Google representatives have met with the US government to try and talk the White House out of breaking up the company.
Reports from Bloomberg claim the company has argued splitting up its businesses could harm the American economy - but also affect national security.
The US Department of Justice is simultaneously exploring two antitrust cases against Google, concerning both its search market dominance and its online ads business.
Google says breakup would be bad for national securityA federal judge ruled Google illegally monopolized the search and advertising markets last year – Statcounter has it that Google accounts for nine in 10 online searches, with Bing coming in a very distant second place with just a 4% share of the market.
The most concerning remedy proposed by the DOJ in Google’s eyes is for it to sell off the Chrome browser, which accounts for two-thirds of all browser sessions globally (via separate Statcounter figures). Google could also be forced to end its exclusivity deals with the likes of Apple.
A trial to determine the outcome is scheduled for April 2025, and Google could know where it stands as soon as August, but there is hope for the company thanks to the special timing of these events. The Biden administration had tried to break up Google at the start of the investigations, however new Trump leadership could work in Google’s favor.
It’s not the first time that Google has pulled the national security card – in 2022, it and key rivals such as Amazon, Apple and Meta had been told to open up their networks to competitors. At the time, Google said such a move could weaken US tech competitiveness against China – a hot topic in today’s administration.
A Google spokesperson told TechRadar Pro: "We routinely meet with regulators, including with the DOJ to discuss this case. As we’ve publicly said, we’re concerned the current proposals would harm the American economy and national security."
You might also likeIf you're looking for high-spec in-ear monitors with a low price tag, Astell & Kern would like to help – or rather, its lifestyle sub-brand Activo would. After launching its fantastic Activo P1 hi-res audio player and equally-impressive Activo Q1 IEMs previously, the brand has announced a third family member: the Activo Volcano. And they're a fraction of the price you'd pay for the Q1.
The official price of the Q1 earbuds is $349 / £299 / about AU$600. But the new Volcano IEMs are just $80 / £99 / about AU$127 – and we suspect they'll be an amazing-value addition to the world of the best wired earbuds.
(Image credit: Activo) Volcano valueI'm intrigued by these new IEMs because I reviewed and still use the Q1, which I gave four and a half stars to in my Activo Q1 review. The most obvious difference is in how the Volcano IEMs look: they don't have the large brass housings and steel nozzles of the Q1, and there's a different driver inside too. Here you're getting a triple-driver setup comprising one 8mm dynamic driver and two 6mm ones.
The frequency response is the same as the Q1 at 20-20,000Hz, and sensitivity is 100dB/mW. Impedance is 16 ohms. The cable is a seven-strand silver-plated and five-strand oxygen-free copper wire hybrid with two-pin connectors at one end and a choice of 3.5mm, 4.4mm and USB-C connectors at the other.
The package includes the obligatory ear tips: three memory foam and three silicone. And while the weight hasn't been detailed yet the IEMs look a lot less chunky than the Q1; not a big deal for me but some reviews have suggested that the Q1 were a little too husky in a few cases.
At this price, the Volcano undercut several impressive rivals, including the mighty Sennheiser IE 200 earbuds. Their single dynamic driver covers a wider frequency range – 6Hz - 26kHz to the Volcano's 20Hz - 20kHz – but the Volcano are considerably cheaper: the Sennheisers are currently retailing for around $119 / £125.
You might also likeAsus has revealed details of its RTX 5070 graphics cards for the launch day of this new Nvidia GPU – which is today, in case it escaped your attention – and it’s not good news. Unfortunately, it more or less confirms our fears around the potential scarcity of stock, and likelihood of inflated pricing.
VideoCardz was keen-eyed enough to notice the post from Asus on Reddit outlining the RTX 5070 launch details, and there will be three models available to buy later today (in under a couple of hours, in theory).
The positive news is that there is a model from Asus which debuts at the official MSRP set by Nvidia, which is $550 in the US. This is the entry-level Prime flavor of the RTX 5070 (and presumably it’ll be in line with Nvidia’s recommended pricing in other regions, too).
If you want the Prime OC model, though – the overclocked version of this baseline graphics card – Asus has jacked up the asking price to $700.
