Technology

In New York and other cities where congestion pricing policies, bike infrastructure projects, and car bans have been put in place, cyclists are finding the streets more welcoming.

• Voice control of Spotify's AI DJ has been found in a beta of the iOS app
• Expected to launch in the US and Canada first
• AI DJ is only for Premium subscribers

If you're a Spotify user, it seems you'll soon be able to ask your Spotify AI DJ: "Got any Spandau Ballet?" Newly discovered code in the iOS beta of the Spotify app shows that voice control of the AI DJ is coming soon.

The code was reported by Aaron from MacRumors, who posted a screenshot on X clearly showing some of the scripted responses, including "You're talking with an AI. We'll be storing and analyzing your voice requests as we make improvements for our public launch."

You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that voice control is coming, and it's apparently coming rather more quickly than, say, Spotify's hi-res audio option.

You will soon be able to talk to your AI DJ on Spotify, as per code in the Spotify beta for iOS. pic.twitter.com/NEttGpVJG3March 8, 2025

Spotify AI DJ: what you need to know

The Spotify AI DJ first appeared in early 2023 as a beta, with a promise to "deliver a curated lineup of music alongside commentary around the tracks and artists we think you’ll like in a stunningly realistic voice." It's a mix of data analysis from your listening history, generative AI to provide information about songs, and a dynamic AI voice.

The feature was initially restricted to US and Canadian users, but it expanded to the UK a few months later and rolled out worldwide in late 2023. A similar roll-out is likely for the voice feature, with US and Canadian customers once again being first on the list.

As with the standard AI DJ feature, this will be exclusive to Premium subscribers.

We don't yet know when the new feature will break cover; for now it's in beta testing. But its presence in the apps suggests a launch should happen fairly soon.

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• UNA Watch is a new type of sustainable, modular wearable
• It features GPS, health monitoring, and 10-day battery life
• All of its parts can be replaced, and you build the watch yourself like Lego

An Edinburgh-based smartwatch company has received a £300,000 funding injection from SFC Capital as it seeks to become a sustainable, modular alternative to the best Apple Watches and best Garmins in the wearable market.

The UNA Watch is "the world's first fully modular and repairable GPS sports watch," with shades of Garmin in its design, and a comprehensive spec list.

UNA Watch is the brainchild of Lewis Allison, former CTO of golf brand Shot Scope, which features regularly in our best golf watches guide. After years of frustration with wearables "engineered for disposability", and inspired by the likes of Fairphone and Framework laptops, the UNA Watch was born.

"UNA Watch enables users to swap out individual components, such as batteries, screens, and sensors, rather than replacing the entire device," the company told TechRadar. Not only does this make the UNA Watch more repairable and sustainable, it also paves the way for future modular upgrades including more advanced health tracking, cellular connectivity, and even a better display.

The UNA Watch is about to launch via Kickstarter, and the company says it has over 7,000 people who've registered interest, and over 1,000 deposits already put down on the UNA Watch.

UNA: Meet the modular GPS sports watch

(Image credit: UNA)

On the surface, the UNA looks like a lot like your average Garmin Forerunner, but under the hood, it's a very different story.

The UNA Watch features dual-frequency GPS, an altimeter, and an accelerometer, comprehensive health tracking, an advanced heart rate sensor, a 10-day battery life, an always-on 1.2-inch 240 x 240 MIP Display (reminiscent of the Garmin Instinct 2), and a smartwatch rarity: USB-C charging.

All of these features are powered by modular components that you can easily replace or upgrade at home. So, if you damage the display, you can simply order a new one and replace it yourself.

UNA says its health tools include high-precision optical sensors for continuous, accurate heart rate monitoring and real-time cardiovascular performance insights. The company also offers customizable heart rate zones and alerts, detailed post-workout data, and more.

The cost? The UNA Watch's MSRP is $335 (UK and AUS pricing and availability tbc), or you can score a $100 discount if you put down a $1 deposit ahead of launch.

(Image credit: UNA)

Thanks to the UNA app, the watch works with iOS and Android and is the hub for training data and insights, customizations, and integration with the best fitness apps, including Strava.

All of this makes for extremely enticing reading, and is a sustainability record that, at first glance, puts the Apple Watch to shame.

Apple was recently sued over claims its 'carbon neutral' Apple Watch marketing is misleading, and the company's best efforts aside, its wearables are largely un-repairable by design. The company offers battery life services, otherwise, any other damage usually incurs costs so high it's more effective to just buy a new model, and it's a similar story across the wearables market.

UNA is looking to overturn that, and the watch on paper looks promising. The spec sheet doesn't set the world alight, but it's a solid start for a watch that promises to last you a lot longer than your average wearable, and that could offer modular upgrades in the future.

The UNA Watch Kickstarter is launching April 2, and you can sign up to reserve one at the aforementioned VIP discount on UNA's website.

