Technology

Apple is a fantastic tech company that is, perhaps, not having its best moment. It failed to deliver the AI Siri update we were promised, it's being pestered by the EU to open its secret sauce to competitors, its iPhone 16e failed to inspire, and it hasn't had a major category splash in a while.

I want Apple to step out of its comfort zone and show us what it's working on, specifically in the folding space. This might be the best way for it to reclaim the conversation and, perhaps, inspire a new legion of future Apple customers.

It's not that the work on Siri isn't important or worth pursuing. I desperately want a better Siri, but I think what I miss is Apple delivering FOMO-inducing products.

A new vision

Those who insist that Vision Pro, unveiled almost two years ago, was it, a reminder that Apple could do big things, they're right, in a way. The Vision Pro remains an almost unmatched piece of engineering but has not moved the consumer needle.

This is partly because it's so expensive but also because of the fundamental limits of what people are willing to wear on their faces for extended periods of time.

Apple's steady stream of new utility apps and services, like Journal, Sports, and News+ Food, are not it and I won't even bother to argue the point.

You might counsel me to be patient. After all, that promised Siri update is now, possibly back on track thanks to rumored new leadership in the person of Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell. I happen to agree with Daring Fireball's John Gruber that the real news here is Apple Senior Vice President Software Engineering Craig Federighi is now in charge of the Siri project (Rockwell reports to him).

The delivery of a Siri that can dig into your phone and use your data to help you live a better digital life is good but also just a fulfillment of a promise made at WWDC2024. It's not something new and not the reset Apple needs.

Similarly, excellent iPhones, MacBooks, Apple Watches, AirPods, and iPad updates are not it – though I welcome all of them.

Let's get folding

(Image credit: Ming-Chi Kuo)

A folding iPhone, however, comes very close to a new product category since there's nothing else quite like it in the Apple product corral. It'll potentially be a true hybrid between a smartphone and a small tablet.

Current rumors have it launching in 2026 (a larger folding iPad could follow in 2027). That's not soon enough. Apple needs something this year.

My hope is that Apple will tease its first folding device at WWDC 2025. It's something of a necessity to distract from what Apple has failed to deliver: a Siri that knows your screen as well as it does you and can act on all that information.

Apple will have to address Siri and make fresh iOS 19 promises, ones it has a better chance of delivering with this rumored new leadership. But it'll still feel mostly like a mop-up.

Apple can essentially wave its hands and point in the direction of this new folding device, completely distracting consumers and media from the less-than-sunny Siri story.

I'm not suggesting Apple launch the phone in June, but a brief video and even Apple CEO Tim Cook standing on stage at Apple Park with a prototype could be a game changer.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff)

As much as I'd like to see it, I still don't expect Apple to unveil the foldable in September along with the iPhone 17 lineup, but that should not stop them from doing something extraordinary, like teasing an upcoming smartphone design breakthrough.

You might argue that this is not Apple's way, and you'd be right, but Apple hasn't necessarily been itself lately.

It has yet to address the true state of the Vision Pro. It failed to deliver a true AI Siri and fully enter the AI race, and even its efforts to update its "budget" iPhone with the iPhone 16e left many confused.

It's time for Apple to return to surprising people with one more eye-popping thing

Apple has in recent years, done extremely well with services and has had a cultural phenomenon hit on its hands with Severance, but content and annuity-based services are not, I'd argue, what drives Apple or its consumers.

It's time for Apple to return to surprising people with one more eye-popping thing and the folding iPhone would be perfect. We know it's hidden somewhere at Apple Park, where engineers try to make it perfect, perhaps the best folding smartphone ever.

That's fine, keep at it, but give us something at WWDC to keep customers inspired and remind everyone that Apple is still very good at being Apple.

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• HP unveiled HP Go, a zero-touch, multi-carrier 5G eSIM solution
• Initially only available in the US, with worldwide deployment to begin in late 2026
• Multi-carrier support with T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon

HP has announced a zero touch, multi-carrier 5G eSIM solution designed to keep professionals connected on the go.

Launching in Spring 2025, HP Go looks to eliminate the need for a physical SIM card and manual activation with pre-loaded carrier profiles to ensure instant connectivity from when a device is powered on.

