Technology

Suno, the most popular AI music creation tool, spent years making it incredibly easy to generate music. Now it's introducing download limits, watermarking and fingerprinting to stop people flooding streaming services with AI slop.

That suggests something important to me: even the companies building generative AI are starting to realize unlimited AI creation comes with unintended consequences.

Suno CEO, Mikey Shulman, shared a blog post about the company's principles for building the future of music responsibly. He says “AI should help people create something new, not imitate someone else’s work. This philosophy has guided how we’ve built our models and platform from the start.”

(Image credit: Suno)Great music is made by people

In a section titled “Our Principles”, Shulman says that “great music is made by people”.

The principles themselves aren't new. What's new is that Suno is now dedicating significant engineering effort to limiting abuse rather than simply enabling creation.

In his blog post Shulman writes “We will soon introduce a new downloads policy designed to limit the ability to mass distribute songs on streaming platforms, while preserving the professional, creative, and personal ways people use Suno. These changes won’t affect the vast majority of our users, but they will make large-scale abuse much harder.”

Schulman continues: “In the coming weeks, we will also be adopting new audio watermarking and fingerprinting technology so we can partner even more closely with distribution platforms on combatting fraud and misuse.”

That evolution fits the broader trend we’ve been covering from the music streaming services like Spotify, Deezer, Tidal, and Qobuz, who have started to fight back against AI-generated music flooding their platforms.

Managing the consequences

Streaming giant Tidal has published a comprehensive AI policy with the strapline "Promoting Fairness and Economic Empowerment in the Era of AI-Generated Music". Tidal will identify it, tag it and crucially, not pay any streaming royalties for it.

Spotfiy has introduced measures to prevent fraudulent streams and AI impersonation . Deezer announced that over half of all new daily uploads to its site are AI — up from 44% in April and just over 30% at the end of last year. It launched a free site to scan your playlists for AI in June. Qobuz has announced that it is taking a human-first approach to its recommendations and “developing detection and monitoring systems to identify AI-generated content and fraudulent streaming patterns.”

This announcement from Suno feels more significant than another AI company publishing a set of principles. It marks a shift in priorities. For the first few years of generative AI, success was measured by how much content these systems could produce. Now it looks like success is being measured by how effectively companies can prevent that content from overwhelming everything else.

The AI music industry is moving from maximizing generation to managing the consequences of generation, and it's about time.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving. Across industries, many organizations are increasingly deploying AI into systems that must run continuously, securely, and at scale.

As AI adoption accelerates, one thing is becoming clear: infrastructure planning cannot wait.

AI workloads are becoming more interconnected, distributed, and operationally integrated across cloud, data center, and edge environments. Infrastructure planning now requires organizations to align compute, networking, software, memory, and operational requirements across increasingly complex environments.

As a result, many enterprises are beginning infrastructure planning sooner rather than later.

The cost of waiting

As AI becomes more integrated into everyday business operations through continuous inference and agentic AI systems, infrastructure demands are evolving significantly.

Modern AI deployments increasingly require:

• Continuous inference running around the clock
• Multi-agent systems coordinating across applications and databases
• Real-time orchestration across cloud, data center, and edge environments
• Strong governance, security, and operational efficiency

These workloads require more than raw compute performance. They require balanced infrastructure where compute, networking, software, memory, and operational workflows work cohesively at scale.

Because of this, enterprises are beginning AI infrastructure planning earlier, recognizing that planning, testing, and Proof of Concepts (PoCs) for complex systems like this take time.

At the same time, the cost of delaying AI infrastructure planning is becoming more apparent. Delays can slow deployment readiness and postpone AI-driven benefits such as productivity gains and operational automation. As AI demand continues to rise, organizations are prioritizing earlier planning to secure the compute capacity needed to support long-term AI growth.

As AI infrastructure becomes more complex, infrastructure planning needs to begin earlier than traditional IT upgrade cycles. Evaluating workloads, validating deployment models, and ensuring scalability across environments takes time and time is of the essence if we want to be ahead of our competitors.

AI is now a systems challenge

The conversation around AI infrastructure often begins with Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). But as deployments scale, AI performance depends not on individual components, but on how the entire system operates together.

Modern AI infrastructure relies on Central Processing Units (CPUs) for orchestration and data movement, GPUs for large-scale parallel compute, high-speed networking for low-latency communication across systems, and open software platforms for portability and scalability.

As AI systems become more distributed and inference-driven, orchestration and system balance become critical. CPUs play a pivotal role in managing workload coordination, memory access, and GPU utilization, ensuring infrastructure operates efficiently under sustained demand.

This shift reflects a broader industry reality: AI is no longer just a GPU problem. It is a full-stack infrastructure challenge that organization must tackle early on.

Planning for distributed AI

AI is also scaling in multiple directions at once.

Some workloads are expanding into large, centralized clusters, while others are moving closer to where data is generated – including edge deployments such as in factories or hospitals, and AI-enabled endpoints like the PCs.

For organizations, this creates unique infrastructure considerations around hybrid cloud, on-premises deployments, edge AI, compliance, and latency-sensitive applications.

This diversity underscores the importance of infrastructure strategies designed for modularity, portability, and adaptability that necessitates upfront planning.

Openness and flexibility matter more than ever

As AI innovation accelerates, organizations are prioritizing infrastructure flexibility to support rapidly evolving models, frameworks, and deployment environments.

Open ecosystems can reduce integration complexity while supporting broader compatibility across software frameworks, cloud environments, and deployment architectures. They also provide greater flexibility to evolve infrastructure strategies over time while helping avoid the migration costs that can come with highly closed or single-vendor environments.

For many organizations, openness is no longer just a developer preference. It is becoming an important consideration for balancing performance, operational efficiency, cost optimization, and long-term infrastructure investment.

This is another reason infrastructure planning must happen early. Building AI environments that remain scalable, portable, and adaptable over time require long-term thinking around openness and interoperability from the beginning.

Infrastructure readiness will define the next phase of AI

The next phase of AI growth will reward organizations that take a proactive approach to infrastructure planning.

Organizations that delay infrastructure planning may find it more challenging to deploy AI tools down the road, not only due to not having ample time to plan and test, but not securing the compute resources needed early on.

The cost of waiting is becoming ever clearer.

Ultimately, the companies that succeed in the next phase of AI will not necessarily be those with the largest clusters, but those that plan early and build balanced, scalable, and open infrastructure designed to support continuous innovation in an increasingly AI-driven economy.

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Every four years, football's best players are tested on the world's biggest stage.

Less visible is the test taking place behind the scenes.

As billions tune in, broadcasters and streaming platforms face their own high-stakes challenge: delivering seamless live experiences at a scale few events can match.

FIFA estimates that around 5 billion people engaged with the 2022 World Cup, with the final alone reaching nearly 1.5 billion viewers worldwide.

In 2026, that audience has been presented with an even bigger tournament: 48 teams playing 104 matches across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

More than 54 million viewers across the three host countries watched their national teams' opening matches, while the United States' game against Paraguay drew a combined 27.5 million across FOX and Telemundo, the most-watched FIFA World Cup match ever broadcast in the country.

By the end of the group stage, 4.64 million spectators had filled 99.7% of available seats. That scale is a real-time stress test for every part of the live-video ecosystem.

From passive viewing to active participation

Beyond sheer audience size, the difference lies in how fans consume it. They no longer simply watch. They move between platforms, share highlights, expect instant access to key moments and want experiences tailored to their own interests.

Streaming is no longer just a distribution channel; it's a product in its own right. Brazil’s group-stage match against Haiti reached 51.3 million viewers across Globo's wider media ecosystem, while CazéTV set a worldwide YouTube record for the most-watched football match streamed on the platform.

World Cup content generated 11 billion video views across social media platforms during the group stage alone, and official broadcasters published more than 44,000 pieces of content on TikTok.

A modern match is simultaneously a live program, a source of social clips, a statistics feed and a second-screen experience.

Rethinking the production workflow

That shift starts with the production workflow. The same match is now produced simultaneously for stadium scoreboards, connected TVs, mobile apps and global streaming platforms, with capture, ingestion, encoding and delivery all part of a single content pipeline.

Sixteen optical tracking cameras installed in each stadium can produce more than 150 million data points per match, helping officials review incidents and giving media partners new ways to produce highlights.

The real challenge is bringing together live delivery, audience data, advertising, captions, multi-language audio, and interactive experiences alongside tracking, commentary, graphics, and officiating data.

What fans expect: reliability, personalization, speed

For viewers, success comes down to three things: reliability at scale, personalization and speed. Fans will tolerate a lot, but they won't forgive a stream that buffers during a decisive goal or runs so far behind live play that social media spoils the moment.