You’ll need a fatter wallet still to avail yourself of the Asus TUF Gaming edition of the RTX 5070, which tips the scales at $740 – which I should note is only just shy of the MSRP of $750 for the RTX 5070 Ti, a far superior graphics card.
These are the prices you’ll find on the Asus online store in the US, and at other retailers which should follow these MSRPs. Furthermore, those are the only three models launching today, which as I’ll discuss next, is another ominous sign.
(Image credit: Friends Stock / Shutterstock) Analysis: Prime mover, but Prime OC – not so muchThe fact that Asus is only kicking off with three RTX 5070 models is a pretty hefty hint that stock is going to be very light, as are the suggestions dropped elsewhere in that Reddit post. There is an Asus ROG Strix version of the RTX 5070, we’re told, but it isn’t going to be on sale from the get-go.
Asus states that: “Unfortunately, the ROG Strix cards will not be available Day 1. There is currently no ETA for when these cards will be available.”
That sounds pretty gloomy, then, and Asus doesn’t seem hopeful that the top-end model will be out anytime soon. When you consider this in the cold light of all the rumors about the RTX 5070 having poor levels of supply, once again it looks like this might be an Nvidia Blackwell launch of the paper-thin kind. A field day for scalpers and bots, if you will (again).
The pricing from Asus is worrying here, too, pushing what should be a mid-range GPU into upper-mid-range territory. Okay, so this is to be expected with some top-tier custom graphics cards, but what about the difference between the Asus Prime and Prime OC here – which is $700 vs $550 for a bit of an overclock on the latter. A 27% price increase, in other words.
Granted, we don’t know how much of an overclock it is – Asus still hasn’t listed the boost speeds for these cards, they are still ‘TBD’ on the official specs pages – but still, we can look at the same Prime and Prime OC variants of the RTX 5080 to get a good idea of what to expect.
So, what should you expect? In the case of the RTX 5080, the overclocked Prime heaps on a whole 45MHz to the max clock speed (reaching 2685MHz versus 2640MHz). Okay, so you will be getting a better build quality with the board, no doubt, and maybe more overclocking headroom for enthusiasts – but a price hike of 27% with the RTX 5070’s overclocked version of the Prime feels… opportunistic at best, cynical at worst.
Because Asus knows that these graphics cards are going to fly off the shelves, and so people will probably pay a sizeable premium to secure one (and avoid paying far more of a premium from a scalper, potentially).
At least the entry-level Prime is at its MSRP, but there’s some doubt around that too, with VideoCardz being skeptical about whether a price hike might be applied in short order following today’s launch. Will this card hold at the MSRP level beyond this week? Well, maybe, to be fair, as the base Prime model of the RTX 5070 Ti is still holding at $750 (on the Asus online store, and at Newegg, for example).
But that raises the question I already touched on: why buy the Asus TUF incarnation of the RTX 5070, which remember is pitched at $740, when you could get the Prime 5070 Ti variant instead, for just ten bucks more? (If it wasn’t out of stock, that is).
The Ti spin is so much better, after all, and it absolutely wouldn’t make sense to get the TUF 5070. Unless, of course, it’s the only model actually available, and you’re desperate to get a slice of Nvidia’s Blackwell action. That said, stock of the RTX 5070 is pretty much assured to be shaky at this point, given all the rumors, and so this question will probably be entirely theoretical later today, when sales of the RTX 5070 are live for a few milliseconds – and then inventory runs dry.
We shall see, but the way Asus has lined up pricing for these RTX 5070 models doesn’t make a lot of sense (aside from the perspective of pushing profits).
You might also like...The new CEO of Microsoft UK has hailed the possible impact that AI can have on the nation’s organizations in a potentially challenging future business landscape.
Speaking at the company’s Microsoft AI Tour London event, Darren Hardman outlined how, “from lifesaving healthcare innovations to sustainable technologies that focus on enhancing social, economic and environmental impacts, AI is leading the way.”
“For the UK as a whole, AI has the power to recast the nation's growth ambitions and ensure our position as a global player in launching new AI businesses, but also cementing our position in the industries, in which we're strong,” he declared.
AI revolution“Like the industrial revolution of the 19th century, our 21st century AI revolution represents the opportunity to bring sweeping changes to the global economy,” Hardman went on to say.
