Technology

• Netflix has raised its prices again for all its plans in the US
• It hasn't yet confirmed if other regions like the UK will see price rises
• 'Subscription hopping' is becoming an increasingly popular coping strategy

Netflix has welcomed everyone into the new year with a move that wouldn't be out of place on its new WWE Raw show – a pricing drop-kick in the US that brings the cost of its monthly plans to new painful levels.

If you missed the news, the cheapest Standard (with ads) monthly plan is rising from $6.99 to $7.99, the Standard (without ads) plan is going up from $15.49 to $17.99, while Premium is hitting the heights of $24.99 (previously $22.99). We don't yet know if the UK will see similar price rises, but it seems highly likely (if not now, then soon).

Clearly, Netflix has done its research and is confident that these latest price rises won't see it hemorrhage subscribers – and the markets agree, as Netflix share prices soared following the news. It has also hit a record of 300 million global subscribers.

But I can't be the only person feeling the heat of being slow-cooked by streaming prices. This year, like many others on TechRadar, I'm taking action – and not by sailing the murky waters of piracy or questionable Plex servers.

The great Netflix password-sharing crackdown (which was aped by the likes of Disney Plus) removed one possible avenue for savings. Still, there is one big lever we can pull – the increasingly popular practice of subscription hopping.

One policy that the likes of Netflix haven't (yet) imposed on subscribers are lengthy contract lock-ins – and it's this freedom that subscription hopping exploits to bring streaming subscription costs to more manageable levels.

TechRadar contributor Esat Dedezade recently laid out his subscription hopping plan for 2025, which we worked out will slash his subscription hopping bills by 71% this year.

In fact, he's stuck with Netflix for January to catch Castlevania: Nocturne season 2, but he will cancel and switch to Apple TV Plus in February for Severance season 2.

I'm actually doing the opposite, staying exclusively with Apple TV Plus right now to minimize my chance of Severance spoilers before switching back to Netflix for my fill of Cobra Kai season 6 and (possibly, if it's more exciting than the trailer) Zero Day.

Of course, your tastes may vary, so we've put together the cheat sheet below to help you form your own streaming saving plan, for the first few months of 2025 at least...

The tactics

(Image credit: Netflix)

The only downside of subscription hopping is that it involves a little planning, but that's nothing that your favorite reminders app can't fix. The main things to remember are to cancel a service immediately after subscribing (to avoid auto-renews) and to track the latest release date news (see our 2025 streaming wishlist for starters), and to note down your targeted shows for each month.

We've done some of that for you with the table below, which picks out some of the biggest highlights across the main streaming services in the first few months of this year. Use it to make a plan for January, February, and March, and you'll make some decent savings in those months alone.

Subscription hopping may not be for everyone, but the practice has inspired other members of the TechRadar team to take the plunge. Matt Evans, our Fitness, Wellness, and Wearables Editor, says: "My wife and I switch our subscription TV services several times a year. Last year, I canceled my 11-year Netflix subscription and the anime streaming service Crunchyroll in favor of Disney Plus's £4.99-with-ads minimum tier.

"Now it's January, we have cancelled Disney and renewed Netflix, so we can watch the shows we've missed. Next month, Now TV (the UK's answer to HBO Max) is on the chopping block, but we'll cycle back to it later in the year. Our constants are Amazon, Audible and Spotify, which we renew each month."

While choosing one streaming service per month can be the best for simplicity, this shows that you can adapt it to your situation. Even cutting three unnecessary months of Netflix over a year, particularly if you prefer the Premium 4K tier, would give you big savings – of around $74.97 / £53.97 / AU$77.97, at current prices.

In fact, that isn't far off what an entire year of Netflix cost back in 2012 (when monthly prices sat at just $7.99 / £5.99 / AU$8.99). Those days may be long gone, but the tactics above are the best way to get your streaming costs back down closer to their golden age levels.

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• Another rumor hints that Nvidia may not have much stock for the release of its RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs
• There are worries about hiked pricing at the launch of the next-gen GPUs, too
• A further possibility aired is that the RTX 5070 might be delayed until March

More worrying rumors have emerged about Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs, casting doubt on stock levels (again) and also the pricing of the GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 – and the launch timing of RTX 5070 models, too.