Personalization must happen without undermining performance, delivering different recommendations, languages, statistics, camera feeds and advertising while maintaining the resilience of a mass broadcast.

AI is reshaping live sports production

Artificial intelligence is central to delivering those expectations. Rather than replacing production teams, AI is enabling rights holders to produce and distribute content at a scale that would previously have required far larger operations. Automated highlight clipping is one of the clearest examples: AI can identify key moments, package them and distribute them within minutes.

For rights holders, the difference between publishing a goal two minutes after it's scored rather than twenty is the difference between leading the conversation and chasing it. Match summaries, commentary, captions and translations can also be generated automatically, and platforms can match each fan with the content they are most likely to watch next.

A glimpse of the future: personalized sports at scale

The broader ambition is visible at the top of the game. The PGA TOUR now turns each week's action into roughly 7,000 AI-generated highlight clips across dozens of markets, so a fan can follow one player or catch up on key moments without waiting for the main broadcast. The 2026 World Cup has produced a similarly vast library of stories. A record 215 goals were scored during the group stage, an average of three per match.

Tournament debutants Cabo Verde went undefeated, with Kevin Pina scoring the country's first World Cup goal, while Japan's 4-0 victory over Tunisia was both the 1,000th match in World Cup history and the biggest ever by an Asian team. These are exactly the kinds of stories that automated tagging, rapid clipping and intelligent recommendations can bring to the right audience.

Immersive viewing and accessibility

The next generation of live sports streaming will be defined by richer viewing experiences. Multi-view streaming allows fans to follow simultaneous matches, while alternative camera angles and player-specific feeds provide greater control over how the action is consumed.

Real-time data integration can bring live statistics directly into the viewing experience without interrupting the match. AI is also making captioning, translation, and audio description production-ready at scale, allowing broadcasters to localize live coverage without a proportional increase in costs.

However, human oversight remains essential for names, sporting terminology, and cultural context.

The technology behind global scale

Supporting all of this requires resilient IT infrastructure and scalable delivery platforms capable of broadcast-quality reliability and low latency, even as millions connect simultaneously. It also requires organizations to move beyond fragmented technology stacks.

A unified architecture makes content easier to reuse: one live signal can support a full broadcast, mobile highlights, social clips, advertising inventory, archive content and personalized recommendations.

Furthermore, protecting that content is just as important as delivering it. Live sport is uniquely vulnerable to piracy because its commercial value exists almost entirely during the match. Digital Rights Management remains the foundation, but forensic watermarking is becoming increasingly important, embedding invisible identifiers so pirated feeds can be traced and removed while the event is still live.

What's next: The future of live sport at scale

The World Cup ultimately highlights that live video has become a complex, data-driven product where success is no longer defined solely by picture quality or reach, but by how effectively AI, unified content workflows. and scalable technology work together under pressure.

The challenge for the industry is not understanding what works at World Cup scale, but applying those lessons consistently across every live event.

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When was the last time you met your newest hire in person?

For many organizations, particularly those operating remotely, the answer is increasingly never. With one in five companies worldwide adopting a fully remote model, hiring virtually has become increasingly popular, enabling businesses to access global talent pools and scale faster than ever before.

But in removing geography as a constraint, it has also stripped away one of the most fundamental layers of trust: the ability to verify, face-to-face, who you are actually employing.

This shift is giving rise to a new and largely under-recognized threat, the “deepfake employee”, where threat actors use synthetic identities, voice cloning, and real-time deepfake video to pass interviews and secure legitimate employment.

Accelerated by advancements in AI, it is now possible to create convincing digital personas at scale, lowering the barrier to entry for fraud and enabling highly organized operations to target corporate hiring pipelines.

In practice, these attacks can be surprisingly difficult to detect. A candidate may appear on a video interview with a natural-looking face and voice, answer questions fluently, and provide what seem to be legitimate credentials. Behind the scenes, however, AI tools can subtly alter facial expressions, sync lip movements to a cloned voice, or even feed real-time responses.

To the hiring manager, there is little reason to suspect anything is wrong. The deception often only becomes apparent much later, if at all, when activity inside the organization begins to raise concerns.

This risk is already playing out in the real world. In a recent experiment, a cybersecurity expert used AI to create deepfake personas – one a white man similar to himself and another of an Asian woman, and successfully secured two separate tech roles, beating hundreds of other candidates.

Using AI-generated credentials, real-time voice modulation and live deepfake video, both synthetic identities progressed through interview stages undetected, with employers unaware they were interacting with an entirely fabricated candidate.

Cloudflare’s latest threat research highlights the scale and sophistication of this activity. Organized “remote worker” fraud operations are using fabricated identities, deepfake-assisted interviews and remote access “laptop farms” to infiltrate payrolls. In some cases, multiple individuals operate behind a single employee identity, maintaining persistent access while appearing as one consistent, legitimate user.

Once hired, these actors are no longer external attackers. They become insider threats with valid credentials, company-issued devices and trusted access to systems. As Cloudflare notes, by the time these individuals are identified, they are already operating inside the perimeter, often blending in with normal business activity.

What needs to change

With nearly 60% of organizations having experienced deepfake-driven incidents, and 48% reporting damage from AI-generated impersonation or misinformation, it is clear that identity infrastructure has become a primary attack surface. Attackers are shifting away from “breaking in” to “logging in” using legitimate credentials obtained through deception.

At the heat of this issue is the flawed assumption that identity can be verified once and then trusted indefinitely.

In physical environments, identity is rarely in doubt. You can see who walks through the door, recognize familiar faces and detect inconsistencies in behavior. In virtual environments, however, organizations rely almost entirely on screen names, login credentials and video, none of which reliably confirm who is actually behind the screen.

Accounts can be shared, credentials can be compromised, and even live video can be manipulated.

This creates a critical vulnerability at the point of hire. A candidate may present documentation, pass background checks and complete onboarding, but in a world of synthetic identities, that initial verification is no longer enough.

Building continuous identity assurance

To address this challenge, organizations need to move beyond static identity checks and towards continuous identity verification. This means verifying not only who someone is who they say they are and that they are a real human at the point of hire, but ensuring that the same individual remains present and authentic throughout their interactions with the organization.

The strongest form of defense lies in continuous biometric verification of the user’s identity. Rather than relying on a single factor, such as facial recognition or voice authentication alone, fused biometrics combines multiple identity signals, such as facial characteristics, voice patterns and behavioral cues, into a single, layered verification process, verifying directly that a real, live human is there.

It is no longer enough to confirm a person’s identity at a single moment in time. Organizations need confidence that the same individual is consistently present across every critical interaction, from interviews and onboarding, through to system access and sensitive transactions. Without this continuity, identities can be shared, replaced or hijacked without detection.

Fused biometric verification can create layered validation that is significantly harder to replicate or manipulate, enabling it to detect and block attempts to impersonate users through synthetic voices, deepfakes, or recorded audio and video.

While a single modality might be fooled by a sophisticated synthetic input, combining biometric modalities; facial recognition, voice recognition, and speech pattern recognition, it becomes significantly harder for fraudsters to mimic an identity.

Advanced biometric verification technologies are trained on large datasets of both genuine and synthetic voice samples, enabling them to recognize subtle acoustic differences between natural and deepfake voices. This helps organizations detect voice-cloning attempts, even when the audio sounds convincing to human listeners.

Crucially, fused biometric verification can operate passively in the background, consistently verifying that the right person is accessing systems, enabling smoother, lower-friction experiences and reduces the need for frustrating repeated verification attempts.

As organizations continue to embrace remote work and digital-first operations, cybercriminals will increasingly find new vulnerabilities to exploit. The question is no longer just how to keep threats out, but also how to ensure that those already inside are truly who they claim to be.

In a world where identities can be fabricated, cloned and manipulated with ease, trust cannot remain static. It must be continuously proven.

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• Ministers in the UK are consulting on workplace monitoring technologies
• Employers may have to ask permission to implement surveillance tools that ensure employees are working as contracted
• The consultation includes references to the use of artificial intelligence-assisted monitoring

The British government’s Make Work Pay strategy to overhaul employment rights and end exploitative work practices has opened consultation on workplace monitoring technologies, with the Department for Business and Trade seeking to establish whether existing rules covering things like biometric surveillance, keystroke logging, and productivity scoring are fit for purpose.

Current rules over the use of workplace monitoring technology (WMT) may be fit for purpose, but the consultation aims to establish whether non-statutory guidance, a formal code of practice, or a legal framework is required.

The consultation – which also cites artificial intelligence as a tool to assist monitoring, closes September 30, 2026.

Identifying WMT

Workplace monitoring technologies have developed with the pace of digital expansion in offices and factories, with notable examples including email and web tracking, along with controversial tools such as keystroke logging, and screen and app monitoring.