"For businesses, it's about innovating faster, optimizing processes, and having greater control about how we work, cutting the digital drudgery, removing the mundane, and doing more of the work that we love,” he added, "supercharging efficiency, enhancing services, and unlocking better outcomes for citizens.”
Hardman’s speech was accompanied by new Microsoft research which found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that business leaders are enthusiastic about the potential AI offers, with many keen to roll out technology such as AI agents.
Microsoft’s study found almost three quarters (72%) of leaders expected AI agents to be fully integrated across their operations soon, with 21% anticipating this to be within the next 12 months, and 39% within two years.
However the report also warned of a growing “AI Divide” between those business planning to embrace AI and those lacking investment or buy-in, with more than half (54%) of business leaders admitting their organization lacks any formal AI strategy, and worryingly, fewer than half (45%) say their firms properly understand the AI skills their workforce needs to be successful today.
Hardman struck an optimistic tone, declaring there is a half a trillion pound opportunity for AI and cloud UK economy over the next decade.
“There is a clear and urgent demand for AI in its many forms from developers to decision-makers across government, education and business,” he stated. “But more than that, economic growth depends on it.”
You might also likeFolding phones may promise a pocket-sized tablet experience, but there’s one unignorable difference between a foldable’s large inner display and a proper slate: the crease. It's a distraction, but Samsung Display might have finally fixed it with a design we could see adopted by the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Down the middle of a folding phone’s inner screen – along the hinge where it folds – is a crease that you can see and feel on all existing consumer models. Now, at MWC 2025 Samsung Display (the arm that works on TV and phone screen panels, and is a different entity to Samsung Electronics, which actually makes TVs, phones, and other gadgets) has showcased a creaseless foldable.
Some designs have taken steps in the right direction before. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a significantly less noticeable crease than the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and in some lights you can’t see it at all, and others that have followed – such as the Oppo Find N5 – made the crease even less distracting. But no phone eliminated the crease until now.
Images of Samsung Display’s new folding screen (via Android Central) show no visible crease from multiple viewing angles, with the improvements being highlighted by the clearly creased Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 on show next to the new tech on Samsung’s stand.
(Image credit: Future / Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)This design is generating a lot of excitement along foldables fans – especially in the light of a few extra details I want to discuss below – but it’s worth noting that although Samsung Display and Electronics may be close collaborators, they are distinct, and while the creaseless display is ready to see the light of day, it may not have been ready when the Z Fold 7 (which is due to land sometime in July) was being designed.
So there’s a chance this new display will be held back until next-year’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 – and potentially even longer based on manufacturing challenges we don’t know about, or the screen’s cost. We won’t know until the Z Fold 7 launch later this year, but beyond the lack of crease there’s a few other design details which mean I’ve got all my fingers crossed for this screen to debut in Samsung’s 2025 foldables.
More than a creaseless screenThe first is a selfie camera change for the inner screen. Currently the Galaxy Z Fold line uses an under display snapper, but the new tech shows us a classic hole punch design. The under-display camera can blend in better when an image is full screen, but it’s never completely invisible and suffers a serious quality drop compared to typical selfie cams.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a hole punch and frankly I much prefer this design so I’m excited to see a Galaxy Z Fold 7 (or 8) with a hole punch.
Samsung could learn a lot from Google's Fold (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)The other change is that the creaseless phone looks to be a bigger screen than the Z Fold 6 – with two halves that look more like a standard phone shape. A larger inner screen is never a bad thing, but it means we’ll also get a larger outer screen. The outer screen on the Z Fold 6 feels cramped, and its odd aspect ratio can cause issues with some apps, unlike the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and others that offer a more standard shaped outer screen.
This new creaseless design looks set to bring the next Samsung devices in line with its rivals size-wise.
It’s worth noting his could just be the style Samsung Display is demoing, and Samsung Electronics could make its creaseless foldable screen more closely match the existing shape and design of its existing foldables, but I for one hope this signals a major shakeup for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, 8 or whichever Samsung foldable gets this screen tech – it’s a much needed upgrade on all fronts.
