cracking prowess to that aforementioned gladiatorial arena battle.

But also like Hugo's blood curse, her affliction comes with more than its fair share of terrors. Sophia spends most of her time cracking skulls and conundrums in equal measure, but her swashbuckling sometimes gives way to the sort of nightmare-conjuring stretches that'd set the previous games' sibling duo desperately running for their lives.

Thankfully, Sophia also has some friends to lean on. In fact, Resonance does a fantastic job leveraging side characters to organically flesh out the world and Sophia. Rather than relying on forced exposition, the exchanges between the protagonist and her friends – and sometimes foes – flow naturally to deliver both fun banter and integral information.

Less plague rats, more plundering

Whether with a buddy or on her own, Sophia does indeed occasionally find herself in frightening situations evocative of the first two games' more nail-biting moments. These scarier, often survival-focused moments are some of the game's best, but they also take a backseat to what more often feels like a lighter, blade-clashing, plundering romp.

Again, this isn't so much a knock against the game, as Resonance does a brilliant job blending inspirations from the aforementioned properties while also layering in plenty of its own personality. But passionate fans of the previous A Plague Tale titles, craving more of their suffocating atmosphere and killer rodents, may find Resonance a tad too lighthearted, familiar, and formulaic. While it's not without its scares, surprise betrayals, and emotional gut punches, it's still very much a spirited action-adventure that draws more from Black Flag than the Black Plague.

Beyond that gripe specific to those hoping for a return to rat-infested Middle Ages France, Resonance's battle camera could have benefited from a bit more fine-tuning. Sophia's sword- and dagger-based melees are generally quite rewarding, especially once new weapons, moves, specials, and perks are unlocked and layered into her blood-spilling repertoire; there’s also some welcome nuance and depth, like stun-inflicting parries and a risk-reward system that sees you replenish a health segment with each henchman slain. But the camera can have some difficulty keeping up with all this lightning-quick action. Toss in the lack of a target lock-on, and you're occasionally left wondering what cool thing just happened off-screen.

Nitpicks aside, Resonance makes a compelling case for expanding the A Plague Tale universe, while also serving up 15 or so hours of solid third-person action-adventuring. You'll likely complete Sophia's campaign wondering what exactly the future holds for the series' other characters and narrative threads, but you also won't hold any regrets having conquered a swashbuckling romp as rewarding as a treasure chest brimming with shiny trinkets.

Should you play Resonance: A Plague Tale?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Resonance significantly expands on the accessibility options of the series' previous two installments, offering a number of visual assistance options, including UI, HUD, and subtitle customizations, as well as high contrast and colorblind modes.

Blood effects can be toggled on and off, and five different difficulty settings allow you to tailor the experience to your playstyle and skill level. These options range from a story-focused mode – that puts parrying and dodging on auto – to a deep difficulty mode for those craving the steepest challenge. Difficulty options can also be changed at any time.

How I reviewed Resonance: A Plague Tale

I completed Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy's campaign in about 15 hours, but clocked in another 5 or so revisiting chapters to gather missed collectibles.

I ran the game on a PS5 Pro using my budget TCL 4K 65" TV, with HDR enabled. For audio, I tested with both the display's onboard stereo speakers and Sony's PlayStation Pulse Elite headset.

First reviewed August 2026

The Argos' Big Red sale has begun, and we're spoiled for choice when it comes to home appliances. As a former TechRadar Homes editor, I was pleased to see a number of our favorite brands represented — the kinds of things that consistently impress us on review — as well as a number of viral products. Things like Dyson vacuums, Ninja air fryers and drinks machines, Nutribullet blenders and KitchenAid stand mixers.

• Browse the full Argos Big Red sale

Below, I've hand-picked my top 41 deals. For easier browsing, I've split them into kitchen appliances (including things like air fryers, blenders, kettles, and drinks makers), floorcare (covering vacuums, electric mops, and carpet cleaners), and grooming/beauty (covering hair dryers and stylers, razors, and electric toothbrushes).

Some products have a code you'll need to add to activate a discount — in this case, I've written 'RED20', 'RED30' etc in the product name, but you'll also see the code listed when you click through to Argos. A few other products already have discounts, and a handful are discounted and eligible for a discount code for a further price drop. All clear? Great. Read on to pick up some Big Red bargains.

Argos Big Red sale: Kitchen deals

Argos Big Red sale: vacuum & mop deals

Argos Big Red sale: Grooming & beauty deals

• Security contractors at Anthropic were reportedly preparing to strike, but there's been no evidence so far
• Physical security personnel are important as AI spend rises and worker threats emerge
• Anthropic employees were told to work from home as a precautionary measure

Anthropic has told workers in its San Francisco offices to work from home temporarily over personal security fears following reports that security guards responsible for protecting the facilities could go on strike.

The AI firm's security contractor, Allied Universal, recently warned that its security employees may strike, but ongoing mixed messaging left Anthropic taking the WFH measures as a precautionary move instead of a reaction to an actual walkout.

Per the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents many of Allied Universal's workers, no strike authorisation vote had been called.

Anthropic warns of security worker strike impact

The union also claimed not to have threatened a strike on these particular days, leading Anthropic's reaction to come as a surprise to the union itself.

However, the concerns aren't totally unfounded, with an underlying labor dispute ongoing. SEIU has been engaged in contract negotiations with Allied Universal and other California security companies since around April 2026, seeking higher wages, better healthcare benefits and more comprehensive job training for the thousands of workers it represents.

Neither Allied Universal nor Anthropic have commented on the ongoings. Importantly, Anthropic itself doesn't play an integral part in the worker negotiations, being just the employer of a third-party security company.

As for the landscape more broadly, security spending has risen sharply in recent years as companies seek to protect more valuable equipment, in light of major AI investments. Anthropic, at the forefront of AI investments and with its leading model families, could well be one of the biggest spenders in this category.

Despite no evidence of a strike, Anthropic's decision to send workers home for two days would have minimized impacts virtually entirely, making it a smart precautionary move. Its workers are currently required to be in office around 25% of the time, per Business Insider.

Unwelcome news for Anthropic

The news comes as Anthropic could be on the cusp of becoming a publicly traded company. Current WSJ reporting points to the company boasting of potential revenue opportunities of more than $30 trillion, putting it ahead of SpaceX's $28.5 trillion estimate.

Anthropic is also said to be gunning for a valuation of around $2 trillion, per the WSJ, also above SpaceX's early valuation of $1.77 trillion. Secondary market trading has implied a slightly lower valuation of around $1.5 trillion.

While concerns over strikes are unlikely to have a major impact on the company's potential upcoming IPO, the fact that Anthropic is headquartered in San Francisco (at the heart of these ongoings) does make the temporary measure unwelcome at best.

The news also proves how the AI boom has created intertwined dependencies far deeper than data center hardware and software – physical security personnel also play a crucial role to the degree that instability poses potential risks to company offices.

And with both Anthropic and OpenAI workers recently facing threats, security remains a major focus.

• Secretlab is releasing a new Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition
• The chair pays homage to Spider-Man and celebrates the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day
• Featuring a red and black color palette, the chair features "elements inspired by Spider-Man’s enduring legacy"

Secretlab has announced a collaboration with Marvel: a new Titan Evo gaming chair inspired by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

The Secretlab Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition pays homage to the beloved superhero, and will be available in the United States, Canada, and the EU, following the successful release of Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Combining the gaming chair company's customary craftsmanship and science-backed comfort, the Titan Evo also features "elements inspired by Spider-Man’s enduring legacy, which has influenced generations of fans since his comic book debut."

I think this is Secretlab's best-looking Titan Evo variant yet, highlighting the hero's iconic suit with a red color palette, with Spider-Man's black emblem embossed on the front and back of the chair, making it perfect for any Spider-Man fan.

Upholstered in Secretlab's SoftWeavePlus Fabric, the Spider-Man Edition also features a web of silken lines on its back, with an additional nod to Spider-Man villain Venom, with black tendrils creeping along the chair's side wings and seat base.

The Secretlab Titan Evo Marvel Spider-Man Edition will be available at Secretlab.

The Secretlab Titan Evo is one of the best gaming chairs you can buy right now, designed with patent-pending cold-cure foam, a pebble seat base, and four-way L-adapt lumbar back support, ensuring comfort for long gaming sessions.

The Duskbloods has been one of my most anticipated games of 2026 ever since it was announced back at that first Switch 2-centric Nintendo Direct. Now, having finally had the chance to play it briefly in the game’s recent network test, I’m pretty confident it will be one of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games... For the most part.

It all began with a tutorial segment that lulled me into a false sense of security. Being a solo instance, it taught all the basics of The Duskbloods like melee and ranged attacks, character skills, general game flow, and what you should be planning to do during an online match. I was able to go about these tutorials at a leisurely pace, which absolutely isn’t the case when you hop online against real players.

My biggest takeaway from The Duskbloods network test is that, during an online match, you should always be on the move. Much like Elden Ring Nightreign, it’s massively beneficial to be thinking several steps ahead. And that turns out to be quite difficult; avoiding bloodthirsty players is hard enough, but it’s even harder when you’re so tempted to stop and whiff the blood-tinged roses of The Duskbloods’ delectably macabre world.

It’s Zork’s world now, we’re all just living in it

To quickly go over the rules of engagement, matches in The Duskbloods take place over several phases, each around five minutes in length.

After selecting a Bloodsworn (the game’s playable characters), you’ll choose a point to spawn in the small-but-dense map. During the first phase, you’re encouraged to start building up Virtue by killing enemies, looting items, and lighting the skulls of corpses sat on thrones (it’s a FromSoftware game, did you expect anything less?).

Virtue comes in many forms, and can also be accrued by fulfilling your character’s Sigil requirements in each phase. Sigils are optional, but can drastically alter how you play. Sigil of a Sworn Enemy, for example, tasks you with defeating a marked opponent in each phase. Sigil of an Old Friend is the opposite, and has you seeking out another player to ally with. These are extremely useful for gaining Virtue, and you’ll need a lot of it, as the two players with the least amount of Virtue at the end of a phase are ‘culled’, removing them from the game.

On that note, I think The Duskbloods features one of FromSoftware’s most compelling approaches to co-op I’ve seen in one of its games to date. At any time, you can highlight a player you come across and request an alliance with them. If they accept, you’ll no longer be able to harm each other and can work together to build up Virtue. However, the bond is broken in the final phase in which the remaining players battle it out in good old-fashioned PvP.

Players can also engage in co-op by answering calls to help against formidable boss enemies. Doing so and defeating the boss will net you huge amounts of Virtue. However, it does so for all other participating players, too, so knowing when to partner up and when to go it alone is an important decision in and of itself.

In short, I’m already in love with The Duskbloods and its uniquely fast-paced approach to PvPvE multiplayer. Its playable characters have universal aspects, but differ greatly in skills and appearance. Deep-sea diver and human rocket Zork is a clear standout, and while he seemed a little overtuned in the network test thanks to his tremendously powerful ranged abilities, not a single one felt weak or disadvantaged.

I really can’t wait to see how The Duskbloods opens up in the full release, especially as we know there’ll be even more maps and Bloodsworn to experience. There’s no release date for The Duskbloods just yet, but it’s expected to launch sometime in 2026 exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

• US Stream: Hulu
• International Stream: Disney+
• Premiere: August 27, 2026 (US)
• Unlock your stream with NordVPN (save up to 75%)

The debut season of Adults caught fire with audiences as the gang went from one hilarious misadventure to another, navigating life as twenty-somethings caught between staying young and growing up in NYC. For the uninitiated, the show follows Gen Zers Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Paul (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amita Rao), and Anton (Owen Thiele), five friends crashing together in Samir’s childhood home in Queens. “Friends” for a new generation? Kind of, but it’s lewder, ruder, and a lot more raucous than the classic ’90s sitcom.

The second season sees the group faced with more everyday issues, including challenges such as the 20-year-old who inherited your fake ID being way cooler than you ever were, finding yourself actually loving your boring office job, having your family bring out the worst in you, and desiring change while also wanting everything to stay the same.

The appeal of Adults is not only its relatability, but also the way in which our friends face each individual challenge as a team, while finding ways to bypass problems rather than facing them head-on. They’re a lovable bunch who don’t always get it right, but always take a lesson from each mistake, even if they consistently find ways to make new ones.