Mobile workers and couriers are also subjected to GPS monitoring, while access to workplaces is typically subject to biometric credentials, a modern-day version of “clocking in.”

So, monitoring practices in the workplace are nothing new, and CCTV has long been used to observe location, activity, and appropriate behavior. Responses to the consultation will no doubt include concerns over the expansion of these technologies into the remote workspace, where tools like keystroke loggers and screen monitoring are considered intrusive.

Meet the AI boss

Furthermore, some new considerations, such as automated decision-making (ADM, which can make decisions without human involvement) and algorithmic management (tools that can, for example, alter shifts based on availability and performance) will also come under review with the consultation.

The consultation announcement states:

"AI and innovation are central to the government’s strategy for growth. The Chancellor has prioritised AI adoption, as where the biggest gains lie for UK growth, and has set the ambition for the UK to be the fastest adopter of AI in the G7. To support rapid and responsible adoption, we are focused on creating the right conditions, providing the necessary infrastructure and managing the technology transition fairly and carefully."

Additional regulatory requirements

While the consultation is welcome and gives employers and employees the chance to deliver their thoughts – and affords the Labour government the opportunity to underline its Make Work Pay policies – the end result will inevitably means more regulatory work for employers.

Non-statutory guidance would be the preference, as this has a smaller impact in a workplace that already has to consider GDPR and the EU AI Act. Larger organizations also need to accommodate local employment laws. But there is every chance that the eventual decision will result in the introduction of a statutory policy governing workplace monitoring technologies, particularly where AI is concerned.

• AI is opening to the door to advertising on streaming TV platforms for SMBs
• 37% of small and medium businesses feel cross border campaigns are more accessible thanks to AI
• SMBs see AI as key tool in remaining competitive in the future

Barriers to cross-border and multi-region advertising are being broken by AI, according to a new survey by Amazon Ads.

Surveying 4,100 respondents across 14 countries, the results found nearly three-quarters (73%) of UK SMBs have found that AI advertising tools make streaming TV an affordable and accessible platform for their promotional messaging.

The questions focus on the difference between advertising accessibility in 2026 compared with 3 years ago, when 69% found cost to be the main barrier against streaming TV advertising access.

How does AI help SMBs advertise?

Now, over half of SMBs (54%) interested in advertising on TV believe that AI tools can enable them to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness (53%). Meanwhile, a majority of SMBs believe AI can be instrumental in expanding their competitiveness.

Amazon Ads employs AI tools to create and manage AI campaigns, as well as improve opimization and targeting. It offers image and video generation solutions to create realistic visuals and uses a chatbot (“conversational agent”) to develop concepts and scripts with the advertiser.

The survey also found 68% of UK SMBs found AI advertising has supported growth, and 52% highlight that it has supported expansion into other countries. Of those surveyed, 37% stated that cross-border campaigns seemed out of reach just three years ago.

"What we're seeing is a real shift in confidence among small and medium-sized businesses," noted Cyril Clerget, General Manager of Global SMB Advertising at Amazon Ads. "AI-powered tools are helping them explore advertising channels — like streaming TV — that once felt out of reach.”

The survey has also found that 88% of SMBs are planning to use AI for creating adverts, and 74% aim to use the technology to produce streaming ads. Interestingly, the survey also found that 45% intend to use AI for competitor analysis in the future.

Is AI the future of affordable advertising?

Affordable AI tools seem to be an attractive prospect for SMBs wishing to aim for streaming TV. Over the past few years, radio advertising has become more targeted thanks to increasing numbers of digital stations, with advertisers able to tailor to specific demographics.

Streaming TV offers a similar curation, and 75% of surveyed UK SMBs see AI as the answer to improving their future competitiveness.

Amazon has discounted the 256GB Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra to AU$1,597, dropping it by AU$502 from its AU$2,099 RRP.

That's the same price Amazon is charging for the smaller 256GB Galaxy Tab S11, and AU$2 less than the AU$1,599 it costs direct from Samsung.

This isn’t quite the lowest price we’ve seen for the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra on Amazon, with the 256GB model briefly dropping to AU$1,547 in June.

Still, today’s AU$1,597 price is only AU$50 more, plus the 512GB model is down to AU$1,799 from the AU$2,449 RRP and the 1TB version has dropped from AU$2,949 to AU$2,299.

Thanks to this discount, the 256GB Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra currently costs the same as Amazon’s smaller Galaxy Tab S11, making this the model I’d choose if you've been pining for the larger 14.6-inch display. Otherwise, the standard S11 may still suit you better if portability is the priority — the 128GB version is 21% off RRP, at AU$1,099.View Deal

Amazon is the simpler option if you just want an easy purchase and fast delivery, but other retailers such as JB Hi-Fi also have the S11 Ultra for just a few dollars more.

Another option worth checking out is Samsung’s current trade-in offer, which could work out cheaper if you have an eligible tablet. Samsung is selling the 256GB Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra for AU$1,599 and, until 26 August, is adding a guaranteed AU$500 bonus credit on top of your device’s assessed trade-in value.

One catch – your old tablet must be eligible for Samsung’s trade-in program and retain an assessed value above AU$0.

But, I hear you ask, what makes the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra truly worth the rather large price tag?

In our Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review, we said we’d be “hard-pressed to find a bigger and better display on an Android tablet”. The 14.6-inch AMOLED screen earned a full 5/5 in our testing, with enough brightness for outdoor use, while the included S Pen and expansive display make it particularly well suited to watching movies, gaming and drawing.

Our reviewer also found Samsung’s One UI software made excellent use of the big screen for multitasking, with the tablet handling a video call, game and floating YouTube window at the same time without slowing down.

Battery life impressed too, lasting 11 hours while streaming 1080p video at full brightness, helping explain why the S11 Ultra remains our best premium Android tablet pick in our buying guide.

No tablet is perfect, and the main caveat for the S11 Ultra from our testing is the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chipset, which we found disappointing considering the RRP is over AU$2,000.

Yes, it's a clear improvement over the Tab S10 Ultra and handles games well, but it falls well short of competitors like the M5 iPad Pro for outright processing power.

That said, while the current AU$502 discount does not fix the performance shortfall, at AU$1,597 rather than AU$2,099, it makes our review criticisms considerably easier to swallow. Especially when the closest equivalent iPad Pro is AU$2,599.

So overall, I think that at the current discount, the S11 Ultra is an easy recommendation for those who want the biggest possible screen for movies, games, drawing and multitasking.

• Xiaomi officially launches SkyNomad N70 and N90 SUVs
• Both pair a 1.5-liter gasoline engine with huge 76 kWh NMC battery packs
• Hybrid technology allows for more than 1,000 miles of driving

Fresh off the success of the SU7 and YU7 all-electric models, which offer the sort of performance and range to compete with Porsche’s Taycan, Chinese tech company Xiaomi is now moving into the world of hybrid SUVs.

Teased a few weeks ago, the company has now taken the wraps off the roughly $35,000 (in China, that is) SkyNomad N70 and N90, two hulking SUVs that are capable of seating either five or seven people in a variety of luxurious configurations.

Shirking the pure EV powertrain of Xiaomi's previous efforts, the SkyNomad sub-brand uses a Changan-derived 1.5-liter gasoline engine and a huge 76 kWh NMC battery pack to offer substantial range.

According to China’s generous CLTC testing cycle, the Xiaomi SkyNomad N90 Max offers a combined range of up to 1,705 km — or 1,060 miles.

(Image credit: Xiaomi/SkyNomad)

Customers in China also have the option of a more affordable 52 kWh battery pack, but when the larger of the two is specified in the five-seat N70, pure electric range is almost 314 miles, according to the CLTC testing cycle.

If you crunch the numbers and remove some of the CLTC's generosity, it equates to around 250-miles on the UK and Europe's WLTP cycle. That's still enough to shame many pure EVs.

Alas, Xiaomi hasn’t announced plans to sell its SkyNomad models outside its domestic market yet, but it has previously stated that it hopes to introduce the SU7 and YU7 models to the UK and Europe by 2028.

Analysis: only a bargain in China

(Image credit: Xiaomi/SkyNomad)

As we have seen with BYD’s luxury brand, Denza, the price of high-performance or luxury Chinese EVs isn’t so appealing once you factor in local taxes and import duties.

It was revealed recently that the supercar-baiting Denza Z, for example, will start at a staggering £142,900 in the UK (around $200,600) and rises to £172,900 (around $233,000) for the top-spec Racing variant. It costs around $100,000 in China.

We can expect to see a similar pattern with models like the SkyNomad N70 and N90 should they arrive in Europe, especially since they come fitted with the sort of battery pack that many rival pure-electric vehicles use today.