HP Go is not an eSIM for international travel and is only available in the US with plans to deploy worldwide in late 2026 - at launch, it will support multi-carriers including T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon allowing automatic switching to the strongest available network.

Decline of physical SIM cards

As remote and hybrid working becomes the norm, tech brands tapping into the growing eSIM market suggest the end of the traditional use of physical SIM cards. At the same time, we have seen global shipments of eSIM volume surpassing half a billion units.

With HP Go, users will receive a factory setting pre-loaded eSIM profile that is ready to use when they turn on their devices and the Windows setup is complete. This zero-touch deployment reduces IT complexity and time. IT administrators can also monitor devices remotely, control access, and analyze real-time data consumption—reducing security risks and hidden costs for businesses.

If you are changing locations while working at your HP Go PC, it will automatically switch from Wi-Fi to 5G and connect to the strongest carrier in the area.

The HP Go eSIM will debut on the HP EliteBook 6 G1q Next Gen AI PC, with additional device compatibility expected in late 2025.

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• The Lenovo Legion Go S powered by AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor will launch on May 25
• The SteamOS Z1 Extreme variant starts at $749.99 while the Z2 Go version starts at $549.99
• The highest configuration using the Z1 Extreme costs $829.99

While we await the introduction of more next-gen handheld gaming PCs, all eyes have been on Lenovo with its Legion Go 2 prototype and the already-launched Legion Go S. Now, the more powerful model of the Go S finally has a release date and price tag - and the latter is not the prettiest.

As reported by Wccftech, the Lenovo Legion Go S (with Windows 11 & SteamOS variants) powered by AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme will officially launch on May 25 alongside SteamOS Z2 Go variants. On Best Buy, the former starts at $749.99 while the long-awaited SteamOS Z2 Go starts at $549.99 - both are available for pre-order now.

Each will have different configurations: the Z1 Extreme processor will be used on both Windows 11 and SteamOS variants using 32GB of RAM. In comparison, the Z2 Go processor will power a new SteamOS model with the choice of 16GB or 32GB of RAM including a storage capacity of either 512GB or 1TB.

The previously-released Legion Go S model with Windows 11 (available at $729.99) is also powered by the Z2 Go processor - and it's safe to say that it didn't compete well against other handhelds on the market. With the Asus ROG Ally seeing frequent price drops and Valve's Steam Deck arguably still the best available in terms of affordability, the prices of these Legion Go S models likely won't do Lenovo any favors. It doesn’t help that this is a fairly messy release slate with multiple differently-priced models, which could potentially confuse buyers.

While the Z1 Extreme processor is no slouch, the highest configuration (with the Z1 Extreme on Windows 11) is available at $829.99 - in other words, you’re paying an extra 80 bucks just to have Windows 11 instead of SteamOS, which feels like a rip-off, especially when anyone with a small amount of know-how could simply install Windows 11 on the device themselves. At around the same price, you can buy the MSI Claw 8 AI+ which excels in performance and battery life for $899.99, making it the better option for gamers.

(Image credit: Lenovo) The only worthwhile upgrade beyond Z1 Extreme-powered handhelds is the MSI Claw 8 AI+

Now, AMD's hotly anticipated Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor hasn't been released yet: the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is expected to be the first handheld gaming PC using the APU (a processor with CPU and GPU on the same die). However, it's not exactly clear how much of a performance leap it will offer over its predecessor, nor does it have a definite launch date.

In the meantime, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ provides fantastic performance across the board, outperforming Team Red's Z1 Extreme using Intel's Core Ultra 7 258V processor - and notably, it uses an 80WHr battery (also present in the Asus ROG Ally X) compared to the Legion Go S' 55WHr battery. The Claw manages to provide high and stable frame rates in multiple games, even at lower TDPs.

Don't get me wrong, I still think the price for MSI's handheld is a bit too high - and like I've said before, just buy a desktop gaming PC or laptop at that point - but, if you're adamant about handheld portability and high performance is up your alley, then right now you should look no further than the MSI Claw 8 AI+. Alternatively, shoppers looking for value first should be strongly considering the Asus ROG Ally.

