The Shards is guaranteed to have audiences talking, for better or for worse, as Bret Easton Ellis' controversial semi-autobiography comes to the small screen.

But, in my opinion, Ryan Murphy teaming up with Ellis has given him the chance to shine once again. Fans of Murphy's work were left disappointed and baffled in recent months after his abysmal Hulu series All's Fair aired, which has a seriously low Rotten Tomatoes score of just 6%.

Thankfully, The Shards feels closer to what Murphy was doing with the anthology series American Horror Story, and the result is an addictive, bloody and over the top series which shows that Murphy and Ellis are an excellent creative duo.

The Shards is certainly not for everyone, but I'm sure it will find a dedicated audience among Hulu subscribers. Those who can put up with intentionally insufferable protagonists are rewarded with a stylish, tasty peek into life as a privileged student in the 1980s, set in a sunny LA neighborhood.

The nine-part series follows a fictionalized version of Bret Easton Ellis, who is 17 and in his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. Igby Rigney, known for his work on Netflix's Midnight Mass, plays this version of the thriller author.

We open with Bret going to see The Shining, smoking a cigarette and driving a convertible, as he narrates all the luxury clothing he's wearing. Rigney's almost bored-sounding narration would feel out of place anywhere else, but here it fits perfectly as he talks about his life, one that many viewers will never have and might desperately covet. Despite having everything, there's no enthusiasm to his voice at all.

Opposite Rigney, Homer Gere stars as Robert Mallory, a new arrival at Buckley whose unsettling presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler. Gere is fantastic in The Shards, dominating every scene he's in, and making us feel very uncomfortable from the moment we see him.

The unsettling dynamic between Bret and Robert forms much of The Shards, supported by an equally good cast playing fellow students around them. Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), is a popular girl and cheerleader who soon develops a thing for Robert, much to the annoyance of her long-term boyfriend Thom (Graham Campbell).

Bret's girlfriend, Debbie (Hayes Warner), is a teen rebelling against her movie director father, adding to the already complex layers of this dysfunctional friend group.

The first two episodes were released together, but unfortunately it's a weekly release from then on. I have a feeling some people might be gutted they can't binge-watch it because it's easy to become invested in what's happening. The Shards is a dazzling experience where you feel like a fly on the wall watching these spoiled teens, wondering what's going to happen to them next, even if you probably should look away.

It's a visceral, no-holds-barred look into this 80s society which finds itself rapidly torn apart, sometimes literally. Indeed, those looking for Bret Easton Ellis' brand of gratuitous violence will find it here, making The Shards an interesting blend of teen drama and horror movie, with some grisly results.

Even if you haven't read The Shards, if you know you're a fan of Ellis' other works like American Psycho, I think this will be right up your alley. It ticks all the right boxes for what we'd expect from him, after all.

At the time of writing, The Shards season 2 has not been confirmed, which means the season finale's ending will prove frustrating if we don't get more. Though Ellis' book has a similar ending, I'm hopeful that The Shards will choose to take the story further as it feels like it's been written with a second season in mind.

As a standalone season though, it's entertaining and shocking in equal measure. The Shards is a welcome addition to Ryan Murphy's filmography, and I hope he does more like this because I have certainly missed him when he's at his bloody best.

It’s an exciting time to be a Samsung phone fan right now with the recent launch of its new foldable range, including a brand new form factor for the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Pre-orders are still ongoing, but with prices starting from AU$1,949, not everyone will be springing for these premium phones.

If you’re in the market for something much more affordable, then you’re in luck — the Samsung Galaxy S26 is currently at its all-time low price of AU$992 on Amazon, or a whopping 36% off.

Our Samsung Galaxy S26 review praised the bright AMOLED display, reliable 3-lens camera setup and surprisingly long battery life given its relatively small 4,300mAh capacity. It also has a 6.3-inch screen, perfect for those who like smaller-sized handsets.

Storage options now also start at 256GB, up from the predecessor’s 128GB. That change, plus the other improvements over the S25, meant the S26 came with a price increase from AU$1,399 to AU$1,549.

Aussies also miss out on the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset found in the US model, having to settle for an Exynos 2600 processor. Our reviewer also noted the relatively slow 25W charging speed and the lack of full Qi2 wireless charging support, commenting that this phone is only worth buying when it’s on sale.

And that’s why this phone is an easy recommendation for less than AU$1,000, despite its shortcomings. It’s a solid entry-level flagship with the specs to back it up, which also comes in an increasingly rare 6.3-inch size.

The news that Amazon’s smarter AI assistant, Alexa+, is finally making its way to Australia could well be exciting news for many Aussies. After all, we’ve had to wait a fair amount of time for the upgraded digital assistant, as it launched in the US way back in February 2025, and arrived on UK shores in March of this year.

If you’re already embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, whether that be through ownership of Echo smart speakers and displays or Ring home security cameras, you’d be forgiven for thinking Alexa+ might never make it Down Under. If so, you may have never felt the need to upgrade your various Amazon devices to newer generations.

Now with the official rollout of Alexa+ in Australia, that could mean your devices aren’t compatible. In truth, the list of incompatible devices is relatively short (which I have to say is quite remarkable and deserves brownie points for Amazon), but regardless, the latest generation Alexa-enabled devices will offer the best Alexa+ experience.

So, if you want to add Alexa+ to your home to become an AI-powered digital assistant capable of performing all manner of tasks, from answering simple queries to placing Amazon orders on your behalf or even notifying you when packages are delivered to your home (and are captured on a Ring camera), then any of these nine Echo devices will be worthy additions to your home.

Also note that you'll need a subscription to Alexa+. It's free if you're already a Prime member, otherwise it costs AU$29.99p/m. Considering an Amazon Prime membership is just AU$9.99p/m, you'd be saving money.

• Ukrainian drone destroys Russian flag moments after dramatic aerial deployment attempt
• Competing battlefield videos continue fueling disputed territorial claims across eastern Ukraine
• Analysts continue examining disputed battlefield footage for signs of digital manipulation

Ukrainian forces released footage showing a Russian flag destroyed roughly 30 seconds after a drone placed it on a damaged building in the Sumy region.

According to Ukraine's 105th Territorial Defense Brigade, Russian operators dropped the flag from a drone before Ukrainian personnel responded with an FPV drone strike.

The video shows a Russian drone placing a flag associated with Russia's Airborne Forces onto the roof of a damaged residential building in Velyka Pysarivka.

Drone operation quickly ends symbolic battlefield display

Footage later captures a Ukrainian FPV drone approaching the location before striking the flag shortly after it landed, ending the display within approximately 30 seconds.

The 105th Territorial Defense Brigade said drone operators located the position before Russian forces could use the footage to reinforce claims of battlefield progress.

"Enemy rags do not remain on Ukrainian soil for long," the 105th Territorial Defense Brigade said about the operation.

Velyka Pysarivka lies close to the Ukrainian border with Russia and has experienced repeated attacks while remaining an active area of military operations.

Fighting around the settlement continues as Russian forces conduct cross-border activities while attempting to expand operations across parts of the Sumy region.

The released footage focuses on the sequence involving the flag placement and the subsequent strike instead of showing any broader military engagement nearby.

Symbolic footage continues shaping competing battlefield narratives

Throughout the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both sides have repeatedly made competing claims about capturing territory, often supported by battlefield footage.

The latest video follows another disputed incident involving territorial gains that was circulated through Russian military communication channels.

Russian sources previously circulated a video claiming forces had captured Bilyi Kolodyaz in Ukraine's Kharkiv region after raising a Russian flag inside the settlement.

Analysts later questioned that recording after identifying what they described as signs suggesting digital manipulation within several parts of the footage.

Among those observations were an unusually oversized soldier together with a flag that reportedly disappeared from the frame during the recording sequence.

Neither side's battlefield footage can always be independently verified immediately because active combat conditions often limit direct access to the reported locations.

Military analysts therefore continue examining released videos alongside satellite imagery, geolocation evidence, and additional sources before confirming claims involving territorial advances or battlefield events.

The flag incident in Velyka Pysarivka adds another example showing how symbolic actions increasingly accompany frontline operations.

As of now, independent verification of the footage remains unavailable, making its authenticity difficult to establish.

Via United24media

Air fryers aren't just for small cooking tasks or one-to-two person households. There's a new wave of air fryers that come kitted out with two drawers, enabling you to cook two components of a meal at once. They offer more space than your standard, one-drawer offering, and provide an easy way to keep different foods separate, but they also go further than than that.

You can pick a different temperature for each drawer, and most will have a sync function that means the appliance will automatically figure out your timings and sync up cooking so both drawers of food are finished at once. If you have a small kitchen, there are a number of models that have the two drawers stacked one on top of the other, to provide a generous cooking capacity without eating up all your counter space. It's enough to make you want to retire your proper oven for good.

We have a general guide to the best air fryers, but in this roundup I've narrowed things down to just my favorite two-drawer options. The main name to look out for is Ninja — this brand makes a wide variety of dual-zone options of different sizes and with different functions. I've included a number of options below, but I've also featured alternatives from rival brands, including some budget-friendly options.

Double trouble

Apple and OpenAI are currently engaged in a legal battle. Apple alleges that OpenAI stole trade secrets and poached employees.

But the two companies have always had a complicated relationship. They partnered in 2024 to bring ChatGPT to Apple devices, but Apple chose Google's Gemini rather than OpenAI for Siri. Then OpenAI acquired io, the hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, and promised a future hardware device, powered by AI.

All of this has prompted speculation about what Apple is worried about if OpenAI makes hardware, too. We can't know the company's motivations and the specifics of the case are still unfolding. But it got me thinking, what if your phone stopped being a collection of apps and instead revolved around AI?

If AI became the main interface, which apps would disappear and which would survive? And would a phone controlled through ChatGPT actually be practical?

So I decided to find out based on the current tech we have. For a day, whenever I reached for an app, I'd try ChatGPT first instead. If it could do the job, great it passed the test. If it couldn't, it would fail.

There were some obvious things I missed out from the start. ChatGPT isn't connected to my email, it can't open WhatsApp for me and it doesn't have access to my wallet, so those wouldn’t be part of the test. But there were plenty of everyday tasks that felt like fair game.

1. Stopwatch

I use the stopwatch in my iPhone's Clock app constantly throughout the day. When I'm working, cooking or exercising, it's one of the simplest ways I've found to keep me on track as a freelancer. When you can set your own schedule, it's way too easy to disappear down a research rabbit hole and lose an hour.

I asked ChatGPT to start a stopwatch. It said it couldn't measure elapsed time, although it could estimate the time based on message timestamps if I later asked it to stop. Instead, it suggested I use my phone's built-in Clock app.

Result: fail

2. Alarm

Strangely, I don't use alarms as much as stopwatches. But if I only have 25 minutes to spare, whether that’s for cleaning or working on a personal writing project, I'll sometimes set one to keep myself focused.

Would ChatGPT do any better here? Well, at first it looked promising. It created a scheduled task to notify me after 10 minutes. I checked that notifications were enabled, put my phone down and carried on working.

When I realized at least 15 minutes had passed, I checked the chat. Sure enough, ChatGPT had posted a message saying the time was up, but it hadn't actually alerted me. Later, I discovered it had also sent an email but it had landed in my spam folder. This one was a fail too in my book.

Result: fail

3. Word games

I love the word games in the New York Times app, home to addictive puzzles like Wordle and Connections. One of my current favorites is Spelling Bee. You're given a handful of letters and then have to make as many words as possible. It's one of my favorite ways to warm up my brain before I start writing.

Could ChatGPT recreate it? Surprisingly, yes. It generated a set of letters, understood the rules and kept track of the words I found. In terms of pure functionality, it worked.