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• Windows 11 has a couple of new recommendations in testing now
• There’s a change to the Start menu that suggests apps that are often snapped together side-by-side
• Another addition is with File Explorer which recommends files that are commonly used (or recently downloaded)

Windows 11 has a couple of changes in testing showing how Microsoft is pushing ahead with getting the OS to make more recommendations – though fortunately, there’s not an advert to be seen here.

This work is on both File Explorer and the Start menu, two key pieces of the interface in Windows 11, and it’s happening in a new preview release in the Beta channel (build 22635.5025).

With the ‘Recommended’ panel in the Start menu, some testers will now see recommendations of two apps bundled together if these are often candidates to be snapped together (meaning run side-by-side in a pair of windows snapped to fill the screen).

In Microsoft’s example, there’s a recommendation to run both WhatsApp and File Explorer together – just click on the icon, and the two apps will be started alongside each other.

With the second introduction here, Microsoft is bringing in ‘Recommended’ files on the Home page of File Explorer, where testers will see a list of “relevant files” based on previous activity. These could be recently downloaded files or commonly used ones.

It should be noted that this change is not coming to Europe (the EEA or European Economic Area) for now, but it will apply to Windows 11 users signed in to a Microsoft account, or just a local account on the PC.

Microsoft’s blog post outlines another useful change here, which is the fix for a bug in File Explorer whereby when it’s closed using the ‘X’ button (top-right), it can be very slow to disappear.

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan) Analysis: Explorer woes are numerous still, but these are useful steps forward

It’s good to see one of the issues with File Explorer being tackled, but there are quite a number of performance-related hiccups that various Windows 11 users have reported in recent times, so Microsoft still has work to do here. Indeed, the February patch for Windows 11 brought forth a new gremlin in the works of File Explorer which caused it to partially, or even totally, malfunction, and is a truly worrying glitch – one that will hopefully be fixed quickly.

As for the recommendations popping up here, these sorts of suggestions aren’t what everyone wants, as some folks feel it’s just more clutter. But if Microsoft is going to have these panels, I feel that the snap suggestions are a potentially handy addition – indeed this is another positive piece of work for the Start menu, which is, refreshingly, moving in a better direction of late – and the recommended section in File Explorer could be useful in a pinch, too.

As already noted, the important thing here is at least these features are trying to make life easier for the average Windows 11 user, and not attempting to push Microsoft’s various services on unsuspecting folks (although make no mistake, the latter is happening elsewhere in the OS all too often for my liking).

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• Signal President Meredith Whittaker calls out dangers of AI agents
• Increased work task usage means "you’re not doing any of that yourself"
• The tools have already raised privacy and security concerns

The president of popular messaging app Signal has warned AI agents come with a significant risk to privacy and security, which is “haunting” the hype around agentic AI.

Speaking at SXSW, Meredith Whittaker argued AI agents are being marketed like a "magic genie bot” which thinks many steps ahead and completes tasks for users, so, “your brain can sit in a jar, and you’re not doing any of that yourself”.

But this comes at a cost, and although the use of AI agents is proving popular, Whittaker emphasized that there’s a “real danger” with these bots, because they require extensive access to user data.

Excessive access

Say you asked an AI agent to book a concert for you and your friends - this should be a fairly straightforward task, but it does mean the AI agent would need access to your browser, your credit card information, your calendar, and even your messages to let the friends know.

This all means that with just one task, the agent now has access to your financial details, your day to day plans, and your messages - which could be extremely damaging if the data fell into the wrong hands.

"It would need to be able to drive that across our entire system with something that looks like root permission, accessing every single one of those databases, probably in the clear because there's no model to do that encrypted," Whittaker explained.

Messaging apps like Signal which have end-to-end encryption (E2EE) would compromise the privacy of user messages if integrated with AI agents, even if this was just to text friends or summarize your incoming messages, she noted.

“That’s almost certainly being sent to a cloud server where it’s being processed and sent back,” Whittaker adds. “So there’s a profound issue with security and privacy that is haunting this hype around agents, and that is ultimately threatening to break the blood-brain barrier between the application layer and the OS layer by conjoining all of these separate services [and] muddying their data,”

Via TechCrunch

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• Performance modes for Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 Pro have been confirmed
• Expect Performance, Fidelity and Balanced modes
• On PS5 Pro, 'extended' ray tracing is being offered for two modes

Ubisoft has detailed its performance modes for Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 Pro. It's all about what you'd expect for the upgraded hardware, with 'extended' ray tracing being the main draw.

As confirmed by an official PlayStation Blog post, Assassin's Creed Shadows will feature three separate performance modes on both PS5 and PS5 Pro: Performance, Fidelity, and Balanced.

On both consoles, these performance modes are largely identical. All target an upscaled 2160p (4K) resolution. In terms of frame rates, you're getting a targeted 60fps in Performance mode, 30fps in Fidelity mode, and 40fps in Balanced mode (designed for displays that support variable refresh rate and HDMI 2.1).

