Technology

Instead of bouncing between AI tools, this platform puts models, file features, and creative tools together.

The post This $70 AI Assistant Aims to Consolidate Your Daily Work Tools appeared first on TechRepublic.

The return of Marvel's best-rated TV show is almost upon us, and with critical and commercial darling X-Men 97 set to return for its second season later this week, you'll want to know when it'll premiere on Disney+.

To spare you the trouble of searching for the release date and launch times for this season's first three chapters, I've rounded up the necessary information below. So, to paraphrase Cyclops: to me, my fellow Marvel fans!

What time can I watch the first three episodes of X-Men 97 season 2?

X-Men 97 season 2 will make its Disney+ debut on Wednesday, July 1. That's its global launch date, too, so North and South American viewers won't be able to watch this Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) project earlier than fans on other continents.

As for the exact time that its first three entries will arrive, they're expected to drop on July 1 at 12am PT / 3am ET. Based on those likely release times, we can work out when viewers in other nations should tune into one of the world's best streaming services to catch them, too:

• US — 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada — 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK — 8am BST
• India — 12:30pm IST
• Singapore — 3pm SGT
• Australia — 5pm AEST
• New Zealand — 7pm NZST

X-Men 97 season 2 full release schedule

The countdown to mutant mayhem begins. Don’t miss the three-episode premiere of Marvel Animation’s #XMen97 Season 2 in one week, streaming only on Disney+. pic.twitter.com/iPIUkx15KgJune 24, 2026

Following this X-Men animated show's latest premiere, new episodes of the Marvel Phase 6 production will come out every Wednesday. That'll be the case until the season 2 finale airs on August 12, too.

For a quick rundown of the dates you need to know about, read on:

• Season 2 episode 1 — July 1
• Season 2 episode 2 — July 1
• Season 2 episode 3 — July 1
• Season 2 episode 4 — July 8
• Season 2 episode 5 — July 15
• Season 2 episode 6 — July 22
• Season 2 episode 7 — July 29
• Season 2 episode 8 — August 5
• Season 2 episode 9 — August 12

For more on the highly-rated TV series ahead of its return, remind yourself what happened in last season's finale via my X-Men 97 season 1 ending explained piece. Then, find out everything we know so far about X-Men 97 season 2.

Once you're done, read up on how to watch the X-Men movies in order and/or how to stream the Marvel movies in order.

What, like making a prequel series is hard? I should never have doubted the power of Elle Woods, who at this point feels like the pop culture equivalent of Mother Teresa to millennials.

Since the moment that Elle was announced by Prime Video, I've been it's number one hater. I've written opinion pieces about how its existence is going to destroy the sanctity of Elle's journey at Harvard, and I've spent hours stewing over how anybody could touch the side of Reese Witherspoon's career-defining performance. If we're getting another Legally Blonde project, make it about Elle's Supreme Court Justice years... right?

But oh, how the mighty have fallen. Having now watched all eight episodes of Elle, my hater-self is metaphorically standing in a dumpster fire of her own making. As someone prepared to loathe it, take this next remark with absolute seriousness and sincerity: this series is outrageously good.

In the blink of an eye, I once again felt like my 6-year-old self when the 2001 movie first came out — enraptured, inspired and completely at ease with who I am inside. How? Well, that's just what Elle Woods does, regardless of who is playing her.

But if you'd have told me at Lexi Minetree was actually an AI version of Witherspoon in her twenties, I'd have believed you. Minetree has all of Witherspoon's mannerisms down to a tee, has perfected her voice, and wholeheartedly understands the spirit of the woman we all know and love. It is, frankly, a miracle.

But Minetree isn't the only reason for Elle's success... absolutely everybody, and almost everything, is pulling their weight.

Elle is about to put the Legally Blonde haters to shame — and most of the film's lore holds up

When Elle turns 16, she's forced to leave her Bel-Air luxury lifestyle behind for Seattle, all thanks to a plastic surgery scandal that her father is embroiled it. With her new high school in the grip of the 90s grunge scene, our favorite pink tornado is once again a fish out of water, and she has to fight to fit in.