But what it couldn't recreate was the experience. The New York Times app is beautifully simple, with an interface designed around the game. Playing through a chat window felt really clunky and annoying by comparison. The whole point of this game is I'm focusing on the letters and words, I don't want a constant back and forth with ChatGPT about the words.

So I'm calling this a partial success. Yes, ChatGPT replaced the mechanics of the game, but not the experience. And after a few rounds, I knew which version I'd rather use every day.

Result: partial pass

4. Star gazing

The Sky Guide app is one of my all-time favorites, especially its augmented reality mode. Turn on your phone's location and compass, point it at the night sky and it instantly tells you what you're looking at, whether that's constellations, planets, bits of debris, or the ISS. It's incredible.

Could ChatGPT replace it? Well, sort of. If you upload a photo of the night sky, ChatGPT can usually identify the constellations. But there are caveats. The image needs to be clear, the stars need to be visible and you're relying on a single snapshot. Whereas Sky Guide works continuously as you move your phone around the sky.

This was another reminder that knowledge doesn't necessarily bring you a good experience. Because yes, ChatGPT knows about constellations. But Sky Guide lets you explore them. You can point your phone in any direction, tap on a star or planet and instantly get more information about it without having to keep asking questions. It's a much more intuitive way to learn.

Result: partial pass

5. Weather

Telling me what to expect from the weather forecast for the day turned out to be one of ChatGPT's strongest categories.

The forecast was accurate and pulled from a reliable source, so I trusted the information it gave me. I did find myself asking follow-up questions for things like the hourly forecast and the chance of rain, which would have taken a single tap in a dedicated weather app.

It knew the answers and I trusted them, but getting to them was much slower. That's why I'm generously calling this one a pass.

Result: pass

6. Guided meditation

I have a few favorite apps I use for guided meditations and have some saved in Spotify too. So I wondered whether ChatGPT could take over that role.

For this test, I switched on voice mode and asked it to guide me through a short meditation. Now, technically it did that. But in practice it wasn't even remotely relaxing.

Thanks to a recent update, the voice had odd intonation, frequent vocal fry and distracting little "ums", "ahs" and "let me sees" throughout that constantly pulled me out of the experience. At one point it even told me to breathe in, then never got around to telling me to breathe out.

By the logic of how I graded the other tests, this one should have been a partial pass. It did what I asked, right? But because I had to stop using it out of irritation and came away from the mediation feeling actively more stressed, it's going down as a fail for me.

Result: fail

7. Calculator

ChatGPT doesn't have a great track record of counting things, so I was wary about using it as a calculator. I asked it to do some massive sums for me and it got all of them right.

It did pause a few times with a "let me think" message, so I wasn't getting the instant response I'd expect from a calculator. But the delay was only a few seconds, and the answers were correct.

Once again, I found myself missing the simplicity of an app. Typing numbers into a calculator is faster than turning them into a conversation. But ChatGPT did work as a capable stand-in.

Result: pass

8. Movie recommendations

I love Letterboxd. I log every film I watch, browse other people's lists and regularly discover new films through recommendations.

Now, there was never a chance ChatGPT could replace the logging side of the app. It can't update my Letterboxd diary or plug me into that community. But recommendations are one of the main reasons I use it, so I wondered how well ChatGPT would do.

I asked it to recommend films similar to some of my favorites, then spent the next few evenings watching its suggestions to really test them. And, to my surprise, it did an excellent job.

Then again, that perhaps isn't all that surprising. We know LLMs are trained on huge amounts of publicly available text, especially discussions reviews and recommendations from where film fans gather online, like Reddit. But whatever the reason, the recommendations felt well matched to my taste.

What I missed wasn't the recommendations themselves, but the social side of Letterboxd. I do enjoy seeing what friends had watched, reading reviews and stumbling across unexpected lists. So, for me, ChatGPT can't replace Letterboxd, but for simply finding something to watch, it did well.

Result: pass

9. Maps

I rely on my Maps app both for planning journeys in advance and for live navigation. So I asked ChatGPT the best way to get from my home to the airport the following day.

At first, it handled the request well. It laid out the different travel options clearly under headings and the advice looked really sensible. It even cited sources from places like Rome2Rio and The Trainline.

Then things got unnecessarily complicated. At the end of those suggestions it asked what time my flight was so it could tailor the recommendations. But when I told it, it started creating a scheduled task instead. I didn't want a reminder, so I had to cancel that, explain what I actually meant and steer the conversation back to route planning.

Eventually, it gave me the information I wanted. But the Maps app would have got me there in a fraction of the time, without all the back and forth.

It also can't replace what I actually use Maps for the most, which is live, turn-by-turn navigation.

Result: partial pass

10. Food delivery

ChatGPT obviously can't deliver food, but I wondered whether it could replace the part of the app I probably spend the longest on, which is deciding what to eat.

It got off to a surprisingly good start. It asked about my preferences, budget and location, then narrowed down the options and even presented them neatly on a map.

The recommendations themselves looked really good. They're all local places I already really liked to eat at. But there was just one problem. Every restaurant it suggested was closed. Even the map it generated had "closed" written beneath each one.

After a bit of back and forth, it said they weren't shut, eventually acknowledged that they were and suggested a different set of places instead.

Unfortunately, those weren't much use either. They were small independent cafés and restaurants that don't appear on food delivery apps. I wouldn't expect ChatGPT to know exactly which businesses partner with which delivery services, but it did highlight the gap between recommending somewhere to eat and actually helping me make a decision about where I could order from.

Result: fail

11. Language learning

I still very reluctantly use Duolingo and have recently started trialling a few other language learning apps to polish my Spanish.

I asked ChatGPT to help me improve my Spanish for an upcoming trip and it suggested role-play ordering food in a café so I could practise.

We switched to voice mode and at first it felt genuinely fun. It held a natural back-and-forth conversation and felt much closer to speaking to a real person than working through a series of multiple-choice questions like in Duolingo.

But it was also noticeably glitchier than a dedicated language app thanks to that recent voice update. There were odd pauses in the conversation, and at one point it repeatedly kept marking one of my answers as incorrect when it wasn't. Shortly afterwards, the exercise just stopped working altogether after a bizarre "ummmmm" from ChatGPT.

When it was working, I actually enjoyed the experience more than using an app like Duolingo. But if I'm trying to learn a language properly, I also want something that's reliable.

Result: partial pass

12. Plant identification

I love identifying things I see in nature, like bird song with the Merlin app. But I most often rely on plant identifying apps when I'm walking to take a quick snap of a leaf or flower then find out more about it.

ChatGPT was really effective at doing this. I took pictures of leaves, trees, flowers and bushes. I was a little wary about the results at first because I know that ChatGPT tends to make guesses about things rather than admitting it doesn't know. But I did fact check all of the results and everything seemed accurate.

Again, I missed some of the simple, additional features in dedicated apps. But it was surprisingly effective.

Result: pass

Can AI really replace your apps?

Before drawing too many conclusions, it's worth pointing out that a true AI-native phone wouldn't just be ChatGPT running as another app like it was in this experiment. It would probably be integrated into the operating system. Which would mean it could access things like your calendars, timers, navigation and settings. So many of the tasks ChatGPT failed at here might become a whole lot easier with an AI-first phone.

This experiment was based on whether AI could replace the apps on my phone. What I found was that it replaces a specific kind of app. Well, sort of.

If an app's main job is providing information, explaining something or answering questions, AI is already a fairly capable alternative. Plant identification, travel advice, calculations and general knowledge all felt natural.

But if an app exists to perform an action quickly, like starting a timer, setting an alarm, finding restaurants for getting food delivered, opening a map, AI still has a long way to go. Those tasks depend on deeper integration with the device and a different way of working, not just how smart it is.

There are some big trade-offs, too. Dedicated apps often rely on specialist databases and expertise, while AI can still present incorrect answers confidently or fail to make its uncertainty clear. For example, when I was trying to identify a plant I felt wary because I'd generally trust an app built with the input of botanists over a chatbot.

And, as you could probably tell from my mounting frustration, a huge sticking point for me was also realizing how much I missed the interface of many apps.

For me, a well-designed app is always a better way to explore information than a conversation. I don't think everything should, or even can, be done through chat, despite that being the direction many AI companies seem to be heading. In fact, it showed me that a conversational interface can be more work rather than less.

It's impossible to know exactly what Apple and OpenAI's long-term plans are. But I can imagine a future where knowledge apps increasingly merge into AI, while utility apps remain part of the operating system itself.

If that happens, we may stop thinking about which app to open and simply ask AI instead. But for that future to actually catch one, I'd want stronger guarantees around accuracy, better integration with trusted sources and the option to step outside the chat interface more often.

• China's State Council published a revised integrated-circuit layout-design regulation, deleting the words "semiconductor integrated circuit" from its definitions article, essentially rewriting what it considers an integrated circuit
• The regulation does retain mentions of "semiconductor material substrate", but chooses to expand on its definition in a separate clause
• It also expressly extends protection to photonic and quantum chip design layouts from October 2026

China's State Council has published the revised Regulations on the Protection of Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits, the first systematic rewrite of a text that had sat untouched since April 2001.

The revision was adopted at the State Council's 91st executive meeting on July 10, 2026, promulgated as Decree No. 842 on July 23, and takes effect on October 15, 2026.

The change drawing the attention is also the smallest in the document which saw "semiconductor integrated circuit" struck from the front of the definitions article, so that Chinese law now effectively protects the layout of an integrated circuit rather than the layout of a semiconductor one.

A more liberal approach to chip design IP from China?

Beijing's aim is to bring photonic and quantum chips within the same protection regime that semiconductor designs already enjoy, but the change is being read as a claim to future leadership in chip design.

The National Intellectual Property Administration published two expert interpretations alongside the regulation.

The one generating the most buzz is by Guo He of the Intellectual Property Academy at Renmin University of China. Guo notes that photonic integrated devices and quantum chip technology are advancing quickly and that optoelectronic chips are already in wide use in some fields, then concedes that the deletion looks inconsequential on its face, since monolithic integrated circuits everywhere still need semiconductor material as a substrate.

His case for its significance is about posture rather than capability: the point of formally striking the phrase, he argues, is to show that the Chinese are "no longer conservatives in the intellectual property system."

The claim is about legislative attitude rather than actual leadership, but it lands at a moment when the US and China are still wrestling over AI, with chip design a crucial factor: whoever has the fastest silicon to train their models holds a significant edge.

The US chip embargo, which has since softened, has produced an unintended beneficiary in Huawei, whose chairman thanked the US government for sanctions he credits with building China's domestic semiconductor chain.

The regulation indicates that China is seeking to secure its IP both at home and abroad as the state continues to invest heavily across that chain. Layout protection is a serious subject, and The Register's analysis notes why: a die layout is expensive and slow to produce, and copying one is a shortcut.

Strengthening that protection is the revision's main purpose. The provisions doing the work, however, have nothing to do with definitions. They cover damages, tighten the requirements governing how designs are submitted, and allow third parties to request revocation of a registration, a power previously held only by the administration, with outside parties limited to submitting suggestions. A revoked right is now deemed never to have existed.

Alibaba, Huawei, Cambricon and Loongson have all shipped parts that credibly compete with American designs, and protecting them from copyists is a rational move for Beijing.

China's real ambition, however, may lie elsewhere, as the Jamestown Foundation's April 2026 assessment sets out: Chinese labs sit at or near the frontier on several photonic research benchmarks, while the United States and Taiwan still hold the segments of the supply chain that turn demonstrations into shippable products.

By revamping its regulations, China hopes to keep its photonics research and, in future, its quantum research, visible yet protected.

If photonic and quantum layouts do become commercially significant, the material-specific language embedded in American and European national instruments creates a gap someone eventually has to close. Beijing has moved first, at least on paper, even if it lacks the tools to build the chips just yet.