Those hoping for something that drastically undercuts the likes of Audi’s Q7, the Volvo XC90 or even Kia’s slightly more affordable EV9 and Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 could be a tad disappointed when official European pricing is eventually announced.

The Shards is guaranteed to have audiences talking, for better or for worse, as Bret Easton Ellis' controversial semi-autobiography comes to the small screen.

But, in my opinion, Ryan Murphy teaming up with Ellis has given him the chance to shine once again. Fans of Murphy's work were left disappointed and baffled in recent months after his abysmal Hulu series All's Fair aired, which has a seriously low Rotten Tomatoes score of just 6%.

Thankfully, The Shards feels closer to what Murphy was doing with the anthology series American Horror Story, and the result is an addictive, bloody and over the top series which shows that Murphy and Ellis are an excellent creative duo.

The Shards is certainly not for everyone, but I'm sure it will find a dedicated audience among Hulu subscribers. Those who can put up with intentionally insufferable protagonists are rewarded with a stylish, tasty peek into life as a privileged student in the 1980s, set in a sunny LA neighborhood.

The nine-part series follows a fictionalized version of Bret Easton Ellis, who is 17 and in his final year at the elite Buckley prep school. Igby Rigney, known for his work on Netflix's Midnight Mass, plays this version of the thriller author.

We open with Bret going to see The Shining, smoking a cigarette and driving a convertible, as he narrates all the luxury clothing he's wearing. Rigney's almost bored-sounding narration would feel out of place anywhere else, but here it fits perfectly as he talks about his life, one that many viewers will never have and might desperately covet. Despite having everything, there's no enthusiasm to his voice at all.

Opposite Rigney, Homer Gere stars as Robert Mallory, a new arrival at Buckley whose unsettling presence coincides with the activities of a serial killer known as The Trawler. Gere is fantastic in The Shards, dominating every scene he's in, and making us feel very uncomfortable from the moment we see him.

The unsettling dynamic between Bret and Robert forms much of The Shards, supported by an equally good cast playing fellow students around them. Susan Reynolds (Kaia Gerber), is a popular girl and cheerleader who soon develops a thing for Robert, much to the annoyance of her long-term boyfriend Thom (Graham Campbell).

Bret's girlfriend, Debbie (Hayes Warner), is a teen rebelling against her movie director father, adding to the already complex layers of this dysfunctional friend group.

The first two episodes were released together, but unfortunately it's a weekly release from then on. I have a feeling some people might be gutted they can't binge-watch it because it's easy to become invested in what's happening. The Shards is a dazzling experience where you feel like a fly on the wall watching these spoiled teens, wondering what's going to happen to them next, even if you probably should look away.

It's a visceral, no-holds-barred look into this 80s society which finds itself rapidly torn apart, sometimes literally. Indeed, those looking for Bret Easton Ellis' brand of gratuitous violence will find it here, making The Shards an interesting blend of teen drama and horror movie, with some grisly results.

Even if you haven't read The Shards, if you know you're a fan of Ellis' other works like American Psycho, I think this will be right up your alley. It ticks all the right boxes for what we'd expect from him, after all.

At the time of writing, The Shards season 2 has not been confirmed, which means the season finale's ending will prove frustrating if we don't get more. Though Ellis' book has a similar ending, I'm hopeful that The Shards will choose to take the story further as it feels like it's been written with a second season in mind.

As a standalone season though, it's entertaining and shocking in equal measure. The Shards is a welcome addition to Ryan Murphy's filmography, and I hope he does more like this because I have certainly missed him when he's at his bloody best.

It’s an exciting time to be a Samsung phone fan right now with the recent launch of its new foldable range, including a brand new form factor for the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Pre-orders are still ongoing, but with prices starting from AU$1,949, not everyone will be springing for these premium phones.

If you’re in the market for something much more affordable, then you’re in luck — the Samsung Galaxy S26 is currently at its all-time low price of AU$992 on Amazon, or a whopping 36% off.

Costing less than Apple’s budget phone — the AU$999 iPhone 17e — the base model Samsung Galaxy S26 is a true flagship device with three camera lenses, 12GB of RAM and the full Galaxy AI suite. This deal handily beats the previous all-time low of AU$1,098 we saw during EOFY and Prime Day. Amazon has the Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue and White colours available for this price.View Deal

Our Samsung Galaxy S26 review praised the bright AMOLED display, reliable 3-lens camera setup and surprisingly long battery life given its relatively small 4,300mAh capacity. It also has a 6.3-inch screen, perfect for those who like smaller-sized handsets.

Storage options now also start at 256GB, up from the predecessor’s 128GB. That change, plus the other improvements over the S25, meant the S26 came with a price increase from AU$1,399 to AU$1,549.

Aussies also miss out on the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset found in the US model, having to settle for an Exynos 2600 processor. Our reviewer also noted the relatively slow 25W charging speed and the lack of full Qi2 wireless charging support, commenting that this phone is only worth buying when it’s on sale.

And that’s why this phone is an easy recommendation for less than AU$1,000, despite its shortcomings. It’s a solid entry-level flagship with the specs to back it up, which also comes in an increasingly rare 6.3-inch size.

Also discounted at the Samsung store

Not a fan of the default colours on sale at Amazon? The Samsung Australia store also has the handset discounted for AU$999, and that includes the store-exclusive Pink Gold and Silver Shadow colours. You can also purchase the handset through a monthly repayment plan and trade in an old device to save even more.View Deal

The news that Amazon’s smarter AI assistant, Alexa+, is finally making its way to Australia could well be exciting news for many Aussies. After all, we’ve had to wait a fair amount of time for the upgraded digital assistant, as it launched in the US way back in February 2025, and arrived on UK shores in March of this year.

If you’re already embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, whether that be through ownership of Echo smart speakers and displays or Ring home security cameras, you’d be forgiven for thinking Alexa+ might never make it Down Under. If so, you may have never felt the need to upgrade your various Amazon devices to newer generations.

Now with the official rollout of Alexa+ in Australia, that could mean your devices aren’t compatible. In truth, the list of incompatible devices is relatively short (which I have to say is quite remarkable and deserves brownie points for Amazon), but regardless, the latest generation Alexa-enabled devices will offer the best Alexa+ experience.

So, if you want to add Alexa+ to your home to become an AI-powered digital assistant capable of performing all manner of tasks, from answering simple queries to placing Amazon orders on your behalf or even notifying you when packages are delivered to your home (and are captured on a Ring camera), then any of these nine Echo devices will be worthy additions to your home.

Also note that you'll need a subscription to Alexa+. It's free if you're already a Prime member, otherwise it costs AU$29.99p/m. Considering an Amazon Prime membership is just AU$9.99p/m, you'd be saving money.

Amazon Echo Studio (2025)

Amazon Echo Studio

Amazon Echo Dot Max

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)

Amazon Echo Spot (2024)

Amazon Echo Hub

Amazon Echo Show 8 (4th Gen)

Amazon Echo Show 11 (2025)

Amazon Echo Show 15

• Ukrainian drone destroys Russian flag moments after dramatic aerial deployment attempt
• Competing battlefield videos continue fueling disputed territorial claims across eastern Ukraine
• Analysts continue examining disputed battlefield footage for signs of digital manipulation

Ukrainian forces released footage showing a Russian flag destroyed roughly 30 seconds after a drone placed it on a damaged building in the Sumy region.

According to Ukraine's 105th Territorial Defense Brigade, Russian operators dropped the flag from a drone before Ukrainian personnel responded with an FPV drone strike.

The video shows a Russian drone placing a flag associated with Russia's Airborne Forces onto the roof of a damaged residential building in Velyka Pysarivka.

Drone operation quickly ends symbolic battlefield display

Footage later captures a Ukrainian FPV drone approaching the location before striking the flag shortly after it landed, ending the display within approximately 30 seconds.

The 105th Territorial Defense Brigade said drone operators located the position before Russian forces could use the footage to reinforce claims of battlefield progress.

"Enemy rags do not remain on Ukrainian soil for long," the 105th Territorial Defense Brigade said about the operation.

Velyka Pysarivka lies close to the Ukrainian border with Russia and has experienced repeated attacks while remaining an active area of military operations.

Fighting around the settlement continues as Russian forces conduct cross-border activities while attempting to expand operations across parts of the Sumy region.

The released footage focuses on the sequence involving the flag placement and the subsequent strike instead of showing any broader military engagement nearby.

Symbolic footage continues shaping competing battlefield narratives

Throughout the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both sides have repeatedly made competing claims about capturing territory, often supported by battlefield footage.

The latest video follows another disputed incident involving territorial gains that was circulated through Russian military communication channels.