As I've pointed out, Minetree's freakishly brilliant understanding of Elle — and how unwilling she is to deviate from Witherspoon's blueprint — spearheads the feel-good fun, but let's look at what's happening around her.

Surprisingly, Elle isn't just a nod to Legally Blonde. There are also clear references to big nineties and noughties hitters including Mean Girls, Clueless, Freaky Friday and The Breakfast Club, and the nostalgic yearning is strong. From the corded landlines to the banging soundtrack, our young adult life from this time period is fully and lovingly represented.

As willing as I initially was to write our Seattle newbies off, they're also a treat of an ensemble. Bel-Air bestie Madison (Jessica Belkin) shirks the airhead sidekick stereotype in favor of a grounded spirit and unshakable loyalty, while high school mean girl Kimberly (Chandler Kinney) is hiding a true self that is the last thing you'd expect (no spoilers here).

British boy Dustin (Zac Looker) fuels Elle's curiosity for anarchy and change, while also providing proof that she can truly extract the best out of every walk of life. A more touching shoutout goes to the enigmatic role of Dean Wilson, which marks James Van Der Beek's final acting credit before his death earlier this year.

It's no surprise that my favorite side character is Eva Woods, played by the underrated powerhouse in June Diane Raphael. You only had to briefly see this woman in Parks and Recreation or Grace and Frankie to know how much she truly understands the superficial class, which she poignantly balances with a steady heart and sense of empathy.

Sadly, Perfect Day by Hoku is nowhere to be seen

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Now for the most important bit of feedback: the existing Legally Blonde lore. For the most part, I found that it adds to my love of the IP rather than takes away from it, especially when it answers some pivotal questions.

Without giving too much away, we'll find out how Elle gets Bruiser the Chihuahua (who's wardrobe is absolutely jaw-dropping, by the way), how Elle ends up back in Bel-Air in time for the events of the original movie, and how she begins to gain an interest in defending innocent people.

However, it's this last one that's a bit of a sticking point. For those of us who know the 2001 film better than we know ourselves, it's unspoken knowledge that Elle had zero interest in pursuing anything related to a law degree, but was only compelled to do so to win boyfriend Warner back.

That, in a nutshell, is the reason why Legally Blonde even exists. So the mere fact that Elle's rewritten history suggests that this inspiration came much earlier in her life doesn't completely sit with what we know of her adult life. It's clearly supposed to be a seedling for what's to come, but perhaps is a little overplayed.

Even so, I had such a good time watching Elle that I don't even care. The ebbs and flows of high school drama are deliciously played, the script is genuinely hilarious, and the overarching narrative plot is addictively compelling. I've been that engrossed that I'd even go as far as to say that it needs a second season, stat.

Australia plans to double the maximum penalty for social media ban breaches to A$99 million as it pressures platforms on age checks.

The post Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Could Soon Carry A$99M Fines appeared first on TechRepublic.

As someone who's amassed a vast collection of storage devices, from USB sticks to external hard drive over decades, there's no doubt about it - the Samsung T9 is one of the fastest portable SSDs I've ever used. It's one of my favorite rugged drives around.

And right now, the 1TB Samsung T9 has dropped to $180 (was $288) at Amazon. The drive works with Windows PCs, Macs, tablets, the iPhone 15 upwards, cameras, and even gaming consoles, so it's an useful addition to almost any setup and a great choice if you regularly switch between devices. In the UK, the price has also dropped on the Samsung T9 down to £199 (was £239) at Amazon.

For my money, this portable SSD is ideal for business and creative professionals, and students prepping for the back to school season thanks to read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s help reduce waiting around when moving large files or loading demanding applications.