Who else has been left reeling after that shocking cliffhanger in the My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 ending? Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) feel more off the cards than ever, with the drag racing accident putting a fatal spanner in the works.

On top of that, Alex (Ashby Gentry) has finally admitted that he has feelings for Kiley (Mya Lowe), but her boyfriend Dylan (Kolton Stewart) has driven a manipulative wedge between them. Still, at least George (Marc Blucas) is very much alive and healthy.

Netflix has some huge questions to answer in My Life With the Walter Boys season 4 — but what do we actually know about what's coming?

Luckily, the core cast and release window have already been teased (and I've got good theories about the rest).

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 release window

Netflix has already confirmed that My Life with the Walter Boys is slated for a 2027 release.

While we don't have an exact date confirmed, the last two seasons have aired in August... and I've got a feeling that the streamer will stick with its tried-and-tested formula.

Filming has been taking place in Calgary since May 2026, which is another key indicator that progress is on track for an August 2027 release.

“I know I speak for the writers, the cast, and the crew when I say that it is beyond exciting to be returning to the world of Silver Falls for a fourth season,” showrunner and executive producer Melanie Halsall said in a press statement. “We are all incredibly grateful and are thrilled to dive in."

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 trailer: is there one?

Don't be silly. It took us until the middle of July 2026 to get one for season 3, so expect the first full trailer to arrive around four weeks before the fourth season does.

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 cast

We're expecting the following main cast members to return for My Life with the Walter Boys season 4:

• Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie
• Noah LaLonde as Cole
• Ashby Gentry as Alex
• Sarah Rafferty as Katherine
• Marc Blucas as George
• Connor Stanhope as Danny
• Jaylan Evans as Skylar
• Corey Fogelmanis as Nathan
• Johnny Link as Will
• Isaac Arellanes as Isaac
• Myles Perez as Lee
• Alisha Newton as Erin
• Mya Lowe as Kiley
• Ellie O’Brien as Grace
• Kolton Stewart as Dylan
• Natalie Sharp as Blake
• Alex Quijano as Richard
• Ashley Tavares as Tara
• Dean Petriw as Jordan
• Alix West Lefler as Parker
• Lennix James as Benny
• Gabrielle Jacinto as Olivia
• Chad Rook as Mac
• Naveen Paddock as Eliot
• Erin Karpluk as Hannah

There are question marks around Fogelmanis and Link's return, as both Will and Nathan were set to leave the family home at the end of season 3.

We can also expect new faces to join the cast, so watch this space.

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 plot predictions

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

“Our story’s about love and romance and love triangles and all those teenage trials and tribulations around those things, and we’re not going to divert from those — so much, much more of that to come in Season 4," Halsall told Netflix.

But what does this actually mean?

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

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

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

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

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Two-minute review

The Sony Inzone M10S was one of the best gaming monitors of 2024, offering uncompromising performance and a suite of practical tournament-ready features that made it the perfect choice for both professional and aspiring esports players.

Now Sony is back with the Inzone M10S 2, a successor that delivers a number of small but nevertheless impactful upgrades while maintaining everything that made the original so good. It’s the same 2560 x 1440 resolution, but feels even snappier thanks to an increased 540Hz refresh rate and a lower 0.02ms response time. There’s even a dual mode, letting you bump the resolution down to 720p for a staggering 720Hz picture — invaluable for Counter-Strike 2 or Rocket League.

If that wasn’t enough, it’s now even brighter, coming in at up to 1,500 nits rather than 1,300, with the same rich colors and impressive contrast. There’s a new anti-glare coating on this model as well, which does a fantastic job of keeping glare at bay. You barely see any kind of reflections, even in a brightly lit room with ring lights and lamps pointed directly at the screen, preventing possible distractions in a tournament setting.

I did note that the matte texture makes it prone to smudging and quite hard to clean, though, which might be a little frustrating if you accidentally touch the panel while setting up.

Like its predecessor, the Inzone M10S 2 is packed with handy esports features like a dedicated 24.5-inch display mode, the ability to set up on-screen timers and crosshairs, or an option to display a frame rate counter to check your performance.

They’re all accessible via the monitor’s options menu, or the easy-to-use Inzone Hub software. The software even lets you import and export your setup, meaning you can take your at-home profile to a competition and access the exact same settings every time.

As this is a Sony product, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that it also has a dedicated PlayStation 5 mode, which is activated automatically when the system is plugged in and optimizes the picture for console play.

It’s all brought together by a market-leading stand. The base included with the original Sony Inzone M10S is one of the best I’ve ever used, with a low-profile disc-shaped base that fits underneath your keyboard, plenty of vertical adjustment, and a full 360 degrees of rotation. The version that comes with the Inzone M10S is even better, benefiting from an additional few degrees of tilt to ensure a comfortable viewing experience no matter how you’re seated.

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Price and availability

• Costs $1,099.99 / £1,199 / roughly AU$2,300
• Same price that the original M10S launched at
• The older model is now cheaper, though

The Sony Inzone M10S 2 is far from cheap, but it’s not really competing with most other gaming monitors. You can easily find capable 4K screens for far less than this price, such as the Gigabyte M32UC, which is going to be a better fit for those seeking to play cinematic games like Horizon Forbidden West or The Last of Us Part 1 on PC or console.

The Inzone M10S 2 is instead positioned as an alternative to models offered by dedicated esports brands such as BenQ Zowie. The Zowie XL2586X+ is a good point of comparison, as it’s very similarly priced at roughly $1,000 / £1,150 / AU$1,799. That model features a 600Hz 1080p TN panel designed for the best possible motion clarity. While technically faster, you lose out on the higher-resolution picture, more vibrant OLED colors, and stylish design of the M10S 2.

If you’re looking at the Inzone M10S 2, then the original Sony Inzone M10S, which is still sold alongside this newer model, is also a viable alternative. The M10S is now easy to find around $900 / £990 / roughly AU$1,600, so it comes in a decent chunk cheaper — though you do lose the spec upgrades.

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Specs

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Design and features

• Sleek and attractive
• Brilliant included stand
• Wealth of ports

The design of the Sony Inzone M10S 2 hasn’t changed that much from the original M10S — but that’s certainly not a bad thing. This is a sleek and attractive-looking monitor that comes bundled with a fantastic stand. Its base is a low-profile, 4 mm thin metal disk that fits comfortably underneath a keyboard and connects to a robust stand that keeps the monitor impressively stable.

You get the same full 360-degree rotation too, so you can freely show your screen to teammates in a match. The large power button and the thumbstick used to edit settings are still as intuitive and easy to use as before, and it retains smart design features like a power indicator LED that’s set off to the side so that it doesn’t shine in your eyes as you play.

The ports are identical to the original M10S as well: DisplayPort, two HDMI 2.1 ports, an upstream USB Type-C alongside two downstream USB Type-A ports for peripherals, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a single USB Type-A port reserved for software updates (accomplished with a USB stick). Its major software features are also unchanged, so you still get support for Nvidia G-Sync, HDR, and a suite of visual modes including an FPS Pro+ mode developed in collaboration with esports team Fnatic.

This isn’t the best looking aesthetically, but it makes it far easier to see key visual cues like the red dots that indicate rival players in a match of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 or even obscured enemies in Valorant.

In terms of what’s actually new, it’s a subtle distinction but the M10S 2 benefits from a wider -5 to 35 degree tilt range (its predecessor tilted at -5 to 25 degrees), which allows for even more flexibility in your seating position (the monitor also supports a 100 x 100 mm VESA mount, if you would prefer to use a third-party arm).

The Inzone M10S 2 is also coated with a new ‘Super Anti-glare Film’. It’s incredibly effective, and means you can play unimpeded with a literal torch pointed at the display. The matte texture does make it very prone to picking up smudges, though.

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Performance

• 540Hz refresh rate is incredibly smooth
• Beautiful, vibrant colors and strong brightness
• Perfect for competitive games

The Sony Inzone M10S 2 looks pretty dim and unimpressive out of the box. The culprit? The power-saving mode is on by default. Once you turn that off and crank the brightness up to about 80%, the vibrant OLED colors are absolutely lush and look gorgeous. The sRGB profile is a good choice if you want color accuracy, and is usually my preference when using monitors, but I found the slightly poppier appearance of the standard preset very appealing.

The enhanced brightness of this model is immediately noticeable compared to the original M10s and, along with the effective anti-glare coating, ensures that the picture remains visible in even harsh lighting conditions like direct sunlight or with the display positioned next to a desk lamp.

In games, the performance is simply perfect. The 540Hz refresh rate is beautifully smooth, and motion is impressively clear. It elevates titles like Counter-Strike 2, where the enhanced smoothness genuinely helps with target tracking. The 0.02ms GtG response time certainly helps everything feel snappy, and sits among the fastest on the market.

Although my Nvidia RTX 4080 Ti-powered rig didn’t break a sweat achieving a stable 540fps frame rate at 1440p, you can comfortably lower the resolution to 1080p and maintain a decent level of picture quality — especially in the dedicated 23.5-inch display mode. Things feel even better if you take advantage of the dual-mode feature and crank it up even further to 720Hz at 720p, though this does come at a noticeable cost to picture quality.

Competitive first-person shooter titles are what this monitor was made for, but that doesn’t mean that it delivers poor performance in other genres. The grim world of Warhammer: 40,000 Space Marine 2 looked absolutely gorgeous with expressive colors and strong contrast, while Forza Horizon 6 benefitted hugely from the smoothness of VRR.

Even if I wouldn’t recommend buying the Inzone M10S 2 exclusively to play those kinds of games when cheaper 4K options are available, it’s good to know that you will still be able to enjoy a wide range of titles if you’re an aspiring esports player who picks one up for both practice sessions and home use.

Should you buy the Sony Inzone M10S 2?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Here’s how the Sony Inzone M10S 2 stacks up against the original model, plus a 4K alternative for those that want something for more general use.

How I tested the Sony Inzone M10S 2

• Tested for over two weeks
• Used as primary display
• Evaluated with a wide range of games

I tested the Sony Inzone M10S for more than two weeks, using it as my primary monitor for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Throughout my time with it, I tested a wide range of titles, ranging from esports favorites Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, Fortnite, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege to popular shooters such as Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

I also tried a selection of more traditional games, such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Stellar Blade, to elevate its more general performance. During my time with the monitor, I endeavored to test each of its available features using both the built-in settings options and the compatible Inzone Hub software.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2026

• Recycled Mars rover hardware may still cost NASA more than expected
• PROMISE faces mounting questions over unexpectedly high development and integration costs
• Existing rover hardware cannot eliminate costly engineering and certification requirements

NASA's long-term lunar exploration program includes robotic missions requiring specialized vehicles capable of carrying scientific instruments across the Moon.

One proposed mission involves sending the Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration (PROMISE), a robotic Moon rover, to conduct scientific investigations on the lunar surface.

According to NASA, the proposal to build the rover from recycled Mars rover engineering hardware could become too expensive after estimates reached between $723 million and $1.33 billion.

Reusing existing rover hardware does not eliminate major mission costs

Instead of building the Moon rover from scratch, NASA plans to combine engineering models from the Curiosity and Perseverance rover programs.

Although the concept relies on existing hardware, NASA says the expected costs remain far beyond what the agency considers acceptable for such a mission.

The cost estimates were prepared by Casey Dreier, the Planetary Society's chief of space policy, after reviewing NASA's proposal for the planned lunar rover.

According to Dreier, the estimated total includes launch and landing costs ranging from $234 million to $320 million together with engineering expenses.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman did not challenge every figure within the estimate, but argued that launch and landing expenses would exist for any lunar mission.

Isaacman believes that it “would be crazy not to take advantage of hardware taxpayers have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars in."