In a report (hat tip to Wccftech) on AMD’s RX 9070 launch (now confirmed for March), Chinese tech site Benchlife also touches on Nvidia’s incoming Blackwell graphics cards, telling us that the RTX 5090 and 5080 will be short on supply. Apparently this is “mainly due to some communication issues between Nvidia and AIC partners” (AIC stands for add-in card, meaning graphics card makers).

Another issue is the Chinese New Year (and related manufacturing slowdowns, due to holidays and factories being shut), but the better news is that the situation is expected to improve in February.

Benchlife also claims that the RTX 5070 Ti will appear in mid-to-late February – so far, Nvidia has only said February for both 5070 models, and we don’t have a firm date, but it seems that it could be later, rather than sooner.

And then the report drops something of a bombshell in mentioning that the RTX 5070 may not be available until early March.

Wccftech also flags a report from UDN (also in China, via Dan Nystedt, a financial analyst on X), which underlines the stock woes around the initial Blackwell GPUs (but appears to be mostly based on a previous video from a YouTube leaker). However, this article also highlights that consumers might have to pay increased prices for Blackwell GPUs initially, even to the tune of them being doubled.

That’s in Asia, of course, so may not reflect the situation elsewhere – and indeed it may be completely off the mark full-stop. I’d hope so, and it doesn’t seem realistic that graphics cards could be selling for double their MSRP – well, at least not at retailers (though maybe on auction sites where scalpers will sell their ill-gotten gains).

(Image credit: Nvidia) Analysis: A touch of hysteria?

On the one hand, the sheer number of concerns being raised about RTX 5000 stock and Nvidia’s next-gen launch has got to be a worry. Although on the other, I’m tempted to say it feels like a touch of hysteria (and/or limelight grabbing) is creeping in at this point.

There’s not usually smoke without fire, though, as they say, and given the widespread chatter about worryingly low initial stock levels for the RTX 5090 and 5080, I’m bracing myself for this to be the case, at this stage.

There’s something even worse to fret about here, of course, for the mainstream GPU buyers who’ll be looking at a mid-range graphics card, and not the much pricier Blackwell models – and that’s this sudden theory that the RTX 5070 could be delayed, and not make the promised February launch.

This seems unlikely, though, that Nvidia would break that promise – although there’s always the prospect of a so-called ‘paper launch’ with hardly any boards released initially. With all the negativity flying around regarding stock levels, this idea might be easier to believe.

A further thought is that this could also explain why AMD has just announced that its RX 9070 models won’t launch until March, much later than expected. Maybe Team Red got wind of rumors from distributors relating to Nvidia’s launch plans, and knows that there’s no rush to get its RDNA 4 mid-range GPUs to market before March – if the rival RTX 5070 isn’t going to be around in any quantity.

Take all this with a wheelbarrow full of salt, and remember that AMD purportedly has its own issues to sort out around RX 9070 pricing. For now, I’m not going to buy these suggestions of an RTX 5070 delay – at least not until we hear this from other corners of the rumor mill.

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• Microsoft Outlook crashing issue on Windows Server 2016 has been fixed
• Classic Outlook is still crashing for some users
• A fix is due on January 28, says Microsoft

Microsoft has finally fixed a problem that causes Outlook to unexpectedly crash on Windows Server 2016 devices.

The Current Channel Release Notes state the company shared a status update for the 2412 Version (Build 18324.20194), released on January 16: “We fixed an issue where apps would exit unexpectedly when running on Windows Server 2016.”

However, some users are still having problems with Outlook, and they’re being left with temporary workarounds to maintain access to the popular emailing application. Outlook is no stranger to bugs, with users once being told not to open more than 60 emails, before offering a patch.

Outlook is still having stability issues

Previously, users updating to Version 2412 (Build 18324.20168) or Version 2412 (Build 18324.20190) were seeing their Microsoft 365 applications crashing on Windows Server 2016. They were told to revert to Version 2411 (Build 18227.20152) as a temporary workaround, but the status has now been updated to ‘fixed’ with the release of Version 2412 (Build 18324.20194).

Now that Microsoft 365 applications have been given a stability enhancement, classic Outlook is experiencing issues.

Microsoft wrote: “After updating to Version 2412 (Build 18324.20168) classic Outlook may crash when starting a new email, or when replying or forwarding an email.”