The big difference between the PS5 and PS5 Pro experiences comes down to ray tracing. On the standard console, Performance mode offers 'selective' ray tracing which limits global illumination to the Hideout. That's your base of operations in Shadows, by the way. Meanwhile, 'standard' ray tracing is applied to both Fidelity and Balanced modes, which provides the feature throughout the game world.

Ray tracing look to be upgraded for Assassin's Creed Shadows on PS5 Pro, then. Performance mode offers that standard ray tracing experience, while Fidelity and Balanced brings 'extended' ray tracing to the table. According to the PlayStation Blog post, this "includes full support of ray tracing to compute global illumination for diffuse lighting and reflective surfaces throughout the game world."

Currently, it's not clear as to whether or not ray tracing can be disabled entirely, if only to squeeze out some extra performance from each of the three modes. Ray tracing is nice from a visual standpoint of course, but I personally prefer more reliable performance throughout.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is launching on March 20, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC.

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• The next two Avengers movies could include heroes from Marvel TV shows on Disney+
• Doomsday and Secret Wars' directors are taking all aspects of the MCU into account for the films
• They won't elaborate on who'll be part of each movie's cast, though

Joe and Anthony Russo haven't ruled out including heroes from Marvel TV shows in the next two Avengers movies.

Speaking to TechRadar for their new Netflix film The Electric State (read my review of The Electric State while you're here), the siblings wouldn't be drawn on who'll appear in either or both movies. However, the duo collectively known as the Russo brothers, who were officially revealed as the movies' directors at Comic-Con 2024 following rumors of their return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), didn't outright dismiss the rumors that superpowered characters from Marvel's Disney+ projects will feature.

"In terms of what we're drawing on for our storytelling, we take the comprehensive view of the MCU," Anthony Russo replied when I asked the pair if the likes of Ms Marvel, Hawkeye's Kate Bishop, Agatha All Along's Billy Maximoff/Wiccan, or even Moon Knight may show up.

"So, without getting into anything more specific than that, this is the universe we're telling a story within," he added. "You can read into that what you like."

Which Marvel characters are set to appear in Avengers 5 and 6?

Robert Downey Jr is the only confirmed cast member so far (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios/Marvel Studios)

Right now, the only actor confirmed to star in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars is Robert Downey Jr.

The A-lister famously played Tony Stark and his superpowered alias Iron Man in the MCU between 2008 and 2019. However, with Marvel firing former Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors in late 2023 after various allegations about the star emerged, the studio needed a new Big Bad for its Multiverse Saga. Fast-forward to June 2024 and the shock news that Downey Jr was returning to the MCU as Doctor Victor von Doom, aka one of Marvel Comics' most notorious villains.

Given Doom's ties to The Fantastic Four, it's highly likely that Marvel's First Family will also appear in one or both of the aforementioned movies. The iconic quartet will make their own MCU debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps this July, so I'd be very surprised if that movie doesn't set up events to come in Avengers 5 and Avengers 6.

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There are many more heroes up for inclusion, including Hulk, Thor, Captain Marvel, and even Yelena Belova (providing she survives the events of Thunderbolts). Topping the list of potential candidates in my view, though, are Anthony Mackie's Captain America and Tom Holland's Spider-Man.

Cap is renowned for leading Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Marvel Comics and the MCU, so Mackie should be part of proceedings. Meanwhile, Holland's webslinger will appear in his next standalone movie – Spider-Man 4 – in July 2026. With that film set between the next two Avengers flicks, plus Holland and Spidey's popularity among Marvel fans, Holland is all but certain to feature.

Then there's Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange. Cumberbatch has suggested he wouldn't be part of Doomsday, with Strange playing a big role in Secret Wars instead. He's since backtracked on those comments, though, so who knows if he's involved in both Marvel Phase 6 movies. Lastly, there's speculation that Chris Evans will join Downey Jr in making an MCU comeback. It's unclear who he'll play, though.

With principal photography due to start sometime in April, we might be privy to more casting news in the near future through leaks and/or official confirmation from Marvel Studios.

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The IT world is currently in the middle of an ‘AI rush,’ and we have just been hit by a new next wave with the launch of DeepSeek, an open source AI-powered chatbot that rivals OpenAI’s architecture. With any new artificial intelligence innovation, we must also discuss its potential data privacy impact. In the wake of Data Privacy Day, now is a good time to take a closer look at the potential of this new AI tool and its related data protection considerations.

AI is fundamentally about handling and enriching data, as without data (for now) there is no artificial intelligence. The more data and power it is fed, the more powerful the artificial intelligence becomes. The contextual engines of tools like ChatGPT and now DeepSeek rely on the data as context for their modeling and outcomes. And this raises the question of who controls this data and who has access to it. What data goes into the AI tools and which biases are potentially existing in this box?