But, "If PROMISE costs even 20 percent of your low-end estimate, we simply will not fly it," he concluded.

The proposal combines MAGGIE and OPTIMISM, engineering models developed to support testing for the Curiosity and Perseverance rover programs before their Mars missions.

Those vehicles were built to help engineers test hardware performance, software functions, and driving activities under controlled conditions before operational spacecraft left Earth.

NASA originally considered the concept because using hardware that already exists appeared capable of reducing development costs.

Recycled rover concept still requires major engineering work

Engineers would still need to certify the hardware for launch because equipment designed for ground testing cannot automatically survive spaceflight and lunar operations.

Additional work would also involve adapting communications equipment and integrating NASA's available plutonium radioisotope power system into the redesigned lunar vehicle.

The engineering models currently support existing activities, meaning removing them from those roles could affect testing work linked to other programs.

Dreier summarized the financial challenge by saying, "Regardless of whether one agrees with every estimate… one thing is clear: PROMISE is far from a 'freebie.'"

The engineering models currently support existing activities, meaning removing them from those roles could affect testing work linked to other programs.

NASA has not released its own detailed cost estimate for the proposed rover; therefore, the project's overall financial viability remains under wraps.

That said, its future will likely depend on whether engineers can reduce costs while overcoming technical challenges involved in converting Earth-based test hardware.

Via The Register

• Camera-only systems can only “approximately match” a human driver

• Multi-sensing setup offers more than just a failsafe
• Waymo co-CEO backs the use of Lidar and radar over camera-only systems

Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov has spoken out about the technology required to run a fully autonomous robotaxi service, addressing the subject of camera-only systems.

While he didn’t mention Tesla directly in his in-depth talk at Y Combinator’s Startup School, the presentation directly addressed vision-only camera setups, like those Elon Musk and Tesla have been pursuing.

“Humans, of course, can drive with just eyes, so there’s that proof of existence,” he said, according to Electrek.

“If the goal were to just approximately match human performance or to build an assist product, that’s a very reasonable way to go.”

But “weak sensing” inevitably leads to a safety curve that flattens out “way too early,” he added, highlighting the many cases where a camera system can come unstuck.

Low light or poor visibility, dust storms and objects physically blocking the lens can bring a camera-based system to a grinding halt in seconds.

Dolgov then gave an example of how Waymo’s combination of Lidar, radar and high-definition cameras allowed one stricken vehicle to safely navigate itself back to a depot when a tree branch became caught in its wipers and obscured the camera lens.

While Dolgov doesn’t completely dismiss camera-based systems, stating that they can easily support a driver with highly autonomous assistance systems, he admits they will struggle to replace a human entirely.

The issue is that fully autonomous robotaxis need to be as close to perfect as it’s possible to be.

A mounting record of accidents will likely put off customers for life and kill the technology before it has time to gain a foothold.

Many take the multi-modal path

Having ridden in numerous autonomous vehicles over the years and listened to those that have built them, I am fully in Dmitri Dolgov's camp.

While a camera-based system might help keep costs down, fitting autonomous vehicles with Lidar, radar, and other sensors feels like a natural and reasonable step to make them as safe as possible.

A visit to Motional’s HQ in Las Vegas earlier this year illustrated the need for multiple sensing technologies when you completely remove the driver from the picture.

Its robotaxis, which are now bespoke versions of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (complete with radar and Lidar), have driven over two million autonomous miles with zero at-fault incidents.

Like Waymo, it too believes a multimodal approach that fuses various technologies is the safest way forward.

Laura Major, the company’s CEO, said at the time that rival startups were able to get to a “90% performance” very quickly, often relying solely on high-definition cameras.

“These offer really smooth rides in most situations,” Major remarked. “The problem is when you’re going to remove a driver and have true driverless operation, that’s not enough. You can’t perform well in 90% of the cases,” she added.

Admittedly, I haven't ridden in one of Tesla's driverless Robotaxis, but the numbers don't lie.

According to Electrek, Tesla's own data confirms a crash rate three times worse than humans even with a monitor at the wheel, while Waymo's numbers suggest it is 17 times safer after covering some 220 million rider-only miles.

Tesla has accumulated just 380,000 driverless miles over the past year since launching its robotaxi service.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #887) - hint #1 - today's theme

NYT Strands today (game #887) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• LILAC
• CHIA
• THUG
• HICK
• TAIL
• WHIG

NYT Strands today (game #887) - hint #3 - spangram letters

NYT Strands today (game #887) - hint #4 - spangram position

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #887) - the answers

The answers to today's Strands, game #887, are…

• GIZMO
• THINGAMAJIGGY
• DINGUS
• DOOHICKEY
• SPANGRAM: WHATCHAMACALLIT

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 hint

When you have a 13-letter word and it is not even the spangram then you know you have just played a difficult game.

Even though this only involved four game words, plus the (incredibly long) spangram, finding the words was indeed quite the struggle — even with the head start of a hint word.

Adding to the difficulty were slight regional variations, as I grew up calling things a “thingamebob” rather than THINGAMAJIGGY and had never heard of DOOHICKEY until I somehow put the letters together to form something approaching a word.

If you completed this without a hint then kudos.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, August 6, game #886)

• CHERRY
• REDBUD
• DOGWOOD
• HAWTHORN
• MAGNOLIA
• SPANGRAM: FLOWERINGTREE

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1153) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• JACKPOT
• MOTOR
• SNOW
• JAR
• WICK
• SUNDAE
• RAMBO
• BUTTONS
• TOMATILLO
• SHAFT
• WAX
• BUCKYBALL
• LIQUID NITROGEN
• FRAGRANCE
• CABLES
• REFRIGERATOR

NYT Connections today (game #1153) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Parts of thing you light
• GREEN: Frozen
• BLUE: Elements of a lift (in the UK)
• PURPLE: Begin with a masculine beast

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1153) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE
• GREEN: COLD THINGS
• BLUE: PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1153) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1153, are…

• YELLOW: COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE: FRAGRANCE, JAR, WAX, WICK
• GREEN: COLD THINGS: LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, SNOW, SUNDAE
• BLUE: PARTS OF AN ELEVATOR: BUTTONS, CABLES, MOTOR, SHAFT
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH MALE ANIMALS: BUCKYBALL, JACKPOT, RAMBO, TOMATILLO

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 2 mistakes

“Solid” was Connections’ assessment of my performance today, which is very generous considering I messed up both COMPONENTS OF A CANDLE and COLD THINGS.

For COLD THINGS I thought it was specifically about keeping things cold, but after feeling confident about LIQUID NITROGEN, REFRIGERATOR, and SNOW, I panicked and selected JAR.

Next, I was certain we were looking for something to do with candles but instead of JAR I picked SHAFT, reasoning that it described the shape of a traditional candle.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Thursday, August 6, 2026, game #1152)

• YELLOW: CLASSIC WOODEN TOYS: ALPHABET BLOCKS, CUP-AND-BALL, JACOB'S LADDER, LINCOLN LOGS
• GREEN: PLACES WITH LANES: BOWLING ALLEY, FREEWAY, SUPERMARKET, SWIMMING POOL
• BLUE: ICONIC ROMAN LANDMARKS: COLOSSEUM, PANTHEON, SPANISH STEPS, TREVI FOUNTAIN
• PURPLE: PLACES WITH NETS: BARCLAYS CENTER, FISHING BOAT, HOCKEY RINK, TENNIS COURT

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1656) — hint #1 — Vowels

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1656) — hint #2 — repeated letters

Quordle today (game #1656) — hint #3 — uncommon letters

Quordle today (game #1656) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1656) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1656) — the answers

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1656, are…

• AMISS
• SHIRK
• SALSA
• RABBI

I imagined four different words in my head before submitting the correct ones.

For SHIRK I first thought “shirt”, for AMISS “alias”, for SALSA “salad” and for RABBI “rabid”.

In each case my first thoughts were impossible, but the thinking helped me get to the correct choices.

Daily Sequence today (game #1656) — the answers

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1656, are…

• WEIRD
• DRANK
• ETHIC
• FOIST

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1655, Thursday, 6 August: AMUSE, BRAND, CEDAR, BLURB
• Quordle #1654, Wednesday, 5 August: MOUND, WRONG, STOOD, WEIRD
• Quordle #1653, Tuesday, 4 August: GOOEY, TARDY, HUMAN, CHALK
• Quordle #1652, Monday, 3 August: FUNGI, MUDDY, DEBUT, MANIA
• Quordle #1651, Sunday, 2 August: BOOTH, EASEL, REACH, MAKER
• Quordle #1650, Saturday, 1 August: OMEGA, BIRCH, SMOCK, EERIE
• Quordle #1649, Friday, 31 July: MANIA, SINGE, STOOL, LOFTY
• Quordle #1648, Thursday, 30 July: MODAL, IDLER, CHUMP, LUMPY
• Quordle #1647, Wednesday, 29 July: GAWKY, ALLOY, AUDIT, LATCH
• Quordle #1646, Tuesday, 28 July: SMITE, ROACH, RUDDY, GLOBE
• Quordle #1645, Monday, 27 July: TAFFY, FIGHT, GUILD, WAGER
• Quordle #1644, Sunday, 26 July: STOMP, LIMIT, FUNKY, STEAD
• Quordle #1643, Saturday, 25 July: SALON, SHEEN, BURST, GOURD
• Quordle #1642, Friday, 24 July: DOLLY, EDIFY, LAGER, PRANK
• Quordle #1641, Thursday, 23 July: LADEN, EVICT, WOVEN, SHIRE
• Quordle #1640, Wednesday, 22 July: COYLY, SINGE, AWASH, AWOKE
• Quordle #1639, Tuesday, 21 July: TRUSS, AXIAL, SWINE, THING
• Quordle #1638, Monday, 20 July: ICING, SLICK, GAILY, RISEN
• Quordle #1637, Sunday, 19 July: SPURT, ACRID, THRUM, BLEEP
• Quordle #1636, Saturday, 18 July: KNAVE, TIGHT, BLEAT, CHAOS

• Air Force confirms F-47 remains on schedule for planned 2028 first flight
• The US Air Force plans to purchase at least 185 advanced F-47 fighter aircraft
• Billions in funding continue supporting America's future air superiority fighter program

The US Air Force says development of the Boeing F-47 remains on schedule, with the first flight still expected during 2028 under the Next Generation Air Dominance program.

Designed to replace the F-22 Raptor, the sixth-generation fighter has entered engineering and manufacturing development.

Senior Air Force officials maintain that the program remains sufficiently advanced for the aircraft to take flight during the current United States administration.

Production plans move forward

The engineering and manufacturing development phase focuses on integrating aircraft systems, refining performance, and producing a limited number of test aircraft for evaluation activities.

Officials have not disclosed how many aircraft will be built during testing, although the current phase also includes options supporting low-rate initial production.

According to General Dale White, Director of Critical Major Weapon Systems, the program has benefited from "extreme teaming" with industry partners.

White also said the program entered this development stage with "unprecedented maturity."

This suggests that the engineering work had already progressed significantly before manufacturing activities expanded.

"The F-47 will fly in this administration," White said, reinforcing earlier commitments regarding the aircraft's planned launch.

The Air Force currently intends to purchase at least 185 F-47 fighters, matching the number of F-22 aircraft the new platform is expected to replace.

The program received $3.45 billion for fiscal year 2026, while the fiscal year 2027 budget request exceeds $5 billion.

Part of a wider air superiority strategy

The F-47 represents one element within the broader Next Generation Air Dominance program, which combines crewed aircraft with Collaborative Combat Aircraft supporting future air superiority operations.

Air Force officials describe the initiative as a family of systems designed to operate together across contested environments instead of relying on a single aircraft platform.