Today's best Samsung portable SSD deal

With read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s, this compact portable SSD offers fast file transfers, broad compatibility, and 1TB of storage. It's an excellent companion for students, professionals, creators, and anyone carrying large files.

In the UK: now £199 was £239View Deal

Samsung says the T9 Portable SSD maintains those high transfer speeds even during longer file transfers.

Dynamic Thermal Guard helps control temperatures under heavy workloads, keeping performance consistent when you're copying hundreds of gigabytes in one go.

As you might expect, the rugged T9 can survive drops from up to 9.8ft, giving you extra peace of mind if you're carrying it between the office, classroom, studio, or client meetings.

In our review we praised the SSD's "great read speeds and its ability to sustain write performance," but did note, "Samsung didn’t attribute any IP-rated tests to the T9, and it isn’t water or dust-resistant."

AES 256-bit hardware encryption helps protect sensitive files, while Samsung's Magician Software keeps firmware updated, monitors drive health, and offers additional management tools to keep everything running as it should.

Samsung has long been one of the biggest names in flash storage, and the T9 combines speed, durability, broad compatibility, and useful security features in one pocket-sized drive.

Although 1TB will be plenty of room for documents, photos, videos, and creative projects, Samsung also sells 2TB and 4TB versions if you need even more capacity.

Also consider

Offering transfer speeds of up to 1,050MB/s, this portable 1TB SSD provides reliable storage for work, study, and everyday backups. Its compact design and broad compatibility make it easy to carry.

In the UK: Now £177.11 was £229View Deal

The O1 Omni printer is an all-in-one desktop printer capable of printing on “virtually any material.” Preorders are now live and include special perks.

With Apple now raising prices across the board, Best Buy's 4th of July sale definitely caught my eye, with MacBook deals and discounts on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops. If you're looking to jump in before the price hikes really hit, here's what I've found for business professionals.

• See the full Apple sale at Best Buy

Right now, our favorite ultra-portable for business travel, the MacBook Air 15-inch (M5) is down to $1349 (was $1499 - alongside its 13-inch counterpart. For creative professionals, the cheapest MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) is now $1749 (was $1999). It's a staggeringly fast machine, and there are M5-powered alternatives available.

Check out the full line-up below. Whether you're looking for a lightweight laptop for work or a powerful machine for creative projects, there are plenty of offers worth checking out in Best Buy's Apple sale.

Today's top Apple MacBook Air deals

16GB RAM | 512GB SSD

Powered by Apple's latest chip, this lightweight laptop pairs fast everyday performance with 16GB of memory and a spacious 512GB SSD. Its large display offers plenty of room for work, creativity, streaming, and multitasking.View Deal

16GB RAM | 1TB

Powered by Apple's M5 chip, this compact laptop delivers fast performance with 16GB of memory and a spacious 1TB SSD. It's ideal for productivity, creative work, streaming, and everyday multitasking, whether you're at home or traveling.

In our review, we said it offered the "best mix of winning design, near-pro-level performance, and battery life you can find in an ultraportable."View Deal

16GB RAM | 512GB SSD

This slim laptop pairs Apple's M5 chip with 16GB of memory and a speedy 512GB SSD for responsive everyday performance. The generous 15-inch display gives you extra room for work, entertainment, creative projects, and multitasking.View Deal

Today's top Apple MacBook Air deals

24GB RAM | 512GB SSD

Built for demanding workloads, this laptop combines Apple's advanced M4 Pro chip with 24GB of memory for fast multitasking and creative projects. A 512GB SSD delivers quick storage access.View Deal

16GB RAM | 1TB SSD

Powered by Apple's latest M5 chip, this laptop delivers fast performance for work, creative tasks, and everyday computing. With 16GB of memory and a roomy 1TB SSD, there's plenty of speed and storage for demanding workloads and large files.View Deal

24GB RAM | 512GB SSD

Created for demanding workloads, this laptop combines Apple's M4 Pro chip with 24GB of memory to handle multitasking, content creation, and productivity with ease. A fast 512GB SSD keeps apps and files responsive throughout your working day.View Deal