The democratization of AI

DeepSeek claims to have power not only to process massive amounts of data efficiently, but to throw stock markets into turmoil due to the substantially lower cost than rivals. For many years, companies from the United States have dominated the digital innovation space; and it would appear that in the first two years of the AI rush, many of the companies in the space like OpenAI, are also American.

No wonder these digital natives are taking this AI newcomer from China as a massive threat that endangers the land grab for artificial intelligence, very similar to how the Cloud race and other IT land grabs have been before.

DeepSeek’s entrance is expected to have a democratization effect on AI and shows that the insular group of Silicon Valley companies are no longer the only ones capable of shaping the future of this technology. The fact that DeepSeek is an open source AI platform, however, has to be evaluated carefully. While this AI tool’s codes are open, its training data sources remain largely opaque, making it difficult to assess potential biases or security risks.

What makes DeepSeek nevertheless so powerful is its unique level of efficiency. The biggest problems that Silicon Valley has had in the wake of the AI rush over the last two years are the enormous processing required and the consequential energy consumption of all these chatbots and applications that are suddenly in vogue.

With the development of DeepSeek there is the potential to have AI consume more efficiently, and therefore less energy as it needs less computing power. The compute curve was approaching an asymptote governed by supply and costs were rising and driving market caps for companies in the ecosystem. That supply, such as for GPUs, faces a change in the balance between supply and demand.

But this potential disruption is only one side of the coin. This new AI tool will function as a catalyst to speed up demand of new applications and, in the short-to-medium term, organizations will likely accelerate AI innovation and come to a point where the capacity maximization from an energy and compute perspective returns to the same asymptote yet again. Barring breakthroughs in energy production or computing, such as with quantum computing, the ecosystem will stabilize in due order.

Mature AI foundations

In the rush to roll out new AI driven applications as fast as they can, organizations should not forget about solid data protection foundations. There are various governance, privacy, security, legal, social, and ethical considerations that should be taken into account, alongside improved efficiency and performance of an AI tool.

Organizations have to make sure all these components are in alignment before pushing forward, and those that have done so are ready to leap ahead flexibly and quickly while those that haven’t will find themselves at more risk than peers. Each of these dimensions require not only a framework and deliberation but the articulation and clarity as well.

When organizations accelerate the rate of information being fed into their AI tools to supercharge adoption, they have to review the data sets for bias and be transparent about what data they are using and collecting in their model. The final step is to evaluate not only the outputs of their AI tools but also the supply chain that has access to it. The very minute that data is introduced into the AI world, organizations should be aware that they have the appropriate security controls in place.

So with all this goldrush mindset of AI, organizations must not forget data protection. Companies that have invested time and effort in their AI governance and preparation around data protection mechanisms in the last two years will be able to get to the AI gold first. They will have mature AI policies in place about who they work with and how they treat their data, have ethical guidelines and oversight into AI projects to enable the departments that are eagerly evaluating new AI tools and functionality.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we 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/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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I’ve never wanted to sky dive or do a bungee jump, but when I read some industry commentary it feels like this is what CFOs are being asked to do when it comes to investing in AI tools. For example, Ashu Garg and Jaya Gupta at Foundation VC claim: “This isn’t just a new category of software; it’s the dismantling of enterprise software as we know it.”

Knowing CFOs as I do, they are a pragmatic bunch who are not easily swayed by marketing speak and will only invest when tangible value can be demonstrated. They are also unlikely to invest in AI if there is any sense they might lose control of critical decision-making processes. So, if vendors want to encourage CFOs to embrace AI, finance leaders must be confident they can trust the technology to deliver accurate results.

Putting aside the hype, it is not likely that existing large language models (LLMs) and conversational AI tools will dismantle every element of finance workflows any time soon. However, change is coming, and CFOs need to get ready. Right now, they should be thinking about getting the correct foundations in place so that when the time comes to adopt AI tools, they have ultimate flexibility to do it in a pragmatic way; rather than the unnerving sensation of jumping off a cliff into the unknown attached to a bungee cord.

AI and the randomness of life

Once the organizational and IT foundations are established, CFOs will have more confidence that AI tools will base their decisions on accurate information. They will also be better placed to oversee the AI tool to avoid incorrect decisions. For example, unpredictability in forecasting and planning is a primary challenge.

Black swan events can have dramatic and unforeseen effects on performance, but this is not simple for LLMs to address. Traditionally, they require training on every eventuality to make decisions, but with the right building blocks in place finance teams can decide how best to approach such unique scenarios with AI tools.

One way AI Agents will be able to address these more complex situations is by collaborating with one another to complete tasks autonomously, as the analyst and industry commentator, Phil Wainewright has highlighted. Potentially, this approach will see these tools find new solutions and create opportunities to drive productivity, as well as business performance.