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• Veeam released a patch for a 9.9/10 severity flaw that can lead to RCE
• It was found in Veeam Backup & Restoration
• The bug only works on installations joined to a domain

Veeam released a patch for a critical-level vulnerability recently discovered in its Backup & Replication software.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-23120, is described as a deserialization flaw that allows authenticated domain users to conduct remote code execution (RCE) attacks. It was given a severity score of 9.9/10 (critical), and affects Veeam Backup & Replication 12.3.0.310 and all earlier version 12 builds.

It was fixed with version 12.3.1 (build 12.3.1.1139).

Blacklists and whitelists

The bug was discovered by cybersecurity researchers watchTowr Labs, who slammed Veeam for the way it addresses deserialization problems:

“It seems Veeam, despite being a ransomware gang's favorite play toy - didn’t learn after the lesson given by Frycos in previous research published. You guessed it - they fixed the deserialization issues by adding entries to their deserialization blacklist,” the researchers explained.

Adding entries to a deserialization blacklist doesn’t work because hackers can always find new avenues, and the developers will always end up being reactive to their behavior, watchTowr explained. Instead, it suggests Veeam should opt for a whitelist approach.

Despite its critical severity, the bug is not that simple to explicit since it only impacts Veeam Backup & Replication installations joined to a domain.

On the downside, any domain user can exploit the bug. BleepingComputer claims that “many companies” joined their Veeam server to a Windows domain, “ignoring the company’s long-standing best practices.”

The same publication claims that ransomware gangs already told them they always target Veeam Backup & Replication servers, since they are an easy way into archives of sensitive information, and allow them to block any restoration and backup efforts.

At press time, there were no reports of in-the-wild abuse, but it is safe to assume that there will be, and soon - now that the cat is out of the bag.

If your company is using Veeam’s Backup & Replication, make sure to upgrade it to version 12.3.1 as soon as you can.

Via BleepingComputer

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• The SluTune Q1 is an 11mm-thick Bluetooth speakers
• Up to 28 hours from a 1-hour charge, skin-friendly fabric covering
• $29 early bird offer; usually $59

Names are important, especially for products: some, such as Mazda's Bongo Friendee, are inspired; others, such as Dry Sack Sherry and the Nintendo DS Touch Dic, are not so great. The SluTune Q1 is definitely in the latter category, as noted by The Verge . And that's a shame, because it's an interesting little speaker.

The SluTune Q1 is "like a small UFO", with a disc design that's just 11mm high. Inside there's a speaker with an acoustic chamber optimized for the unusual shape, and it has Bluetooth 5.4 with a 28-hour battery and "Hi-Fi Audio".

I very much doubt it'll have Bowers & Wilkins or Klipsch quaking in their boots, but if you're looking for a small, lightweight speaker to slip onto your pillow it could be worth checking out, and is very different to anything else in our list of the best Bluetooth speakers.

(Image credit: SluTune / Kickstarter) Who is this super-slim speaker for?

The Kickstarter highlights three rivals: built-in pillow speakers, which can be cumbersome; under-pillow speakers, which can be muffled by the pillow; and in-ear headphones, which can press on your ears if you're not lying on your back. So this speaker has been designed for you to rest your head on it, and it's wrapped in a linen-like fabric that the makers say is skin-friendly.

I'm not sure I'd like to rest my face on what looks awfully like a Qi charger, or that it's going to be any good for the quoted problem of sleeping next to a snorer, perhaps unless you smother them with it.

But it's small enough to sit next to you on your pillow, playing soothing sounds or your favorite podcast until the two-hour timer kicks in.

It's very portable too, weighing just 0.1 lbs and coming in at 3.78 x 0.43 inches. Charging takes around an hour.

As ever with Kickstarters, there are early bird deals: right now the Q1 is $32, down from the official price of $59. It's already smashed through its funding goal with two more weeks to go. And even if you don't fancy buying one, the Kickstarter is worth a look for the promo video's sudden musical shift at the ten-second mark.

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With a 3D printer, a projector and a lot of pixie dust (spray paint), you too can bring Disneyland into your home.