With all eight episodes landing at once for a hilarious binge, read on to find out how to watch Adults season 2 online and from anywhere.

How to watch Adults season 2 from anywhere

If you're keen to watch Adults season 2 but you're away from home and access to the show is geo-blocked, you can always use a VPN to access it (assuming you're not breaching any broadcaster T&Cs, of course). You may be surprised by how simple it is to do.

Use one of the best VPNs to watch Adults S2 from anywhere:

How to watch Adults season 2 in the US

If you're in the US you'll be able to watch Adults season 2 on Hulu or Disney+, with all eight episodes landing on Thursday, August 27.

Prices for Hulu start at $11.99/month while Disney+ can be added for just a buck more..

If you'd rather watch new episodes on a weekly basis, there'll be double-bills every Thursday on FXX, staring on Aug. 27 at 9pm ET. Cord cutters can access FXX online via a live TV streaming service such as YouTube TV.

Watching from outside the US? A VPN, such as NordVPN, can help you securely access your usual streaming services while traveling.

How to watch Adults season 2 on Disney+

Those outside of the US will need Disney+ to stream Adults season 2.

For subscribers in the UK, prices start from £5.99 per month. Aussies can get D+ from AU$9.99 a month, and for Canadians plans begin at CA$8.99 monthly.

Can't access Disney+? NordVPN will unlock your the Adults season 2 streaming platform from anywhere.

Adults Season 2 - Need to Know

Release Schedule

All eight episodes of Adults season 2 land on Hulu and Disney Plus in the US on Thursday, August 27. The full season drops on Disney+ internationally on Friday, August 28.

For US viewers watching on FXX, the episode schedule is as follows:

• Episode 1: The Scrub – Thursday, August 27
• Episode 2: Fake I.D. – Thursday, August 27
• Episode 3: Talia – Thursday, September 3
• Episode 4: Racoon – Thursday, September 3
• Episode 5: Room Swap – Thursday, September 10
• Episode 6: Pop Girlie – Thursday, September 10
• Episode 7: C Alert – Thursday, September 17
• Episode 8: Vote for Paul Baker – Thursday, September 17

Cast

Malik Elassal as Samir Rahman

Lucy Freyer as Billie Schaeffer

Jack Innanen as Paul Baker

Amita Rao as Issa Damani

Owen Thiele as Anton Evans

Zosia Mamet

Gaten Matarazzo

Raven-Symoné

Susie Essman

Jake Shane

Ben Marshall

Isaac Powell

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.

Scary AI spend and weak access security controls are the flipside of the sharp rise in agentic AI. The answer lies in the form of a control plane that provides the visibility CIOs need.

The past couple of years have seen enterprises press the fast-forward button on generative AI strategies. e have all seen a remarkable change in deployment patterns from useful chatbots to autonomous agents that engage deeply with core software, data and LLMs, and even create their own offspring agents.

CIOs and others are rightly excited about the capacity of agentic AI to reduce manual processes and accelerate speed to insight and actions.

However, governance and AI token costs are alarming challenges.

What’s needed today then is the power of AI without the major concerns over incurring access control risks relating to ‘Shadow AI’ and agent sprawl, and without the ‘bill shock’ relating to unmanaged token consumption.

Moving fast

The generative AI shift that has occurred so quickly spans the early days of ad hoc AI experimentation via testing and pilots to today’s enterprise-grade business processes. It has also outpaced the progress of the usual governance frameworks and effectively rendered them obsolete.

Experienced CIOs may compare the change to the early days of cloud computing platforms when staff with credit cards expensed the AWS trials they had spun up and quickly ran up staggering bills.

Or they may hark back to the days when sales leaders set up online CRM platforms or other process owners bypassed IT to run their own Sharepoint systems.

Or, to reach for yet another lesson from history, they may compare what is happening with generative AI now with the advent of bring-your-own-device schemes and WiFi.

Remember when the user-led demand to have the shiny new gadget ran a coach and horses through the command-and-control IT regimes of cloned PCs stamped with a single image and CIOs no longer managed everything that touched their systems?

The problem is here. Deal with it

However we make the comparison, it’s clear that today there are very real risks relating to data leakage, compliance standards and IT costs because of the speed with which AI has advanced. Nobody wants to lose a chance to gain a competitive advantage and even to fundamentally re-engineer and automate expensive, error-strewn manual processes. So CIOs are once again being asked to square a circle.

As IDC has said: “There is a well-established playbook for calculating the return on an IT investment. Define a baseline, model the efficiency gains, project the cost savings, and present a number to the CFO. For most technology investments, that approach works. Agentic AI breaks it.”

Agentic AI is not fixed and predictable so it’s tough to manage and calculate return on investment, but we know it can take out swathes of cost, so we have to use it and we have to manage costs as best we can.

Gartner has already suggested that by 2027, more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled due to factors such as cost overrun fears or inadequate risk management. That’s not good enough. Corporate IT must step up and deliver the value the business needs, just without the attendant risks and costs.

The solution here is to head off undesirable outcomes at the pass by providing a check, a little like an airport security system that identifies passengers and scans for any potentially unsafe activity or nearby environmental factors such as possession of sharp objects.

You will see this happen in IT very quickly now, such are the risks and speed of what is happening. If 2026 is the year of agentic AI, then it also has to be the year of secure agentic AI.

Enter the AI gateway

One way to address the challenges outlined above is to create a gateway or filter. This approach offers a single control layer regardless of whether the AI model is hosted in public or deployed as a private, self-hosted entity. It effectively secures traffic from agents to LLMs and from MCP servers. This in turn enables organizations to have centralized policies and a clear view of token accounting.

It even has the visibility impact of informing decisions of non-techies who know little about AI operations. So, for example, a CIO working in tandem with a CFO perhaps may identify a better cost efficiency (for example, switching from a hosted model to a private model) and act accordingly.

That’s great news for CIOs who want to maintain a reputation for IT being agents of change but not its less desirable reputation for being risky and pricey.

Looking for the best cloud storage? These are our top picks.

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

With Apple unveiling the new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chips, I couldn't resist spotlighting this retro-inspired Wokyis M5 Retro Dock Station for $131 (was $170) at Amazon when you tick the coupon box.

Ok, it might look like a miniature of the classic Macintosh. But this modern dock combines a built-in 5-inch HD display with an M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure, SD and microSD readers, USB-A and USB-C connectivity, DisplayPort, HDMI input and a 3.5mm audio jack. In the UK, the retro dock also gets a discount to £100 (was £135) at Amazon.

Also consider

Why we recommend it

Apple yesterday announced the new Mac mini M6 mini PC (we covered the news here). And while the new silicon offers improved performance, what I found notable was that the design and port placement remain the same.

So, whether you're looking to connect your M4 Mac mini to a dock, or expand storage and connectivity once the M6 model lands, this is probably the coolest way to do it.

In our experience, the Apple Mac mini is one of the best mini PCs we've ever tested, and this gives the compact machine even more utility (while looking super-sweet).

The retro design is obviously the first thing you'll notice. Slot a Mac mini inside and you get what looks like a tiny vintage Macintosh, complete with a working 5-inch screen that can display monitoring tools, notifications, music information, a clock or other secondary content.

There's plenty of practical functionality behind the novelty, too. The built-in NVMe enclosure lets you add as much as 8TB of storage, and the card readers will be welcomed by photographers and other content creators.

You also get a handy selection of additional connections for peripherals and external displays.

What about the new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini?

There's particularly good timing to this deal because Apple just announced its new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro, with pre-orders now open and availability beginning September 22.

The M6 version promises up to 4x faster AI performance and 40% faster CPU performance than the M4 model, while the considerably more powerful M5 Pro configuration offers up to an 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU and 64GB of unified memory.

The Wokyis dock is currently advertised for the M4 Mac mini rather than Apple's just-announced models, but as Apple has retained the same compact chassis design and port arrangement, it should work just fine with the new M6 and M5 Pro versions.

Price context & historical value

The Wokyis M5 Retro Dock Station normally costs $169.99 at Amazon and is currently listed at $152.98. However, there's an additional coupon available on the product page that brings the final price down to $130.03. It has been cheaper in the past, but only as low as $122, so this is still a very good deal. If you like the idea of having a mini Macintosh on your desk, it's a product I'd definitely recommend.

If you're in the US, remember to tick the coupon box before adding it to your cart so you don't pay the higher price. In the UK, it's a straight deal at an all-time low price via Amazon.co.uk.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Wokyis M5 Retro Dock Station for Mac mini if...

You want to turn your Mac mini into something fun that stands out on your desk. The retro Macintosh styling is great, but the display, NVMe enclosure, card readers and additional ports mean it's practical too.

If you're planning to buy Apple's newly announced M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini, the unchanged compact design means it should work just fine with the dock.

❌ Skip the Wokyis M5 Retro Dock Station for Mac mini if...

If you simply need additional USB ports, there are much cheaper Mac mini hubs available. You're paying extra here for the integrated display, retro enclosure and storage expansion as much as the basic connectivity.

I'd also consider at a faster dock if you're buying one of the new Mac minis specifically for high-bandwidth professional work. The 10Gbps connection on this version could become the bottleneck when moving large amounts of data.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The built-in screen is useful and gives the dock its cool, retro appearance, but at 5 inches and 1280 x 720 it's best considered a secondary information display.

There's also an important limitation. This particular version of the M5 dock is limited to 10Gbps, so you won't get anything approaching the maximum bandwidth available from Thunderbolt 5 on the new M5 Pro Mac mini. Wokyis does sell a separate 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 version for $221.08 (if you tick the coupon code), which will suit users who need much faster transfers.

Finally, the dock doesn't include an NVMe SSD, so you'll need to factor the cost of a drive into the equation if expandable storage is a reason for buying it.

• See all docking stations at Amazon

• Flashpoint found ~34 insider threat posts daily on dark web between July 2025–26
• July 2026 saw 12,653 posts, with 75% from insiders selling access themselves
• Report warns insiders are now the weakest link, urging external monitoring of illicit forums

Every month, hundreds of people try to sell access to their employer’s IT infrastructure on the dark web. Some do it for the money. Others do it because they’re angry with their company for whatever reason.

As a result, malicious insiders are growing into one of the biggest, most dangerous threats for modern businesses, experts have warned.

This is according to cybersecurity professionals Flashpoint which published its latest monthly analysis of insider threat recruitment, illicit access advertising, and threat actor activity targeting enterprise environments.

Employees selling, hackers buying

As per the report, between July 2025 and July 2026, there were an average of 34 unique posts on the dark web, every day, which can be classified as “insider threat posts”.

That is roughly a thousand unique posts every month. In July this year alone, Flashpoint analysts identified a total of 12,653 insider posts, including both threat actors attempting to recruit insiders in target organizations, and insiders advertising their services. Of these communications, 1,132 were unique posts.

“As perimeter security, EDR coverage, and other security tools mature, threat actors are finding it faster—and cheaper—to target the human element and simply buy an insider’s credentials or pay an employee to open the front door,” Flashpoint said. “In a threat landscape where identity is becoming the primary attack surface, monitoring illicit marketplaces and recruitment efforts is critical.”

Perhaps the best example is the 2025 Coinbase attack, when hackers bribed overseas customer support employees to provide access to customer data. Coinbase said at the time that the insiders abused legitimate system access, causing a cyber-incident that ended up costing the company around $360 million.

Over the course of the year, the biggest targets were organizations in three industries: telecommunications, retail, and finance. However, July 2026 findings “noticeably deviate from this trend”, Flashpoint said, finding that more than half (58.6%) of all posts affect other industries.

The researchers were still hedging, though, saying that this could also just be a way for threat actors to find an alternative entry point into the target network. Preparations for a supply-chain attack, essentially.

This communication goes both ways, Flashpoint noted. Sometimes it is the criminals offering money for passwords/access, and sometimes it is the insiders advertising their services to the wider cybercriminal community. However, the scales are heavily tilted towards the latter. Just in July this year, more than three quarters (75%) of all unique threat actor posts came from insiders.

“This indicates a highly motivated internal threat landscape where disgruntled employees actively seek out buyers for corporate data and network entry points,” Flashpoint concluded.

Changing the behavior

This report can be both good news, and bad news, depending on the context. It means that software has gotten so good that cybercriminals are moving away from “cracking” it and towards targeting employees who are now the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain.

The bad news is that organizations need to rethink how they defend their perimeter and that they have quite a difficult task at hand:

“Insider threats are inherently difficult to detect using internal security controls alone because the malicious activity relies on valid credentials and legitimate access privileges,” Flashpoint explains. “Relying solely on internal logs means security teams often only detect an insider threat after data exfiltration or system sabotage has already occurred.”

Instead, organizations should monitor deep and dark web forums, invite-only threat communities, as well as encrypted chat platforms, to spot when someone is trying to buy or sell access to their IT infrastructure. They should also keep an eye on infostealer activity, compromised corporate credentials, as well as active session tokens, and make sure they are not used against them.

Finally, they should deploy third-party cybersecurity intelligence that equips teams with adversary TTPs.

When I get an close-up look at the IKEA x Xbox collection at Gamescom, with its mix of playful designs inspired by Microsoft’s hardware and practical storage solutions that scream the Swedish retailer’s minimalist approach, I can’t get over the ridiculousness of the thumbstick stool.

It is, undoubtedly, the most absurd item in the nine-piece collaboration, which also features a squishy D-pad cushion, a sleek lounge chair, a moveable TV stand with clever cable management, a multifunctional side table, a disguised laptop stand with storage, a handy monitor stand, a shiny platter, and a swish controller display box.

And while I couldn’t see myself sitting on the stool for hours during a marathon gaming session, even if it’s surprisingly more comfortable than it looks, it’s place in the collection makes total sense.

I also get why both the stool and the cushion lead the collection because they are so immediately recognisable as Xbox icons. But as a boring man in his late thirties, I think it’s the organisational products that are more exciting.

When I look at my desk now, it’s a scattered mess of chargers, controllers, cables, and other accessories. So, the idea of a monitor stand that works as an all-in-one solution to raise my dual screens to a comfortable eye level, while offering all the hooks and hideaways I might need to tidy everything away, or put a phone on display, as well as feature space for a console, sounds ideal.

If I could have taken one item from the set away with me right that second, it would be this one. And I feel many who prefer a clear workspace while on the clock, but also like to swap to a gaming setup in the evening, will find it an invaluable desk upgrade.

I feel the same about the side table, which offers an elegant way to put away controllers, headsets, and other accessories when you’re done playing, instead of leaving them scattered across a sofa or coffee table.

There’s also enough space inside to add a charger and run through USB cables to keep your gamepads fully juiced ahead of the next session. And it’s all hidden behind some swish sliding doors, on a side table that comes on castors so you can wheel it away or blend it in with your existing decor.

"We set out to make furniture people really want in their home, not furniture they accept because it is what you need to game,” said Philip Dilé, Product Design Developer at IKEA of Sweden, when discussing the origins of each piece. All items also had one continual IKEA and Xbox representative collaborate on them to ensure both style and function were represented.

Ultimately, it's that mix of play and functionality that comes to define the entire IKEA x Xbox collection: from a comfy cushion to a compact cabinet. And while not every item might find a place in my living room or office, I can see how many would easily find their way into a gaming space to liven it up in an amusing way or offer practicality when tidiness and space-saving are important.

The IKEA x Xbox collection launches later this year from October 1.

Autonomous AI agents are moving faster than the frameworks meant to contain them. Enterprises are deploying agents that can call systems, pull data, and increasingly interact with other agents to complete multi-step tasks.

Yet few organizations can say with confidence exactly how many agents are running in their environment, what each one is authorized to touch, or who exactly is accountable when something goes wrong.

That gap can turn agentic workflows from a promising technological advancement into a potential minefield of risk unless enterprises take a new approach to governance – one that provides greater oversight into how agents are operating and what systems they can access, trust, and use.

Don’t wait for perfection

The market has responded to the potential threat around AI agents going rogue with a wave of new tooling: agent discovery platforms that scan for active agents, and agent harnesses that box them into approved boundaries. Both are useful, but neither solves the problem alone.

The challenge of “getting a handle” on AI agents is compounded by the pace of change. New agent tools, new AI model releases, and new orchestration options are arriving at a rate that makes any static governance model obsolete within months.

Rather than waiting for a “perfect” governance framework to emerge as a standard, organizations should take steps now to create a working structure that can evolve over time.

So, what might this look like in practice?

Continuous visibility and granular guardrails

Policies and procedures alone cannot confirm what is actually running in production. Organizations need a registration and discovery process that captures every agent in use, not just the ones teams report having built.

Real visibility comes from instrumenting the environment itself, using logging and observability data generated by the underlying models, and building analysis on top of it. Only that raw data can show what an agent is actually doing, how often, and at what cost, rather than relying on what people think it is doing.

Another key step is to move from broad guardrails to granular ones. A single, broad-based harness applied uniformly across an organization, for example, limits scope without addressing risk in a meaningful way. Different use cases call for different levels of restriction, and treating every agent identically either over-constrains valuable work or under-constrains risky work.

Guardrails need to be defined at the level of the individual agent and its specific task, not the organization as a whole. As agents begin accessing other agents to complete a task, that specificity becomes even more important: each agent needs an explicit, narrow definition of what it can do and what it can reach, so that any leakage beyond that defined scope is immediately visible.

With all of the above, enterprises should embrace an approach of “validate, don’t assume”. Putting a conceptual harness or policy in place is only the first step. Confirming that it actually holds under real conditions is a separate and ongoing exercise.

A useful approach here is to pair conceptual guardrails with a logical or physical enforcement layer: a tool that can confirm what is executable, what an agent can interact with, and whether it stays within that boundary in practice.

Continuous monitoring against policy, not a one-time sign-off, is what proves a harness is working, because agent capability and the surrounding set of tools change on a near-daily basis.

Access is not the only variable

Governance conversations tend to focus almost exclusively on what an agent can access. Equally important is the order in which it accesses information. An agent that gathers information out of sequence, or acts on data before a dependent step has completed, can produce results that are wrong even if every individual action was technically permitted.

Some workflows require steps to run in parallel; others require specific sequencing to ensure the most accurate results. Building a discrete, well-defined operational sequence for each use case, rather than allowing a model to determine its own order of operations, substantially reduces this type of error.

This is as much a process design issue as a technical one, and it relies on people defining the use case clearly before any tooling is applied.

A disciplined approach reins in agentic risk

None of these elements works in isolation. Discovery without granular guardrails leaves organizations knowing what exists but not controlling it. Harnesses without validation create a false sense of security. And governance focused only on access misses key variables that can introduce risk.

The organizations managing this well are the ones treating agent governance as an extension of existing IT and data governance, applying the same discipline used for foundational legacy systems rather than treating it as a bolt-on afterthought.

Given how quickly the technological landscape continues to shift, this comprehensive governed approach is what will keep agentic AI delivering value – and reduce the risk of agents going rogue.

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Armchair detectives, assume the position: Only Murders in the Building season 6 will arrive on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (international) on December 8.

We don't yet know the full schedule on which episodes will be released — my best guess is a three-episode premiere followed by weekly releases — but we do have some first-look images, alongside confirmation of what the new season's plot is going to focus on.

As the official synopsis explains: "After successfully bringing the guilty to justice once again, Charles, Oliver and Mabel embark on their hardest case yet when the next victim — Cinda Canning — arrives at their doorstep, summoning them to London to catch her killer.

"Our beloved trio of true crime-solving podcasters must now navigate their way through the home of the cozy murder mystery, replete with a whole new collection of suspicious and particularly English-eccentric characters. But can they follow in the footsteps of the woman whose podcast started it all for them… without having their story end the same as hers?"

With a roster of upcoming guest stars ranging from Olivia Colman to Nicola Coughlan, season 6 could easily be the jewel in the Only Murders in the Building crown. However, there's one new change that suggests that the show is starting to run out of ideas: the new season is, in fact, called Only Murders in London.

Only Murders in the Building season 6 changes name to Only Murders in London — and I hate it

Remember how Emily in Paris season 5 was changed to Emily in Rome during its marketing campaign because... well, Emily (Lily Collins) spent the first half living in Rome?

At the time, this annoyed me a lot. Not only did Netflix's decision to suddenly revert to the Emily in Paris title halfway through season 5 irk me, but the act of relying on a gimmick to get people watching in the first place sent alarm bells ringing.

Clearly, this is an IP that Netflix wanted to drag on for a long as possible because it's successful and highly-watched — but realistically ran out of steam around the season 3 mark. Sure enough, the streamer announced that season 6 would be its last shortly after Emily in Rome aired.

This is all to say that Only Murders in the Building season 6 changing its name to Only Murders in London gives off exactly the same energy. Of course the series had to relocate in order to be sustained (how many people can actually die in one building before it's shut down?), but this in itself is telling.

Should season 6 of Only Murders in the Building actually exist? As much as I hate to admit it, probably not. Crime dramas can work when they suddenly choose to cross the pond — just look at Murder, She Wrote — but again, it's a signal that desperation for storyline ideas has kicked in.

I think that the name change is designed to distract us from this, though it will actually have the opposite effect. I know I'm going to enjoy Only Murders in the Building being in my hometown immensely... but don't be surprised if it's announced that season 7 will be the last.

What a difference a year makes. Back when the Nintendo Switch 2 was first being shown off in 2025, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition looked like a disaster.

Preview events allowed journalists to play a horribly compromised game with a flipbook framerate, then tellingly wouldn’t let them share any footage of it. This seemed destined to be an embarrassment of a port that would have Mario hanging his head in shame, if not outright giving up.

I don’t know what deal with the Devil the developers made to get this port in its current state, but it’s made a Satanist out of me. Elden Ring on Switch 2 is a revelation, the new gold standard that third-party ports should be judged by. It’s perfectly playable and smooth in handheld mode, with only the most minimal and unobstructive pop-in.

Even the included Shadow of the Eldtree expansion, with its increased level of visual detail and colossal wicker men enemies stomping about, runs like a dream. It’s the kind of port that restores your faith in the Switch 2. Perhaps anything really is possible on this little machine.

Arise now, ye tarnished

For the uninitiated, Elden Ring is essentially open-world Dark Souls, the brutal action-RPG that every other action-RPG has annoyingly been ripping off ever since.

So combat rewards perseverance while also punishing even the slightest mistake. Every time you die, you lose all your levelling-up currency and have just one chance to get it back. And it’s all set in a dark medieval fantasy world that’s so grim it makes House of the Dragon look like an episode of Peppa Pig.

Elden Ring takes that winning formula and blows up the scale dramatically. It’s the most confident and successful leap a series has taken to going open-world since Nintendo’s own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is a game all about charging through gorgeous fields on horseback, because a) you’ve spotted an epic castle on the horizon you want to explore, and b) a giant is shooting arrows at you, and you desperately need to find some cover.

The Lands Between, Elden Ring’s absurdly large setting, is beautiful and deadly in equal measure. And it’s really deadly. Birds with swords strapped to their legs swoop in for the kill. Knights on horseback roar to the Heavens and are rewarded with lightning storms cascading down upon you.

Even a lowly zombie tossing a rock at you can be lethal if you’re not paying attention. Few games demand you lock in to succeed like this and fewer still reward you so immensely if you do.

Slice, spell, scream or smack?

You’re spoilt for choice on how you take it on, too. There are swords, axes, hammers, magic, curses, hand-to-hand combat (surprisingly effective, that), roaring (ditto), horseback jousting, and far more to be covered here. Stick with one weapon, and you’ll still have fun, but keep swapping out your loadout for new toys and you might just find your favourite gaming weapon ever.

The variety here is ridiculous, every dud weapon offset by another dozen inspired ones. Impressed with the last attack the latest boss fight used on you? Chances are, you can find the weapon they used on you and learn how to execute its special attack yourself.

Its world starts with traditional green fields and foreboding castles designed by architects who clearly never visited a cosy cafe once in their horrible lives. Gradually it gets more delightfully surreal, like a golden city drenched in ashes where the music is actually being performed by the enemies you’re fighting. Or a village full of dancing, giggly oddballs who’ve watched Midsommar a few too many times.