Three priorities to build trust in AI

In such an example, CFOs must be prepared to allow critical finance systems to operate autonomously without supervision. This will require huge trust in AI, but finance leaders can be more confident in ceding control to AI tools if they have addressed three priorities:

1. Integrity of input data: it is obvious, but data must be accurate, and its integrity protected if AI tools are to make trustworthy decisions. AI agents must be able to share data if they are to collaborate, so organizations must have a single source of truth for all the information within their systems, as well as be able to integrate information easily from external sources. This also means being able to read all data, in all formats – structured and unstructured. On top of that is data security and knowing that the data comes from trusted sources – if AI Agents are talking to one another unhindered, how do you guarantee they are all trustworthy?

2. Problem complexity: the AI tool you adopt needs to fit the problem. Generalist AI models, like conversational AI tools, may not be suited to making decisions for niche challenges. How you train the AI is critical – does it have the right data source relevant to the problem you’re looking to solve? But the even bigger question is how you deal with randomness. Phil Wainewright talks about the “ingenuity of humans” which today AI systems cannot replicate. In the world of finance, if you are looking at forecasting, there are a multiplicity of known factors affecting business performance, but there are also black swans which are very difficult to train an AI to adapt to. How will your AI model cope with randomness?

3. Transparency of decision making: if we are going to let go and trust AI Agents to take more decisions in finance environments, then we must be able to trust the answers they provide. Unsupervised learning is a key step on the path to “letting go” but this requires confidence both in the model being used and the training data. With LLMs this process can also become inefficient. The more data they require to train the AI, the bigger the black box becomes, the more unwieldy and harder it is to understand the decision making. It also poses the risk of unreliable data sources being introduced into the model. Businesses cannot afford to rely on technologies and data that cannot be decoded, so it is critical to find more elegant, streamlined ways to demonstrate what data is being used and how the model uses the data to reach decisions.

Addressing these priorities from the outset will give CFOs the confidence that AI is being embraced as part of a structured approach, surrounded by defined policies and guidelines. Having such checks and balances in place will ensure adopting AI is not a leap of faith. Certainly, there is an element of stepping into the unknown, because we don’t yet know the full extent of what mature AI technologies will be capable of, but if you approach it right, it will not feel like you’re attached to a bungee, curling your toes over the edge of the cliff while you psyche yourself up to leap.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we 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/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 10.

• Red Hat and Axiom Space plan to send an Orbital Data Center to the ISS
• AxDCU-1 will run AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing tests in space
• The aim is to deliver secure, low latency processing off-world

It seems as if space really is the next frontier for data centers. We recently reported Lonestar was preparing to send the first physical data center (actually a RISC-V processor with a Phison SSD running Ubuntu) to the Moon, following the company's earlier success in testing the world’s first software-defined data center on the International Space Station (ISS).

Now, IBM’s Red Hat has announced a tie-up with Axiom Space to send a data center to the ISS in spring 2025. The Data Center Unit-1 (AxDCU-1) prototype will be powered by Red Hat Device Edge, an enterprise-grade version of MicroShift (a lightweight Kubernetes distribution derived from Red Hat OpenShift), along with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.

AxDCU-1 will test applications in cloud computing, AI/ML, data fusion, and space cybersecurity on the space station while also demonstrating initial Orbital Data Center (ODC) capabilities.

In-space data processing

“Off-planet data processing is the next frontier, and edge computing is a crucial component,” said Tony James, chief architect, Science and Space, Red Hat. “With Red Hat Device Edge and in collaboration with Axiom Space, Earth-based mission partners will have the capabilities necessary to make real-time decisions in space with greater reliability and consistency.”

AxDCU-1 is part of Axiom Space’s ongoing work to develop space infrastructure and will allow data to be processed closer to off-world sources, including spacecraft and satellites. The aim is to support more secure and faster decision-making in space.

“We are excited about the possibilities this collaboration with Red Hat enables for ODC infrastructure and the future of space operations. Infusing terrestrial-grade cloud solutions into ODCs will enable users to seamlessly transition and enhance their terrestrial workloads to orbit while leveraging the lower latency and increased security inherent with ODCs," said Jason Aspiotis, global director of in-space data and security at Axiom Space.

Axiom Space says use cases for ODCs include in-space data processing for satellites, AI/ML training, cybersecurity, autonomy, space weather analytics, and off-planet backup for Earth's critical infrastructure.

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• Samsung has signed an agreement with China’s YMTC to use its hybrid bonding tech
• The move will prevent infringement claims in production of 400-layer NAND
• US-China trade tensions may also have influenced the agreement

Samsung Electronics has signed a contract with Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) which will allow it to use the Chinese semiconductor company’s bonding technology in the production of its 400-layer NAND flash memory.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Wuhan, China, YMTC is a subsidiary of Tsinghua Unigroup, which is backed by the Chinese government. It focuses on 3D NAND flash memory, a critical component in storage devices like SSDs, smartphones, and data centers, and most famously developed Xtacking technology, a proprietary architecture that improves NAND flash performance and density.

According to Korea’s ChosunBiz news site, Samsung likely entered into the agreement to avoid a patent dispute related to this “hybrid bonding,” which will be an essential process in the mass production of 400-layer NAND memory.

