Technology

Netgear issues fixes for several Wi-Fi 6 access points and Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers.

Don't lose hope on the next Grand Theft Auto.

• Bloomberg is reporting that Apple might announce a new iPhone SE as early as next week
• The rumored fourth-generation would ditch the home button
• It's expected to be a big upgrade with a new design and a processor jump

Apple has been rumored to be working on a next-generation iPhone SE for quite some time. We expect the fourth-generation, more affordable iPhone to arrive sometime in 2025, potentially in the spring, around March or April.

However, a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes that Apple could announce the smartphone as soon as next week. He writes, “The company expects to announce the device as early as next week, ahead of it going on sale later in the month.” That hints at a pretty imminent arrival, but one that likely won’t garner the occasion of an Apple Special Event. It would be more likely to be launched in a matter similar to the iPad Mini from late last year via a press release.

The iPhone SE has long been a part of Apple’s iPhone lineup, first arriving in 2016 and last updated as a third generation in 2022. Currently, it most resembles that of an iPhone 8 and is the only smartphone in Apple’s family that still features a home button with Touch ID. However, this next generation of the iPhone SE should be a big leap in terms of looks and the hardware powering it.

(Image credit: Apple)

It’s reported that the fourth-generation iPhone SE will look similar to that of the iPhone 14, with a larger, closer-to-the-edge screen design that ditches the home button and features a notch containing Face ID. This means that you’d be able to unlock the iPhone with just a glance, and the same goes for authenticating purchases or using Apple Pay.

Gurman’s latest reporting notes that the device is codenamed “V59” and will be the first Apple product to feature a modem designed in-house. That would mean ditching another Qualcomm component for Apple, and the silicon would also be made by the tech giant, with this report noting it would be the A18 chip.

That’s the same processor inside the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, which should make it plenty speedy and, maybe even more important, is the fact that it could handle Apple Intelligence. This means you’d be able to use ‘Writing Tools,’ create a Genmoji, use Image Playground, and even remove annoying background objects or people from photos with ‘Clean Up.” It would also make it fit for a pretty long shelf life, something that’s become a need for the iPhone SE as it’s only typically refreshed every few years.

Along with removing the home button, the iPhone SE fourth-generation will likely make the switch to USB-C. While it’s still available in the United States, it was taken off the shelves and discontinued in the EU, partly in an effort to comply with the rules of ports. When it does arrive, Gurman believes it will be around the same price point of the current model. Right now, the iPhone SE third-generation starts at $429 / £419 / AU$719 and that’s a competitive price for the iPhone lineup, especially considering the iPhone 16 starts at $899. Some other reports have shown that the price could be a bit higher, though.

As far as an arrival as next week, that would kick off Apple’s 2025 product debuts. Also rumored to be arriving next week, as reported by Bloomberg, and the much-anticipated Powerbeats Pro 2 from Beats. Gurman also notes that a MacBook Air with the M4 chip, a new entry-level iPad, and a new iPad Air should arrive in the first half of 2025.

Of course, as with all Apple rumors, nothing's official until the technology giant says it, so we'll see what next week brings. In the meantime, we can look at Apple's cute, expressive robot prototype.

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Elon Musk's DOGE was previously granted access to the US Treasury Department's payment systems, drawing the ire of many Americans.

The days of trailers and demos are done as the ESA broadens its horizons. The newly minted “iicon” conference will bring together the many industries impacted by video games, from Hollywood to health care.

Sources tell WIRED that the ability of DOGE’s Marko Elez to alter code controlling trillions in federal spending was rescinded days after US Treasury and White House officials said it didn’t exist.

The US government has ordered states to retract their plans to build hundreds of federally funded EV charging stations, according to a memo obtained by WIRED.

• AWS and Orbital want carbon-negative data centers by end of 2025
• Carbon removal costs are estimated at $0.20 per GPU hour
• Orbital’s AI model Orb will debut on AWS platforms

AWS and Orbital Materials have announced a partnership using generative AI to boost data center sustainability and efficiency.

The partnership will focus on developing new materials for carbon removal, chip cooling, and water utilization within AWS data centers.