• QD-EL promises super brightness with OLED contrast
• Samsung, Sharp, TCL and others have shown off prototypes already
• Likely to make its way to compact monitors first

The alphabet soup of TV technology continues to grow, with Samsung turning greater attention to QD-EL. That's short for Quantum Dot Electroluminescent, although the tech is also variously known as NanoLED, QD-LED, EL-QLED and QDEL because life isn't confusing enough. But whatever you call it, it's quite exciting and Samsung is investing heavily in it.

According to new reports in the Korean business press, as spotted by FlatpanelsHD, Samsung is accelerating development for QD-EL displays in order to fend off Chinese competitors. BusinessKorea says that "Samsung has set an internal target to commercialize EL-QD within a few years and is fully committed to its technological development."

Some reports are suggesting that QD-EL could be the future of TV, and they might be right. But I think Samsung is likely to be thinking more about monitors than big TVs for the time being. And that's still pretty exciting.

What is QD-EL and why are people excited about it?

At the moment there are two rival TV technologies: backlit LED TVs, and OLED TVs. The former are generally brighter but the latter have better darkness and contrast because OLEDs aren't backlit.

QD-EL promises to give you the best of both. Like OLED it's self-emissive, so there's no backlight. But because it uses quantum dot LEDs rather than organic LEDs, it promises longer life, more efficient energy usage and no burn-in.

Samsung, and firms including Sharp and TCL, have shown off QD-EL prototypes at trade shows, and attendees have been really impressed. But those prototypes have been pretty small – Samsung's one was an 18-inch display, and is at the end of the video below – and the tech is not yet ready for prime time: BusinessKorea says that Samsung is facing issues with the quantum dots' stability and energy efficiency. Presumably rivals face similar challenges too.

So my money's on this tech moving into monitors first, rather than larger TV screens.

There are two reasons why I think that. The first is that if QD-EL were close to being ready for really big displays, manufacturers would likely be showing them off already.

And the second is that big displays are a big risk when you're talking new technologies. It's common for new emission tech to start small and only scale as manufacturers find ways to reduce the often massive wastage that comes with large panels in the early days of manufacturing something new. You lose a lot less money on material wasted from an imperfect result if your screen is 21 inches than if it's 65 inches.

Here's a great example of that: inkjet-printed OLEDs. TCL started mass producing their panels in late 2024, and those panels are for 21.6-inch monitors. TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, Matt Bolton, has been told that inkjet-printed OLED won't come to TVs for years for this exact reason – it just won't be cost efficient in the short term to risk it on big screens.

I think QD-EL is really exciting, but I think it'll be a while before it moves off the desktop and into your home theater. Although I'd be happily surprised if I'm wrong: after all, Samsung skipped the monitor stage when it launched its QD-OLED panels in 2022 and launched a range of TVs directly, and then brought the tech to monitors later.

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• New Chromium code has revealed NotebookLM will be pre-installed on ChromeOS
• NotebookLM is a powerful AI tool for educational work, and analysis
• It's not confirmed whether it will be rolled out in an update or only available on new Chromebooks

Google has announced a new suite of Gemini AI features coming to ChromeOS, including NotebookLM, which will soon ship on the hardware by default. It will soon be available in the app drawer on Chromebooks, as evidenced by a code change to Chromium Gerrit.

NotebookLM is an AI-powered tool for summarizing and analyzing documents, videos, and other forms of content. You upload sources to it, including PDFs, websites, YouTube videos, audio, and the Google Suite with answers generated by Google Gemini.

The AI tool is currently available through its dedicated website, but it's not something that's been widely marketed or pushed by Google, even with all the new updates and advancements made around Gemini in recent months.

Google will be adding NotebookLM to the preinstalled web apps in its operating system. However, it's currently unknown whether this will apply in an update for all ChromeOS users or if it will become standard in only brand-new Chromebooks being released, such as those upcoming from Acer this summer.

NotebookLM isn't just exclusive to ChromeOS, as the Google Gemini feature can be used by any Chrome (or Chromium) user. If you were not aware of then now you are, meaning the best laptops as well as the best Chromebooks can benefit from one of the best AI tools for getting work done.