US-China trade war a factor?

"YMTC registered the hybrid bonding patent and was the first to apply the relevant technology in the manufacturing process of NAND flash memory. Although YMTC significantly trails behind global memory semiconductor corporations such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in terms of market share, it is quickly catching up with South Korean firms, recently starting mass production of 294-layer NAND flash memory," the site explains.

It is believed the agreement will protect both firms from violating each other’s patents. YMTC sued Micron in a U.S. court last year, alleging infringement of its NAND tech.

ChosunBiz quotes a semiconductor industry insider as saying, “In the memory semiconductor industry, companies sign licensing agreements in advance to avoid patent disputes ahead of next-generation product development and manufacturing. While such agreements are a common practice in the industry, concerns are growing over the rapid narrowing of the technology gap between China and leading companies, as Samsung, the top player in the NAND flash memory market, is now using patents from a Chinese firm.”

eeNews Analog points out that there could be more to the agreement than just wanting to avoid infringement. “It may also reflect that a US-China trade war may impact YMTC’s ability to sell memory components outside China and that a licensing or cross-licensing arrangement for various technologies could benefit YMTC,” the site writes.

ChosunBiz’s article doesn’t mention SK Hynix, Samsung’s South Korean memory rival, but it’s possible - likely even - that it too will have explored or entered into similar licensing agreements with YMTC to secure the hybrid bonding technology for its own NAND flash production.

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• The Mac mute button now matches the on-screen graphics
• Keyboards for MacBooks and iPads have been updated
• It's the first tweak to the button design since back in 1999

Apple unveiled some shiny new MacBook Airs for 2025 earlier this week – and as well as featuring the latest M4 chipsets inside, they also correct a keyboard oversight that's been around since the last century.

As spotted by iCulture (via MacRumors), the mute button on the keyboard now shows a small speaker with a strikeout line through it. Previously, the icon was just a speaker, with none of the sound waves next to it that the other volume buttons show.

Why does this matter? Well, as you'll notice if you're reading this on a Mac, if you tap the mute button on an Apple keyboard, you get a speaker icon with a strikeout line through it on screen. The keyboard graphics now match the macOS visuals.

It's not much of a change in the grand scheme of computing upgrades, but it's nice to now have some consistency. The old mute button icon has been around since the launch of the PowerBook G3 all the way back in 1999.

Looking good

The updated laptops bring with them a fresh color (Image credit: Apple)

Apple hasn't said anything officially about the updated iconography, but the change has also been made on the new Magic Keyboard that comes with the refreshed 7th-generation iPad Air tablet, powered by the M3 chipset.

That would indicate the new look is here to stay, and will continue to feature on Mac keyboards going forward. The next computers we're expecting from Apple are the M5 MacBook Pros, due before the end of the year.

Judging by the comments on the MacRumors article linked above, this isn't something that has been particularly confusing or frustrating for users – but given Apple's usual attention to detail, it's strange that the inconsistency has persisted.

Our full review of the M4 MacBook Air is still in the pipeline, but we have managed to get some hands-on time with the updated laptops already – and the fresh Sky Blue color is definitely one that catches the eye.

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Gemini, Google's AI chatbot running the 2.0 Flash model, is well equipped to handle complex conversations, generate instant images ("I need a picture of a guy working on the weekend on his computer"), and handle difficult math equations. I know all this, and yet, sometimes, I just find myself chatting with the thing, and when I do that, I often discover hidden capabilities, like classic video gameplay.

Remember Zork? In 1977, a trio of MIT researchers created the first text-based adventure game for a DEC mainframe and eventually ported it to the earliest PCs. I discovered the minimalist game in 1980 at my high school's math lab, home of the school's only computer. The game offers you descriptions and options while a witty narrator carries you through the storyline. Your decisions define your experience and gameplay. It was difficult and inscrutable, but I loved it.

BFFs

The subject of the game came up quite by accident during a casual conversation with Gemini.

I started using Gemini more after I found I could place the Gemini widget on my iPhone 16 Pro Max's lock screen. Now, the LLM is one tap away. As with most AI conversations, they follow my own somewhat random stream of consciousness. I started by asking Gemini about AGI (artificial general intelligence). Gemini spelled it out for me and admitted that it does not yet have AGI.

The conversation felt stilted, so I asked, via voice, Gemini to make its responses more casual like it was my best friend. It heard the word "casual" as "coffee" and then comically blended coffee references into its now much friendlier banter.

Gemini asked about my weekend plans, and then I asked if it liked to play games. Among the responses it offered is that it enjoyed text-based games. Then Gemini asked what games I like to play.

(Image credit: Future)

I explained my love of chess and poor modern video game skills. Then I described playing "one of the very earliest video games where there was nothing but text and you would sort of go on an adventure and you'd get a prompt, and then you would figure out what you were supposed to do based on some options."

This description clearly intrigued Gemini, and it asked if I wanted to talk more about these classic games, play chess, or play a text-based adventure that it would create.