48GB RAM | 512GB SSD

Featuring Apple's M4 Pro chip, this high-performance laptop pairs 48GB of memory with a fast 512GB SSD for demanding creative and professional workloads. The large 16-inch display offers plenty of room for multitasking and detailed projects.View Deal

• Shop the full 4th of July sale at Best Buy

• Netflix users are being asked to add email addresses to their individual profiles
• The platform says this will allow separate sign-ins while offering even more personalized recommendations
• It seems convenient on paper, but users think it could lead to another big crackdown

Sharing Netflix accounts today isn’t as easy as it was in the mid-2010s, but now the best streaming service has another account crackdown on the way that’s already getting under people’s skins.

A handful of users have noticed a new in-app pop-up asking each member in a shared account to add individual email addresses to their individual profiles, instead of using the account owner’s email address as the primary one. One of the most jarring parts about it is that the pop-up doesn’t clear unless the request is fulfilled.

This hasn’t rolled out to all Netflix account holders yet, but the company informed Ars Technica that the new sign-in update began on June 15, so we imagine a wider rollout is inevitable. The outlet also stated that this pop-up doesn’t apply to profiles that are labelled as belonging to children.

(Image credit: Reddit / scotti_dev)

Netflix households accounts have always been built on the traditional 'one email, one password’ foundation, allowing you to create up to five profiles to keep watchlists and recommendations separate from other members in your family. That’s all about to change, but why Netflix has decided to roll out yet another crackdown is the question that everyone is asking.

According to the details mentioned in the pop-up, this is purely a convenience reason. Having individual emails assigned to individual profiles under one account means you won’t have to keep relying on using the account holder’s email to sign in each time. It also means that if you ever need a verification code to log into Netflix, you won’t have to chase up the account holder for it in their inbox.

Additionally, the pop-up also says that adding an email address to your profile will make it a lot easier for you to recover the account when needed, and get personalized content recommendations with more features to come. On paper it sounds like Netflix is adding this requirement as a user experience enhancer, but subscribers are convinced it’s just another way for the company to surveil user activity.

When Netflix rolled out its password crackdown back in 2023, it ended an era of serial account sharing and that’s where the service decided one account was strictly for one household, the ‘Netflix Household’ in official terms. With its latest move, we believe that there’s more than meets the eye — and so do a vast majority of users online.

Bye Bye profiles on Netflix. So shady. Sheesh. from r/netflix

Over the past few weeks Reddit has seen a swarm of reactions following the first appearances of the pop-up, but the main concern expressed by users is the possibility of this morphing into a payment system, charging account holders to fork out extra just to add more profiles. “This is killing Netflix for me”, one user added.

Based on Netflix’s past crackdowns, the new requirement could also give the streaming giant another way to better distinguish between the activity of individual profiles, or even shift them to individual accounts later down the line. But while users have expressed outrage over this, some say they’ve found a workaround.

It appears that creating email aliases has helped some users get past the pop-up without giving Netflix all of their information, however this has only worked for those using Gmail.

One person in particular says that you can amend your Gmail address in order to create an alias, giving the example that if your email is ‘johnsmith@ gmail.com’ you could set up ‘johnsmith+kid1@gmail.com’. They go into further detail in their Reddit post, while others in the replies who use this workaround for other situations confirmed that it works.

As mentioned, this update hasn’t reached every Netflix subscriber yet and is rolling out slowly to start, similar to how the platform kick-started its password crackdown. Given Netflix’s history, we’re definitely keeping one eye open on this one.

• A post about Microsoft Edge has ignited a fierce debate on X
• The post asked who runs Edge on Apple’s macOS platform
• Users both praised and criticized Edge, but I still prefer Firefox

Apple and Microsoft are known to be arch-rivals in the tech world, so when X user Macfolio asked its followers “what kind of freak uses Microsoft Edge on a Mac?” they might have expected the debate to fall along partisan lines, with rival sets of fans lining up to berate each other’s products.