Russian sources previously circulated a video claiming forces had captured Bilyi Kolodyaz in Ukraine's Kharkiv region after raising a Russian flag inside the settlement.

Analysts later questioned that recording after identifying what they described as signs suggesting digital manipulation within several parts of the footage.

Among those observations were an unusually oversized soldier together with a flag that reportedly disappeared from the frame during the recording sequence.

Neither side's battlefield footage can always be independently verified immediately because active combat conditions often limit direct access to the reported locations.

Military analysts therefore continue examining released videos alongside satellite imagery, geolocation evidence, and additional sources before confirming claims involving territorial advances or battlefield events.

The flag incident in Velyka Pysarivka adds another example showing how symbolic actions increasingly accompany frontline operations.

As of now, independent verification of the footage remains unavailable, making its authenticity difficult to establish.

Via United24media

For PC enthusiasts who’ve already lived through SSD price hikes and RAMageddon, there could be more bad news ahead.

Air fryers aren't just for small cooking tasks or one-to-two person households. There's a new wave of air fryers that come kitted out with two drawers, enabling you to cook two components of a meal at once. They offer more space than your standard, one-drawer offering, and provide an easy way to keep different foods separate, but they also go further than than that.

You can pick a different temperature for each drawer, and most will have a sync function that means the appliance will automatically figure out your timings and sync up cooking so both drawers of food are finished at once. If you have a small kitchen, there are a number of models that have the two drawers stacked one on top of the other, to provide a generous cooking capacity without eating up all your counter space. It's enough to make you want to retire your proper oven for good.

We have a general guide to the best air fryers, but in this roundup I've narrowed things down to just my favorite two-drawer options. The main name to look out for is Ninja — this brand makes a wide variety of dual-zone options of different sizes and with different functions. I've included a number of options below, but I've also featured alternatives from rival brands, including some budget-friendly options.

Double trouble

Ninja AF300UK Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer

Read our full review

Ninja DoubleStack XL air fryer

Read our full review

Pros

• Small footprint, generous capacity
• Extra trays for even more cooking space
• Top-tier performance

Cons

• Expensive for a dual-basket model
• '8-portion' capacity feels ambitious
• Can't fit big foods whole

Philips 4000 Series Stacked Dual Basket Air Fryer

Read our full review

Pros

• Cooking windows and basket lights are a handy addition
• Space-saving design takes up less counter space
• Versatile cooking functions, strong cooking performance

Cons

• Supplied physical instructions are too basic
• The black and gold finish will split opinion
• 5L baskets means larger food won’t fit

Chefman 9qt Air Fryer

Ninja Crispi DualZone Glass Countertop Air Fryer

PHILIPS Dual Basket Air Fryer 3000 Series, 9.5 Quarts

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9L

Read our full review

Cuisinart 11-qt Dual Basket Air Fryer Pro ADZ-112

Tower Housewares Vortx 7.6L Dual Basket Air Fryer (UK only)

Tower Housewares Vortx 11 Litre Dual Layer Air Fryer (UK only)

Apple and OpenAI are currently engaged in a legal battle. Apple alleges that OpenAI stole trade secrets and poached employees.

But the two companies have always had a complicated relationship. They partnered in 2024 to bring ChatGPT to Apple devices, but Apple chose Google's Gemini rather than OpenAI for Siri. Then OpenAI acquired io, the hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, and promised a future hardware device, powered by AI.

All of this has prompted speculation about what Apple is worried about if OpenAI makes hardware, too. We can't know the company's motivations and the specifics of the case are still unfolding. But it got me thinking, what if your phone stopped being a collection of apps and instead revolved around AI?

If AI became the main interface, which apps would disappear and which would survive? And would a phone controlled through ChatGPT actually be practical?

So I decided to find out based on the current tech we have. For a day, whenever I reached for an app, I'd try ChatGPT first instead. If it could do the job, great it passed the test. If it couldn't, it would fail.

There were some obvious things I missed out from the start. ChatGPT isn't connected to my email, it can't open WhatsApp for me and it doesn't have access to my wallet, so those wouldn’t be part of the test. But there were plenty of everyday tasks that felt like fair game.

1. Stopwatch

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Lee Bryant Photography)

I use the stopwatch in my iPhone's Clock app constantly throughout the day. When I'm working, cooking or exercising, it's one of the simplest ways I've found to keep me on track as a freelancer. When you can set your own schedule, it's way too easy to disappear down a research rabbit hole and lose an hour.

I asked ChatGPT to start a stopwatch. It said it couldn't measure elapsed time, although it could estimate the time based on message timestamps if I later asked it to stop. Instead, it suggested I use my phone's built-in Clock app.

Result: fail

2. Alarm

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Terang Bulan Gallery)

Strangely, I don't use alarms as much as stopwatches. But if I only have 25 minutes to spare, whether that’s for cleaning or working on a personal writing project, I'll sometimes set one to keep myself focused.

Would ChatGPT do any better here? Well, at first it looked promising. It created a scheduled task to notify me after 10 minutes. I checked that notifications were enabled, put my phone down and carried on working.

When I realized at least 15 minutes had passed, I checked the chat. Sure enough, ChatGPT had posted a message saying the time was up, but it hadn't actually alerted me. Later, I discovered it had also sent an email but it had landed in my spam folder. This one was a fail too in my book.

Result: fail

3. Word games

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Iuliana Ionescu)

I love the word games in the New York Times app, home to addictive puzzles like Wordle and Connections. One of my current favorites is Spelling Bee. You're given a handful of letters and then have to make as many words as possible. It's one of my favorite ways to warm up my brain before I start writing.

Could ChatGPT recreate it? Surprisingly, yes. It generated a set of letters, understood the rules and kept track of the words I found. In terms of pure functionality, it worked.

But what it couldn't recreate was the experience. The New York Times app is beautifully simple, with an interface designed around the game. Playing through a chat window felt really clunky and annoying by comparison. The whole point of this game is I'm focusing on the letters and words, I don't want a constant back and forth with ChatGPT about the words.

So I'm calling this a partial success. Yes, ChatGPT replaced the mechanics of the game, but not the experience. And after a few rounds, I knew which version I'd rather use every day.

Result: partial pass

4. Star gazing

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Milosz_G)

The Sky Guide app is one of my all-time favorites, especially its augmented reality mode. Turn on your phone's location and compass, point it at the night sky and it instantly tells you what you're looking at, whether that's constellations, planets, bits of debris, or the ISS. It's incredible.

Could ChatGPT replace it? Well, sort of. If you upload a photo of the night sky, ChatGPT can usually identify the constellations. But there are caveats. The image needs to be clear, the stars need to be visible and you're relying on a single snapshot. Whereas Sky Guide works continuously as you move your phone around the sky.

This was another reminder that knowledge doesn't necessarily bring you a good experience. Because yes, ChatGPT knows about constellations. But Sky Guide lets you explore them. You can point your phone in any direction, tap on a star or planet and instantly get more information about it without having to keep asking questions. It's a much more intuitive way to learn.

Result: partial pass

5. Weather

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Kaspars Grinvalds)

Telling me what to expect from the weather forecast for the day turned out to be one of ChatGPT's strongest categories.

The forecast was accurate and pulled from a reliable source, so I trusted the information it gave me. I did find myself asking follow-up questions for things like the hourly forecast and the chance of rain, which would have taken a single tap in a dedicated weather app.

It knew the answers and I trusted them, but getting to them was much slower. That's why I'm generously calling this one a pass.

Result: pass

6. Guided meditation

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

I have a few favorite apps I use for guided meditations and have some saved in Spotify too. So I wondered whether ChatGPT could take over that role.

For this test, I switched on voice mode and asked it to guide me through a short meditation. Now, technically it did that. But in practice it wasn't even remotely relaxing.

Thanks to a recent update, the voice had odd intonation, frequent vocal fry and distracting little "ums", "ahs" and "let me sees" throughout that constantly pulled me out of the experience. At one point it even told me to breathe in, then never got around to telling me to breathe out.

By the logic of how I graded the other tests, this one should have been a partial pass. It did what I asked, right? But because I had to stop using it out of irritation and came away from the mediation feeling actively more stressed, it's going down as a fail for me.

Result: fail

7. Calculator

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Teerawit Chankowet)

ChatGPT doesn't have a great track record of counting things, so I was wary about using it as a calculator. I asked it to do some massive sums for me and it got all of them right.

It did pause a few times with a "let me think" message, so I wasn't getting the instant response I'd expect from a calculator. But the delay was only a few seconds, and the answers were correct.

Once again, I found myself missing the simplicity of an app. Typing numbers into a calculator is faster than turning them into a conversation. But ChatGPT did work as a capable stand-in.