Recognition for a undermarketed AI tool

NotebookLM has been available to users since July 2023, but there's a good chance this could be the first time that you've heard of it. Developed by Google Labs and powered by Gemini, it was originally conceived primarily as a research and note-taking assistant before its versatility expanded with a suite of updates over the last 19 months.

It's a powerful tool for understanding large amounts of information, as it can simplify otherwise complicated documentation for educational use. It was recently announced that Mind Maps will be coming to NotebookLM, which works for both the free and paid services of the program, with Audio Overviews applying to more than just podcasts. It's quickly becoming one of our favorite learning tools, and it's only getting better with time.

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• Severance's Dichen Lachman has revealed what she knew about Project Cold Harbor before this season's finale
• The Lumon experiment has been one of season 2's biggest mysteries
• Lachman says she wasn't told about what lay behind its test room door for a long time

Severance actor Dichen Lachman wasn't aware of what the show's creative team had planned for one of season 2's biggest mysteries for a long time.

Project Cold Harbor has dominated fan discussions ever since it was first mentioned in Severance season 2 episode 1. Indeed, one of the biggest enigmas of the Apple TV+ show has been speculated about since the series returned in mid-January.

I too have spent countless hours coming up with my own ideas on what Project Cold Harbor was. I've discussed the Lumon experiment in numerous articles over the past nine weeks, beginning with my season 2 episode 1 theories piece and recently in my season 2 episode 9 recap.

With the Severance season 2 finale, ironically titled 'Cold Harbor', making its long-awaited debut, we finally know what it's all about. Full spoilers immediately follow for season 2 episode 10, so turn back now if you haven't watched it yet.

This is what was hiding behind Cold Harbor's door all along (Image credit: Apple TV+)

The test room known as Project Cold Harbor is a near-empty space with a solitary baby's crib at its center.

That bassinet will be instantly recognizable to Severance diehards. It's an exact replica of the one Mark and Gemma owned, which we saw in season 2's Gemma-focused seventh episode.

So, what's it doing here? Well, it's the final test that Gemma has to complete – one that'll help Lumon determine if its severance procedure can be used to create multiple 'innies' within the same person. Gemma has been the test subject for these experiments and, once she completes this 25th and final one, Lumon will have the requisite data to prove it can sever someone numerous times.

Lumon won't need Gemma's services anymore, so they plan to kill her once she's finished. All she has to do, then, is – per Doctor Mauer's instructions – take apart the crib using the screwdriver she's given.

Gemma's Cold Harbor innie doesn't recognize the crib that she and Mark owned in the real world (Image credit: Apple TV+)

Unfortunately for Lumon, Mark – Gemma's husband – comes to her rescue and prevents her from completing Project Cold Harbor (NB: read my Severance season 2 ending explained piece for more details on that).

That's more than enough rambling on my part, though. When did Lachman learn more about Project Cold Harbor? Funnily enough, just like Gemma, she was kept in the dark for a long time by creator Dan Erickson and executive producer Ben Stiller.

"I didn't read [the script for] episode ten until we were almost filming it," Lachman told me ahead of the Apple TV Original's latest episode. "I didn't find out until a few weeks before [filming began], whereas I'd had [the script for episode] seven for quite a long time. So, I had a lot of time to let seven's events sink in.

"I got ten's script relatively soon before we started filming it, but I never really dove into it with Dan because they [Dan and Ben] only told me what I needed to know," Lachman added. "I'm not sure why they [Lumon] put her [Gemma] in that particular situation. Obviously, they're trying to see if the severance technology holds, but I'm not sure why Mauer says to her [in episode seven] that this is going to change the world. I guess it's just like a final drug trial, which is that final step they [Lumon] have to cross."

Where will Gemma's story go next? (Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

That isn't the only information that Erickson and Stiller have withheld from Lachman. She also told me that she has no idea when filming on season 3 will begin, nor has she seen any of next season's scripts that Stiller says Erickson and his fellow writers are currently working on.

Nevertheless, Lachman has some ideas of her own about where she'd like Gemma's story to go in one of the best Apple TV+ shows' recently announced third season.