The city hidden beneath the map is easily one of the most incredible-looking environments I’ve ever visited in a videogame. Oh, and died in. Repeatedly.

Every inch of The Lands Between is occupied by monsters, warriors, dragons, and enemies who really look like giant sentient sperm, and all of them want to say a very violent hello. It should get repetitive.

Outside of the occasional puzzle, this game is basically all-combat all the time. But the sheer variety and depth to its combat system practically dares you to get bored. Each enemy is almost a puzzle in itself, as you slowly learn their attack patterns, weaknesses, and how effective they are at outrunning a horse. Not at all? Perfect, bye then!

That open-world structure helps stave off repetition too. There’s plenty of brick wall boss fights that you’ll spend hours bashing your head against. But whenever you’re stuck, you can just hop aboard your magical double-jumping horse and gallop somewhere else. It means you can be swordfighting with poison-spitting bug men one moment, and then in an epic joust with a dragon barely ten minutes later.

Barbie’s Horse Adventure 2?

You can also find alternate outfits for your horse now, presumably to finally get the My Little Pony crowd aboard the Soulslike train.

Gameplay benefits? None whatsoever, but it’s a cute novelty. I liked being able to dress Torrent up as the golden steed of one of the more irritating enemies, even if it does make them a little noisier. So if you’ve been on the fence about Elden Ring because you worried the horse wasn’t noisy enough, this is definitely the time to jump in.

The story? At first it’s about as impenetrable as Xbox’s gaming strategy. Your only hope of figuring out its mysteries is to examine every item you find, most of which contain a line of lore. There’s now a ‘recent items’ tab that shows everything you’ve recently picked up, which makes this far easier. This is my third time playing Elden Ring, and I believe I understood a whole 23% of the plot this time - a new personal best.

Two new starter classes have also been added. Heavy Knight, who’s a thickly-armored chunky boy who can tank a fair few hits. Obviously incredibly useful, but I opted for the other new starter, Idus Knight, who wields a sword that delivers a superbly satisfying double-strike.

There’s some new armor sets and weapons out there, too. These are nice touches for returning players, but hardly a reason to buy the game again if you already own it on another format.

No, the justification for that double dip has to go to handheld mode. I played this port for a solid week in handheld before remembering that I should probably see how it looks on my TV for this review. That’s how impressive it is, even if not every area is an unequivocal success. Liurnia of the Lakes probably takes the biggest hit, with a lot of foliage and scenery constantly fading in.

But vitally, none of the monsters suffer from any of that pop-in nonsense. It’s a smart trade-off to ensure that, even when the game is mildly struggling, it never puts you at a gameplay disadvantage. The fade-in is lessened docked, but naturally a little more noticeable on the bigger screen. Very occasionally when a lot of enemies are on-screen - a dragon and its dozen skeleton minions, for instance - some of the monster animation gets a little jerky. But it’s minor, rare, and even then has a certain Ray Harryhausen stop-motion charm.

I got two and a half hours of battery life out of my Switch 2 consistently while playing it, making it ideal for short flights or long train journeys (don’t start fighting a boss if your stop is coming up).

I can’t wait to stop typing these words so I can sink more hours into it. This is a major technical achievement on basically every level, resulting in an outstanding port of one of the best games ever. Essential.

Should you play Elden Ring Tarnished Edition?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Controls can be remapped, and gestures are tied to motion controls (this can be switched off).

Subtitles are on by default, and the image quality can be adjusted when HDR is enabled, which is only available when docked, naturally.

The tutorial is still laughably bad, but help screens can at least be reviewed at any time.

How I reviewed Elden Ring Tarnished Edition

I played about sixty hours, mainly in handheld mode. Not enough time to defeat every optional boss - yikes - but I made sure to explore all the major areas, Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and anywhere I suspected might suffer from a performance dip. I was constantly pleasantly surprised.

First reviewed August 2026

• DJI fixed twelve Osmo Action 6 to LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 reusable rocket
• The cameras recorded POV footage of China's first successful land-based orbital launch and recovery
• There were no special modifications to the consumer-grade cameras

Action cameras are designed to be tough, surviving drops, knocks and being fully submersible. But DJI just upped the ante with the most extreme durability test; fixing twelve unmodified Osmo Action 6's to LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 reusable rocket for its orbital launch and return to earth.

Surviving 500C heat, the consumer-grade action camera successfully recorded the whole thing — China's first successful land-based orbital launch and recovery — and you can watch the uncut, unedited, one-take nine minute POV footage on DJI's global YouTube channel (below).

The video has amassed 750,000+ views and 2,000+ comments so far in its first two days, with viewers amazed by the immersive footage of the rocket's entire journey. ‘The most stunning launch footage I've ever seen’ says one, while another viewer said they 'can't believe it [the Osmo Action 6] survived a full rocket launch and landing'.

It wasn't just the thrilling visuals capturing people's attention. Another comment pinpointed the audio of the video, saying: 'Being able to hear the valves and actuators through the hull of the ship was next level! Loved it!'

DJI's Osmo Action 6 is a consumer-grade action camera that costs from $425 / £329 / AU$669. It can record 4K video up to 120fps onto a 1/1.1-inch sensor, with up to 13.5EV dynamic range (and seemingly continue recording in 500C heat!).

In a press release shared with TechRadar, DJI shared additional behind the scenes pictures of the project, some of which you can see below, and in one picture the charred remains of an Osmo Action 6 that they recovered the footage from. How it kept recording is beyond me.

As well as capturing shake-free footage from twelve key POV perspectives for some of the most immersive rocket footage ever, DJI had a Mavic 4 Pro drone covering angles of the launch from the air, and its upcoming Osmo 360 II for 360-degree cam ground-level shots.

The project is a true showcase of DJI action cameras in, ahem, action, as well as its drones and 360 cameras. For the rest of us, outdoor adventure clips of downhill biking and skiing are the best we can hope for.

• A comprehensive new Raspberry Pi tutorial has appeared
• It shows you how to put together your own cyberdeck
• You can pick up all the necessary parts for around $250

If you're looking for a DIY computing project to tackle, the official Raspberry Pi site just shared a step-by-step guide to putting together your own cyberdeck: a broad term that applies to any bespoke device made to order, and designed to meet a need that conventional tablets, phones, and computers can't.

This particular cyberdeck (via Notebookcheck) is based on a Raspberry Pi 5 device with a Bluetooth keyboard attached, with everything packed inside a hard Pelican-style case that provides easy portability and protection against the elements.

"The case defines the cyberdeck," explains maker Brian Corteil, who wrote this guide. "Past builds have used old pocket computers (including their original keyboards), briefcases, mint tins, wooden boxes, and prop replicas."

To the Raspberry Pi 5, case, and keyboard you also need to attach several other peripherals — including a display, so you can see what you're doing. The finished creation has a built-in power supply too, so you're ready for off-grid life.

Parts and pricing

The instructions written by Corteil aren't too daunting, and are laid out in a way that's easy to follow step by step — though if you're a complete beginner to Raspberry Pi systems and cyberdeck construction, you might want to start with something simpler.

Various supports to go inside the Pelican case will need to be 3D-printed, laser-cut, or otherwise built as needed. Then it's a question of getting everything connected up, including the screen and the storage.

The components you need for this build are helpfully listed in the guide too, together with links to retailers in your part of the world. I added up all the suggested parts and got to affordable grand total of $250.09 (about £184 / AU$348).

This guide is also featured in issue 168 of the Raspberry Pi Official Magazine — a cyberdeck special — which you can read online for free. If you find yourself bitten by the bug there are plenty of other cyberdeck projects you can have a go at, including builds that fit inside a clamshell phone form factor and come with six screens attached.

• There's a new version of PowerToys out
• The suite of tools has a new utility called Window Hopper
• This allows you to easily cycle through open instances of the same app, and it's a nifty trick for multi-tasking in certain situations

Microsoft has released a new version of PowerToys, its suite of tools for Windows 11 (and 10), and it packs a smart new addition.

This is PowerToys v0.101.2362.0, and as flagged by XDA Developers, the release notes on GitHub introduce us to Window Hopper.

As the name suggests, this utility lets you easily hop between windows in Microsoft's OS with a shortcut that defaults to Alt + backtick (the ` symbol top-left of your keyboard, usually under the Escape key, or on the left of the number 1 key).

At this point you may be thinking: can't you switch between the windows of running apps by using Alt + Tab? Yes, you can, but there's a key difference between that shortcut and this new ability.

With Window Hopper, you are switching between the open instances of the same app, in the case that you're running multiple windows of said app. For example, like me, you might commonly have three or four browser sessions running in different windows, and pressing Alt + backtick will cycle between just those.

That's handy because it means all the other apps you may have open won't get in the way if you specifically just want to 'hop' between multiple instances of Chrome, say, or a clutch of Word documents you're working with (or folders in File Explorer).

If you don't like the default key combination to invoke Window Hopper, that can be changed.

On top of this new PowerToy, the existing Command Palette tool now has a compact mode, so it opens as a tiny window (and then expands with results when you start typing). This offering has also been tweaked to be more responsive and stable in general.

The new version of PowerToys also features some general interface polishing and tweaks to some other tools, including PowerDisplay, which is now capable of controlling the brightness of multiple monitors simultaneously. The Mouse Highlighter feature, which draws attention to the cursor when you left or right click (with a color to differentiate between both clicks), now has a smart new ripple effect.

Analysis: more power, fewer problems

I'm a big fan of PowerToys, and I think there are some highly useful tools here. Granted, some of these bits of software are for power-users only, but some are very handy for everyday users – and the good thing with this suite is that you can install it and only turn on a small handful of utilities that you really want, leaving the rest aside.

However, PowerToys is still not all that well known, and many average Windows users are missing out on nifty bits of functionality because they simply don't know about them. This is why I've argued in the past that certain PowerToys features should just be ported over to Windows 11 directly, where Microsoft could have them as options in the Settings app, removing the hurdle of having to find and install this suite of utilities (which, in overall terms, still remains somewhat obscure).

I think the Window Hopper is a prime example of something that could be easily ported over to Windows 11, where it would be useful for some folks to have as a native ability. Power Display, which just got a smart tweak with this new release of PowerToys, is another utility that I've said in the past would be great to have in the full version of Windows 11.

Would these tools be adding to system bloat, arguably? Well, some people may feel that way, but remember, they would be disabled by default and therefore wouldn't be eating any system resources (save for a small bit of drive space) unless you turned them on. Microsoft could also focus on very lightweight additions, too, as a starting point (simple tricks like Window Hopper, or partial ports of pieces of the beefier utilities).

For some people, PowerToys could even reduce bloat, as it might mean they can uninstall other third-party software that they've set up to achieve certain ends.

Hopefully Microsoft will at least be considering picking some choice pieces of functionality from PowerToys for inclusion in its desktop OS – and I note that there is a modernized mouse-finding ability inbound for Windows 11 (as Windows Latest spotted), which is good to see.

• Watch Dolly Parton: Here I Am for FREE on BBC iPlayer (UK restricted)
• Outside the UK? Use NordVPN to unblock iPlayer
• Also available on Prime Video (US)

Following the devastating news of country music powerhouse Dolly Parton’s passing at age 80, fans worldwide are flocking to to celebrate the immortal legacy of the Backwoods Barbie.

Right now, you can watch the definitive Dolly Parton documentary – Dolly Parton: Here I Am – for free on BBC iPlayer in the UK. Abroad? We'll show you how to watch Dolly Parton: Here I Am for free from anywhere below.

The 1 hour 30 min film serves as the ultimate tribute to the blonde bombshell who proved she was never anyone’s dumb blonde. It traces her relentless rise from Tennessee cabin to a $650M empire (including her own 'Dollywood' theme park).

The feature-length tell-all is streaming now and the perfect way to learn more about the Jolene hitmaker. Here's how to watch and stream the Dolly Parton doc in the UK, US, Canada and beyond...

How to watch Dolly Parton: Here I Am for free on BBC iPlayer

The BBC's online streaming site, BBC iPlayer, is streaming Dolly Parton: Here I Am for free — you can catch the landmark doc now.

How to watch Dolly Parton: Here I Am on BBC iPlayer from anywhere

BBC iPlayer is only showing Dolly Parton: Here I Am for free to UK residents.