Result: pass

8. Movie recommendations

(Image credit: Letterboxd)

I love Letterboxd. I log every film I watch, browse other people's lists and regularly discover new films through recommendations.

Now, there was never a chance ChatGPT could replace the logging side of the app. It can't update my Letterboxd diary or plug me into that community. But recommendations are one of the main reasons I use it, so I wondered how well ChatGPT would do.

I asked it to recommend films similar to some of my favorites, then spent the next few evenings watching its suggestions to really test them. And, to my surprise, it did an excellent job.

Then again, that perhaps isn't all that surprising. We know LLMs are trained on huge amounts of publicly available text, especially discussions reviews and recommendations from where film fans gather online, like Reddit. But whatever the reason, the recommendations felt well matched to my taste.

What I missed wasn't the recommendations themselves, but the social side of Letterboxd. I do enjoy seeing what friends had watched, reading reviews and stumbling across unexpected lists. So, for me, ChatGPT can't replace Letterboxd, but for simply finding something to watch, it did well.

Result: pass

9. Maps

(Image credit: Google)

I rely on my Maps app both for planning journeys in advance and for live navigation. So I asked ChatGPT the best way to get from my home to the airport the following day.

At first, it handled the request well. It laid out the different travel options clearly under headings and the advice looked really sensible. It even cited sources from places like Rome2Rio and The Trainline.

Then things got unnecessarily complicated. At the end of those suggestions it asked what time my flight was so it could tailor the recommendations. But when I told it, it started creating a scheduled task instead. I didn't want a reminder, so I had to cancel that, explain what I actually meant and steer the conversation back to route planning.

Eventually, it gave me the information I wanted. But the Maps app would have got me there in a fraction of the time, without all the back and forth.

It also can't replace what I actually use Maps for the most, which is live, turn-by-turn navigation.

Result: partial pass

10. Food delivery

(Image credit: Shutterstock / GBJSTOCK)

ChatGPT obviously can't deliver food, but I wondered whether it could replace the part of the app I probably spend the longest on, which is deciding what to eat.

It got off to a surprisingly good start. It asked about my preferences, budget and location, then narrowed down the options and even presented them neatly on a map.

The recommendations themselves looked really good. They're all local places I already really liked to eat at. But there was just one problem. Every restaurant it suggested was closed. Even the map it generated had "closed" written beneath each one.

After a bit of back and forth, it said they weren't shut, eventually acknowledged that they were and suggested a different set of places instead.

Unfortunately, those weren't much use either. They were small independent cafés and restaurants that don't appear on food delivery apps. I wouldn't expect ChatGPT to know exactly which businesses partner with which delivery services, but it did highlight the gap between recommending somewhere to eat and actually helping me make a decision about where I could order from.

Result: fail

11. Language learning

(Image credit: Duolingo)

I still very reluctantly use Duolingo and have recently started trialling a few other language learning apps to polish my Spanish.

I asked ChatGPT to help me improve my Spanish for an upcoming trip and it suggested role-play ordering food in a café so I could practise.

We switched to voice mode and at first it felt genuinely fun. It held a natural back-and-forth conversation and felt much closer to speaking to a real person than working through a series of multiple-choice questions like in Duolingo.

But it was also noticeably glitchier than a dedicated language app thanks to that recent voice update. There were odd pauses in the conversation, and at one point it repeatedly kept marking one of my answers as incorrect when it wasn't. Shortly afterwards, the exercise just stopped working altogether after a bizarre "ummmmm" from ChatGPT.

When it was working, I actually enjoyed the experience more than using an app like Duolingo. But if I'm trying to learn a language properly, I also want something that's reliable.

Result: partial pass

12. Plant identification

(Image credit: Future)

I love identifying things I see in nature, like bird song with the Merlin app. But I most often rely on plant identifying apps when I'm walking to take a quick snap of a leaf or flower then find out more about it.

ChatGPT was really effective at doing this. I took pictures of leaves, trees, flowers and bushes. I was a little wary about the results at first because I know that ChatGPT tends to make guesses about things rather than admitting it doesn't know. But I did fact check all of the results and everything seemed accurate.

Again, I missed some of the simple, additional features in dedicated apps. But it was surprisingly effective.

Result: pass

Can AI really replace your apps?

Before drawing too many conclusions, it's worth pointing out that a true AI-native phone wouldn't just be ChatGPT running as another app like it was in this experiment. It would probably be integrated into the operating system. Which would mean it could access things like your calendars, timers, navigation and settings. So many of the tasks ChatGPT failed at here might become a whole lot easier with an AI-first phone.

This experiment was based on whether AI could replace the apps on my phone. What I found was that it replaces a specific kind of app. Well, sort of.

If an app's main job is providing information, explaining something or answering questions, AI is already a fairly capable alternative. Plant identification, travel advice, calculations and general knowledge all felt natural.

But if an app exists to perform an action quickly, like starting a timer, setting an alarm, finding restaurants for getting food delivered, opening a map, AI still has a long way to go. Those tasks depend on deeper integration with the device and a different way of working, not just how smart it is.

There are some big trade-offs, too. Dedicated apps often rely on specialist databases and expertise, while AI can still present incorrect answers confidently or fail to make its uncertainty clear. For example, when I was trying to identify a plant I felt wary because I'd generally trust an app built with the input of botanists over a chatbot.

And, as you could probably tell from my mounting frustration, a huge sticking point for me was also realizing how much I missed the interface of many apps.

For me, a well-designed app is always a better way to explore information than a conversation. I don't think everything should, or even can, be done through chat, despite that being the direction many AI companies seem to be heading. In fact, it showed me that a conversational interface can be more work rather than less.

It's impossible to know exactly what Apple and OpenAI's long-term plans are. But I can imagine a future where knowledge apps increasingly merge into AI, while utility apps remain part of the operating system itself.

If that happens, we may stop thinking about which app to open and simply ask AI instead. But for that future to actually catch one, I'd want stronger guarantees around accuracy, better integration with trusted sources and the option to step outside the chat interface more often.

The ruling is in addition to the $375 million Meta was ordered to pay in the same lawsuit in March.

• China's State Council published a revised integrated-circuit layout-design regulation, deleting the words "semiconductor integrated circuit" from its definitions article, essentially rewriting what it considers an integrated circuit
• The regulation does retain mentions of "semiconductor material substrate", but chooses to expand on its definition in a separate clause
• It also expressly extends protection to photonic and quantum chip design layouts from October 2026

China's State Council has published the revised Regulations on the Protection of Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits, the first systematic rewrite of a text that had sat untouched since April 2001.

The revision was adopted at the State Council's 91st executive meeting on July 10, 2026, promulgated as Decree No. 842 on July 23, and takes effect on October 15, 2026.

The change drawing the attention is also the smallest in the document which saw "semiconductor integrated circuit" struck from the front of the definitions article, so that Chinese law now effectively protects the layout of an integrated circuit rather than the layout of a semiconductor one.

A more liberal approach to chip design IP from China?

Beijing's aim is to bring photonic and quantum chips within the same protection regime that semiconductor designs already enjoy, but the change is being read as a claim to future leadership in chip design.

The National Intellectual Property Administration published two expert interpretations alongside the regulation.

The one generating the most buzz is by Guo He of the Intellectual Property Academy at Renmin University of China. Guo notes that photonic integrated devices and quantum chip technology are advancing quickly and that optoelectronic chips are already in wide use in some fields, then concedes that the deletion looks inconsequential on its face, since monolithic integrated circuits everywhere still need semiconductor material as a substrate.

His case for its significance is about posture rather than capability: the point of formally striking the phrase, he argues, is to show that the Chinese are "no longer conservatives in the intellectual property system."

The claim is about legislative attitude rather than actual leadership, but it lands at a moment when the US and China are still wrestling over AI, with chip design a crucial factor: whoever has the fastest silicon to train their models holds a significant edge.

The US chip embargo, which has since softened, has produced an unintended beneficiary in Huawei, whose chairman thanked the US government for sanctions he credits with building China's domestic semiconductor chain.

The regulation indicates that China is seeking to secure its IP both at home and abroad as the state continues to invest heavily across that chain. Layout protection is a serious subject, and The Register's analysis notes why: a die layout is expensive and slow to produce, and copying one is a shortcut.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Strengthening that protection is the revision's main purpose. The provisions doing the work, however, have nothing to do with definitions. They cover damages, tighten the requirements governing how designs are submitted, and allow third parties to request revocation of a registration, a power previously held only by the administration, with outside parties limited to submitting suggestions. A revoked right is now deemed never to have existed.

Alibaba, Huawei, Cambricon and Loongson have all shipped parts that credibly compete with American designs, and protecting them from copyists is a rational move for Beijing.