You might also likeMicrosoft has unveiled a host of new AI agents aimed at supporting salespeople in their quest to chase leads and close deals like never before.
The company has announced two new agents and a new accelerator program all directed at helping sales as the rise in AI agents continues.
"Our ambition is to empower every employee with a Copilot and transform every business process with agents," noted Jared Spataro, Chief Marketing Officer, AI at Work. "Today we are announcing two new agents that apply this ambition to sales - the revenue engine for every business - and can be used right in the flow of work."
Microsoft sales AI agentsFirst up is the Sales Development Agent, which Microsoft says can help "turn contacts into qualified leads", automating the process of developing leads and crafting customer outreach.
The agent can autonomously work all day (and night) researching leads, setting up meetings, and even reaching out to customers using a company's existing CRM set-up alongside company data (such as price sheets), as well as Microsoft 365 data such as emails and meeting notes to make sure each message is accurate. Microsoft says that for some low-impact leads, it can even complete a sale.
Similarly, the new Sales Chat Agent looks to get sales done faster, giving employees access to customer insights much quicker and easier.
Using natural language prompts, the agent gives sales reps actionable takeaways from CRM data, pitch decks, meetings, emails, and the web, so they can spend less time researching, and more time selling
Both agents can be fine-tuned to every organization's particular needs, and will be accessible within Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat, as well as connecting to both Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Salesforce, meaning salespeople can get deals done without ever needing to open their CRM.
Finally, Microsoft AI Accelerator for Sales, available from April 1, 2025, gives members access to the company's latest AI products and services, alongside access to AI experts at Microsoft to help customers migrate from legacy CRM systems and aid with seller adoption, plus "premium support" and fine-tuning of the agents for even unique business needs.
You might also likeThe Philips Hue app has just received a significant upgrade that makes it easier to manage your lights, and gives you more control over video recording if your home setup includes any of the company's security cameras. App version 5.37.1 is available to download now for iOS and Android devices.
The biggest change to the app is the ability to start recording video clips manually. Signify (the company behind the Philips Hue brand) makes some of the best home security cameras around when it comes to value and convenience, but until now their recording functionality has been fairly limited.
Previously, you could set your camera to send you a notification when it detects movement and record a 60-second video clip that's stored in the cloud for you to review later. Once you've received the app update, you'll also be able to trigger recording manually while watching live footage from a camera on your phone.
As fan site Hueblog.com explains, you'll notice a new icon in Live View, which you can tap to start and stop recording. Clips recorded manually will be saved to your phone rather than the cloud.
Get organizedThe software update also makes it easier to organize your Philips Hue lights, whether you're controlling them using a Philips Hue Bridge or Bluetooth on your phone.
Each Philips Hue Bridge can control up to 50 lights, creating a mesh network that connects them to your home Wi-Fi network and to each other. That might be plenty, but if you have a large house, you may need a second Bridge to link them all.
With app version 5.37.1, you can now organize the Home tab by Bridge, and show the names of your Bridges as headings. This should make it easier to see and control the lights linked to each one. To give it a try, tap the ellipsis icon (...) to open the menu, then tap Edit Home Tab and select the Bridge Names icon.
Finally, if you control your Hue lights using Bluetooth, you can now change the icon for each one to make them easier to identify at a glance. To do so, select the Light card, then tap the ellipsis icon and choose Light Settings. It's a small change, but one that makes some of the best smart lights you can buy even better.
You might also likeApple has just launched a new iPad Air with M3 chip, updating the mid-range tablet while keeping its $599 / £599 / AU$999 starting price the same as the M2 edition – a nice little boost for Apple fans. Yet I’ve been having a look at the different configuration options (see the full list below), and pretty quickly you run into a problem: the iPad Pro.
Here’s an example. If it was me and I had my heart set on buying an iPad Air, I would probably want to get the 13-inch model over the 11-inch version. Not only does this get you a more expansive screen – which is fantastic for watching movies and editing videos – but it’s actually brighter than the 11-inch iPad Air. Whereas that device goes up to 500 nits of brightness, the 13-inch iPad Air maxes out at 600 nits.