Similar to before, users are being told to revert to an older version, specifically Version 2411 (Build 18227.20162).

Version 2501 Build 18429.20000 has already fixed this issue, but it’s not expected to go live until January 28. Given that the issue was first shared on January 17, that’s 11 days of glitches that some users may have to experience.

The not-yet-patched issue relates specifically to Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021 Outlook 2019 Outlook 2016.

Logs for the Current Channel updates can be found on Microsoft’s dedicated web page. As ever, it’s recommended to apply updates as soon as they become available not only to address glitches like this but also to protect your machine against vulnerabilities.

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Nvidia's RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU is almost here, promising to step performance up across the board from the previous generation's RTX 4090 - fortunately, we've got our hands on it with an early unboxing. While we won't be able to share more about its performance with the new Multi Frame Generation feature until the January 24 review embargo lifts, today we're able to unveil its box and everything inside.

RTX 5090's Box & Power Connector

Now, tell me that box doesn't at least remind you of the PS1 in some way... I'm waiting. (Image credit: Future)

Starting with the box itself, Team Green has changed the packaging, opting for a cool retro design (at least in my eyes) - and I love the look, which reminds me of Sony's PlayStation 1 with its grey color scheme for the paperboard design protecting the GPU. This is a huge contrast to the RTX 4090's packaging, which had a much bigger box catering to the GPU's large form factor size, and that's changed here (something I'll dive into later).

Whilst the box itself is a purely cosmetic change that will likely end up in the garbage of many buyers, the new power connector deserves some attention here - the previous adapter was an issue for myself and many other PC gamers attempting to shut their case or at least maintain an appealing build, with its short and stiff design, while also posing a potential fire hazard based on user reports.

No more stiff power connectors... I'm forever grateful Nvidia (Image credit: Future)

I had similar troubles with the Asus RTX 4080 Super TUF OC Edition, as I couldn't close my PC case's side panel without excessively bending the connector - this eventually forced my hand to buy a more flexible Seasonic 12VHPWR Cable so I could finally shut the case.

With the new power connector, we hopefully won't need to worry about this, as Nvidia has taken extra care regarding the matter by introducing additional sense wires (which was previously rumored). This should improve and secure the 8-pin connection, while also being much longer and more flexible.

Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU

This paperboard packaging is 100% recyclable, which is a nice plus - though as you can see here, it's a little difficult to get inside! (Image credit: Future)

Now moving on to what you came here for - the RTX 5090 Founders Edition in all its glory is much sleeker with its new design. Team Green has paid attention to those who prefer slim PC builds, as this is much smaller than the previous generation's flagship GPU - this was evident with the new box used to house the new dual-slot GPU compared to the 4090's triple-slot design.

While some rumors hinted at the 5090 being much louder compared to previous GPUs, some videos have already been enough to debunk it such as PC Centric's CES video, showcasing just how quiet it is under heavy load in Cyberpunk 2077.

While it's a lot smaller than the previous RTX 4090 FE, the 5090 FE is still a chunky card. (Image credit: Future)

While the new power connector I mentioned earlier will surely help many PC builders, Nvidia has taken an extra step to alleviate any potential issues by setting the power connector at an angle to avoid cables pushing up against side panels.

It's insane to imagine that a GPU this small packs greater power than the RTX 4090, so I must say I'm impressed with Nvidia's efforts here. There's still a lot left to be unveiled in terms of the power consumption leap from the previous 450W to 575W (with rumors suggesting that it's actually 600W) and whether an upgrade to this GPU will be worthwhile - but from what I've seen so far with the unboxing, it's certainly so far so good from Team Green.

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• Hackers seen running malvertising campaign promoting a fake Homebrew package
• Victims were targeted with AMOS, a powerful infostealer
• Campaign has since been taken down, but users should still be on guard

Mac users are once again being targeted with powerful malware as hackers try to steal their login information, sensitive data, and cryptocurrencies.

Software developer Ryan Chenkie spotted the malicious campaign on Google, noting threat actors have been running malicious advertising campaigns on Google’s network promoting a fake version of Homebrew, an open source package manager for macOS and Linux.