Those traveling or working outside the UK will need to use a VPN to access BBC iPlayer's free series.

There are lots of VPNs, but NordVPN is the one you can rely on to unblock BBC iPlayer and watch from anywhere in the world.

It's super simple to use a VPN to watch Dolly Parton: Here I Am on BBC iPlayer.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the US and want to watch your free BBC iPlayer stream, you'd select 'United Kingdom'.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to BBC iPlayer, sign in, and watch Dolly Parton: Here I Am docu-drama for free.

What devices is BBC iPlayer available on?

You can use BBC iPlayer on all of the following devices and platforms:

Amazon Fire (Tablets, Cube, Stick, TVs)
Android TV (please note: some models aren’t supported)
Android (Mobile & Tablet) - Android 7.0 and above
Apple TV (tvOS 14 or later)
Google TV
Freely
Freesat (please note: some models aren’t supported)
Freeview Play (TVs and set-top boxes)
iOS (iPhone & iPad) - iOS 14 and above
LG Smart TVs (2016-2024)
NOW Smart Sticks and Boxes (minimum firmware v11.5.0)
PlayStation (PS4 and PS5)
Roku (Stick & Roku-OS powered TVs, minimum firmware v11.5.0)
Samsung Smart TVs (2017 and above - 2016 models only offer on demand TV)
Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream
Virgin Media (360, Stream, TiVo)
YouView (BT, Humax, Sony, TalkTalk)
Xbox (One, Series X, Series S)

Dolly Parton: Here I Am episode guide

▶︎ Dolly Parton: Here I Am – watch now (1hr 30 mins)
Featuring incredible archive footage and exclusive interviews with Dolly and stars like Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, this film lifts the lid on the songwriting genius behind I Will Always Love You, Jolene, 9 to 5 and a host of other chart-topping hits. From her humble beginnings to her global success, the film discovers how a young girl from the Smoky Mountains conquered Nashville to become the queen of country music.

You may also enjoy watching:

• The Settlers – BBC documentary about Israeli settlers
• The Age of Disclosure – 2025 UFO documentary
• The Walsh Sisters – 2025 Irish drama

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Inclusion is often discussed in terms of culture, hiring or representation.

These things matter deeply, but for a technology company, it is critical that inclusivity is also reflected in the products and services our customers use every day – in other words, smarter technology that’s truly for all.

Living our Smarter Technology for All vision has always depended on building a culture where people feel they belong.

In my view, inclusion is not a team that exists in one part of a business. It’s a cultural pillar that’s reflected in how we make decisions and serve our customers.

This effort to embed inclusion has led us to establish an Inclusive Product Design Office (IPDO), which integrates inclusive design expertise into product development rather than treating accessibility as an afterthought.

Who a product serves

That means we need to think about who a product serves from the outset, considering all consumers’ unique needs and attributes early enough to mitigate bias or limit usability of our products and services. The bias we’re working to eliminate could be part of anyone’s background – cultural, physical, or economical.

However, people with disabilities continue to represent one of the most important and complex demographics we’re working to include through the efforts of the IPDO. The scale is significant. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.3 billion people experience significant disability, representing 16% of the global population.

That is one in six of us. Plus, almost everyone will experience some form of disability, temporary or permanent, at some point in their life. Accessibility should therefore be treated as a part of mainstream product design, because users with disabilities are part of the mainstream.

This is why accessibility should be considered as a priority at the start of product development. Once a product has been designed, accessibility can become harder to address properly. It risks becoming a patch, rather than an integral part of the user experience.

Our Inclusive Product Design Office has expanded vetting of our products and solutions, ensuring our technology can work for all, regardless of background or ability. The process may involve examining how users receive system feedback, how they physically interact with a device, or how easily they can navigate software using assistive technology.

The thinking is simple: not everyone interacts with technology in the same way, and good design should reflect that reality.

Valuable insights

Some of our most valuable design insights come from listening. Through our collaboration with the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in North Carolina, we’ve learned directly from blind and low-vision users about how they interact with our products. Those conversations have shaped product decisions in ways our engineering teams never anticipated.

In some cases, the challenge is physical. For example, a laptop that can be opened easily with one hand can support individuals with a mobility need. Tactile keyboard markings are helping users with low vision or reduced dexterity. Accessible packaging can also make a big difference, ensuring a device can be opened easily before it is switched on.

This principle also applies to features that may seem ordinary. Trackpad palm rejection, designed to prevent accidental inputs while typing, can unintentionally create barriers for users with limb differences. By allowing these settings to be adjustable, we empower users to control how they interact with their technology.

When companies design for people with disabilities in mind, it forces us to be more precise and creative about the problems we are solving. In many cases, the result is technology that works better for a broader range of people.

Simple expectations

For anyone using technology, the expectation is simple: it should work with them, rather than ask them to work around it. When technology is intuitive and adaptable, people can focus on what they set out to do.

Accessibility cannot sit at the edge of product design, because people’s needs, environments and ways of working are constantly changing. The more we design around real human needs from the start, the more useful technology becomes for everyone.

Inclusive design is an ongoing journey, with ever-changing standards and users. There will always be more to learn, but through conversations with accessibility experts, employees, customers, and communities, we can bring about meaningful change for all.

The future of technology will not be defined simply by what an AI solution or device can do, but by the people they enable. Designing for humanity is what makes innovation meaningful.

We've featured the best product management software.

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

It's almost midnight, and I'm still playing Bit Reactor's turn-based tactics (TBT) strategy game, Star Wars Zero Company. I'm nearing the end of a tense battle that's lasted longer than I've realized, but I'm so close to success. Only a few enemies remain, and Hawks is out of med packs; Tricks, Tel, and Luco are all low on health, and I don't want to risk any more injuries that could lead to my favorite Operators' permanent death. One mistake will cause a domino effect that ends in defeat, but I have to make a move.

I have Luco and Trick fire their blasters at a single enemy, taking them down with a lucky critical hit, before positioning them behind cover alongside Hawks. I lay a trap; with Overwatch enabled and monitoring the area where the boss and the final enemy are located, I have Tel rush ahead into position. Using all the Advantage I've accrued through the last few tactical turns, the Jedi Padawan executes her special Force action, knocking back both enemies into the zone of my team's line of sight. Even though they have no Action Points (AP) left, thanks to my planning, Luco, Trick, and Hawks fire off three more shots each, and together, we achieve victory.

Before playing Zero Company, Bit Reactor's debut game made by a studio founded by former Firaxis Games and XCOM veterans, I was concerned my lack of experience with XCOM would hinder my enjoyment of this new Star Wars story. But after just a few hours of taking on mercs and clankers, jumping to various planets via hyperspace, and getting to know my fellow Operators, I quickly fell in love.

Learn from the past, but live for the future

What I love about Star Wars, besides the lightsabers, the expansive lore, and dark side baddies, is the seemingly unlimited opportunity for new stories within the vast galaxy, far, far away.

While Zero Company is set 20BBY during the twilight of the Clone Wars, a frequently revisited era in the franchise, this story chooses to tell a story from the perspective of someone no longer tied directly to the conflict, but has been affected by it. The fact that the player character, Hawks, is a former captain in the Grand Army of the Republic is a unique premise that initially piqued my interest; they commanded the 100th Clone Company and led a campaign that led to a Trooper massacre, Trick being declared unfit for duty due to an injury, and Hawks' dismissal.

Hawks now leads the titular covert squad on a mission to take down the paramilitary cult known as The Infinite Coil and its leader, Kundri Fathom, who are all diseased by the mysterious Shadow Plague and are slowly building their forces across the galaxy.

As Hawks and Zero Company tackle this growing threat against the backdrop of the Clone Wars, the team is also dealing with their own personal issues and the consequences of warfare, whether at the hands of the Republic or the Separatists, with the story exploring themes of justice, revenge, belonging, grief, and guilt.

It's a compelling approach with surprising twists and turns that takes the story in an unexpected direction and had my Star Wars-loving heart pounding thanks to the brilliant way Bit Reactor seamlessly blends cinematic storytelling and a brilliantly formulated combat system.

This is a spoiler-free review, and I won't get into the details, but Hawks' history has interesting implications for the narrative in ways I wasn't anticipating; they're a smart, funny, sarcastic, but decisive individual, navigating being a leader who is, once again, caught up in a galactic threat. And while they're a customizable character, they feel like they belong in this universe as much as any other protagonist we've had before.

Fathom herself, as the primary antagonist, however, separate from Coil members you run into plenty of times, feels a bit underutilized throughout the story, and I was left with a desire to know more about her.

The majority of the campaign finds Zero Company trying to track Fathom down while she continuously eludes them and works from the shadows, which means there aren't many opportunities for the antagonist to shine on screen; it feels like wasted potential as she's a very interesting villain with a unique motivation that compliments the broader narrative, but without that extra character exploration, especially in parallel to Hawks and their development, I was left with some unanswered questions and ultimately unsatisfied.

Wars are not won with superior weapons, but with superior strategy

I stand by what I wrote in my preview: Star Wars fans with no knowledge of TBT games like XCOM can absolutely enjoy this game. Bit Reactor has done an excellent job making a beginner-friendly, not to mention incredibly rewarding, experience when you get accustomed to strategizing on the fly and go on to achieve win after win.

Squad appearances, tailored loudouts, and the numerous specializations on offer, be it Medic, Scoundrel, Heavy, or Scout, present an unbelievable amount of player freedom, which allows for some impressive customization, as well as what seems like an opportunity for limitless playthroughs.

This is especially true when the secondary specializations are unlocked for Zero Company; I gave my Hawks the Medic spec, which allowed an extra sense of security for playing on permadeath mode, and I was amazed by how my second spec, Gunslinger, completely refreshed battles and provided new and imaginative strategies on the battlefield.

My squad for Tactical Missions typically included Tel because of her ranged Force abilities, and Trick, who can withstand getting Downed and can automatically revive during the next turn in battle; their Hero Talents came in handy when the mission was on the verge of failure, and their fully upgraded skill trees made them a must-have, especially for higher difficulty battles that featured a variety of enemies that are tougher than others.

Kabb also has a sick uppercut ability that lets him wollop enemies, while Luco has a sniper skill that guarantees a 100% hit; learning how these talents work, strategizing how best to spend my squad's limited three AP should have been stressful, but the process was just awesome.

Continuously maneuvering across ever-shifting and lovingly crafted isometric maps wrapped in an authentic Star Wars atmosphere, outplaying a contingent of droids, deadly Coil soldiers, and syndicate members with just wit, and mixing and matching team builds to your preference with a ton of options to experiment with; all of this offers an immensely rewarding gameplay experience that continuously delivers.

No Tactical Mission feels the same, and even when they take longer to complete because of their difficulty level—and believe me, they can take a while—it doesn't matter, because the sense of accomplishment I felt after every mission was worth the time.

Courage makes heroes, but trust builds friendship

The campaign is also strengthened by Zero Company's interpersonal relationships, consisting of multiple colorful characters, including a loyal ex-Clone Trooper, a Mandalorian turned bounty hunter, a sharp-tongued Umbaran sniper, a Jedi Padawan without a Master, and more.

The game leans into role-playing game (RPG) systems by melding TBT gameplay and Bonds, a relationship approval system vital for unlocking features like new talents, focus points, and stat bonuses. Similar to Bioware's dynamic relationship system found in Dragon Age and Mass Effect, minus the romance and branching dialogue trees, Bonds are deepened by completing each character's personal questline, how you approach Operations, or how you respond in conversations.

Zero Company's Bond system is great, and I know it's primarily a TBT strategy game; however, I can't help but think it would have benefited even more if it went harder with the RPG mechanics, like additional dialogue choices, to really reinforce and shape those Bonds.

Characters may also have negative opinions of each other, and it's pretty fun, and essentially the key to success, to purposefully pair them together during missions to make them grow closer with the benefit of improving their loadout and unlocking new combat synergies.

Outside of missions, it's pretty neat how Operators, even the ones you can create and recruit yourself, can be found around The Den having conversations and revealing a bit more behind the curtain; the switch to a third-person perspective here also brings a personal touch to these relationships, making them feel alive in their environment.