"It's interesting that she has so many different innies," Lachman mused. "I wonder what they're all like and what that means for her in the real world. Mark only has [one innie in] Mark S. She has... I mean, I don't know how many rooms are down there. I stopped counting and focused on other things!

"But, how many different compartments are there in her brain?" Lachman added. "I do wonder if they [the writers] will explore that. But, you know, the possibilities with the show are endless."

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• Severance will return for season 3, Apple TV+ has confirmed
• The news was announced on social media after the season 2 finale arrived
• A release date for the third season is unknown

Praise Kier, because Severance season 3 is officially happening!

The news was confirmed on Friday, March 21, on Apple TV+'s official Instagram account, where the streamer shared some clips from the previous season which led all the way to this week's devastating Severance season 2 finale. For more on that, check out our Severance season 2 episode 10 ending explained piece which breaks it all down.

Take a look at Apple TV+'s announcement below, which reads: "Cue the choreography and merriment. Severance has been renewed for Season 3."

A post shared by Apple TV (@appletv)

A photo posted by on

Even though Severance has been crowned one of the best Apple TV + shows, it has seen some criticism this season, with our Phones Editor Axel Metz writing about how he thought Severance season 2 had a pacing problem, something that seems to have caused some serious debate in the fandom over the past few weeks.

Personally, I've enjoyed every minute, and in our glowing Severance season 2 review, senior entertainment reporter Tom Power said the series "deserved a pay rise for being this good". There's certainly an appetite for more, even if there has been frustration that the second season hasn't delivered many of the answers we were hoping for.

That's where Severance season 3 comes in, hopefully – even if we now have more questions that need answering. I'm not keen to turn my back on the show any time soon though, as it remains one of the best I've ever seen. There's nothing else like it, and that's about the highest compliment I can give.

Let's just hope we don't have another agonizingly long wait for season 3!

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• Spotify has launched a new playlist in its Live Events feed called Concerts Near You
• The new feature will make it easier for you to see which artists are touring in your area
• As well as including songs based on your listening habits, each song has a link that takes you to third-party booking platforms to secure tickets

Though Spotify has rubbed music fans the wrong way with its lack of lossless audio (I’m still waiting for you Spotify HiFi), there’s no doubt that people use it enough for it to still be considered one of the best music streaming services. When it comes to live music, Spotify is aiming to bring you closer to your favorite artists with its new Concerts Near You playlist feature.

Combining informative and personalized features, Spotify’s Concerts Near You playlist aims to help you discover upcoming concerts in your area while providing expandable track links to third party ticket sites such as Ticketmaster, AXS, See Tickets, and Dice so that you can secure yourself a place in the crowd. The playlist is updated every Wednesday based on your listening habits, bringing you 30 fresh songs from artists with scheduled shows in your area.

When I open my Concerts Near You playlist, Spotify shows songs of artists with upcoming shows in my area - even for supporting acts. (Image credit: Future)

In Spotify’s announcement, the platform went into detail about the app’s newest addition claiming that “There’s nothing worse than realizing that your favorite artist played your town last week”.

Charlie Hellman, Vice President, Global Head of Music Product added: “this new playlist not only makes it easier for fans to find shows nearby, but it also gives artists a powerful new way of selling more tickets and filling venues with the audiences who love their music most.”

A useful feature, but one that’ll have to grow on me

Since it introduced its in-app Live Events feed, Spotify has doubled down on its mission to bring you closer to the artists you love the most, while also boosting artist ticket sales and exposing them to wider audiences. There’s no doubt that these listings are beneficial to those who aren’t in the loop with local gigs and tours, but what about those who are?

Don’t get me wrong, I love using Spotify to discover new artists through features like Blends and the New Music Friday playlists. But when it comes to live music, I pretty much have my ear to the ground with regard to local live music simply because I keep up with it by following the artists or reading live music listings on social media.

However, while I don’t find myself reaching for Spotify’s Live Events feed often, as a means of discovering new artists I can see how Concerts Near You could give you an advantage. As it stands, I’m not quite as enticed to use this feature as others might be, but heck, that was my first impression of Daylists, and now I can’t get enough of it.