“Developers, please be careful when installing Homebrew,” he said. “Google is serving sponsored links to a Homebrew site clone that has a cURL command to malware. The URL for this site is one letter different than the official site.”

Grabbing AMOS

The ad being served on Google shows the right Homebrew URL - brew.sh. However, once a victim clicks, they get redirected to brewe.sh, a site with an extra “e” letter at the end. It’s a common typosquatting technique often seen not just in malvertising, but in other forms of cyberattacks, as well.

Victims who don’t spot the trick are prompted to install Homebrew, by pasting a command shown in the macOS Terminal, or a Linux shell prompt, not unlike what the legitimate Homebrew site does.

But instead of getting the actual software, victims will be served AMOS, a popular infostealer that grabs people’s passwords, browser data, cryptocurrency information, and more. Security researchers have been warning about AMOS (AKA Atomic) for months now, saying the tool is being offered in a subscription model for $1,000 a month.

Soon after Chenkie posted his warning, Homebrew’s Project Leader, Mike McQuaid, replied, saying the campaign has already been taken down, but also voiced his concerns about repeating offenses: “This seems taken down now. There's little we can do about this really, it keeps happening again and again and Google seems to like taking money from scammers,” he said. “Please signal-boost this and hopefully someone at Google will fix this for good.”

Via BleepingComputer

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• Not for taking photos or video: it's an extra input for AI
• Meta is reportedly unhappy with progress so far
• Samsung's plans are still largely secret

Apple isn't the only firm considering sticking cameras into your earbuds, although it's probably closer than most: as we reported last year, Apple has been experimenting with IR cameras in AirPods, and is apparently planning to use them to help inform AI and deliver the audio equivalent of smart glasses.

A new report says that Apple isn't the only firm wanting to be an eye-in-ear pioneer. Meta and Samsung are apparently looking into people's ears too, but the path to in-ear cameras has proved to be a little tricky.

Ear we go, ear we go, ear we go

The report, by Bloomberg, details the efforts of Apple's earbud rivals. Meta's system appears to have the same goal as Apple's one – not to take photos or record video, but to analyze the world around you and provide input to AI assistants – and "would let users look at an object and ask the earbuds to analyze the item", much like Meta's Ray-Ban glasses do. However, such devices are at least a few years away.

Meta has encountered several issues, which presumably Apple has encountered too. The report says that there have been issues with people who have long hair, and Meta is apparently unsatisfied with the camera angles of the devices currently named "Camera Buds".

As for Samsung, those legendary leakers "people with knowledge of the matter" say that the firm is also considering a version of earbuds with cameras inside. However as yet there's no detail of how advanced that project is, or if it's even begun.

Cameras on earbuds make a lot of sense as an alternative to the idea of smart AR glasses, because there will be a big hurdle to get people who don't wear glasses normally to put them on. But so many of us wear a pair of the best earbuds when out and about that they might be a better solution to the question of what kind of camera people would really wear. But as mentioned above, they bring their own troubles, ranging from hair to hats.

Is there an option to simply not have cameras feeding information to your phone's AI? That seems to be Plan Z…

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• President Donald Trump has signed a “full and unconditional” pardon for Ross Ulbricht
• The Silk Road operator had received two life sentences and a further 40 years
• Trump said the same “lunatics” were behind the fight against him

President Trump has signed a “full and unconditional” pardon for Silk Road foudner and operator Ross Ulbricht.

Silk Road was a notorious dark web marketplace selling illegal drugs, hacking tools and stolen passports during its operation between 2011 and 2013.

Ulbricht, who has been in prison since 2015, was arrested in 2013 and later convicted in 2015 on charges of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. The result was two life sentences and a further 40 years without parole.

Trump pardons Silk Road operator

The President informed Ulbricht’s mother about the pardon via a phone call, he stated on TRUTH Social.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," the post read.

Trump described the sentencing as “ridiculous,” adding the same “lunatics” who convicted Ulbricht were also involved in the “modern day weaponization of government against [himself].”

Silk Road was a dark web site accessible via the open source, decentralized Tor browser. It supported anonymized transactions via Bitcoin – something that he declared during his sentencing was important to his desire to “empower people to make choices in their lives and have privacy and anonymity.”

It’s believed that the site generated more than $200 million in drug sales during its short two-year lifespan, but Ulbricht acknowledged the site’s unintended consequences. Court documents also indicated the site had close to a million registered users.