I recalled the game Zork, which Gemini described as a "legendary game," and gave me some details about its history.

Then Gemini offered to set up a little "Zork-inspired adventure."

Do you want to play a game?

Don't worry; this isn't a tale where a sinister computer offers to set up a game that inexplicably has geopolitical and possibly world-ending implications. Gemini is not that AI. But I will say, the game that followed was impressive, if a bit too precious.

Here's how it started:

"You find yourself standing at the edge of a whispering forest. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and ancient trees. A narrow path winds its way into the depths of the woods, disappearing into the shadows. To your left, you see a crumbling stone wall, partially overgrown with ivy. To your right, a small, gurgling stream flows from the forest, its water dark and clear.

What do you do?

Options:

1 Follow the path into the forest.

2 Examine the stone wall.

3 Follow the stream.

4 Listen to the sounds of the forest.

Enter the number corresponding to your choice."

Mostly, I selected numbers that I thought would keep the adventure percolating. The descriptions were rich and mostly well-written; if I closed my eyes, I could imagine the scene. I was entertained and curious enough to keep going.

The game's storyline led me through a path in the woods to, naturally, an old moss-covered cottage. Inside was a "figure" who was eventually described as "Edler." At one point, Gemini took to calling the figure "them" and "they," which might have meant the figure had no gender or that Gemini had lost a bit of the thread.

Throughout more than a dozen prompts, we explored the woods, retrieved a magical key, and examined the contents of a mysterious box. Perhaps my favorite part of the game was how it tied together, retrieving the key from a magical stone and then realizing that it was also the key that unlocked that special box.

The game went on so long that I had to take breaks. When I returned to Gemini, I thought I'd lost the game, but Gemini keeps track of all prompt discussions in the chat icon on the upper left corner of the app. As soon as I opened that prompt, we were able to continue from where I left off.

Gemini's idea of a big reveal fell a little flat. We found a locket in the box containing photos of Edler's parents. Their tale of love found and lost wasn't particularly magical or even that dramatic, but Edler's obvious sadness did touch me.

However, once the Elder shared the 'secret" of the locket, I was no longer interested in the Elder's story or the cottage, so I chose the option where I said goodbye and left the cottage.

(Image credit: Future)

Here was the final gameplay text:

"Thank you for sharing your story, Elder," you say, your voice soft and respectful. "I'm glad I could help you recover this precious memento."

You rise from your chair, ready to take your leave. "I should be heading back now. The sun is setting, and I don't want to get lost in the forest."

Elder nods slowly, their eyes filled with gratitude. "You are a kind and courageous traveler," they say. "May the forest guide you safely on your journey. And may you always remember the power of love and memory."

You turn and walk towards the door, the creaking hinges echoing in the quiet room. As you step out into the twilight, you glance back at the cottage. The flickering candlelight casts a warm glow through the window, illuminating the figure of Elder, still holding the silver locket.

You turn and walk away, the sounds of the forest closing in around you. The path back to the edge of the woods seems clearer now, as if the forest itself is guiding you.

The End."

Gemini wasn't that good at raising the stakes – a key component of the best gameplay – but I was engaged, and I think the game might've been more interesting if I'd made some different choices or been more involved in the game development. I'm sure Gemini would let me adjust some of the mechanics.

It's another reminder that we're far from discovering the full depths of these chatbots' capabilities. We must be ready to look beyond the obvious, choose our path, and take an AI adventure.

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• The Last of Us season 2's final trailer has been released
• HBO's hugely successful TV show will return to our screens in mid-April
• Its new teaser is full of moments pulled right of the series' videogame namesake

The Last of Us season 2 is, at the time of writing, just over a month away – and HBO has more than whet our appetite for its arrival with a pulsating new trailer.

Clocking in at around two minutes, the teaser was released online after its worldwide debut at South by South West yesterday (March 8). I predicted season 2's new trailer would be revealed during the show's panel at this year's Austin, Texas-based festival, so I'm glad I was right.

Anyway, the latest footage is full of thrilling, tense, and dark moments (literally and thematically) that have been pulled right out of Naughty Dog's videogame franchise of the same name. Suffice it to say: if The Last of Us' return wasn't already one of my most anticipated new series of 2025, it certainly would be now.

There's a lot – and I mean a lot – to unpack from The Last of Us TV show's latest trailer. The most notable moment is saved for its final few seconds, though, as it confirms that Ellie (Bella Ramsey) will eventually learn about what Joel (Pedro Pascal) did in last season's finale. I'll refrain from spoiling that for anyone who's still working their way through The Last of Us season 1, but you can read all about in my guide on The Last of Us season 2 if you need a reminder or aren't fussed about spoilers.

The incident I'm referring to also sets up some big plot threads for season 2, which begs the question: will that incredibly shocking and divisive event from The Last of Us Part II be a part of this season's narrative? The short answer is: I don't know. Season 2's latest trailer didn't give us any indication that it would. Neither did The Last of Us season 2's first trailer or another teaser that was released in early January.