But picking that upgrade pushes the iPad Air’s price up to $799 / £799 / AU$1,349. Add in a storage upgrade from the base 128GB to 256GB and you’re looking at a grand total of $899. That’s fairly pricey for a mid-range tablet, and it means the iPad Air loses some of its luster.
A pricing problem (Image credit: Future)If you’re spending this much money, it might actually be worth considering the 11-inch iPad Pro, which starts at just $100 more ($999 / £999 / AU$1,699).
That gets you an excellent tandem OLED display, Face ID, ProMotion refresh rates, up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and the M4 chip, among other benefits. That’s a lot of extra oomph for not much more cash. The main drawback is you’re getting a smaller 11-inch screen, as the 13-inch iPad Pro starts at the more expensive asking price of $1,299 / £1,299 / $2,199.
But if you can live with the 11-inch display (which is still a fantastic screen thanks to that tandem OLED), you’re getting one of the best tablets money can buy for only a little more than a less-advanced iPad Air. And, ironically, the iPad Pro is even thinner than the iPad Air, despite the latter’s name implying that it should be the most lightweight option.
It’s a tricky position to be in. Don’t get me wrong, the base-level $599 / £599 / AU$999 iPad Air is great value, and you get a lot of tablet for your money thanks to its featherweight design and M3 chip. But once you start adding on the upgrades, it’s much less attractive compared to the iPad Pro.
Deciding which device is right for you comes down to personal preference, but if I was looking at the iPad Air and adding a few upgrades, I’d find myself drifting inexorably towards the iPad Pro.
Maybe that’s Apple upselling people by being clever with its pricing, or maybe it’s an oversight that’s undercutting the iPad Air. Either way, the new iPad Air makes the most sense when you don’t add any upgrades to it.
You might also likeJesse Armstrong – the creator of Succession, one of the best HBO Max shows – looks set to make a directorial debut sometime in the next three months with a new movie that sounds like it could be the highly-anticipated follow-up that fans of the hit series have been waiting for.
While no title has yet been revealed – HBO has even gone as far to cover up the project's name in an image that it released alongside the announcement (see above) – we do know that the movie will star Steve Carrell and Jason Schwartzman, and the brief synopsis sounds reminiscent of Succession, with its focus on the rich and powerful.
It reads: "A group of billionaire friends get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis." What the crisis is, and how these cashed-up friends are connected, isn't yet clear, but considering that Armstrong is behind the project, many are expecting another hit satirical comedy drama.
Commenting on the new Max movie, Armstrong said he was "intrigued to discover whether being around so many brilliant actors and directors on Succession has in any way rubbed off on me. Let’s hope so". I certainly hope so, too, and I feel confident in predicting that he'll bring his considerable creative talents to this next project.
Indeed, with a high-profile cast including comedic actor Carrell (The Office; The Big Short), Wes Anderson alumni Schwartzman (Rushmore; The Darjeeling Limited), Cory Michael Smith (May December; Carol), and Ramy Youssef (Poor Things; Mo), there's certainly enough star power on board to warrant high expectations.
What do we know so far about Jesse Armstrong's new HBO movie?Not a lot. Aside from the plot, cast and release window, HBO is keeping details of the project largely under wraps. But we should start to hear more soon, considering that it's due to debut in the next three months.
It's surprising that HBO has said the new movie will be released "this Spring", because in the same breath it also says that production is only beginning this month in Park City, Utah. Such a tight turnaround sounds very ambitious, so we'll have to see what updates we get in the coming months.
A report by The Hollywood Reporter in January said production was being fast-tracked to start "later this year", but it seems that the schedule has been accelerated even more going by the latest announcement, which makes me think HBO is particularly keen to get the movie in front of audiences.
I'm not entirely surprised by that. After all, Armstrong is behind some of my favorite TV shows, with writing credits for comedic classics like Peep Show and Fresh Meat as well as satirical sensations such as Four Lions, Veep and Black Mirror.
What's even more exciting is that the project will be Armstrong's first time directing a feature-length film, and given his impressive track record I expect many will be excited to see what he has in store for us.
While we wait for this potential HBO hit to arrive, why not take a look at everything new on Max in March in the US for details of all the new releases, or check out horror aficionado Lucy Buglass' top six new Max movies and shows that she's most excited to watch this month.
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