The new F-47 incorporates a modular design intended to accommodate future technologies.

It will also support longer-range strike capabilities as operational requirements continue to evolve.

President Donald Trump described the aircraft as unmatched across several performance measures compared with existing fighter platforms.

“In terms of all of the attributes of a fighter jet, there’s never been anything even close to it, from speed to maneuverability, to what it can have, to payload,” Trump said.

“And this has been in the works for a long period of time…America’s enemies will never see it coming.”

The US Air Force and the US government remain confident the program will meet its planned development milestones.

However, advanced combat aircraft programs have historically encountered technical, financial, and production challenges before successfully entering operational military service.

Via Defense News

As AI develops into the latter half of the 2020s, scientists have repeatedly warned of the dangers that may arise from its widespread deployment. In particular, there is an overriding view that advancing AI is a tool that can be used for good or for bad depending on who is wielding the tool at any given time.

Breaking out

The British computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton was giving an interview with the New York Times upon leaving his role at Google, primarily so he could speak freely and publicly about the dangers of the technology that he helped create.

In this landmark interview, the 'Godfather of AI' was clear that he couldn't continue working for Google while harboring the deep-rooted concerns that he held over the use of AI in various domains. The scientist is, for example, opposed to using AI on the battlefield in "robot soldiers", the newspaper reported.

At the time, he continued his relationship with Google because he saw the company as being a "proper steward" for AI as it was being developed. His concerns materialized when Microsoft incorporated Bing with a chatbot, forcing Google to act fast so it could incorporate AI into Google Search.

Frankenstein's monster

Hinton, who was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work developing neural networks in the 1980s, has since remarked in an interview with CBS News that he didn't think we would make such progress in the 40 years since.

He has also floated the notion that there's a non-zero chance that AI could take over, comparing AI with a cute tiger cub that could, one day, potentially kill you when it's grown up. That came alongside warnings that various organizations and individuals, like cyber criminals or authoritarian regimes, could weaponize AI for their own agendas.

• A24 dropped the full trailer for Primetime on August 6, ahead of its theatrical release on September 25
• It gives us our first look at Robert Pattinson, who plays To Catch a Predator presenter Chris Hansen
• In addition, the trailer teases roles for The Office star Creed Bratton and singer Phoebe Bridgers

Primetime just got a trailer ahead of its September 25 theater release. It packs a lot into just over 2 minutes, including an appearance from The Office icon Creed Bratton, according to TV Insider.

In Primetime, Robert Pattinson stars as Chris Hansen, the host of NBC's To Catch a Predator, which was a hugely popular reality show in the 2000s. But while Pattinson's performance is sublime, there are some other key details to get excited about.

We only see a flash of Creed Bratton's character, and it's not clear who he plays, but it's certainly exciting to see him in a big upcoming movie like this.

Elsewhere, singer Phoebe Bridgers makes her acting debut in Primetime, in another as-yet-unnamed role. Hopefully we'll get more details about both soon.

Take a look at the trailer below and prepare to be blown away.

Primetime is one of my most anticipated new movies of 2026. Directed by Lance Oppenheim, it tells the story of To Catch a Predator's origins as Chris Hansen gets a primetime television slot and makes television history by blending reality TV with vigilante justice.

To Catch a Predator centered around confronting child predators who would arrive at a sting house and typically get arrested as a result of Hansen and his team's intervention, resulting in a show that was as popular as it was controversial.

Primetime feels like a thriller rather than a straight biopic, as even in the short trailer above, there's plenty of tension ahead. I'm hoping it really deep dives into what it was like behind the scenes of this infamous reality program.

For more A24 news, check out my ranking of all the A24 horror movies available on streaming.

Chuwi UniBook: 30-second review

The Chuwi UniBook is a 14-inch Windows laptop built around Intel's newly launched Core 3 304 processor, part of the Wildcat Lake family and the first Series 3 chip to appear in a laptop at this price. It weighs a claimed 1.2 kg, comes housed in an anodised aluminium chassis, and pairs a 16:10 IPS display with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD.

Positioning this model directly against Apple's MacBook Neo, undercutting it by around $250 while offering a larger screen, the same memory and storage as the base Neo configuration, and a far wider set of ports. Early benchmarks of the Core 3 304 from other devices suggest genuinely strong single-core performance for a chip this cheap, which makes the UniBook one of the more interesting budget launches of the year on paper.

The critical caveat is that macOS runs reasonably well with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, where Windows 11 is a singularly less spectacular experience.

While you can upgrade the storage to any Gen 3 or 4 NVMe 2280 drive, the amount of RAM isn’t able to be expanded.

Price is therefore the trade-off, which means the UniBook isn’t ideal for substantial tasks, even if it's acceptable for light work. One side benefit of not being especially powerful is that the battery will last easily more than a working day, and it might even stretch to two.

From a value perspective, the Chuwi UniBook looks like an excellent deal, but the specification precludes it from being one of the best business laptops.

Chuwi UniBook: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $450
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from Chuwiretailers

Chuwi initially opened pre-orders for the UniBook at $449 US dollars, positioning it as the cheapest laptop yet built around Intel's Wildcat Lake platform. At the time of writing, using the Global Chuwi store, it's priced at $449 for US customers, £335 for the UK and €449 for Europeans.

Given that this is a fully functional laptop with RAM and storage, and new processor technology, that price seems remarkably good.

However, there is only a single SKU that offers one processor, the Intel Core 3 304, 8GB of RAM (not upgradable) and only 256GB of storage.

I’m only aware of two other laptop makers with products built around this platform. They would be HP with the OmniBook 3 AI 14" Laptop and Lenovo’s ThinkPad E16 Gen 4.

The HP is available in the UK through Currys for £799, for a model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

The version of the ThinkPad E16 Gen 4 that uses the Intel Core 3 304 costs £954.60 in the UK direct from Lenovo, but does come with 16GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 6E. At the time of writing, both these models have yet to be launched in the US.

The UK pricing we have strongly hints that Chuwi's pricing is remarkably competitive, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were raised in the coming months.

It will be interesting to see how other brands price hardware based on this platform.

For those wondering, Apple's MacBook Neo sells for £699 in the UK and $699 in the USA, for a machine with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, without a charger.

• Value: 4.5 / 5

Chuwi UniBook: Specs

Chuwi UniBook: Design

• Anodised aluminium alloy chassis
• Lightweight and thin
• Lots of ports

The chassis on the UniBook is made from anodised aluminium alloy, and Chuwi quotes a weight of approximately 1.2 kg and a thickness of 16.4 mm. Those figures put the UniBook among the lighter 14-inch Windows laptops at this price, assuming they hold up on a scale. The hinge opens to 180 degrees, and the marketing page states an 88% screen-to-body ratio thanks to narrow bezels around the 16:10 panel.

The specification lists two full-function USB-C ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports, one USB-A 2.0 port, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, a TF card slot, and a 3.5mm jack, which, on paper, is a generous selection for a budget machine. What’s odd, when I think about it, is that more expensive laptops tend to have fewer ports, forcing the owners to consider using docking stations to add those connections.

The inclusion of a LAN port is a definite advantage, especially in that awkward new Windows PC phase where Microsoft attempts to download all of human knowledge in the full knowledge that it needs almost none of it.

The USB-C and two USB-A ports are only 5Gbs, which is slightly disappointing not to have one that is 10Gbps, but there is HDMI out and a MicroSD card reader.

The keyboard is full-size and has two-level backlighting. It’s not ideal for creating dissertations, but for small input jobs it’s fine. The provided review hardware was a US layout, which I assume is the one most buyers will get.

Since I know how the UK layout maps to the US one, this wasn’t a huge problem for me, except that this keyboard annoyingly doesn’t have a PrtScn key. That made screen capture slightly more convoluted.

As trackpads go, this one is on the smaller side, measuring approximately 120 mm by 70 mm, and it uses the flexible-click methodology.

Overall, considering the low cost of this device, its construction is much better than I’d anticipated. The use of metal skins and a simple but effective style works well. What it lacks is a fingerprint sensor or a Windows Hello camera. But with so many USB ports, it could easily use a security fob if you want to add extra protection.

However, given the specifications and price, I see this device being more oriented towards education than business, and I have some thoughts on its suitability for that in the next section.

• Design: 4 / 5

Chuwi UniBook: Hardware

• Wildcat Lake Intel Core 3 304
• NPU and GPU short of Copilot Plus certification
• 8GB of RAM can’t be upgraded

Wildcat Lake is Intel's answer to a question that has irked it for years. How do you bring modern chip design to the cheapest laptops without pricing them out of the market they serve? The family was announced quietly at CES 2026 alongside the much bigger Panther Lake launch, and its job is to replace the ageing Alder Lake N and Twin Lake chips that have powered budget laptops, mini PCs and Chromebooks since 2023.

Where those older chips relied on Gracemont efficiency cores alone, Wildcat Lake borrows directly from Panther Lake's playbook. It pairs Cougar Cove performance cores with Darkmont low-power efficiency cores, adds Xe3 graphics and an NPU 5 neural engine, and builds the whole thing on Intel's 18A process.

In effect, Intel has taken its flagship architecture and squeezed a scaled-down version of it into a chip built for machines costing a few hundred dollars rather than a few thousand.

Well, that’s the promise, and on paper it sounds perfect for the budget consumer. Modern architecture at 18A should bring a genuine efficiency jump over the older Intel 7 process used by the N-series chips, and early single-core benchmarks on Wildcat Lake devices back that up, with some results landing close to flagship phone silicon. For a family aimed squarely at browsing, office work and video calls, single-core strength matters more than raw multi-core muscle ever would.

However, in the time-honoured Intel tradition of grasping potential defeat from the jaws of victory, this series has become more about what Intel chose to cut.

Wildcat Lake uses a simpler organic substrate and flip chip packaging rather than the advanced packaging found on Panther Lake, which keeps costs down but limits how far the platform can scale. Core counts are modest across the board, topping out at six, and GPU configurations are similarly trimmed.

None of that is a flaw exactly, since this was never meant to compete with premium silicon, but it does mean the ceiling was made low by design.

The Core 3 304 sits right at the bottom of that stack. It carries five cores across five threads, just one Cougar Cove performance core paired with four Darkmont low-power efficiency cores, and turbo clocks reaching 4.3GHz. That single performance core is notably light even by Wildcat Lake standards, since every other chip in the family carries two. Graphics come from a single Xe3 core rated at 9 TOPS, alongside an NPU rated at 15 TOPS.

What it lacks is just as telling. There is no second performance core to lean on for heavier multitasking, no multi-core Xe3 graphics block, and no ray tracing.

Combined NPU and GPU output falls well short of Microsoft's 40 TOPS Copilot Plus threshold. The dedicated NPU is rated at 15 TOPS Int8. Combined with the GPU's 9 TOPS, that gives a platform total of 24 TOPS. Microsoft's Copilot Plus certification requires 40 TOPS from the NPU alone, so despite Chuwi's AI Laptop branding, the UniBook does not qualify and will not run Copilot Plus-specific features.

Memory is 8GB of LPDDR5 running at 6400 MT/s, a healthy speed for this class of chip even if the capacity is modest. Is it enough for Windows 11?

The fact is that when you fire up the machine with the default installation, 6.3 GB of RAM has already been eaten before the first app is launched. Launch a browser and open 10 webpages; the system starts paging, and things get jerky from that point onwards. Where it really struggles is multitasking, since there is only a single performance core, alongside the four efficiency cores.

There may be ways to reduce Windows 11's memory usage, and you’ll need to use them all if you intend to run multiple apps and not find yourself waiting on this system. In times long gone, you would open the laptop, find the 8GB SODIMM, and replace it with a larger one, but that’s not possible with this design.