Where to find Concerts Near You

(Image credit: Future)

It’s very easy to keep track of who’s performing in your area with Spotify’s Concerts Near You playlist, you just need to know where to look.

For starters, head to the search hub in the Spotify app and tap ‘Live Events’. From there, you can access your personalized Concerts Near You playlist under the ‘Discover concerts near you’ section. To get more accurate recommendations, make sure your location settings are adjusted in the Live Events feed, and Spotify will fill you in on upcoming shows and new announcements.

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• Nanoleaf has launched a new screen-mirroring light system for gaming PCs
• It connects to your PC via USB-C instead of using a camera on the screen
• This should mean less latency and better color reproduction

Nanoleaf, maker of some of the best smart lights we've tested here at TechRadar, has launched a new light strip designed to make PC gaming more immersive, by bathing the wall behind your monitor in a wash of color that shifts to mirror what's happening on screen. And it's much cheaper than you might expect.

The idea is that, like an Ambilight TV, the light strip effectively blurs the edges of the screen by extending its colors, helping you feel more involved in the action.

Many of the best Ambilight alternatives (such as the Nanoleaf 4D and the Govee Flow Pro Wi-Fi TV Smart Bars) can do this with any screen, including TVs and PC monitors, but these usually work by using a camera to monitor the changing colors. This can work fine in optimum lighting conditions, but reflections on the screen can throw things off, and there's always a slight delay before the lights behind your TV change color to match.

With Nanoleaf's new PC Screen Mirror Lightstrip, that should no longer be a problem because the system connects directly to your PC via USB-C, and picks up the data being sent to your monitor. It's very similar to the way a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box intercepts the HDMI signal being sent to your TV, and uses it to provide real-time synced backlighting.

The light strip is shaped to bend around the corners of your monitor without cumbersome brackets (Image credit: Nanoleaf) How to order

As Notebookcheck explains, the system also does away with the awkward brackets that make many light strips tricky to fit onto the back of TVs and monitors. Instead, it has a zig-zag shape that lets it easily bend around corners. It's compatible with monitors up to 32 inches, and can be cut to fit smaller ones.

The PC Screen Mirror Lightstrip is controlled using Nanoleaf's desktop software, which is available for Windows and macOS, but at the time of writing it's not compatible with the Nanoleaf mobile app.

It's available to pre-order now direct from Nanoleaf for $49.99 in the US, £39.99 in the UK, and orders should be delivered by the end of March so you won't have to wait long. The company hasn't yet announced pricing or a launch date for Australia.

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• Dr. Squatch has revealed a new line of Call of Duty collaboration products
• It includes two bars of soap and two deodorant sticks
• They have scents inspired by the characters Soap and Ghost

Male grooming brand Dr. Squatch has announced a new Call of Duty collaboration with a line of new products inspired by the most iconic members of Task Force 141.

It includes two bars of soap and two deodorant sticks. The Ghost Grit Bar Soap is a heavy-grit bar described as having 'deep earthy scents of pepper, leather, and smoky charcoal' while the Sarge Soap Bar boasts 'invigorating notes of Scottish juniper, pine, and moss' - presumably meant to call to mind the character's Scottish heritage.

I'm not a huge fan of gritty soap, so the Sarge Soap Bar definitely sounds the most appealing to me here. I also can't pretend that there isn't something funny about the inherently ridiculous nature of a Soap soap bar.

As for the deodorant sticks, there's the Ghost Sticc Deodorant, with a 'bold, earthy scent;' and the Sarge Sticc Deodorant, which is apparently 'crisp and revitalizing'. Key ingredients include field balm extract and ghost plant extract (which I suspect were chosen given their obvious associations with the characters) plus moisturizing coconut oil.

Inside each soap bar is a code to unlock an exclusive in-game item - a cool little calling card with the Dr. Squatch mascot dressed as Soap that I certainly wouldn't mind rocking in my online matches.

(Image credit: Dr. Squatch / Activision)

The products are available now via the Dr. Squatch website in three separate bundles in both the US and UK. You can choose between a two-pack of soaps that costs $16 / £16, a $22 / £21 two-pack with one soap and one deodorant stick, or a complete four-pack with both soaps and both deodorants that comes to $43 / £42.