Alongside other characters like Runa and Bennic, authored Operators have so much personality with their own motivations and perspectives, with stellar performances from the ensemble cast; they're not just soldiers along for the ride, and while some pairings have more fleshed-out Bonds that are more ingrained in the main campaign than others, like Trick and Luco, they're equally memorable.

Whether it's Tel, Jae, Kabb, or particularly Trick, they feel like the backbone of the narrative and are as authentic to the Star Wars world they occupy, which is why when/if a character is killed in permadeath mode, the loss is truly felt.

This feature is a must if you want to up the risk factor during missions and truly heightens the stakes as you build these meaningful relationships, even if it means you'll be locked out of some pretty amazing missions if Operators die.

I had some issues during my preview session, mostly frame rate problems that took me out of the experience, but I'm happy to say performance has been vastly improved with my review copy on PC. With my mid-to-high range build, which consists of an Nvidia RTX 3060Ti graphics card and Ryzen 7 5700X 8-Core processor, the gorgeous cinematics and gameplay frame rates were consistently high, hitting 60fps the majority of the time, with the odd dip to the upper 40fp to lower 50fps range occasionally depending on how visually busy the scene is.

I also didn't encounter any significant performance snags, either. Bugs are almost non-existent, aside from a few encounters during conversations and cinematics where audio didn't sync correctly and tactical turns sometimes took a little longer to load from the enemies' side; otherwise, I had a pretty smooth experience.

Should you play Star Wars Zero Company?

Play it if...

Don't play it if...

Accessibility features

Star Wars Zero Company is a bit short on accessibility features, having only standard vision settings like text size and color blind mode, as well as a motion reduction setting for on-screen action.

How I reviewed Star Wars Zero Company

I spent just over 40 hours playing Star Wars Zero Company on my gaming PC with my Logitech G G715 wireless gaming keyboard and Logitech G703 wireless gaming mouse. I used a Gigabyte M32U gaming monitor and my Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones for audio.

First reviewed August 2026.

• Amenzia WG 3.0 updates the VPN’s WireGuard protocol to evade detection
• Amnezia VPN aims to keep the internet accessible in censored regions
• The upgrade should make the protocol undetectable to Russian censors

Amnezia has updated its anti-censorship protocol, AmneziaWG, as it continues its relentless fight to circumvent the Russian government’s increasingly sophisticated internet censorship systems.

AmenziaWG 3.0 introduces greater variability in traffic patterns, making the VPN even harder to detect.

It comes in response to recent large-scale coordinated attacks launched by Russian authorities, which revealed new methods implemented by the state for detecting and blocking VPN infrastructure, Amnezia VPN said.

Although the new wave of government censorship has hindered access to dozens of circumvention tools, this has not deterred Amnezia from tirelessly improving its service. Instead, its resilience lets it stay one step ahead of Russian attacks, demonstrating its commitment to providing one of the best VPNs for effectively countering censorship.

The new AmneziaWG protocol is included in the VPN’s Premium and Free packages as v3.0, as well as for Self-hosted users as v3.1.

Always prepared for the worst

Originally developed as a fork of the WireGuard protocol, AmneziaWG continues to build on this solid foundation, but with an update to its technical architecture to mask the overall traffic profile throughout the entire connection.

While previous versions of AmneziaWG focused on obscuring specific, individual protocol signatures that could indicate a VPN connection, this update aims to alter the overall connection profile to evade signature-based detection methods, focusing instead on the operation of the protocol’s TSPU, the primary traffic filtering tool.

According to Amnezia’s team, the Russian government recently targeted Amnezia's servers by using combined parameters — including packet size and sequence, inter-packet arrival times, handshake patterns, and traffic volume — to identify VPN traffic.

Its protocol was detected because the collective behavior of a large number of users employing the same protocol created identifiable patterns. The numbers are truly staggering: as Mazay Banzaev, founder of Amnezia, noted, Microsoft's data indicates that the protocol has been installed more than 15 million times on Windows, significantly increasing the likelihood of detection.

The update eliminates predictable patterns during the handshake phase by varying packet sizes, sequences, and intervals, so that, in essence, each connection is different from all others without altering the data transmitted — regardless of the number of users using the protocol simultaneously.

NEW: Leave No Trace — A weekly newsletter on digital privacy and online surveillance.

Leave No Trace investigates the companies and governments putting our digital freedom at risk — and the people fighting back.

📩 Subscribe now to get every edition delivered to your inbox every Friday, launching this September.

Censorship continues to grow

While Russians are rapidly turning to VPN services, the Kremlin’s censorship tactics continue to intensify, with attacks becoming increasingly frequent.

On August 4, a new crackdown by the government blocked access to more than 20 widely used services, with the scale of the attack suggesting that the Russian communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, is resorting to more sophisticated methods to disconnect the country’s vital digital arteries.

Words such as "the largest in history" have been used to describe these repressive measures, underscoring the severity of the current state of censorship in Russia. The exact scale of the latest disruption, however, remains difficult to quantify according to anti-censorship organisations.

These repressive measures are making it increasingly difficult for citizens to connect to the free Internet, proving that Russians need a VPN even to access Google and Apple services.

Although Amnezia VPN — which recently upgraded its apps to counter Russia's new strategy for blocking VPNs — stated on this occasion that its service was "working reliably" in Russia, the provider had previously restored its premium service in the country following a devastating state-sponsored cyberattack that lasted a month and a half and had caused the system to shut down completely.

Last month, the anti-censorship provider also strengthened its blocking capabilities with a 'mandatory update' for Premium and Free users.

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Two-Minute Review

GoPro has built its name on cameras you can strap to anything and forget about. The Mission 1 Pro ILS is pretty much the opposite, requiring you to slow down, think about your settings and focus, and work much harder for the shot you want.

It's the third and quirkiest member of the new Mission 1 family, swapping the fixed lens of its siblings for a Micro Four Thirds mount. It's a major change that drastically reshapes the nature of this camera. Instead of a rugged companion for your next surf session or mountain bike run, it's a creative tool that opens GoPro's superb 1-inch sensor up to hundreds of lenses, from cheap vintage primes to specialist optics that would never fit inside a traditional action cam body.

I spent a week shooting with it, mostly paired with a manual Laowa prime, and found it to be a camera that's as rewarding as it is demanding. There's a real skill curve here that longtime GoPro shooters may not be comfortable with, and the payoff — sharper, more considered footage and stills — only arrives once you've put the work in.

Where the ILS earns its keep is its sheer versatility. Want to shoot extreme close-ups a regular GoPro physically can't manage? Fit a close-focusing lens. Chasing a specific look? There's a lens for that too. It's arguably the most flexible camera GoPro has ever made.

That flexibility incurs trade-offs, though — not only is the ILS expensive, it's also less rugged than other GoPro's and lacks autofocus and horizon lock. GoPro's Quik app doesn't make life easier either, constantly nudging you toward a subscription rather than just getting out of the way and letting you shoot. None of that stops the ILS from being a compelling and genuinely different kind of GoPro; it's just one that asks a lot more of you than the ones that came before it.

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Price and release date

• $699 / £599.99 / AU$1,099.95 (non-member price)
• $599 / £509.99 / AU$949.95 (member price)
• Other models in the series are the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro

The GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS is priced at $699.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,099.95, or $599.99 / £509.99 / AU$949.95 if you're already a GoPro subscriber. That's body-only pricing, of course — you'll need to budget separately for a Micro Four Thirds lens (GoPro doesn't sell any of its own). It's a big chunk of money to spend on a little camera, but at the same time there's not much out there to compare it to, and no direct competitors to undercut it.

It officially launches on September 2 2026, alongside a companion iOS app called Mission Monitor.

Interestingly, the ILS costs exactly what the standard Mission 1 Pro did at launch. But at the time of writing, GoPro has quietly dropped the Mission 1 Pro's price by $100, down to $599.99. That means (for now at least) that you're paying a $100 premium for the ILS's interchangeable lens mount over the Mission 1 Pro that also gets you 20m waterproofing, autofocus and a built-in lens — features the ILS lacks. It's worth considering this trade-off carefully, depending on what you actually plan to shoot.

• Price score: 4/5

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Specs

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Design

• Same compact, dual-screened GoPro body, but with a Micro Four Thirds mount up front
• Weatherproof only — loses the standard Mission 1 Pro's 20m waterproofing
• Weighs under 200g before adding a lens

In many ways, you'd struggle to tell the Mission 1 Pro ILS apart from the standard Mission 1 Pro. They have largely the same boxy, dual-screened body, the same 2.59-inch rear OLED touchscreen and 1.4-inch front display, the same big, chunky buttons, the same tripod thread, magnetic clips and mounting fingers on the base (that'll fit any GoPro accessory you already own). GoPro hasn't reinvented the shell here, and given how well the Mission 1 Pro works, that's no bad thing.

What has changed sits right at the front. Instead of the Mission 1 Pro's fixed 14mm lens, the ILS carries a native Micro Four Thirds mount, opening the door to hundreds of compatible lenses — GoPro maintains an official compatibility list if you want to check before you buy, and it already spans everything from fisheyes to vintage manual primes with the right adapter. If you've got a drawer full of old glass, this is the first GoPro that can accommodate it.

That flexibility comes at a cost to GoPro's trademark ruggedness, though: the ILS is weatherproof rather than waterproof. Unlike the standard Mission 1 Pro's 20m dive-ready housing-free design, you shouldn't be dunking this one in the sea. For a company that made its name letting you bolt or strap a camera to anything and dive into the deep blue, it's quite a shift.

Despite the added complexity of a lens mount, GoPro has kept things impressively compact; at 89.6 x 58.7 x 46.1mm and 197g, it's slightly lighter than the fixed-lens Mission 1 Pro. Of course, you'll have the weight of a lens to add to that. It's a world away from my everyday MFT camera, the lumpen — if lovable — Panasonic Lumix GH6. If you need to wedge an interchangeable lens into a tight spot, the ILS is hard to beat.

• Design score: 4/5

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Performance

• Manual focus only, with no subject tracking or horizon lock
• Can focus far closer than the standard Mission 1 Pro's 60cm minimum
• Battery life of up to 96 minutes with 8K 4:3 recording

Losing autofocus is the single biggest adjustment coming from a standard Mission 1 Pro. GoPro has equipped the ILS with focus peaking to help you nail manual focus, but on the ILS's small screens I found it a real challenge — my shots weren't always in focus when I thought they were, and I lost a handful of otherwise good clips to softness as a result. Frustratingly, focus peaking doesn't work at all on the front-facing screen, which stings if you're trying to frame up a selfie or vlog shot. I'd like to see GoPro patch that in with a firmware update, since I can't see a technical reason why it wouldn't be possible.

There are better ways to nail focus than squinting at the rear screen, though. GoPro's Quik app offers a focus peaking preview, and there's also the new Mission Monitor app (sadly iOS-only at launch) for a bigger, clearer view. That one requires a wired connection between the camera and your iPhone or iPad, and since I don't own a USB-C to Lightning data cable, I wasn't able to put it through its paces myself. What I could do was hook the ILS up to an external monitor via a USB-C to HDMI adapter, and that worked well as a live-preview solution.

I tested the ILS with two lenses: a Laowa 7.5mm f/2.0 that GoPro loaned to me alongside my review sample, and my own Panasonic 12-60mm zoom. The Laowa — a manual focus, manual aperture prime — is how this camera wants to be used. I couldn't get the Panasonic zoom to focus properly at all. If you've got a stash of vintage manual glass and a MFT adapter, you're in for a good time.

It's important to note that, despite the MFT lens mount, the ILS isn't an MFT camera. Its 1-inch sensor is smaller than an MFT's, which results in a larger crop factor. For example, if you fitted the Laowa 7.5mm lens to a standard MFT camera, MFT's 2x crop means its effective 35mm equivalent focal length is 15mm. The ILS has a 2.7x crop factor, rising to 3x with HyperSmooth stabilization on. So that means the same lens will have a 20.5mm focal length, or 22.5mm with stabilization. Consequently, you'll need a very wide fisheye lens to get the sort of ultra-wide focal length offered by most GoPros, but conversely it's easier to achieve tighter framing for portraits and so on.