The very week I wrote this review, Microsoft threw a few of its disposable developers at members of the press to talk about changes they intend to make Windows 11 work better with less memory. Technically, the minimum memory requirement is 4GB, but Microsoft have focused apparently on improving the 8GB experience. While these updates are not yet launched, and when they will be is unclear, these are clearly driven by the catastrophic price hikes in RAM cost.

I need to point out that Windows 11 launched in 2021; therefore, for five years, Microsoft sat on its overly profit-padded backside, ignoring users who complained that their operating system wasn’t an efficient user of memory.

But a few PC makers whine that they need to reduce the RAM complement to 8GB from 16GB on some of their lines, and those in Redmond leap into action? The poor optics of these announcements won’t surprise many.

It’s also interesting to note that this machine was built to compete with Apple's MacBook Neo, and that comes with the same 8GB+256GB entry-level profile, but nobody is complaining that it doesn’t work smoothly with macOS.

This would be less of an issue for laptops in general if the makers all hadn’t chosen to make memory non-upgradable. A choice they made, not the people buying them.

The only upgrades available here are the M.2 Wi-Fi adapter and storage, and getting to them is relatively easy if you remove the 11 screws that hold the underside in place.

If anyone is reading this and has this system, just be aware that 8 of the screws are short and three are long, and getting them mixed up could have dire consequences when you reassemble the system.

There is only one M.2 2280 for storage, so you will need a USB caddy to do a drive cloning, and there isn’t room for a drive with a heatsink inside.

One major disappointment I noticed is that the pre-installed drive is only PCIe 3.0 x4, where the slot is rated for PCIe 4.0 x4. And, as the drive is only 256GB, finding a 500GB or 1TB replacement drive that’s PCIe 4.0 would be a good upgrade.

Overall, this system is cut to the bone in some critical areas, specifically RAM, making it less than ideal for those who like to load multiple apps and multitask between them.

It needed those Microsoft efficiency upgrades yesterday, or it's likely to be a contributing factor in the switch to Linux for those owning this hardware.

• Hardware: 3.5 / 5

Chuwi UniBook: Performance

It was difficult for me to find laptops I’ve reviewed that would make a suitable comparison, since most of them use much more powerful chips than the one in the UniBook.

In the end, I found that the results for the Chuwi CoreBook X 7430U are reasonably comparable, especially with respect to GPU performance. However, one massive advantage that the CoreBook X 7430U had was 16GB of RAM, even if it was DDR4. That allows it to share more with the GPU, which is why the scores for that hardware improve as the graphics challenges increase.

One unexpected casualty of the 8GB memory capacity was the CineBench24 benchmark, which failed to run due to the amount of RAM allocated to the Intel UHD Graphics (Gen 12.2) GPU.

Another disappointing result is the NVMe drive's speed. But this is exactly what happens when you use a cheap Gen 3 drive in a Gen 4 slot. The battery performance is thankfully a more positive story.

Chuwi's own promotional material quotes up to 13 hours of 1080p video playback from the 53.38Wh battery, tested at 50% brightness and volume with Wi-Fi on, Bluetooth off, and Best Efficiency Mode engaged.

However, you can use this machine with the screen much less bright, and in my testing, it lasted over 20 hours at full capacity on its 55.38Wh battery. Easily the best result of these tests.

That’s a couple of busy days at least, or one dawn-till-dusk exercise. That capacity can be replaced on the provided 65W charger in a little over 2 hours, enabling a quarter of the capacity to be recovered in just 30 minutes.

The screen performance levels that Chuwi quotes are 100% sRGB and 300-nit peak brightness. While the 300nit value is reasonably accurate, the colour gamut of the screen on the supplied UniBook sample came nowhere near 100% sRGB. It managed just 63% of sRGB, 43% of AdobeRGB and 34% of Rec2020.

Gamut is certainly a weakness, but contrast, uniformity (brightness and colour) and tone response are all decent. My conclusion was that this isn’t a bad screen, unless you are specifically looking for colour accuracy.

Those looking for a performance laptop won’t be interested in this hardware, which is nailed down by a processor with only five cores and only 8GB of RAM running on a PCIe 3.0 SSD.

When using this system, keep your expectations low, and keep the number of web pages open small.

I was almost tempted to put a PCIe 4.0 SSD drive in the review unit, and put a modern Linux distro on it to see how much better the experience might be, but time was against me.

In short, this system is cheap for a reason, and even with Intel’s new silicon, the performance is undermined on numerous other fronts.

• Performance: 3 / 5

Chuwi UniBook: Final verdict

UniBook is a genuinely interesting proposition on paper. It is the first widely available laptop built around Intel's new Wildcat Lake platform; it undercuts Apple's MacBook Neo on price while offering more ports and a bigger screen, and early third-party benchmarks of the Core 3 304 hinted at unusually strong single-core performance for the money.

However, a Windows 11 system with 8GB of RAM that can’t be upgraded and a storage drive that undersells the socket it sits in combine to undermine what could be a much more useful system than it ultimately is. The overselling of its AI capability doesn’t help either.

What is good about this system is the excellent battery life and the wide number of ports, even if the best it can offer is USB 3.2 Gen 1.

None of that rules the UniBook out. It simply means the value case pivots on the purchaser's use case, and it needs to be modest. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend this to a student, as they’ll discover its limitations on the first day of use.

Should you buy a Chuwi UniBook?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

I couldn't believe it. Had Roku really just casually inserted global viral raccoon sensation Jimothy into Roku City? I'd seen a post claiming so, but knowing how easy it is to fake things with AI, I had to see it for myself.

I powered up one of my home's half-dozen Roku streaming boxes and spent 10 minutes trying to force the platform into screen-saver mode, which then opens up Roku City. Ever since the most recent Roku platform update, I see this interface far less often than I used to.

Roku City is Roku's fictional, purple cityscape populated by thinly disguised iconic characters and objects from film, TV, and life.

After a few minutes of hunting, I figured out how to set my screen saver timeout to one minute. A moment later, the side-scrolling Roku City appeared, and in it, caught mid-waddle atop a chain-link fence, was Jimothy's unmistakable silhouette.

For those who've thrown out their phones, computers, and TVs, Jimothy is a Seattle-based raccoon with a rare disorder called "short spine syndrome." Don't worry, it doesn't appear to impact his mobility or lifestyle, but once you see Jimothy, you never forget him.

Jimothy is so popular that he's been featured as the unofficial mascot at Seattle Mariners games, launched what's widely considered "Hot Jimothy Summer," and is now immortalized in Roku City.

Jimothy made it to Roku City in a matter of hours

"You share the same problem we all share, which is when we really want to get to Roku City, like right now, we wonder, 'How do we get there?" Damon Van Deusen, Roku's Vice President, Global Brand and Creative, told me this week, but added that a solution is already in the works: Roku is adding a Roku City tile to the home screen for instant access.

Van Deusen agreed to sit down and explain how Jimothy made his way — virtually — from the alleys of a Seattle suburb to Roku's iconic services.

Jimothy's appearance, while surprising, is not out of character for the screen saver enjoyed by Roku's roughly 100 million customers.

"The Jimothy journey starts six or seven years ago when we actually started realizing that social was paying attention to the screen saver," explained Van Deusen. Back in 2021, they noticed likely pandemic-quarantined consumers posting about how they'd like to visit the city, share a kiss there, or even get married in the purple space.

"We've been putting Easter eggs in the screen saver as a way to engage some fans and social ever since," he added.

Over the years, the city's been populated by, among other things, characters from popular films (like the rock monster from Galaxy Quest and Star Trek's Enterprise). Still, there was something about Jimothy's timeliness that struck me.

Seattle resident Kiana Hall posted an Instagram video about the unusual raccoon on July 16, 2026. I spotted Jimothy in Roku City on July 31, and the post I saw about the raccoon's integration in the platform was a few days older than that.

"In the last two years, we created what's called the Rapid Response Easter Egg Team," explained Van Deusen.

This cross-functional group cuts through typical product development, and "we figured out a system where we could publish these things really fast. So now everything we do is quicker and quicker and quicker."

Tracking and choosing from the Zeitgeist

The team, which often communicates on Slack, is constantly kicking around watercooler moments like Punch the Money and Goat on Car. They choose "anything that tickles us, anything that feels really fun. I mean, again, that's the bar; it's gotta be delightful, playful, fun, lift spirits, and create conversation," Van Deusen told me, who later added that delight, or something that triggers an "unexpected smile," is "really the heart of the whole brand."

Van Deusen loved that I more or less stumbled on Jimothy's existence in the city. "An unexpected smile, if you think about it, it's like it comes out of nowhere. It's not like you're looking for it; it's just like you spotting Jimothy. It's like, 'Wait a minute, are you, wait, is that Jimothy?'"

Not every viral moment can make it in. The Rapid Response Easter Egg Team avoids bummers and negative news. However, they did do a retrospective of Moira Rose's wigs as a way to memorialize the great Catherine O'Hara, who played Moira in Schitt's Creek and died on January 30 of this year.

When the right idea comes along, the team knows it. "Then we'll be like, 'Oh my God, that's so cool,' and then we'll make it happen right away...and that's how Jimothy came about."

Looking at the Roku City Jimothy, I was struck by the silhouette's uncanny accuracy — it could be no other raccoon.

Van Deusen told me Roku has, over the last five years, built a world-class illustration team, which includes comic book illustrators and former Disney artists.

The company shared the Roku Designer, Illustrator, and Director Tim Cook's early Jimothy sketch and how he might appear in Roku City (above). Even in pencil, you can see how he captured the shape and signature gait of the lovable critter.

The making of an icon

To create Jimothy, the team focused on that "iconic sort of hunch." Van Deusen said that there was a feedback session to ensure they got the look just right.

Silhouettes also happen to be part of Roku City's DNA, giving you the clear impression of a character or viral figure without a lot of detail.

"We had tried doing less silhouetted versions of the city when we tried to localize for different markets once, and the more you see, the further you get away from the City," he said.

The suggestion of these shapes and recognizable figures forces you to lean in and engage even more with what is arguably just a screen saver.

"It's kind of a little bit of a wink, obviously, you know, and we do that on purpose; we never want to say too much. And we never reveal what the Easter eggs are; we always just sort of suggest and like elude, and again, it's so much more fun," said Van Deusen, smiling, I think, at the thought of Jimothy's unmistakable shape.

As for how Jimothy made it to millions of screen saves so quickly, Roku's Rapid Response team can add new elements to Roku City in a matter of hours.

"We developed a tool," Van Deusen said, "where we can basically come up with an idea, something we want to do, the illustration team quickly mocks something up, and we can put it in the screen saver, all within a couple of hours."

That kind of speed puts Roku City firmly inside the zeitgeist. But that, too, is fast changing, and I wondered how long Jimothy would be waddling across Roku City screens.

Roku does rotate out the Easter eggs, though a backlog of four years or more can rotate in and out of the side-scrolling interface. Roku, by the way, recently added a user-controllable version where you can slide back and forth for a better look at all these hidden gems, including Jimothy.

The lovable raccoons should appear in Roku City "as long as Jimothy is in the zeitgeist," said Van Deusen, adding, "[he] will eventually, probably be replaced. I don't know if we'll always have a rotational raccoon, but we will find the next, you know, popping character."

Until then, enjoy Jimothy in real and virtual life.

• The first HBF specification defines stacks of up to 512GB with three bandwidth grades from roughly 0.4TB/s to 3.0TB/s, connected to processors over UCIe and published openly through the Open Compute Project
• Google and Tenstorrent have joined the consortium, but Nvidia is not among the named participants, which matters more to HBF's prospects as a de facto alternative to increasingly pricey HBM
• Samples of the first AI inference devices built with HBF are expected to show up in early 2027

SK Hynix and SanDisk have published the first technical specification for High Bandwidth Flash.