But while there was indeed a vigorous debate, it wasn’t the pile-on you might have expected. Instead, many users chipped in with reasons why they enjoy using the combination of Microsoft’s web browser and Apple’s macOS operating system.

X user @wiedymi, for example, described Edge as “the best browser for Mac.” User @secretised explained that when they used it, it was “the only browser that didn’t consume 4GB of RAM with four tabs,” while @osxdaily said “It’s actually pretty good!”

For others, the reason was more prosaic, with @asikunaa pointing out that “some internal government sites require you to use Edge actually because they don’t distribute the security certificates for Chrome.”

Meanwhile, user @tarekmohmd9 summed up what many people apparently felt, saying Edge on macOS has “the speed boost of Chromium without the horrible RAM management of Chrome, it’s great (faster than Safari, uses less resources than Chrome, supports most Chromium extensions unlike Opera and Firefox).” They finished succinctly by saying “it is excellent.”

Of course, not every response was positive. User @rafalo claimed that “I just downloaded it and uninstalled it after [five seconds].” And @LansorHQ simply asked, “What kind of freak uses Edge in general?”

Why I use Firefox instead

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

I’m a long-time Firefox user and have been rocking Mozilla’s browser for over 20 years. I’ve dabbled with other browsers, from big dogs like Chrome and Safari to more niche offerings like Opera and Vivaldi. And yes, I’ve spent plenty of time with Microsoft Edge, too.

Yet despite all that, I keep coming back to Firefox. There are a few reasons for that, and I’ve got to admit that a sizable one is inertia. After so many years of usage, Firefox feels comfortable and familiar. I like how it works and switching would be a chore considering how many extensions and tabs I have running.

But there’s a lot more I love about Firefox. I use both a Mac and a PC in my day-to-day life and Firefox runs on both, unlike the Mac-only Safari. I can also send tabs between any of my devices, which is helpful when I find something interesting on my iPhone and want to read it later on my Mac or PC.

As I've written about previously, it's also a genuine privacy-first browser that goes to great lengths to protect your data, which is something that I truly appreciate. It isolates cookies to stop them building a detailed picture of you, and Firefox limits access to my data that could be used to create a digital 'fingerprint' of my browsing habits.

So despite the debate on X, I won’t be switching to Microsoft Edge any time soon. But the discussion highlights that just because you use one operating system or another, you don’t have to be exclusively loyal to that developer’s own products — you can even switch to those made by their arch-rival.

These filters, apps and other pro tricks can help you get those vintage film vibes from your phone camera.

• DC Studios won't alter its long-term vision for its cinematic universe
• That's what co-CEO Peter Safran told one reporter after Supergirl's disastrous launch
• The Milly Alcock-fronted film earned just $68 million during its opening weekend

It appears that it's damage limitation time for DC Studios.

After Supergirl launched — and subsequently bombed — at the global box office, the comic book giant's movie and TV division is seemingly refusing to alter its wider plan for its nascent cinematic universe.

Indeed, speaking to The New York Times (NYT) in the wake of Supergirl's disastrous opening weekend performance, DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran insisted that he, fellow studio head James Gunn, and parent company Warner Bros. "remain confident in" the long-term vision for the DC Universe (DCU). That's despite Safran's admission that the Milly Alcock-starring movie "didn't meet our box office expectations".

Such a statement is a, well, understatement. Following its June 26 release, the film formerly known as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow suffered something of a catastrophic debut. As NYT's report noted, the DCU Chapter One earned a paltry $68 million worldwide — $38 million in North America and $30 million internationally — during its first four days in theaters.

To put the first of those figures in frighteningly bleak context, the much-maligned Spider-Man spin-off flick Morbius, aka the vampiric anti-hero film starring Jared Leto, made just $39 million in North America during its own miserably opening weekend in late 2022.