Traditional material development has relied on lengthy trial-and-error processes in laboratories, but Orbital Materials says its own generative AI platform can allow rapid design, synthesis, and testing of advanced materials.

Generative AI transforms materials discovery for faster, efficient innovation

Since establishing its lab in early 2024, Orbital says it has achieved a tenfold improvement in material performance, showcasing unprecedented speed in materials discovery.

The company's first product, a proprietary carbon removal material for direct air capture (DAC) has captured AWS's interest, allowing Orbital to develop a DAC system designed to operate within data centers, repurposing waste heat to drive carbon removal, and significantly reducinges scope 3 emissions, aligning with AWS’s sustainability goals.

Data centers are critical to powering modern technology but are also significant energy consumers with complex carbon footprints. Through the partnership, AWS aims to integrate Orbital’s DAC system into its data centers, demonstrating a full-scale pilot by the end of 2025.

Orbital estimates its material could achieve carbon negativity for renewable-powered data centers for $0.20 per GPU per hour, a small fraction of current GPU usage costs, which range from $2 to $10 per hour. The potential economic viability of this technology could pave the way for scalable adoption across the cloud computing industry, enabling AWS and others to mitigate environmental impacts.

As part of the partnership, Orbital’s generative AI model, Orb, will become available to AWS customers through Amazon SageMaker JumpStart and AWS Marketplace. Orb is the first AI-for-materials model on AWS platforms and will enable researchers and businesses to simulate and develop advanced materials more efficiently. Applications for Orb extend beyond carbon removal and include technologies like semiconductors, batteries, and electronics.

To support its AI advancements, Orbital will pre-train and fine-tune its foundation models on Amazon SageMaker HyperPod, AWS’s purpose-built infrastructure for large-scale distributed training. Additionally, Orbital plans to evaluate the deployment of AWS Trainium, a custom silicon designed to optimize the cost performance of deep learning workloads.

“Our partnership with AWS will accelerate the deployment of our advanced technologies for data center decarbonization and efficiency. Working with the market-leading AWS team will ensure that our suite of products in cooling, water utilization and carbon removal enables the next generation of data centers powering the AI revolution,” said Jonathan Godwin, CEO and Co-Founder of Orbital Materials

Howard Gefen, General Manager of AWS Energy & Utilities said "AWS looks forward to collaborating with Orbital and their mission to drive data center decarbonization. Through Amazon SageMaker HyperPod and AWS Trainium, we can accelerate the development of breakthrough sustainability technologies."

"By integrating Orb with Amazon SageMaker JumpStart and AWS Marketplace, we will enable sustainable innovation more widely. Together, we have the opportunity to set new benchmarks for carbon removal and efficiency across the industry," Gefen concluded.

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• Google CEO Sundar Pichai is teasing that Gemini could one day feature advertisements.
• It tracks as Google is pretty crafty at inserting ads into most of its offerings
• You can already see hints of ads in AI overviews in Google Search

Google’s Gemini AI might not have ads today, but let’s be real: the idea that Google is looking to bring advertising to AI assistants is hardly surprising. Google has spent decades fine-tuning the art of turning eyeballs into revenue, and Gemini may be next in line, according to CEO Sundar Pichai. During Alphabet’s latest investor call, Pichai gave a not-so-subtle hint that while you can use Gemini for free or pay for a subscription to extra features, advertising will likely come along to boost the company's bottom line in some way.

Google Gemini doesn't have banner ads popping up mid-conversation at the moment, but it doesn't take much imagination to picture a time when ads will support the free version of Gemini, and the premium subscription will count its lack of advertisements as one of its perks. It makes sense. AI isn’t cheap to run, and Google has already announced plans to spend $75 billion this year to keep up in the AI race. That kind of money doesn’t grow on trees; it grows on ad revenue.

"On the monetization side, obviously, for now, we are focused on a free tier and subscriptions. But obviously, as you've seen in Google over time, we always want to lead with user experience. And we do have very good ideas for native ad concepts, but you'll see us lead with the user experience," Pichai said during the call. "But I do think we're always committed to making the products work and reach billions of users at scale. And advertising has been a great aspect of that strategy. And so, just like you've seen with YouTube, we'll give people options over time."