I was pleased to discover that the ILS, at least paired with that Laowa lens, could focus far closer than the standard Mission 1 Pro is capable of. The regular Mission 1 Pro has an almost comically long 60cm / 24-inch minimum focus distance that rules out close-up work entirely. The ILS has no such limitation, opening the door to macro-style shots and detail work that's simply off the table on GoPro's fixed-lens model. It's not enough to make me recommend the ILS to vloggers, mind you — the lack of autofocus and subject tracking still counts heavily against it there. The Hero 13 Black with macro Lens Mod is a decent alternative for such uses.

In addition to subject tracking, horizon lock is also unavailable here. Both are present on the standard Mission 1 Pro, and so if you're relying on GoPro's software smarts to keep you level and in frame, you'll need to look at the fixed-lens models instead of the ILS.

Audio quality is solid, if unremarkable — echoing what my colleague Hamish Hector found when testing the Mission 1 Pro's built-in mics, the ILS captures voices and everyday sound clearly, with wind noise capably filtered out of the mix (up to a point).

Battery life is very respectable. GoPro rates the included Enduro 2 battery at 96 minutes for 8K Open Gate at 30fps, or 74 minutes for 16:9 8K at 60fps, and my own real-world testing lined up closely with those figures. Thermal management is similarly solid — I only ran into overheating issues when shooting at the top end of the spec sheet (50/60fps in 8K or 200/240fps in 4K), and with decent airflow around the camera you may not experience overheating at all.

There's no built-in storage, as with virtually every GoPro. You'll need a fast V30, Class A2-rated microSD card, and you'll want it to have lots of space too — those 8K Open Gate files are huge.

• Performance score: 4/5

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS: Image quality

• Supports 8K video up to 30fps (Open Gate) and 60fps (16:9), plus slo-mo up to 960fps in burst mode
• Maximum bitrate of 300Mbps when using experimental GoPro Labs firmware
• Photos in JPEG and RAW up to 50MP resolution

When I actually managed to nail focus, the results were exactly what you'd hope for from that 1-inch sensor. For video, I shot most of my test footage with the Laowa 7.5mm lens, which plays nicely with GoPro's HyperSmooth stabilization. For anyone planning to color grade their own footage, I'd recommend GoPro's suggested settings — GP-Log2 color profile, 10-bit color depth, and the maximum bitrate available (240Mbps on regular firmware, or 300Mbps if you install the experimental GoPro Labs firmware — less stable than standard firmware but intended for enthusiasts who want to push performance to its limits) — shooting in 16:9 8K at 60fps.

I also tried Open Gate, which is one of the headline features shared with the standard Mission 1 Pro, but found the combination of huge file sizes and a 30fps ceiling too restrictive for how I like to shoot. It's a useful option to have, especially if you want maximum reframing flexibility in post, but it's not where I ended up spending most of my time.

For my main test clip, I mounted the ILS to my car using a single SmallRig suction cup — the camera's light weight meant I didn't need the full triple-cup rig I'd normally reach for, which kept setup quick. I edited the footage by applying one of GoPro's official LUTs before fine-tuning the color in DaVinci Resolve, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I'm no post-production expert, but anyone who is will have a field day pairing this sensor with the right glass.

Stills tell a similarly promising story, with caveats. I took the ILS out with the Laowa lens and GoPro's Point-and-Shoot Grip for a photo walk along the coast, shooting in RAW format at 50MP and, in lower light, 12MP. Editing in Adobe Lightroom afterward, the RAW files gave me a huge amount of latitude to shape the final look — much more than I'm used to getting out of an action camera. The Laowa itself let the side down slightly, with softness and a tendency to flare, but that's a lens characteristic rather than anything to do with the camera; pair the ILS with sharper glass and I'd expect noticeably cleaner results.

Low-light performance carries over the big step up we saw on the standard Mission 1 Pro, the 1-inch sensor being a huge differentiator over GoPro's Hero Black range. As ever with an interchangeable-lens setup, the lens you choose plays a big part in how far that advantage stretches: wide-aperture glass will get you noticeably further after dark than anything narrower.

• Image quality score: 5/5

Testing Scorecard

Should I buy the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Also consider

How I tested the GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS

• One week of testing with a Laowa 7.5mm F/2.0 C-Dreamer prime lens
• Real-world video shot mounted to a car, plus a coastal stills photo walk
• Battery life and thermal performance checked across the camera's most demanding modes

I spent a week with the Mission 1 Pro ILS, shooting with a Laowa 7.5mm f/2.0 lens that GoPro loaned me for the review.

Video testing included mounting the ILS to my car for real-world stabilization footage, shot largely in 16:9 8K at 60fps using GoPro's recommended color-grading settings, plus a run through Open Gate to see how it held up for reframing flexibility. I edited footage in DaVinci Resolve, applying an official GoPro LUT before making my own color adjustments.

For stills, I took the ILS out on a Sunday photo walk along the coast near where I live, shooting raw at both 50MP and 12MP resolutions with GoPro's Point-and-Shoot Grip attached, and edited the results in Adobe Lightroom.

I also tested the camera's monitoring options, connecting it to an external monitor via a USB-C to HDMI adapter, though I wasn't able to test the iOS-only Mission Monitor app myself, lacking the necessary USB-C to Lightning data cable. Battery life and thermal performance were assessed through everyday use across a range of resolutions and frame rates, including the highest-demand 8K/60fps and 4K/240fps modes.

First reviewed: August 2026

• SOCRadar uncovers AnonyMousKIT, a phishing kit abusing Apple’s Lost Mode contact info
• Crooks spoof Find My pages, trick victims into giving credentials to unlock stolen iPhones
• Active since 2024, it operates like a criminal software business with 500+ domains and AI‑driven vishing

Security researchers have discovered AnonyMousKIT, a new phishing kit designed to bypass the last line of defense for stolen iPhones, which has been in use for more than two years.

Apple devices come with several anti-theft mechanisms working together to make iPhones a lot less attractive to thieves, including Find My, Activation Lock, and Lost Mode.

If a user’s device is lost or stolen, they can use their tablet, laptop, or a similar device to enable Find My iPhone, which can then locate the device through an app or a website. They can also see its location on a map, make it play a sound, remotely wipe it, or receive a notification when it’s found. Enabling the Find My feature also turns on Activation Lock, which locks the phone and prevents it from being set up by someone else.

Even if the thief factory resets it, the phone remains connected to the real owner’s Apple account, and they simply can’t set it up. To do that, they would need the iPhone device passcode to exit Lost Mode, and the Apple account password, if Activation Lock/setup authentication is required.

But there is another feature Apple added, just in case the device isn’t actually stolen, but rather lost. For these occasions, there is an option to display the owner’s contact information on the screen so that a good samaritan who finds it can return it to its rightful owner.

As is the case with many other well-intended features, this one is now also being abused as part of the AnonyMousKIT phishing kit.

This is why we can't have nice things

According to security researchers SOCRadar, crooks are using AnonyMousKIT to create fake Find My or Apple pages. Then, they use the contact information displayed on the stolen iPhone to reach out to the victim. Through the kit, they can send emails, SMS messages, WhatsApp texts, or even AI-powered phone calls. Reaching out to the victim, the attackers introduce themselves as Apple customer support agents, and tell the victim their smartphone had been retrieved.

They also provide the victim with the correct model and IMEI details to confirm the authenticity of their claims. Then they require the victim to confirm their identity by visiting the spoofed Find My page and providing the credentials needed to unlock the phone.

The credentials end up with the attackers, who can then unlock the phone, wipe it, and sell it on the black market for a much higher price.

"Software business"

SOCRadar says the earliest records of the AnonyMousKIT date back to early 2024. Since then it has grown into a major operation, counting more than 500 domains, and having more than 150 storefront brands working as resellers and affiliates.

As part of their investigation, the researchers found records of roughly 200 calls, which the crooks made to victims between August 2025 and May 2026. The calls were done using five different AI agent personas and 55 different interaction transcripts.

Every call had cost the attackers $0.10, and most of them - 90% - were made to Brazilian victims. A small percentage of email correspondence was made towards government and corporate addresses, as well. Just under 30 attempts were made towards South African government domains, and three to a local university. While the campaign is global in its reach, it’s mostly focused on South Africa, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Brazil, and Italy.

SOCRadar describes AnonyMousKIT "not as a phishing kit but as a small software business with a criminal customer base."

"Its primary innovation is an automated, LLM-driven voice vector. At ~$0.10 per call, the platform initiates dynamic vishing across three languages using structured pretexts synced with email and SMS lure data, removing the need for fluent human callers."

At the moment the report was published, the campaign was still ongoing, and the researchers are still tracking it.

Via BleepingComputer

Argos has launched its Big Red Tech Sale, featuring all manner of smart home products from air fryers to vacuum cleaners — but hidden amongst the deals on home tech are a lot of terrific smartwatch bargains.

These range from the latest Apple Watch SE 3 and Huawei Watch Fit 5 Pro (which we rated 4.5 stars in our review) to older models. There's incredible deals on Garmins, including the five-star Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and the much cheaper Garmin Forerunner 265, which I wore during my first marathon. You can even save £10 off the £49.99 Huawei Band 11 fitness tracker!

You'll need to apply the correct code at checkout for each of the deals below — either RED10 or RED20, saving you 10% or 20% of the listed price respectively — and I've listed each code for you under the "view details" tab for each product, but you'll also be able to see the codes once you click through to Argos' webpage.

Today's best Argos Big Red Tech Sale smartwatch deals

Apple has just unveiled the new Mac mini with M6 processor, and for me the biggest news is the price hike to $899 for the cheapest model.

This is a jump from $799 for the previous Mac mini M4 model — but that had also received a de facto price rise only back in May, when Apple discontinued the $599 entry-level option (with 256GB of storage) and made the $799 version (with 512GB of storage) the new lowest-price option.

It means that between April 2026 and August 2026, the minimum price you can pay for a Mac mini has jumped by 50%. That's not an ideal situation at a time when it feels like our income is being squeezed harder and harder every week.

Yes, you get more storage and the new $899 version has more powerful chip than in the older $599 version — but, frankly, there will be plenty of people for whom price is the key factor, not the ability to run LLM requests faster.

Apple knows this; these people are exactly who the MacBook Neo is aimed at. So now that the Mac mini is no longer a budget buy, we need Apple to bring the Neo principle to the desktop.

No revolution necessary

As I said in the headline, I don't think a 'Mac Neo' PC even needs to be a complicated proposition to develop: we already know the A18 Pro chip runs macOS really well, because we've seen it do it in the MacBook Neo. And Apple already has a small body that can take the thermal requirements of iPhone-level chip, in the form of the latest Apple TV 4K.

The existing Apple TV 4K body already has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennae built in, and Ethernet and HDMI output ports — and while it no longer has USB-C, it used to, so it wouldn't be too hard to add back in.

Surely, in a plastic body, using an iPhone chip, we can get the price down below $600 again. The MacBook Neo is $699, and that includes a screen, keyboard and battery, after all.

If Apple is working on this, I expect we might have a bit of a wait — supposedly, the MacBook Neo will get a refresh in 2027 with an upgrade to the Apple A19 Pro processor (which brings a boost from 8GB of RAM to 12GB with it), which makes sense in terms of Apple saying that the new AI Siri's most powerful features require 12GB of RAM.

It would probably make sense to launch my new 'Mac Neo' or 'Mac Nano' or whatever you want to call it alongside the next MacBook Neo, if it were to happen.

The idea of putting a cheap Mac in the Apple TV's body is something I've been talking about ever since the M1 chip was unveiled back in 2020. When the Mac mini M4 redesign appeared, with its excellent $599 price, I basically felt like I got what I wanted from the start.

But at these prices, I'm returning on my crusade — all the pieces are there to bring the Mac back to a truly budget price, and now more than ever people need a reliable, privacy-friendly computing option that's easy on the wallet.

We're massive fans of the ink tank printers we've tested, with cartridge-free printing offering much better value for money compared to standard inkjets. So, if you're preparing for back-to-school or a home office upgrade, I've found a great deal on the HP Smart Tank 6001 tank printer for $200 (was $370) at Amazon.

That's almost half-price off an all-in-one that can print, scan and copy. Features here include refillable ink tanks, automatic two-sided output, and wireless connectivity. It also comes with up to two years of ink, which is enough for as many as 8,000 color or 6,000 black pages.