This is far from the first Call of Duty collaboration, but it is quite an amusing one. The connection between (the character) Soap and soap seems pretty obvious in hindsight and the scents here don't sound half bad either. On top of this, anything that might encourage the average gamer to improve their personal hygiene can only be considered a win in my book.

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• ServiceNow fixed three flaws in July 2024, but researchers from GreyNoise saw a resurgence of abuse
• The flaws can be used for full database access
• Users should patch immediately to make sure they are protected

There has been a “notable resurgence” in the abuse of three concerning ServiceNow security vulnerabilities, experts are warning.

In May 2024, security researchers from Assetnote found vulnerabilities, tracked as CVE-2024-4879, CVE-2024-5178, and CVE-2024-5217, which ServiceNow patched the same day.

However, it seems that many organizations did not get the memo (which was released in July the same year, when CVEs were released as part of a coordinated effort with Assetnote), since their instances remained unpatched, and have now become a target, according to researchers from GreyNoise.

Chaining the bugs

The researchers found there has been a significant uptick in the attacks abusing these flaws, and although they couldn’t attribute the attacks to any known threat actors, they did note that almost three-quarters (70%) of the attacks targeted Israeli firms. Notable activity was also spotted in Germany, Japan, and Lithuania.

The vulnerabilities can be abused separately, but when they’re chained, they grant “full database access,” GreyNoise added, which puts vulnerable organizations at immense risk, since ServiceNow is used to handle sensitive employee information.

The attackers would inject a payload which checks for a specific result in the server response. If it gets the appropriate one, it deploys a second-stage payload that checks the contents of the database.

The last step is to dump user lists and account credentials. While most of the time the credentials are hashed, there are some examples where the credentials were dumped in plaintext.

That can lead to account compromise which, in turn, can carry devastating consequences, such as ransomware attacks.

ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform that provides enterprise IT service management (ITSM) and automation solutions.

It helps organizations streamline workflows, automate business processes, and improve efficiency across IT, HR, customer service, security, and other departments.

ServiceNow has almost 300,000 internet-exposed instances, making it quite a popular solution.

Some of its clients include Coca-Cola (uses it for streamlining IT service management), Dell (IT service automation and management), Deloitte (IT service automation and optimization), and the State of California ( managing state-wide IT services and operations).

Via TechCrunch

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Earlier this week we celebrated the news that Samsung’s One UI 7 update finally has a release date for older devices as the company marked April 7 as the day it would begin rolling out to Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and Galaxy Z Fold 6 devices. This news wasn’t well received by users of older handsets, unfortunately, but now they too could have a reason to get excited.

Samsung had already teased that the update would steadily roll out beyond 2024’s flagships to older and less powerful devices including the Galaxy S24 FE, the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, the Galaxy Tab S10 series and the Galaxy Tab S9 series, but now it seems even older phones will also get One UI 7.

At least that’s what Samsung’s Singapore team believes as its announcement also lists: Galaxy S22 Series, Galaxy S21 Series, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy Z Fold4, Galaxy Z Flip4, Galaxy Z Fold3, and Galaxy Z Flip3 devices as being eligible.

However, these older handsets will seemingly have to wait a little longer as the blog post tips April 14 as One UI 7’s launch date – a week later than its initial rollout.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Image credit: TechRadar)

There’s seemingly no reason why Singapore’s phones would get the update and not the same devices in other parts of the world, so we expect OneUI 7 will be hitting Galaxy S22 and S21 phones next month in the US, UK, and Australia too.

However, don’t expect the update to include the same features on every device. Older handsets lack the hardware power to perform several AI tasks.

Writing Assist and Drawing Assist will come to handsets as old as the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Tab S9, while Audio Eraser will skip these older phones and only come to the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 series.

Is it confusing? Yes. Unfortunately, on-device AI necessitates performance levels that older devices can't achieve.

The only way to secure these new features for yourself will be to snag a newer Samsung smartphone – and to help with that you can check out today’s best Samsung Galaxy S25 deals.

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