Released through the Open Compute Project to coincide with the opening of the Future of Memory and Storage conference, it makes for an impressively fast milestone, arriving six months after the HBF workstream was convened at SanDisk's Milpitas headquarters and a year after the two companies first agreed to standardize the technology.

The solution, at least for now, exists only on paper, and has managed to draw two crucial partners to its consortium: Google and Tenstorrent.

A promising standard, that focuses on capacity over raw speed

High Bandwidth Flash's specification defines capacities up to 512GB across two stack configurations, 8-high and 16-high NAND dies, and sorts performance into three grades running from roughly 0.4TB/s to 3.0TB/s.

HBF's pitch, unlike its competition, focuses on capacity rather than raw speed. A 512GB HBF stack sits against roughly 48GB to 64GB for an HBM4 stack, which is between eight and ten times the capacity, while the top HBF grade's 3.0TB/s lands inside the 2.0 to 3.3TB/s band typical of HBM4.

It also adopts UCIe, the open chiplet interconnect standard, as the link between an HBF stack and a host processor, enabling the technology to be attached to GPUs and CPUs from different vendors.

What could be challenging is delivering on its promise within a reasonable time; however, SanDisk has been working to a public roadmap since August 2025: first samples of the memory itself in the second half of 2026, and samples of the first AI inference devices built with HBF in early 2027. Neither company updated that schedule with this week's announcement.

Industry expectations put actual commercialization somewhere between late 2027 and 2028, with the volume of data center demand that would justify the investment arriving closer to 2030, in a cycle that also involves partner testing followed by ramped-up production.

This is despite SanDisk's Hsu telling SDxCentral in May 2026 that working through the Open Compute Project (OCP) let the effort move faster and that "you won't have to wait too long", which is a reasonable thing to say about a standard and a slightly generous thing to say about a product still eighteen months from sampling inside a device.

SK Hynix is equally cagey when it comes to HBF's roadmap: the same document that announces HBF also unveils the company's tenth-generation 375-layer 4D NAND, claims a 2.5x improvement in performance per watt, and states plainly that mass production of enterprise SSDs built on it begins early next year; HBF gets no date mentioned at all.

One interesting thing is that Nvidia is not among the named participants, even though it dominates the AI accelerator market.

SK Hynix has, however, expanded a strategic partnership with Nvidia covering next-generation memory as recently as July 25, and that might be a sign that things could change, but there is no official confirmation from what is arguably the biggest AI player in the market just yet. Samsung, Micron and Kioxia are likewise absent, with Kioxia pursuing a different approach to the same problem.

When HBF does eventually ship, it will probably not reach consumers in any shape or form until AI hyperscalers are sated and a viable interface for retail users is available to harness the tech. For now, HBF is unveiled but exists only on paper, allowing hyperscalers and accelerator designers to plan ahead for a technology that will become increasingly invaluable as the compute focus continues to shift from training to inference, with AI data centers coming online.

The El Capitan Theatre and the Walt Disney Studios lot have long been reserved for some of Disney's biggest moments. Citizen Kane held its Hollywood premiere on that same stage in 1941, and decades later, The Lion King, the Avengers films, and a steady run of Pixar premieres have rolled out the red carpet at the same historic Hollywood venue.

This September, though, Disney is handing the spotlight to a different kind of storyteller… creators. Created in LA is a new two-day creator summit and film festival conceived by creator Jon Youshaei and presented by Disney. The event will bring 350 creators and storytellers together on September 17–18 for a premiere event at the El Capitan Theatre before moving to the Walt Disney Studios lot for a day of conversations.

Arguably, the most exciting part is that the iconic theater will premiere creator originals with the same pomp and circumstance as a studio blockbuster.

After the initial reveal earlier this summer, Disney and Youshaei have now revealed the first wave of speakers: Mindy Kaling, Zach King, AdamW, Jenny Hoyos, Sam Eckholm, and Disney's own Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz.

On the surface, it's another creator event, but the setting makes it something more interesting.

For decades, the technology required to produce Hollywood-quality content was largely reserved for studios with deep pockets. Today, creators can shoot cinematic footage on flagship smartphones, edit on laptops, and publish directly to audiences. The line between a traditional production studio and a creator-led one has never been thinner, and Disney appears ready to acknowledge that.

Speaking with TechRadar, Youshaei said that shift was the inspiration behind Created in LA.

"We're in this moment right now where the quality of videos from creators is just so good that it's become cinema quality for certain creators," he told me. "How cool would it be if we could premiere videos from creators on the big screen, in one of the most historic screens in the world at the El Capitan Theatre?"

Youshaei is in a unique position to make that observation. Before becoming a full-time creator, he spent years working with creators at some of the world's biggest technology platforms before building his own production studio, giving him perspective from both sides of the rapidly evolving creator landscape.

He believes the biggest reason creators are reaching new heights isn't just because audiences have embraced online video — it's because the tools themselves have become dramatically more accessible.

"The fact that the tech has gotten more accessible to the fact that you could hit upload and have millions of people watch your stuff if it's good," he said, pointing to everything from improved production equipment to publishing platforms that have lowered the barriers to entry.

That accessibility has also fueled a new generation of creators who increasingly operate more like production companies than solo influencers. Asked whether the line between creators and traditional studios will eventually disappear, Youshaei doesn't think so — but he does think it's becoming much harder to define.

"I don't think it'll disappear fully; I think it'll become blurrier," he said. "More creators today have full-on studios... I think there's room for both to coexist."

Created in LA is designed to reflect that evolution. The newly announced speaker lineup blends Hollywood veterans with some of the biggest names in online video. Mindy Kaling will discuss building a career by becoming "your own studio," while Zach King, AdamW and Jenny Hoyos will pull back the curtain on the creative processes that helped them build audiences numbering in the millions.

It's also notable timing: while unrelated, the announcement comes the day after Disney revealed a separate partnership with TikTok that will bring select creator-made vertical videos to Disney+. Taken together, the initiatives suggest Disney is expanding how it works with creators across multiple parts of its business — not simply as influencers promoting a movie, but as storytellers with audiences of their own.

That doesn't mean technology is replacing creativity, however. As AI becomes increasingly capable of generating images, videos and editing assets, Youshaei sees it as another tool in the production pipeline rather than a replacement for the people behind the camera. He doesn't think AI makes it harder for creators to stand out, either — if anything, he says it rewards what he calls a "second-mover advantage."

"I think creators today have what I like to call the 'second-mover advantage,'" he said. "...I think nowadays having a second-mover advantage where you can understand what ideas have taken off, why have they taken off, how are they packaged, and then be able to put your own spin on it, is really powerful."

He told TechRadar that his team already uses AI to brainstorm ideas, generate mockups and accelerate creative workflows, but that taste, perspective and authenticity still come from the creator.

Ultimately, Youshaei hopes Created in LA becomes more than a conference. His ambition is for creators to one day aspire to premiere their best work there in much the same way that filmmakers dream of debuting a movie at a major film festival.

Whether it reaches that point remains to be seen. But opening the doors of the El Capitan Theatre and the Walt Disney Studios lot to creators already says something about where entertainment is headed. As the technology behind high-quality video production has become more accessible, Disney appears to be betting that great storytelling can come from anywhere — and increasingly, anyone.

Creators hoping to attend can still apply through the Created in LA website.

• HP, Asus, and Acer have qualified and begun shipping CXMT DRAM in small volumes, in a handful of notebook models sold outside the United States
• The restraint is potentially driven less by US policy than by fear of the incumbents: with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron holding over 90% of the market, buyers say they dare not source too much from CXMT
• CXMT is not a cheaper option either currently, as sources say its DRAM costs no less than Samsung's currently and cannot be booked beyond the current quarter

HP, Asus, and Acer have begun putting DRAM from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) into notebook computers, a report from Nikkei Asia has claimed, reporting several major PC makers completed qualification of CXMT's chips around the middle of this year.

The volumes are small, and the number of affected models is small, but perhaps more importantly, none of those models is sold in the United States.

The reason the volumes are small may have less to do with assemblers not wanting to irk a White House that has taken an increasingly tariff-heavy, America-first approach to manufacturing, but rather with market incumbents that currently account for as much as 90% of the total market's supply.

A tricky situation in a market dictated entirely by supply

PC makers are not being cautious primarily because of Washington, but rather because they do not want to upset agreements with market giants such as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.

An executive at one PC company told Nikkei that with the top three holding more than 90% of the global market, buyers have to stay low-key about using CXMT, adding: "We dare not source too much from CXMT at this moment."

That does make for an interesting conundrum: in the middle of the worst memory shortage in the industry's history, the binding constraint on diversification is fear of annoying the people you are already struggling to buy from.

Nikkei's report on the matter only reinforces what many market participants have already hinted at: CXMT is hardly the "cheaper" option.

Its DRAM quotes do not undercut Samsung's, and it reportedly cannot even be booked beyond the current quarter, as competition over who can buy it has continued to ramp up even as it reportedly chooses to prioritize local conglomerate Huawei's AI ambitions.

What PC makers are actually buying, then, is optionality. A supply chain manager who works with HP and Asus put it to Nikkei, saying they don't want to neglect a potentially important source while the market is this tight.

For context, validating a new DRAM supplier takes months of engineering, signal-integrity testing, thermal work, and platform validation, and it does not happen on a whim. HP, Asus, and Acer have now built a switch. Whether they throw it depends on conditions none of them control, but the switch exists, and eighteen months ago it did not.

With Samsung stating that the RAM crisis is here to stay, the underlying conditions have merely exacerbated an AI-driven memory crisis that has directly affected consumer electronics across the board as supply continues to get repurposed.

Spot RAM pricing has risen by 400% or more over the past twelve months. PC makers have responded by prioritizing memory allocation for premium models and lifting prices across their ranges by several hundred dollars. IDC expects the global PC market to contract by more than 11 percent this year, with supply conditions deteriorating further toward the end of it.

Smartphones are equally affected, with some makers scaling back certain models to memory configurations their predecessors already offered, while others increase pricing to offset higher component costs. Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have each cut 2026 shipment targets more than once.

The pressure has already reached the components below the memory itself: motherboard makers have absorbed roughly 50 percent increases in PCB costs and trimmed their own shipment targets accordingly.

None of this originates in the PC market. It originates in AI infrastructure, where demand for high-bandwidth memory has pulled wafer capacity away from conventional DRAM at every major supplier.

That is precisely the gap CXMT has been expanding into, which is why a company most Western buyers ignored two years ago is suddenly qualified at three of the largest PC brands in the world.

A short term irritant for Samsung, Micron and SK Hynix?

So what will Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix think? In the short term, very little, and they have every reason to say so. They are the primary beneficiaries of this shortage, with pricing power they have not enjoyed in a decade and no commercial incentive whatsoever to loosen supply. A few thousand budget laptops in Europe and Asia that carry Chinese DRAM do not register against that.

The longer view might be less comfortable. Oligopolies are usually broken not by a competitor arriving with a better product but by customers becoming willing to qualify an alternative, and customers become willing when the incumbents make life sufficiently unpleasant. That threshold has now seemingly been crossed at three of the five largest PC vendors, during a period when the incumbents were charging whatever they liked.

The alternative parts are more expensive than expected and hard to get, so nobody has switched in any meaningful volume. But the certification work is done and dusted, CXMT is building capacity at multiples of its current base, and the moment supply loosens or Washington's posture shifts, the cost of moving volume across is dramatically lower than it was.

For now, the best example of how the industry is treating this news is visible in Acer's response to Nikkei: It declined to identify suppliers, said it maintains close contact with multiple global manufacturers, and described the goal as supply chain resilience. HP also declined to comment, and Asus did not respond at all to inquiries at the time of writing. That is not the language of companies making a bet but rather those that would like to keep as many options open as possible.