Of course, HBO isn't going to ruin one of the most important moments from the aforementioned game ahead of one of the best Max shows' return. My best guess? It will happen before the upcoming season ends, and might even be the basis for a cliff-hanger ending that leaves us devastated and longing for the show's in-development third season to arrive ASAP.

What is the release date for The Last of Us season 2?

Season 2 arrives in mid-April worldwide (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

The hit show's sophomore outing will be released on Sunday, April 12 in the US. It'll launch a day later (April 13) in the UK and Australia.

As for where you can watch it, US audiences can stream it on HBO and Max – the latter being one of the world's best streaming services. UK viewers can watch it on Sky and Now TV, while Australians should tune into Binge and Foxtel.

The Last of Us season 2 cast: Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, Kaitlyn Dever, and more

Kaitlyn Dever's Abby should play a massive role in season 2 (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

Joining Ramsey and Pedro on the returning cast roster are Gabriel Luna as Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Maria.

Where newcomers are concerned, Kaitlyn Dever is the most noteworthy addition as she's playing Abby, The Last of Us Part II's deuteragonist. Due to her importance to the story, she'll likely have a co-starring role with Ramsey and Pascal throughout this season.

Other confirmed faces you can expect to see in season 2 are Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara will play a currently unnamed therapist who interacts with Pascal's Joel, too. You can learn more about all of them in my season 2 hub, which I linked to earlier.

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• Chinese researchers are working to develop molecular hard drives with high capacity
• The drives use organometallic molecules to boost data density and efficiency
• A conductive atomic force microscope tip reads and writes molecular data

Chinese researchers are exploring the potential of organic materials to develop a new type of hard drive that could potentially store six times the amount of data compared to current mechanical models.

Traditional hard drives store data in binary form, relying on magnetized regions to represent ones and zeros, which limits storage capacity. Molecular hard drives overcome this by using self-assembled monolayers of organometallic complex molecules, such as RuXLPH, to significantly increase data density while maintaining ultra-low power consumption, measured at just 2.94 picowatts per bit.

A key component in the operation of molecular HDDs is the conductive atomic force microscope tip (C-AFM), which serves as the mechanical programming and read head. The tip applies localized voltages to the self-assembled monolayer, triggering redox reactions in the RuXLPH molecules. The tip’s nanoscale resolution allows precise control over molecular conductance states, allowing for multi-bit storage in an exceptionally small footprint.

Encryption at the molecular level

Another advantage of molecular hard drives is the enhanced security they offer. Unlike traditional drives that require separate encryption mechanisms, molecular HDDs feature in-situ XOR encryption at the molecular level. This capability allows secure data encoding and retrieval without additional hardware, reducing vulnerability to cyber threats.

The researchers demonstrated this by encoding and encrypting a 128x128 pixel image, proving the system’s ability to securely store and retrieve data.

The research was published in Nature Communications. The authors say future work will focus on improving miniaturization, increasing conductance states, and addressing environmental sensitivity.

Blocks & Files makes an interesting point however. “The working life of an atomic force microscope tip is currently measured at 50-200 hours in intermittent touch (tapping) mode versus 5-50 hours in continuous touch mode. Unless and until a long-lasting C-AFM tip can be created, this would seem to be a fatal flaw in their molecular hard drive concept. A second point is that the device has “ultralow power consumption of pW/bit range,” but this is for reading and writing, not spinning the disk, which would take more power.”

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Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 9 (game #371).

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 #372) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… You're pushing my buttons

NYT Strands today (game #372) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• VOTE
• MORE
• BIDE
• LEAN
• ROGUE
• POEM

NYT Strands today (game #372) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Works your TV

NYT Strands today (game #372) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: bottom, 4th column

Last side: top, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #372) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #372, are…

• VOLUME
• BACK
• POWER
• HOME
• MUTE
• GUIDE
• CHANNEL
• SPANGRAM: REMOTE CONTROL

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

Losing a REMOTE CONTROL is really frustrating. As a scatterbrained person it's something I do a lot. It's almost a superpower – well if superpowers were useless and annoying.

Losing a remote is a great example of how powerless we are without technology – with the TV remaining on (or off) and stuck until the blessed “zapper” is located.

I've found ours in the fridge before and I once took it to work, leaving my wife at home having to watch National Geographic all day (there are worse channels it could have been stuck on) or pull the plug.

The worst remotes are the tiny ones. I’ve gone through three for my Amazon TV Fire Stick, all possibly eaten by the couch (or a cat) but vanished forever after lengthy hours-long searches. I could tape an AirTag to it, but this seems an extreme measure considering how it's a housebound object.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 9 March, game #371)

• PURR
• HISS
• SNUGGLE
• STRETCH
• SWAT
• BLINK
• POUNCE
• SPANGRAM: CAT BEHAVIOR

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.