What makes Supergirl's performance all the worse is, at the time of publication, it holds a middling 56% critical score on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, Morbius has been stuck at a life-draining 15% for almost four years. The fact that the second DCU Chapter One movie made $1 million less in North America than Morbius, then, should really set the alarm bells ringing at DC Studios HQ.

Why didn't Supergirl fly higher at the global box office?

Supergirl might have flown into theaters, but it's already crashed down to Earth with a bump (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Studios)

There are numerous reasons that can be pointed to, including the ongoing superhero fatigue debate, prioritizing a new Supergirl movie over, say, a film starring another of DC Comics' so-called Holy Trinity in Batman and Wonder Woman, and — perhaps most crucial of all — word of mouth. After all, where the last of those reasons is concerned, movies can live or die on what critics and/or general audiences not only think of them, but say about them. You can see what I thought of the Alcock-led adventure via my own Supergirl review.

But I digress. In my view, there's another major cause for Supergirl's incredibly poor performance worldwide — and it's got to do with two powerhouse animated film franchises: Toy Story and Minions.

Where the former is concerned, the critical reception to its fifth installment was as mixed as Supergirl's was. Heck, in my Toy Story 5 review, I gave it three out of five stars, which is the same score Supergirl earned.

Nevertheless, Toy Story's immense popularity means it can — for now, at least — withstand any negativity that comes its way. That much is clear based on its own worldwide ticket sales, which have seen Toy Story 5 rack up an almighty $585 million (per Variety) in its first 12 days in theaters.

Then we come to the other aforementioned billion-dollar-spinning film series in Minions. With its next story — Minions and Monsters — set to not only arrive on July 3, but also predicted to make a similarly huge sum of cash, the timing of Supergirl's release couldn't have been worse. Maybe if its launch had been held back until August when its biggest competitor would arguably have been the next Insidious film, it might have soared higher.

For more on the latest DCU project, check out my Supergirl ending explained piece to see how it potentially sets up Man of Tomorrow, aka the sequel to last year's Superman film. Alternatively, see when Supergirl might come to HBO Max.

CNET Lab exclusive: We've been testing charging speeds for years and now see that newer phones can get plenty of power in just 30 minutes.

Some long-time subscribers could see a price increase of around $4 a line.

After one round of air fryer bacon, the stovetop method feels like an unnecessarily messy way to get the same result.

Apple's got a treasure trove of must-watch shows.

• A new rumor about the DC Universe's (DCU) Batman is spreading online
• Various insiders claim an unlikely name has been cast as the Dark Knight
• Interestingly, said actor almost won the race to play Superman

James Gunn and Peter Safran have reportedly found the actor they want to play Batman in the DC Universe (DCU).

According to industry insider John Campea, an unlikely name has been tapped to portray the Dark Knight in Gunn and Safran's comic book franchise.

Campea wouldn't reveal the identity of said actor on the latest edition of his podcast, but says two different sources — one of whom is "well-positioned" to know these things, and neither of whom knows the other — linked the same star to the role.

So, who is this mystery individual? According to other leakers with less reputable track records, including MyTimetoShineHello, it's Tom Brittney.

Who is Tom Brittney and has he actually been cast as the DCU's Batman?

Tom Brittney's acting credits include Grantchester, Back in Action, and Greyhound (Image credit: Variety/GettyImages)

An English actor best known for playing the lead role in seasons 4 to 8 of British detective drama Granchester, Brittney won't be familiar to the vast majority of readers.

However, he's starting to make a name for himself in Hollywood circles. For a start, he was one of three individuals who made it to the final round of auditions to play Superman in the DCU. The others? David Corenswet, who won the race to play the Man of Steel, and Nicholas Hoult, who wound up being cast as Supes' archnemesis Lex Luthor.

Among other roles post-Granchester, Brittney had a small supporting role in hit Netflix movie Back in Action, which starred Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. He'll next appear on the big screen in Lionsgate's Fall 2: Deadpoint, aka the follow-up to 2022 survivor thriller Fall, which is out in early September. If Brittney hasn't officially been announced as the DCU's Caped Crusader by then, expect him to field many, many, many questions about his potential casting during Fall 2's press tour.

"Great, Tom, but is there any truth to this rumor?", I hear you ask. At the time of publication, Gunn, who isn't shy about debunking hearsay — or, on the rarest of occasions, confirm a casting rumor — via social media, hasn't commented on the matter.

Admittedly, the DCU co-chief has his hands full with Man of Tomorrow, i.e. the sequel to 2025's Superman movie. Unless Gunn raises his head above the parapet to confirm or deny Brittney's involvement, we might not know until, well, tomorrow (June 30) when new scenes are expected to be filmed for Clayface, the next DCU Chapter One film.

Why new filming days for Clayface could confirm Brittney's casting as Batman

Well production for Clayface is back on the Wirral right now as teams are gearing up to film some pick up shots for the upcoming DC film releasing in October! Filming is taking place at the old Birkenhead Tunnel entrance from 30th June to 1st July!!!!#Clayface #DC #Movie pic.twitter.com/c0TddF20ELJune 28, 2026

According to X/Twitter use 4thdoctorstan74, Clayface's production crew will be back on Merseyside in the UK to shoot more material for the forthcoming body horror flick between June 30 and July 1.

Now, 4thdoctorstan74 has claimed that said crew will only be filming pick up shots. These are usually shot during the post-production process to, among other things, aid a movie's pacing and narrative flow. It's highly likely, then, that the film isn't underdoing any major reshoots ahead of its late October launch.

That said, I don't think we can completely rule out the possibility that one of these pick ups could involve Brittney if he has been hired to play Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter-ego. After all, there have been countless rumors that Batman won't appear in Clayface, which feels like a huge misstep considering, you know, the titular villain is just one of the Gotham-based crimefighter's many foes. And, with Supergirl currently struggling to make an impact at the box office, it might be in Messrs Gunn and Safran's best interests to introduce the DCU's Batman as soon as possible to maintain interest in their nascent cinematic franchise.

If — and I honestly cannot keep stressing this enough — Brittney is set to portray the legendary hero in this DC comic book universe, it would make sense for his Batman to make his debut in Clayface, even if it's just a cameo, ahead of his standalone DCU film The Brave and the Bold. All eyes, then, are on Gunn's social media accounts and the north-west of England to see whether Brittney has been tapped to play the World's Greatest Detective.

In the meantime, find out everything we know so far about Clayface. Alternatively, find out how to watch the Batman movies in order or see if you agree with our ranking of the best Batman movies.

Professional-grade image editing powered by AI is now accessible without a subscription for content creators.

The post Luminar Neo’s AI Photo Editing Suite Is 75% Off For Life appeared first on TechRepublic.

For years, software subscriptions followed the same pattern.

Businesses signed up for new tools, teams tested them for a while, interest faded, budgets came under pressure, and subscriptions were cut.

Many companies ended up with overlapping platforms that few people fully used or even understood.

The result was fragmented systems, rising costs, and growing frustration.

SMEs continue to adopt AI.

Among UK small and midsize businesses that paid for AI tools in 2024, nearly eight in ten were still paying for them a year later.

That matters because businesses do not keep spending money on business software that does not prove its value.

What feels different this time is how naturally AI fits into the software businesses already use every day. For many people, it is simply becoming part of how work gets done.

Why SMEs adopt technology differently

Small businesses are usually the clearest test of whether technology genuinely works. SMEs operate with tighter margins, smaller teams, and far less room for wasted spending. If something does not help, it goes.

The businesses seeing the most value from AI are often using it in practical ways. They are reducing admin, speeding up repetitive tasks, organizing information faster, supporting customer service, and helping small teams get through more work in less time.