• MSI's Nvidia GPUs are rumored to be getting price hikes
• They'll be 20% more expensive (or worse) in China, and that kind of increase will surely be seen elsewhere
• This is happening against a backdrop of wider price hikes for graphics cards – although Nvidia is offering a rare chance at an RTX 5080 or 5090 at MSRP

As fresh rumors reveal that another graphics card maker is set to hike prices, Nvidia has a plan to let you buy a Founders Edition Blackwell GPU at the MSRP, even in the case of the RTX 5090 — although you'll need to travel.

And you'll need to move very fast, attend QuakeCon in Texas, which starts today, and get yourself to the GeForce booth (hat tip to VideoCardz) before supplies of RTX 5070, 5080, and 5090 Founders Edition graphics cards run out. And I don't think that they will last for long (a matter of minutes, at a guess, although hopefully that won't be the case).

Nvidia describes this as 'Verified Priority Access' in real life, and at least it does give gamers a chance to buy an RTX 5080 and 5090 at the intended price, which is not something you can get anywhere near when purchasing one of these high-end Nvidia GPUs at retail.

As for the most recent news on GPU price hikes, Wccftech spotted that MSI is the latest graphics card maker to announce that its products will be considerably more expensive.

This is just a rumor, one that arrives via the Board Channels in China, and so should be served with some seasoning — but the theory is that MSI's Nvidia GPUs are set for price hikes of 20% or more. This is due to rising memory prices, of course, and what Nvidia charges its partners for video RAM modules (as Team Green is paying more, it passes that bill on, of course).

The price increase is in the order of $300 (£220 / AU$420) for the RTX 5080 over in China (converting from RMB), around $200 (£150 / AU$280) for the RTX 5070 Ti, and approximately $100 (£75 / AU$140) for RTX 5060 models (and not far off that for the RTX 5050).

Sadly, not only will current-gen Nvidia GeForce graphics cards be affected, but also RTX 4000 and 3000 models (with GDDR6 video RAM getting costlier, as well as GDDR7).

Analysis: pricey times

While this is a rumored cost increase for MSI products in China, these exact same pricing pressures are, of course, happening globally, so there's no reason to believe that MSI's GPUs in other regions won't follow suit.

What's more, this isn't just a problem that pertains to MSI, but Nvidia's other card-making partners, and those companies are also rumored to be implementing hefty price hikes. For example, just this week we've heard that Gigabyte GPU prices will jump between 20% and 40%. Also, on a regional basis, Nvidia RTX 5000 models in South Korea are looking at price hikes of up to 30%.

So, this is a coherent picture of hikes, and those percentages are all in a similar ballpark, indicating increases of at least 20% or a good deal more. They are also backed up by more general chatter from the grapevine about Nvidia's VRAM increases and AMD's Radeon GPUs becoming pricier.

I fear that getting any kind of current-gen graphics card at, or near, the MSRP could be a much tougher task before long, and those at QuakeCon better make the most of Nvidia's GeForce offerings at the firm's booth. As noted, I expect this to be the definition of a flash sale — as in they'll be gone in a flash — although you do have another shot at winning an RTX 5070 in the Quake III Arena RTX Remix and Doom: The Dark Ages challenges.

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 have just received a surprise price cut at Amazon, bringing the excellent premium earbuds down to just $189 (was $249) at the retailer.

That's the lowest price since the retailer's annual Prime Day mega-sale back in June, and likely the best deal we'll see for a while. Ever since Prime Day, these buds have stubbornly held at $199, which is the usual 'sales price' for Apple's premium buds.

Even though the record low is officially $169, the AirPods Pro 3 only hit that on one occasion over Prime Day, so today's price cut is definitely worth considering. Even at $189, the AirPods Pro 3 are an excellent buy for anyone looking for some high-end buds. Not only do they feature excellent noise cancellation, but they're packed with new features like heart rate monitoring and Live Translation.

The AirPods Pro 3 are cheaper today at Amazon

• See more: check out all of today's deals at Amazon

Are the latest AirPods Pro 3 worth it?

We awarded the buds an impressive four and a half stars out of five in our AirPods Pro 3 review, calling them 'near-perfect noise-cancelling earbuds' at the time. While not exactly cheap, they offer excellent noise cancellation and sound quality.

If we had to draw any criticisms, we'd mention that the AirPods Pro 3 don't have class-leading battery life (around 5.5 hours in our testing). You'll also need one of the latest iPhones to really take advantage of their full suite of features like Live Translation and personalized fitness insights. They're still great with older devices, but iPhone 15 and newer devices support Apple Intelligence, which is required for the newest bells and whistles.

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

If you watched My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 with the hope that Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) would be more loved up than ever before, you were sadly never going to get your wish.

Just before the season finale, Netflix pried the two apart once again, with Cole listening to Jackie's uncle Richard's (Alex Quijano) 'advice,' and believing that he was holding Jackie back from fulfilling her full potential.

Not only did this leave Jackie rightly heartbroken, but it's thrust her into the arms of newcomer Eliot (Naveen Paddock), who is all too happy to back Richard's beliefs up. While Jackie and Eliot move in for their first kiss at the community space launch party, Cole leaves his drag race final to try and win her back.

But before he can, disaster strikes. A mysterious car pulls up while Cole is driving to the party, and we see that it's the drag racing contestant who Cole left behind in the final.

He's clearly annoyed that the race has been cancelled, and is looking to take his revenge. Finally, the two cars clip, sending Cole's car into a nearby field, where it continues to roll.

Heading into the already-renewed My Life with the Walter Boys season 4, Cole has been left for dead. Or has he? I'm convinced that the first details Netflix has revealed about the next season have also confirmed that Cole is still alive.

Noah LaLonde will be returning for My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 — and that's good news

According to Netflix, actor Noah LaLonde will be returning for season 4, with filming having started in Calgary in May 2026. He's seen in a new image of him, Rodriguez, and Ashby Gentry (Alex) on set, with the streamer confirming that the trio is "embarking on the next chapter."

Given that the endgame of the Netflix series is surely to romantically unite Jackie and Cole for good — they just have to go through the worst in order to get there. Frankly, it would be ridiculous for showrunners to kill Cole off completely, especially considering that Alex has finally admitted his feelings for Kiley (Mya Lowe).

Hopefully, Cole's accident is the catalyst for bringing him back to Jackie, and will allow Jackie to fully forgive Cole for so coldly dumping her during season 3. Then, of course, there's the question of whether Jackie actually follows through with her kiss with Eliot at the same time that Cole crashes.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that she'll pull away at the last second... but perhaps that's wishful thinking. It's certainly a moment that her future relationship with Cole could hinge on, if he pulls through.

There is a worst-case scenario, however. LaLonde could simply be returning to film flashback scenes, or to communicate with Jackie through visions from beyond the grave. It's not something we can totally rule out, but it certainly would take My Life with the Walter Boys down a much darker route.

But how likely is this? At the moment, it's far too early to make a call. However, my educated guess is that Cole and Jackie will be just fine in the long run... sometimes, it takes the worst kind of tragedy to realize what you really want.

• The World Wide Web was created 35 years ago today
• It was initially designed for sharing documents at CERN
• Its creator says we can return to its spirit of openness and collaboration

These days, it’s hard to go long without connecting to the Internet in one way or another: whether through one of the best web browsers or by connecting to a smart home device, it’s something we often take for granted. The primary means of interacting online — the World Wide Web — has just turned 35 years old today, and its creator has a timely message that couldn’t be more relevant for modern users.

The World Wide Web is the creation of British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee. Working at the scientific body CERN in the 1980s and 1990s, Berners-Lee wanted a way to store, update, and locate documents within the sprawling organization. At the same time, he sought a solution that would allow for these documents to be shared with outside bodies quickly and straightforwardly.

That desire led to his creation of the World Wide Web. It was announced to the public on August 6, 1991, with Berners-Lee humbly stating that “We are very interested in spreading the web to other areas.” It was a platform whereby anyone could link to any document in a database using hyperlinks, or links embedded in text, images, and other media. Importantly, multiple users were able to access this platform simultaneously and independently of each other.

Adoption quickly spread from CERN to other research organizations before being opened up to the wider public, whereupon it exploded in popularity. And 35 years later, it’s an invention that has turned the world on its head.

An absolutely vital component of this system was that it had to be both free and decentralized. Berners-Lee was adamant that anyone should be able to create a website and implement hyperlinks on their own, without paying a fee and without a central body dictating what could and could not be done. That principle of openness still stands today — but it’s increasingly under threat.

‘It’s not too late’

Speaking to The Guardian in September 2025, Berners-Lee lamented that plenty of the web today is no longer free and open. “We see a handful of large platforms harvesting users’ private data to share with commercial brokers or even repressive governments,” he noted, adding: “We see ubiquitous algorithms that are addictive by design and damaging to our teenagers’ mental health. Trading personal data for use certainly does not fit with my vision for a free web.”

At the same time, user data is sold “to actors we never intended it to reach,” with the result being “deliberately harmful content that leads to real-world violence, spreads misinformation, wreaks havoc on our psychological wellbeing and seeks to undermine social cohesion.”

This is especially challenging in the age of AI, Berners-Lee argued. To put things right and get back to the original vision of his creation, the father of the web advocated for strong AI governance and guidance from organizations that are not motivated by data and profit but instead by collaboration and the needs of the individual. On this point, Berners-Lee quipped: “It is hard to imagine a big tech company agreeing to share the world wide web for no commercial reward like CERN allowed me to.”

As the World Wide Web turns 35, the spirit of “collaboration, creativity and compassion” that allowed it to be given away for free is being increasingly challenged by Big Tech — but Berners-Lee still thinks there’s time to put things right: “We can re-empower individuals, and take the web back. It’s not too late.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U: Design and features

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U: Performance

• Good color coverage
• Nicely calibrated
• Limited SDR brightness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BenQ Creative Pro PD2732U: Final verdict

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It'll cost you

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So many unknowns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trying to teach AI all the wrong lessons

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

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

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

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

Polluting the well rarely hurts only one person

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A highly targeted backdoor

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to stay safe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Detention and escape attempts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poised to be the best yet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s the wrong question.

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

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

Models are temporary. Plan accordingly

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

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

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

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

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

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

The discipline that makes model plurality real: evals

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ownership over your own audio and video

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

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

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

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

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

The world is moving toward fine-tuning and open source

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

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

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

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

Sovereignty is a posture, not a product

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aware of a bug""

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Detention and escape attempts

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

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

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

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

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

Via The Hacker News

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hidden Data Problem

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trust Beyond The Engineering Teams

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

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

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

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

The Readiness Gap

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

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

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

We've reviewed, rated, and ranked the best firewall 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

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

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

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

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

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

So, where does that leave the upcoming Fenix 9?

Three sizes, two Pros, two MIP displays

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Apple turnover: China play rumored to end in a fumble

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Should you buy it?

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

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

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

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

Why we recommend it

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

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

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

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

Price Context & Historical Value

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

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

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

The Catch: What to know before you buy

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

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

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

• See all MacBook deals at Amazon.

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

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

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

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

Parallel attack surface

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

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

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

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

Via Ars Technica

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the MSI Pro MP165 E6 if...

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

❌ Skip the MSI Pro MP165 E6 if...

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

Why we recommend it

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

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

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

Price Context & Historical Value

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

The Catch: What to know before you buy

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

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

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

• See all monitor deals at Amazon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27 in the UK

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27 in Australia

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

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

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

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

How to watch Carabao Cup 2026/27 in New Zealand

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

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

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

Carabao Cup 2026/27 Q&A

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which Hisense TVs are getting the Dolby Vision 2 upgrade?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thinking of buying a new TV?

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