“I was trying to help us move toward a freer and more equitable world,” he said in 2021 (via SiliconANGLE).

Ulbricht, who went by the pseudonym ‘Dread Pirate Roberts,’ was also accused of soliciting six murders-for-hire, however no evidence was found.

The now-president had previously pledged to commute Ulbricht’s sentence immediately if he was reelected, which Ulbright shared to X on May 26, 2024.

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You’d imagine that meeting your favorite music artists would feel like the most spellbound and full-circle moment of your life, but when it comes to A24’s first trailer for upcoming music thriller Opus, this is far from the case. Yesterday (January 21) A24, which has made some of the best Max movies, dropped the first-look trailer (see below) for Opus starring John Malkovich and Ayo Edebiri, star of one of the best Hulu shows, The Bear. With its March 14 release date now in the calendar, I’m already buckled in for what will undoubtedly become one of my favorite new movies this year.

From filmmaker Mark Anthony Green in his feature directorial debut Opus is a music horror-thriller focussing on Ariel Ecton (Edebiri), a magazine writer determined to get her hands on a career-altering story when missing pop star of 30 years, Alfred Moretti (Malkovich), surfaces from a compound to unveil new music to a private select group of celebrities. When Ariel accepts a personal invitation to spend the weekend at his compound, she sees it as a bold career opportunity but finds herself amidst a cult run by Moretti himself, whose plans to release new music are much more unsettling than anticipated. Think Mark Mylod’s The Menu (2022), but with a pop cult fandom edge.

Though the movie’s theatrical release isn’t until spring, Opus is set to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival on January 27. In addition to its two leading stars, Green’s feature packs a solid supporting cast including Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Stephanie Suganami, Young Mazino, and Tatanka Means.

Macro Film Studios, creators of Sorry to Bother You (2018) and Judas and the Black Messiah (2021), has taken the reins on production, enlisting Joshua Bachove, Collin Creighton, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson and Brad Weston as producers.

Pop music meets Ayo Edebiri - is this movie made for me personally?

You can bet your bottom dollar that when the trailer for Opus dropped, I paused everything in the moment to fully immerse myself in yet another Ayo Edebiri-centric piece of media. Since watching her in FX’s The Bear, Inside Out 2 (2024), and of course Emma Seligman’s black comedy high school satire Bottoms (2023), I’ve become the self-styled president of the Ayo Edebiri fan club.

But as an admirer of movies like The Menu (2022) and someone who actively participates in fan culture, I’ve been patiently waiting for a movie like Opus to examine and exaggerate fan behavior through the lens of a cult. And since platforms like TikTok have enhanced the ferocity and defensive nature of music fandoms, there has never been a more appropriate time for a movie like this to come along - hence why it has shot right to the top of my must-watch list for 2025.

All things aside, the trailer reinforces a fun conspiracy about artists taking long absences that I can’t help but hyperfixate on. Who knows, maybe Rihanna’s decade-long break from music is much more than a simple retirement period…?

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• Warhorse Studios has released a new Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 post-launch roadmap
• It details the free updates coming to the game
• It also provides further information about the three upcoming DLC expansions

Developer Warhorse Studios has outlined some of the post-launch content for upcoming open-world role-playing game (RPG) Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 in a newly revealed roadmap.

Four updates will be delivered throughout the year, with the first arriving in spring and containing a number of free features. This includes a new Hardcore Mode for those seeking the most rigorous challenge, the ability to participate in horse races to improve your riding skills, and the option to visit barbers in order to give Henry a haircut and further customize your look.

The other three updates then contain content from the paid expansion pass, which is available as part of the game's Gold Edition. In summer, the new Brushes with Death quest will be added, challenging you to uncover the secrets of a mysterious artists.

Legacy of the Forge arrives in autumn, focusing more closely on Henry's history and his beginnings as a blacksmith's assistant.

This will then be followed by Mysteria Ecclesia in winter, where you will be able to explore the large Sedlec Monastery in a covert mission. These will be accompanied by free quality of life updates, to "further enhance the game experience".

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set to launch for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S on February 4. Pre-orders are open now, with those who opt to pick up the game early receiving the Lion’s Crest bonus items.

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