In the UK, this printer is known as the HP Smart Tank 6005, currently £179 (was £250) at Currys with three years' free ink.

Why we recommend it

Rather than repeatedly replacing expensive ink cartridges, you top up the 6001's built-in tanks using bottled ink, which is a cheaper and more convenient approach. Bottled ink is much cheaper to buy compared to traditional inkjet cartridges, which is one of the reasons why we champion tank printers.

There's plenty of features from this HP model, too, making it suitable for students, home workers, and small business use.

The flatbed scanner handles documents you need to digitize, and the copier is useful for those time when you need another physical copy.

Automatic duplexing is handy for longer assignments and documents because it can output both sides of the page without you manually turning the paper over. Borderless capabilities offer flexibility for photos and other creative projects.

There's also HP's AI-assisted formatting, which can remove unwanted elements when printing web pages and emails.

For more top performers, see our guides to the best home printers and best ink tank printers.

Price context & historical value

The HP Smart Tank 6001 is currently $199.99 at Amazon, down from $369.99. That's a huge $170 saving, or 46% off. The lowest we've previously seen it at Amazon is $195, so this is an excellent price and you likely won't get a better discount any time soon. For comparison, it's also priced at $200 (was $414) at Best Buy. And if you want to other options, check out our guide to the best printer deals we've spotted this week.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the HP Smart Tank 6001 if...

You need to do a lot of printing. Its large supplied ink capacity means you can tackle assignments, revision sheets and projects without worrying about buying ink regularly.

It will also benefit home workers who need physical documents. Automatic duplexing saves some effort with longer jobs, and having scanning and copying built in is also welcome.

❌ Skip the HP Smart Tank 6001 if...

Look elsewhere if you're not one for waiting. A maximum of 12ppm in black and 7ppm in color means it's not fast, particularly if you need to power through large jobs.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The print speeds for color tasks will be fine for typical household jobs, but they could become frustrating if you routinely need large documents output in a hurry.

There's no automatic document feeder listed here either. If you frequently scan or copy stacks of multi-page documents, having to place each page on the flatbed individually could quickly become tiring. I wouldn't call either a deal-breaker for general printing at home or in the dorm, but it's worth knowing.

Also consider

• See all ink tank printers at Amazon

• Fitbit founders are launching a new screenless fitness tracker
• The Luffu Link is designed for caregivers, bringing all your relatives' health data to one place
• It's available for pre-order now, and will roll out early next year

Watch out Whoop, there’s a new screenless health and fitness wearable on the way — and it’s coming from the founders of Fitbit.

Developers James Park and Eric Friedman announced a new LTE fitness tracker, the Luffu Link, marking the pair’s first hardware device since launching their company Luffu earlier this year.

The Luffu Link is available to pre-order now at $249.99, but is expected to increase to $299.99 when it retails in early 2027. It’s also set to come in three different colors: Halo Gold, Onyx Black, and Sterling Blue.

What sets the new Luffu Link apart from the best fitness trackers is its focus. Instead of targeting individual health tracking, Park and Friedman designed their screenless wearable to include your whole family, which comes from their experiences with being caregivers.

“When you become a family caregiver, or the CEO of the family, these people are spending an enormous amount of time doing it,” Park told TechCrunch. “Research shows over 27 hours a week on average, which is a crazy amount of time…I think technology can play a big role in helping reduce this load, but as we found out, the tools to help them are pretty fragmented,” he added.

The Luffu Link looks a lot different to screenless wearables like Whoop and the Google Fitbit Air. For one, it doesn't adopt the same focus band design, and instead has a more sleek and technical look. It comes equipped with similar wellness tracking tools, of course, but it takes it further.

Though it’s not designed for step-tracking, the Luffu Link tracks everything else including sleep, activity, and heart rate, while also allowing you to record medications, symptoms, meals, and more using your voice.

With the help of the Luffu app, which launched back in February, you can easily view the data for each family member in your ecosystem. Using AI in the background to contextualize health metrics, the app gives you a comprehensive overview of your relatives’ information, all while working to learn daily patterns and identify any changes in your health.

While its data gathering abilities are widespread, the Luffu Link has built-in GPS and LTE, doubling as a communicative device that allows members in your family to alert trusted contacts. Not only can you track family members' location, you can check in with others without calling, texting, or having your phone nearby — and this could come in handy for emergencies.

Double-pressing the wearable’s button allows you to quickly alert others when help is needed, and you don’t need an additional LTE carrier plan. For example, if you’ve had an accident and need assistance you can say ‘I’ve fallen and hurt my leg. Can someone come and get me?’, and those in your Luffu family network will be notified.

The Luffu Link is just the start of the health tracking empire Park and Friedman want to build. In addition to the launch of the new fitness wearable, Luffu has teased a home device designed to help families monitor wellbeing across multiple households. It’s still in early development, but the company has said more details will be unveiled later this year.

As part of Amazon for Business Brand Week, Logitech is offering a big accessories upgrade sale for buying teams kitting out the office, while emphasizing the "hidden cost of low-quality" hardware.

And if you're looking to improve video calls on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet, the Logitech Zone 305 wireless headset is down to $90 (was $100) and the excellent Logitech C920x HD Pro webcam has dropped to $60 (was $70) at Amazon.

Together these devices offer a great way to improve your video call setup without spending more than necessary. I also picked out this Logitech keyboard and mouse combo in the sale for your staff, too.

Why we recommend them

The Zone 305 headset weighs just 122g, making it light enough for long meetings, and the dual noise-canceling microphones will help keep your voice clear. The ability to stay connected to two devices is useful if you regularly move between a computer and a phone.

Battery life is rated at up to 20 hours for listening or 16 hours for calls, and a five-minute charge provides up to an hour of talk time. It has Microsoft Teams certification too.

The C920x webcam offers a 1080p/30fps output, which is fine for everyday meetings and video calls. Autofocus and automatic light correction help you get a consistent picture without much setup.

In her 4.5-star review, our expert Jess said: "With a perfect balance of performance and affordability, the C920 offers exactly what the everyday person needs in a webcam."

It also has dual microphones built in, so you won't necessarily need a separate headset like the Zone 305.

Price context & historical value

The Logitech Zone 305 is currently $89.99 at Amazon, down from $99.99, 10% off. It has sold for as low as around $69 in the past, so this isn't the lowest price we've seen.

The Logitech C920x is $59.99, down from $69.99, or 14% off. It was low as $44.95 back in 2024, but that's not a price I'd expect to see again any time soon.

Should you buy them?

✅ Buy the Zone 305 and C920x if...

The Logitech Zone 305 is a good choice if you spend a lot of time in Teams meetings and want a lightweight wireless headset with dedicated microphones. The long battery life, two-device connectivity and 30-meter wireless range are all good features.

The Logitech C920x offers Full HD resolution, autofocus, automatic lighting adjustment and built-in stereo microphones, covering the essentials for regular meetings.

❌ Skip the Zone 305 and C920x if...

I'd consider waiting on the Zone 305 if getting the lowest possible price is more important than buying today. Its previous $69 low shows that better discounts are possible.

The C920x is also worth skipping if you already own a decent 1080p webcam or want higher-end video. Its 1080p/30fps ceiling is sufficient for calls, but if you'd prefer 4K or smoother 60fps footage, it's worth looking at a more advanced model.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

Neither price represents a historic low. Both current deals are good, but bargain hunters may want to wait for a bigger saving. However, the emphasis on this deal, according to Logitech, isn't to be the cheapest, but to offer a good deal for corporate buying teams, and highlighting the hidden costs of budget-end hardware on businesses. There are hardware compromises here, too. The Zone 305 uses an on-ear design rather than surrounding your ears, which won't suit everyone, and the C920x tops out at 1080p and 30fps.

• Shop all Logitech for Business deals Amazon

• Apple Maps is now showing ads for users in the US and Canada
• Currently, ads appear as the top result in search and Suggested Places
• Users are unsurprisingly unhappy about this change, with some saying they'll switch to Google Maps

We’ve known they were coming for a while, but now ads have started appearing in Apple Maps for users in the US and Canada, meaning that not every result you see on the search screen will be organically placed.

As confirmed by Apple to 9to5Mac, Apple Maps is now starting to show ads in ‘Suggested Places’ on the search screen before you enter a search query, and in the search results.

In both cases you’ll at most see one ad, and this will be at the top of that section, with a blue ‘ad’ label marking it out. So at least they should be easy to ignore and scroll past.

Still, while this might benefit businesses, it’s undeniably a downgrade for Apple Maps users, and there’s no way to opt out of it, even if you’re paying for Apple services like iCloud+ or Apple One.

An unpopular change

Unsurprisingly, this hasn’t been met with much approval from Apple fans, with users on Reddit saying things like “now with ads, there's absolutely no reason to use Apple Maps,” “I'll just use Google Maps,” “this is a bad move,” and “the main reason I used Apple Maps was because of no ads.”

Indeed the consensus — at least among initial online reactions — seems to be that Google Maps is better in most ways, with Apple Maps previously only being preferable due to its lack of ads. So without that differentiation, many users may jump ship for Google’s service.

One Reddit user summed it up with: “Google Maps is 100% more accurate and functional than Apple Maps. The only benefit Apple Maps had was that it didn't have ads so now that they've removed that, there's literally no reason to have this icon on your home screen anymore.”

That said, a few replies point out advantages that Apple Maps may still have, such as a perception at least of better privacy and it being less of a drain on your phone’s battery. So perhaps there could still be reasons to stick with Apple.

And of course, online complaints won’t necessarily mean Apple Maps will lose lots of users. Chances are, most people will stick with what they know. But either way, this is definitely a bad change — hopefully it won’t be a slippery slope to more intrusive ads.

Furious is a must-watch new crime series that's streaming on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally), and it's female-led story is a huge part of why I love it.

The series, created by Elizabeth Meriwether, centers around FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) on the hunt for a calculating female serial killer, Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew). As their lives intertwine, we meet a lot of other important names, including Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), who is the head of the FBI's sex crimes unit.

I spoke to Bernstine about what drew her to the series, and she said: "Liz Meriwether drew me to the series because she's an absolute genius and I wanted to work with her. It's funny, I was in the middle of watching Dying for Sex [another Hulu series by Meriwether] when I got the interview and the audition request, and so of course I jumped at that!.

"I was sent a few scenes and the pilot episode. And I was blown away by the material," Bernstine added. "I had just never seen characters like this before. I was so interested in the idea of a female serial killer, because that's obviously a very rare thing."

Female characters are at the center of Furious' narrative, on both sides of the law, and I noted that their stories were told through a sympathetic lens which can often make us feel uncomfortable.

Each character felt well-rounded, and we got to experience things from their perspective, especially when it's a point of view that exists to challenge us and make us think. These psychological deep dives into flawed characters are just one part of why Furious is such a great piece of TV.

'I'm watching the show rooting for the serial killer, and I can't believe it'

Bernstine added: "I was just talking to someone this morning who's like, 'I'm watching the show rooting for the serial killer, and I can't believe it.' And I'm having the same experience, you know, it's funny because I know the show. I've seen the show, many times, but I'm watching it each week with like fresh eyes.

"I feel like I'm watching it with the world. With my husband, with my mother, with my brother, and everyone is like, 'I cannot believe I'm rooting for these people'.

"But that's the genius of Liz Meriwether, it's so surprising. Because it's very uncomfortable, but at the same time, you can understand what all of these women are going through."

Nora Washington is an interesting character because, despite the serious nature of her job at the FBI, she is also a very funny character. Much of the comic relief comes from Nora, something that I'm a huge fan of.

Speaking about her characterization, Bernstine told me: "She is down in this dark basement with no air, no light, like going into this room to watch this awful material, so that she can try to catch the bad guys, as it were".

She concluded: "And yet she has some of the funniest lines in the whole show. You never know what's going to come out of her mouth, but 9 times out of 10, it's gonna make you laugh."

I'm so impressed by Furious and highly encourage people to seek it out if they're looking for a unique crime series to binge on the best streaming services.

We've also explored why Furious is a game changer for disabled actors and what Furious star Scoot McNairy what he thinks you should stream once you've finished the series.