Ads AI

If you want a preview of how ads might sneak into Gemini, just look at Google’s AI Overviews. These AI-generated search summaries are already discreetly inserting sponsored results. Search for “best ways to remove grass stains,” and in the AI-generated blurb, you might see a nice little link to buy a specific detergent. It's not exactly subtle. Google has spent years mastering the art of blending ads into everyday searches, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t do the same with its AI chatbot.

Ads through AI are not a unique Google idea, of course. Microsoft has been playing with ads in its Copilot AI chatbot, as has Perplexity with its sponsored follow-up questions. Amazon has pursued something similar, albeit in reverse, by making its Rufus AI chatbot also offer sponsored suggestions for purchases.

If Gemini starts recommending products based on your conversations, will you still want to converse with the AI? Mid-chat sponsored messages might annoy anyone into opting out, but maybe you'll be okay with an ad at the bottom of your chat window. The only thing more inevitable than ads from Google in Gemini is that the company will claim the ads will "enhance the user experience.”

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The journal’s editorial board includes multiple scientists, such as Trump health nominees Jay Bhattacharya and Marty Makary, who opposed Covid public health measures.

The strongest evidence so far that Nintendo's new console will let you use Joy-Cons as a computer mouse as well as a charging dock.

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• Apple showed off a robot lamp in a new research paper
• The work here may hint at future product plans, and expression is front and center
• The robot lamp prototype reminds us of Pixar and Disney

There have been plenty of rumors of Apple working on internal robotic projects, most notably a tabletop robot that could potentially move around and have a screen similar to an iPad, as Bloomberg reported. But thanks to a new research paper published by Apple, we now have the first look at a robot built by the company, and it’s downright cute.

In simpler terms, Apple has a robotic lamp that evokes major Pixar Luxo Jr. vibes, and I’d be super-happy to see it eventually come to market. Even at this early stage, it’s a much more playful and fun approach to robotics. Still, though, this is a prototype in a research paper from Apple Machine Learning, so it is still far from being something you can walk into a store and purchase.

The robot lamp is shown off in a video in a research paper titled “ELEGNT: Expressive and Functional Movement Design for Non-Anthropomorphic Robot.” It’s authored by Yuhan Hu, Peide Huang, Mouli Sivapurapu, and Jian Zhang.

That title certainly shows Apple's thoughtful approach to robotics. It wants the robot to be expressive, similar to a human. This approach is akin to that of Anki’s Vector and Cozmo robots or the animated faces associated with Amazon’s Astro – still an invite-only robot.

In the video, you can see how the robot is both expressive and functional, allowing it to interact with the researcher and follow instructions from what appears to be gestures. At one point, it’s asked to move over via a finger flick and responds. Apple’s goal, or at least that of this research team, wants it to be an elegant robot, one that is inviting – important for a device that will be in the home – expressive and ultimately functional.

At one point, almost leaning into Apple’s movements in the health space, it reminds a user to drink water by nudging the glass closer. It’s really cool, and watching the full video – it’s only four minutes and forty-six seconds long – is well worth it.

As a Disney and Pixar fan, I find the vibe seriously similar to that of the fun-loving, sometimes mischievous Luxo Jr. lamp we all know. The lamp seemingly does more than move or illuminate, though. In one scene, it’s shown moving along with an assistant playing a response – likely Siri – so it might have a speaker built-in. In another, it projects a video onto a wall to help with a project the researcher is conducting.

The opening where the lamp comes to life, swinging around, knocking over blocks, and performing a delightful wiggle is simply great. While this doesn’t give exact information on what a future product might look like, it does give us a first glimpse at a robot prototype made by Apple, and that certainly adds a bit more credence to a potential device.

(Image credit: Apple)

It also shows how Apple is thinking about a device that could be used daily in more one-to-one interactions with people, and there’s a certain amount of care that goes into that. Apple’s ELEGNT is way less dystopian and more fun and welcoming, which is a better way to think about the future.