In the UK, businesses report using AI most heavily in admin, data processing, and customer service work. Those are areas where the work is structured, outcomes are clear, and oversight is straightforward.

AI is a productivity multiplier. It does not make businesses less busy, it removes friction, which means they progress faster than it previously thought possible.

That idea of removing friction may explain why this software cycle feels different from previous ones. Businesses are improving work that already exists instead of layering on more disconnected tools.

The most useful AI tools are often the least noticeable.

Relying on AI everyday

Many businesses are now using AI inside software they already rely on every day — not as a separate product to log into, but as a capability running quietly inside existing systems. For smaller businesses especially, that distinction matters. The value is not in adopting something new. It is in existing work becoming faster, more accurate, and less dependent on manual effort.

That shift changes the nature of the relationship between a business and its technology. When AI is a standalone tool, it remains optional. A business can trial it, decide it is not worth the cost, and remove it without consequence.

The calculation changes entirely when AI is integrated into the systems businesses already use to manage invoicing, customer records, financial reporting and daily communications. The tool is no longer separate from the work. It has become part of how the work happens.

That is why retention rates look the way they do. Businesses are not renewing AI subscriptions out of habit or inertia. They are renewing because the workflows they have built around these capabilities would have to be rebuilt without them.

AI allows a small team to operate with the maturity, governance, and delivery capability of a much larger organisation.

For SMBs that have spent years competing against larger businesses with bigger teams and deeper resources, that is not a small claim. It is the argument for AI in a single sentence.

Businesses still want people at the center of important decisions

Businesses remain cautious about where AI should be used — and that caution is well founded.

Research into how businesses use AI suggests hesitation is closely tied to trust. Businesses are comfortable using AI where the work is routine and easy to review. Areas involving legal judgments, people management, and financial decisions still depend heavily on human oversight.

The businesses getting the most from AI are usually clear about those boundaries. They use it to handle routine work more efficiently while keeping people closely involved in the decisions that carry real responsibility.

A few years ago, many companies were adding software faster than they could properly use it. Today, smaller businesses are becoming far more selective. Tools stay when they save time, reduce pressure, or help teams work more effectively. They disappear when they do not.

That may explain why AI is sticking. For a growing number of UK businesses, AI is no longer experimental. It is becoming part of the operational basics.

Checkout our list of the best IT automation software.

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• BT and Verizon new joint venture could target $4 billion in annual revenue
• The companies are targeting 3,000 global enterprises across 180+ countries
• AI and cloud are the two primary selling points for this new joint venture

BT and Verizon have come together to form a 50:50 joint venture looking to serve around 3,000 multinational customers across more than 180 countries.

The official announcement details the creation of a new "scaled international connectivity platform" designed for a cloud-first, AI-first world.

Martijn Blanken has been appointed as CEO of the new joint venture, the name of which currently remains unconfirmed.

BT and Verizon target multinational enterprises in new JV

By combining their respective expertise, the two hope to provide enterprise customers more resilient global networking, more secure connectivity and infrastructure designed specifically for local laws, regulations and data sovereignty demands.

"Customers will benefit from new, secure and resilient connectivity platforms, which are designed for the age of AI and sovereign where it matters," BT CEO Allison Kirkby noted.

"Our international customers require secure, flexible connectivity that works seamlessly across borders and cloud environments," Verizon CEO Dan Schulman added.

The announcement also implies that, by spinning off a new JV for global enterprises, it would allow the two companies to improve focus on their domestic markets.

BT boasted about its "resilient communication and network services," and Verizon said it would bring secure connectivity via its enterprise wireline arm.

Though it's unclear which type of enterprises the JV will be targeting, it will likely bid on contracts for some of the biggest enterprises given the target of around 3,000 customers. Private enterprise networks, cloud connectivity, cybersecurity and cross-border connectivity will form the basis of the company.

According to the firms, the join venture could target around $4 billion in combined annual revenue.

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