China's real ambition, however, may lie elsewhere, as the Jamestown Foundation's April 2026 assessment sets out: Chinese labs sit at or near the frontier on several photonic research benchmarks, while the United States and Taiwan still hold the segments of the supply chain that turn demonstrations into shippable products.

By revamping its regulations, China hopes to keep its photonics research and, in future, its quantum research, visible yet protected.

If photonic and quantum layouts do become commercially significant, the material-specific language embedded in American and European national instruments creates a gap someone eventually has to close. Beijing has moved first, at least on paper, even if it lacks the tools to build the chips just yet.

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4: key information

- Season 4 renewed before season 3 even aired
- Filming is underway and began in May 2026
- Netflix is predicting a 2027 release date
- Core cast expected to return

Who else has been left reeling after that shocking cliffhanger in the My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 ending? Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) feel more off the cards than ever, with the drag racing accident putting a fatal spanner in the works.

On top of that, Alex (Ashby Gentry) has finally admitted that he has feelings for Kiley (Mya Lowe), but her boyfriend Dylan (Kolton Stewart) has driven a manipulative wedge between them. Still, at least George (Marc Blucas) is very much alive and healthy.

Netflix has some huge questions to answer in My Life With the Walter Boys season 4 — but what do we actually know about what's coming?

Luckily, the core cast and release window have already been teased (and I've got good theories about the rest).

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 release window

Our main couple. (Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix has already confirmed that My Life with the Walter Boys is slated for a 2027 release.

While we don't have an exact date confirmed, the last two seasons have aired in August... and I've got a feeling that the streamer will stick with its tried-and-tested formula.

Filming has been taking place in Calgary since May 2026, which is another key indicator that progress is on track for an August 2027 release.

“I know I speak for the writers, the cast, and the crew when I say that it is beyond exciting to be returning to the world of Silver Falls for a fourth season,” showrunner and executive producer Melanie Halsall said in a press statement. “We are all incredibly grateful and are thrilled to dive in."

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 trailer: is there one?

Don't be silly. It took us until the middle of July 2026 to get one for season 3, so expect the first full trailer to arrive around four weeks before the fourth season does.

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 cast

(Image credit: Netflix)

We're expecting the following main cast members to return for My Life with the Walter Boys season 4:

• Nikki Rodriguez as Jackie
• Noah LaLonde as Cole
• Ashby Gentry as Alex
• Sarah Rafferty as Katherine
• Marc Blucas as George
• Connor Stanhope as Danny
• Jaylan Evans as Skylar
• Corey Fogelmanis as Nathan
• Johnny Link as Will
• Isaac Arellanes as Isaac
• Myles Perez as Lee
• Alisha Newton as Erin
• Mya Lowe as Kiley
• Ellie O’Brien as Grace
• Kolton Stewart as Dylan
• Natalie Sharp as Blake
• Alex Quijano as Richard
• Ashley Tavares as Tara
• Dean Petriw as Jordan
• Alix West Lefler as Parker
• Lennix James as Benny
• Gabrielle Jacinto as Olivia
• Chad Rook as Mac
• Naveen Paddock as Eliot
• Erin Karpluk as Hannah

There are question marks around Fogelmanis and Link's return, as both Will and Nathan were set to leave the family home at the end of season 3.

We can also expect new faces to join the cast, so watch this space.

My Life with the Walter Boys season 4 plot predictions

This is exactly where I want to be. (Image credit: Netflix)

Spoilers for My Life with the Walter Boys season 3 ahead.

“Our story’s about love and romance and love triangles and all those teenage trials and tribulations around those things, and we’re not going to divert from those — so much, much more of that to come in Season 4," Halsall told Netflix.

But what does this actually mean?

Obviously, the first thing we need to find out in season 4 is whether Cole is hurt. His car is flipped enough times for there to be some serious damage, but it's difficult to tell what that is in the season 3 cliffhanger.

Then, of course, there's the question of whether Jackie actually follows through with her kiss with Eliot. I've got a sneaking suspicion that she'll pull away at the last second... but perhaps that's wishful thinking. It's certainly a moment that her future relationship with Cole could hinge on, if he pulls through.

Kiley will hopefully break up with Dylan and finally see that she should have been with Alex all along, but this isn't something that Dylan is likely to take quietly. Expect more overt tension between him and Alex, put it that way.

What is more difficult to tell is whether we'll see how Will and Nathan get on after they fly the nest, but the remaining Walter kids prepping for university is likely to feature heavily.

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Two-minute review

The Sony Inzone M10S was one of the best gaming monitors of 2024, offering uncompromising performance and a suite of practical tournament-ready features that made it the perfect choice for both professional and aspiring esports players.

Now Sony is back with the Inzone M10S 2, a successor that delivers a number of small but nevertheless impactful upgrades while maintaining everything that made the original so good. It’s the same 2560 x 1440 resolution, but feels even snappier thanks to an increased 540Hz refresh rate and a lower 0.02ms response time. There’s even a dual mode, letting you bump the resolution down to 720p for a staggering 720Hz picture — invaluable for Counter-Strike 2 or Rocket League.

If that wasn’t enough, it’s now even brighter, coming in at up to 1,500 nits rather than 1,300, with the same rich colors and impressive contrast. There’s a new anti-glare coating on this model as well, which does a fantastic job of keeping glare at bay. You barely see any kind of reflections, even in a brightly lit room with ring lights and lamps pointed directly at the screen, preventing possible distractions in a tournament setting.

I did note that the matte texture makes it prone to smudging and quite hard to clean, though, which might be a little frustrating if you accidentally touch the panel while setting up.

(Image credit: Future)

Like its predecessor, the Inzone M10S 2 is packed with handy esports features like a dedicated 24.5-inch display mode, the ability to set up on-screen timers and crosshairs, or an option to display a frame rate counter to check your performance.

They’re all accessible via the monitor’s options menu, or the easy-to-use Inzone Hub software. The software even lets you import and export your setup, meaning you can take your at-home profile to a competition and access the exact same settings every time.

As this is a Sony product, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that it also has a dedicated PlayStation 5 mode, which is activated automatically when the system is plugged in and optimizes the picture for console play.

It’s all brought together by a market-leading stand. The base included with the original Sony Inzone M10S is one of the best I’ve ever used, with a low-profile disc-shaped base that fits underneath your keyboard, plenty of vertical adjustment, and a full 360 degrees of rotation. The version that comes with the Inzone M10S is even better, benefiting from an additional few degrees of tilt to ensure a comfortable viewing experience no matter how you’re seated.

(Image credit: Future)Sony Inzone M10S 2: Price and availability

• Costs $1,099.99 / £1,199 / roughly AU$2,300
• Same price that the original M10S launched at
• The older model is now cheaper, though

The Sony Inzone M10S 2 is far from cheap, but it’s not really competing with most other gaming monitors. You can easily find capable 4K screens for far less than this price, such as the Gigabyte M32UC, which is going to be a better fit for those seeking to play cinematic games like Horizon Forbidden West or The Last of Us Part 1 on PC or console.

The Inzone M10S 2 is instead positioned as an alternative to models offered by dedicated esports brands such as BenQ Zowie. The Zowie XL2586X+ is a good point of comparison, as it’s very similarly priced at roughly $1,000 / £1,150 / AU$1,799. That model features a 600Hz 1080p TN panel designed for the best possible motion clarity. While technically faster, you lose out on the higher-resolution picture, more vibrant OLED colors, and stylish design of the M10S 2.

If you’re looking at the Inzone M10S 2, then the original Sony Inzone M10S, which is still sold alongside this newer model, is also a viable alternative. The M10S is now easy to find around $900 / £990 / roughly AU$1,600, so it comes in a decent chunk cheaper — though you do lose the spec upgrades.

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Specs

Sony Inzone M10S 2

Price

$1,099.99 / £1,199 / roughly AU$2,300

Panel size

26.5in / 67.3cm

Panel type

OLED

Resolution

2560 x 1440

Brightness

1,500 nit

HDR

HDR10

Pixel response

0.02 ms gray-to-gray

Refresh rate

540Hz (or 720Hz HD)

Sony Inzone M10S 2: Design and features

• Sleek and attractive
• Brilliant included stand
• Wealth of ports

The design of the Sony Inzone M10S 2 hasn’t changed that much from the original M10S — but that’s certainly not a bad thing. This is a sleek and attractive-looking monitor that comes bundled with a fantastic stand. Its base is a low-profile, 4 mm thin metal disk that fits comfortably underneath a keyboard and connects to a robust stand that keeps the monitor impressively stable.

You get the same full 360-degree rotation too, so you can freely show your screen to teammates in a match. The large power button and the thumbstick used to edit settings are still as intuitive and easy to use as before, and it retains smart design features like a power indicator LED that’s set off to the side so that it doesn’t shine in your eyes as you play.

The ports are identical to the original M10S as well: DisplayPort, two HDMI 2.1 ports, an upstream USB Type-C alongside two downstream USB Type-A ports for peripherals, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a single USB Type-A port reserved for software updates (accomplished with a USB stick). Its major software features are also unchanged, so you still get support for Nvidia G-Sync, HDR, and a suite of visual modes including an FPS Pro+ mode developed in collaboration with esports team Fnatic.

This isn’t the best looking aesthetically, but it makes it far easier to see key visual cues like the red dots that indicate rival players in a match of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 or even obscured enemies in Valorant.

In terms of what’s actually new, it’s a subtle distinction but the M10S 2 benefits from a wider -5 to 35 degree tilt range (its predecessor tilted at -5 to 25 degrees), which allows for even more flexibility in your seating position (the monitor also supports a 100 x 100 mm VESA mount, if you would prefer to use a third-party arm).

The Inzone M10S 2 is also coated with a new ‘Super Anti-glare Film’. It’s incredibly effective, and means you can play unimpeded with a literal torch pointed at the display. The matte texture does make it very prone to picking up smudges, though.

FutureFutureSony Inzone M10S 2: Performance

• 540Hz refresh rate is incredibly smooth
• Beautiful, vibrant colors and strong brightness
• Perfect for competitive games

The Sony Inzone M10S 2 looks pretty dim and unimpressive out of the box. The culprit? The power-saving mode is on by default. Once you turn that off and crank the brightness up to about 80%, the vibrant OLED colors are absolutely lush and look gorgeous. The sRGB profile is a good choice if you want color accuracy, and is usually my preference when using monitors, but I found the slightly poppier appearance of the standard preset very appealing.

The enhanced brightness of this model is immediately noticeable compared to the original M10s and, along with the effective anti-glare coating, ensures that the picture remains visible in even harsh lighting conditions like direct sunlight or with the display positioned next to a desk lamp.

In games, the performance is simply perfect. The 540Hz refresh rate is beautifully smooth, and motion is impressively clear. It elevates titles like Counter-Strike 2, where the enhanced smoothness genuinely helps with target tracking. The 0.02ms GtG response time certainly helps everything feel snappy, and sits among the fastest on the market.

(Image credit: Future)

Although my Nvidia RTX 4080 Ti-powered rig didn’t break a sweat achieving a stable 540fps frame rate at 1440p, you can comfortably lower the resolution to 1080p and maintain a decent level of picture quality — especially in the dedicated 23.5-inch display mode. Things feel even better if you take advantage of the dual-mode feature and crank it up even further to 720Hz at 720p, though this does come at a noticeable cost to picture quality.

Competitive first-person shooter titles are what this monitor was made for, but that doesn’t mean that it delivers poor performance in other genres. The grim world of Warhammer: 40,000 Space Marine 2 looked absolutely gorgeous with expressive colors and strong contrast, while Forza Horizon 6 benefitted hugely from the smoothness of VRR.

Even if I wouldn’t recommend buying the Inzone M10S 2 exclusively to play those kinds of games when cheaper 4K options are available, it’s good to know that you will still be able to enjoy a wide range of titles if you’re an aspiring esports player who picks one up for both practice sessions and home use.

Should you buy the Sony Inzone M10S 2?Buy it if...

You need the best esports performance
The Sony Inzone M10S 2 is perfect for competitive play thanks to its smooth 540Hz refresh, excellent motion clarity, and suite of tournament-ready software features.

You want a versatile display as well
When you’re not practicing for your next tournament, the Sony Inzone M10S 2 is still a capable display with vibrant OLED colors that benefit a wide range of genres.

You’re after top-tier design
Although the design of the Sony Inzone M10S 2 is almost identical to its predecessor, that’s not a bad thing. Its stand is still one of the best on the market

Don't buy it if...

You’re not serious about competitive play
When you’re spending this amount of money on a display, you need to be serious about competitive play. Otherwise, there are cheaper 4K options available that are better suited to general use.

Also consider

Here’s how the Sony Inzone M10S 2 stacks up against the original model, plus a 4K alternative for those that want something for more general use.

Sony Inzone M10S 2

Sony Inzone M10S

Gigabyte M32UC

Price

$1,099.99 / £1,199 / roughly AU$2,300

~$900 / £990 / around AU$1,900

$799 / £681 / around AU$1,500

Panel size

26.5in / 67.3cm

26.5in / 67.3cm

32in / 81.3cm

Panel type

OLED

OLED

LCD

Resolution

2560 x 1440

2560 x 1440

3840 x 2160

Brightness

1,500 nit

1300 nit

350 nits

HDR

HDR True Black 400

HDR True Black 400

HDR True Black 400

Pixel response

0.02 ms gray-to-gray

0.03ms gray-to-gray

1 ms

Refresh rate

540Hz (or 720Hz HD)

480Hz

144Hz

Sony Inzone M10S
The original Sony Inzone M10S is now available for a bit cheaper than the M10S 2. You lose a few key upgrades, but it’s worth considering if you want to spend a little less on an otherwise capable esports display.

Read our full Sony Inzone M10S review

Gigabyte M32UC
The Gigabyte M32UC is the monitor I point to when I recommend something for general use. It’s 4K at 144Hz and perfect for PS5 and PC. It’s not a good fit for esports, but it’s much cheaper than the Inzone M10S 2.

Read our full Gigabyte M32UC review

How I tested the Sony Inzone M10S 2

• Tested for over two weeks
• Used as primary display
• Evaluated with a wide range of games

I tested the Sony Inzone M10S for more than two weeks, using it as my primary monitor for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Throughout my time with it, I tested a wide range of titles, ranging from esports favorites Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, Fortnite, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege to popular shooters such as Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

I also tried a selection of more traditional games, such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Stellar Blade, to elevate its more general performance. During my time with the monitor, I endeavored to test each of its available features using both the built-in settings options and the compatible Inzone Hub software.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed August 2026

• Recycled Mars rover hardware may still cost NASA more than expected
• PROMISE faces mounting questions over unexpectedly high development and integration costs
• Existing rover hardware cannot eliminate costly engineering and certification requirements

NASA's long-term lunar exploration program includes robotic missions requiring specialized vehicles capable of carrying scientific instruments across the Moon.

One proposed mission involves sending the Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration (PROMISE), a robotic Moon rover, to conduct scientific investigations on the lunar surface.

According to NASA, the proposal to build the rover from recycled Mars rover engineering hardware could become too expensive after estimates reached between $723 million and $1.33 billion.

Reusing existing rover hardware does not eliminate major mission costs

Instead of building the Moon rover from scratch, NASA plans to combine engineering models from the Curiosity and Perseverance rover programs.

Although the concept relies on existing hardware, NASA says the expected costs remain far beyond what the agency considers acceptable for such a mission.

The cost estimates were prepared by Casey Dreier, the Planetary Society's chief of space policy, after reviewing NASA's proposal for the planned lunar rover.

According to Dreier, the estimated total includes launch and landing costs ranging from $234 million to $320 million together with engineering expenses.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman did not challenge every figure within the estimate, but argued that launch and landing expenses would exist for any lunar mission.

Isaacman believes that it “would be crazy not to take advantage of hardware taxpayers have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars in."

But, "If PROMISE costs even 20 percent of your low-end estimate, we simply will not fly it," he concluded.

The proposal combines MAGGIE and OPTIMISM, engineering models developed to support testing for the Curiosity and Perseverance rover programs before their Mars missions.

Those vehicles were built to help engineers test hardware performance, software functions, and driving activities under controlled conditions before operational spacecraft left Earth.

NASA originally considered the concept because using hardware that already exists appeared capable of reducing development costs.

Recycled rover concept still requires major engineering work

Engineers would still need to certify the hardware for launch because equipment designed for ground testing cannot automatically survive spaceflight and lunar operations.

Additional work would also involve adapting communications equipment and integrating NASA's available plutonium radioisotope power system into the redesigned lunar vehicle.

The engineering models currently support existing activities, meaning removing them from those roles could affect testing work linked to other programs.

Dreier summarized the financial challenge by saying, "Regardless of whether one agrees with every estimate… one thing is clear: PROMISE is far from a 'freebie.'"

The engineering models currently support existing activities, meaning removing them from those roles could affect testing work linked to other programs.

NASA has not released its own detailed cost estimate for the proposed rover; therefore, the project's overall financial viability remains under wraps.

That said, its future will likely depend on whether engineers can reduce costs while overcoming technical challenges involved in converting Earth-based test hardware.

Via The Register