Apple writes in the research paper, “Nonverbal behaviors such as posture, gestures, and gaze are essential for conveying internal states, both consciously and unconsciously, in human interaction. For robots to interact more naturally with humans, robot movement design should likewise integrate expressive qualities—such as intention, attention, and emotions—alongside traditional functional considerations like task fulfillment, spatial constraints, and time efficiency.”

It’s clear that’s at the top of Apple's mind, and that very well could be a major differentiator for Apple in a space that is increasingly being billed with robots of all sorts. You can see the research paper in full from Apple Machine Learning Research here.

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The nation's third-largest carrier is getting more aggressive with its latest iPhone offer.

• Rollable displays could transform retail advertising strategies
• Transparent microLEDs could enhance car dash displays
• MicroLED TV prices could be reduced from current $100,000 tag

MicroLED displays, renowned for their superior brightness, efficiency, and lifespan, have long held promise for helping advancing the display industry.

Foldable phones have already revolutionized the smartphone industry, but making them any bigger has long held problems, leaving businesses in industries such as retail, healthcare, and automotive searching for scalable solutions.

Now though, Smartkem, a leader in organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), is addressing these challenges through collaboration with AUO, Taiwan’s largest display manufacturer, with the companies aiming to develop the world’s first rollable, transparent microLED display.

MicroLED production with OTFT technology

Smartkem’s OTFT technology enables processing at temperatures as low as 80°C - significantly lower than the industry standard of 300°C. Smartkem’s transistors can be fabricated directly on top of microLEDs, eliminating costly and complex processes such as mass transfer and laser welding, which have hindered scalability and affordability in microLED manufacturing.

The company’s approach also introduces a “Chip-First” display architecture, leveraging low-cost, flexible, and transparent plastic substrates instead of rigid glass, allowing the production of dynamic display solutions such as rollable signage in retail, or lightweight, transparent displays in automotive dashboards.

This project commenced in January 2024, and received a grant from the Taiwan-UK Research & Development Collaboration, funded by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovate UK. The development will utilize ITRI’s Gen 2.5 assembly line, underscoring the advanced capabilities of both Smartkem and AUO in producing next-generation displays.

“We believe that collaborating with global display industry leader AUO to develop a novel microLED display puts Smartkem’s technology on the frontier of microLED display commercialization," noted Ian Jenks, Smartkem Chairman and CEO.

"Our unique transistor technology is expected to enable display manufacturers to efficiently produce microLED displays, making mass production commercially viable. Smartkem’s technology has the potential to take today’s microLED TVs from high end market prices of $100,000 down to mass market prices."

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• Leica has revealed a new MagSafe camera grip for iPhones
• The LUX Grip has physical controls like a shutter button and settings dial
• It costs $329 / £260 (around AU$515) and comes with other limitations

As a photographer and TechRadar's former cameras editor my main criticism of the best camera phones has always been their handling – they're still just no fun to shoot with. Leica has now joined a growing number of camera grip accessories that aim to fix that, but some unfortunate drawbacks have dented the new LUX Grip's appeal.

At first glance, the LUX Grip looks like a great addition to any MagSafe iPhone (which includes any model from the iPhone 12 onwards). It manages to look both stylish and functional, with a tube-like design that can naturally be flipped to suit both right- and left-handed shooters. It's so nicely designed I can even forgive Leica calling it "the perfect symbiosis between Leica and iPhone".

Like the best mirrorless cameras, there's a mechanical two-stage shutter release (almost certainly better than the iPhone 16's flawed Camera Control), among other controls. Those include a settings dial, plus two customizable function buttons for those who like to shoot in manual. As much as I like the idea of Apple's Camera Control button, physical controls make way more sense on something like the LUX Grip than an 8mm-thick glass slab.

But then come those frustrating drawbacks. Firstly, and most annoyingly, the LUX Grip is only compatible with Leica's own LUX app. That's right, you can't use it with Apple's own Camera app (or any of the other best camera apps), unlike alternatives like the ShiftCam ProGrip or Fjorden Grip. Leica actually now owns Fjorden, so you'd have thought it'd follow suit with its compatibility, but strangely, it did not.

That wouldn't be so bad, but the Leica LUX app only offers basic features before requiring a subscription. Okay, you get a one-year Pro subscription to the app when you buy the LUX Grip, but beyond that, it needs a hefty monthly fee to unlock the full functionality you'd need when buying a grip that is this expensive.

Lastly, there's the price. Surely a phone accessory that costs $329 / £260 (around AU$515) should unlock longer or unlimited access to an app that costs $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$9.99 a month? I get that this is Leica, and the app does have some fascinating features (like computationally recreating classic Leica lenses). Still, these all feel like unnecessary barriers to what is otherwise a compelling accessory.

There is still something here

(Image credit: Leica)

The Leica LUX Grip might be blighted by frustrating drawbacks, but I think Leica is onto something here – and there's a chance it could still open the brand up to a whole new audience if it changes tack a little.

I've been fascinated by the idea of smartphones computationally replicating the look of classic camera lenses since portrait modes started maturing to today's levels. Of course, this is dangerous territory for most camera giants, who still want to sell us real cameras and lenses, but Leica is easily in the best position to experiment.

Like Ferrari, the German brand operates in a world that's almost entirely detached from the market realities that others have to negotiate. Leica camera buyers are also in a different Venn diagram from anyone who'd buy the LUX Grip, which is why the artificial barriers like limited third-party app compatibility and pricey app subscriptions feel a bit unnecessary.

I'm sure Leica could make a camera grip like this with a lower price tag and a multi-year app subscription that gives people who'd never buy a Noctilux-M 50mm f/1.2 lens a taste of its vintage magic on their iPhone. Exclusivity is part of the Leica brand, and perhaps I've underestimated the development costs of the LUX Grip and app, but if they could be nudged in a more affordable direction, I could still see them in my iPhone's future.

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The US government’s primary foreign aid organization is losing the vast majority of its staff, forcing the agency’s lifesaving work to screech to a halt.

Most of these games are available on other platforms now.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Thursday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Thursday, February 6 (game #1109).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1110) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1110) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1110) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1110) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1110) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• A

• A

• C

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

Quordle today (game #1110) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1110, are…

• PETAL
• ABASE
• AMONG
• CORER

It could not have been closer for me today after I wobbled between two words – PETAL and AMONG – and got both wrong (although I got very close with Metal).

CORER gave me Quordle deja-vu, as it featured just over a month ago in the January 4th puzzle (a particularly tricky day that also included CRATE, QUASI and EXIST).

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1110) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1110, are…

• EGRET
• LOGIN
• WITTY
• MORPH

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1109, Thursday 6 February: MADAM, SCAMP, FAUNA, TRACK
• Quordle #1108, Wednesday 5 February: SIXTH, VERVE, BLURB, CACTI
• Quordle #1107, Tuesday 4 February: BIRTH, DRAWN, MILKY, JOIST
• Quordle #1106, Monday 3 February: SLEET, TENSE, SEIZE, SCAMP
• Quordle #1105, Sunday 2 February: LOUSY, PENNE, CHUMP, SALVE
• Quordle #1104, Saturday 1 February: FACET, BLISS, FLUFF, FRANK
• Quordle #1103, Friday 31 January: PARER, SYNOD, BRAWN, BANJO
• Quordle #1102, Thursday 30 January: WEEDY, CHIRP, STALE, SUGAR
• Quordle #1101, Wednesday 29 January: CROWN, SCENE, AGILE, CRANK
• Quordle #1100, Tuesday 28 January: TOKEN, DAISY, INANE, PLIED
• Quordle #1099, Monday 27 January: ANGEL, GLOBE, MAYOR, BRAVE
• Quordle #1098, Sunday 26 January: WATER, ORBIT, BRIDE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1097, Saturday 25 January: GIVER, GROOM, GUSTO, MAKER
• Quordle #1096, Friday 24 January: GRIND, STOCK, SERVE, TOUCH
• Quordle #1095, Thursday 23 January: RUGBY, SASSY, WORRY, BANAL
• Quordle #1094, Wednesday 22 January: SLANT, TRUNK, WOOZY, EATEN
• Quordle #1093, Tuesday 21 January: CHART, VIGOR, PRINT, SPAWN
• Quordle #1092, Monday 20 January: SIXTY, THONG, TATTY, ROBIN
• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER