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Google Search uploads may be used to train AI unless users opt out, raising privacy and data governance concerns for businesses.

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• Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand has been revealed
• It's a standalone roguelike survival game based on Company of Heroes 3
• It will feature four playable factions and multiple progression systems

As a bit of a lapsed strategy game lover, I've been meaning to try out Company of Heroes 3 for years but just haven't yet managed to find the time to dive into its lengthy campaign and get to grips with the beefy online multiplayer.

Under the Radar

Under the Radar is our way of highlighting great games that might have passed you by. Through a regular mix of news stories and features, we'll cover great experiences that we feel haven't found the audience they deserve. Read the full series here.

The more condensed action of the upcoming Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand might be just the thing to get me on board. This newly revealed entry in the beloved strategy franchise sounds like one of those old standalone expansions (like Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon or Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City), offering reimagined version of Company of Heroes 3 that doesn't require the base game to play.

It's all about wave-based survival, challenging you with highly replayable levels that have you holding out against escalating waves of enemy forces. There are 36 boss challenging units to break up the waves of grunts and a roguelike progression system that has you choosing persistent upgrades every life to make each run feel more unique.

There are four playable factions to master (the allied US and British, and the German Wehrmacht and Afrikakorps) each with their own progression trees to work through and unlockable premium cosmetic skin packs.

Company of Heroes 3: Final Stand will support online co-op so you can hold out with friends, as well as eight difficulty levels designed for everyone all the way from total series newcomers to experts.

It launches later this month on July 29, 2026, for PC and is available to wishlist on Steam now.

• Sony has announced that it's ending physical PlayStation game disc production in 2028
• Fans are protesting the decision and have created a petition to urge Sony to change its mind
• It now has over 170,000 signatures

PlayStation fans have created a petition in a bid to urge Sony to reverse its decision to end physical game disc production from January 2028, and it's already reached over 170,000 signatures.

"On July 1, 2026, Sony announced it will end production of physical discs for all new PlayStation games starting January 2028," the 'Don't Kill the Disc' Change.org petition reads. "New games will be sold digitally, or as a box containing only a download code, with no disc inside."

The petition, created by the CEO of Canadian retailer PNP Games, also points out that days earlier, it was confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 physical editions will launch with no disc, but a digital download code instead, which many fans are disappointed with.

"When the market leader ends the disc, the rest of the industry follows," the statement continues. A disc is a real game you own. You can lend it, trade it, resell it, gift it, collect it, or pass it down to your kids. A box with only a download code is not the same thing. It is a digital license in plastic packaging. You do not own it. You are renting access that can be revoked, and people have already had purchased movies deleted from their libraries and games pulled from sale weeks after launch."

With a lack of physical games to sell in in-store retailers, there's also the risk of job losses and a weaker local economy, the creator added, and stressed that they're not against digital, but against digital being the only option.

As of writing, the petition has 172,204 signatures, and number which is growing by the minute, and many fans are being vocal about their disdain for Sony's decision.

"Physical media is what makes consoles the best place to play modern AAA games," one petitioner said. "It's the only decentralized local DRM solution that is both acceptable for publishers and provides sufficient ownership and user control to satisfy both sides. It is crucial for physical media to survive until digital ownership is sufficiently solved. My 30-year streak of supporting PlayStation depends on this decision. Don't betray your most loyal long-time customers Sony.

Another comment reads: "I've been a gamer on the PlayStation platform since the PS1 days, and many of my favorite games have been on PlayStation systems, whether as exclusives or simply a preferred platform. However, I'm a physical media gamer, and I refuse to support any gaming company that tells me I don't have the option to own physical media. I hope Sony will reverse this decision, but if not, then they will cease to get business from me after January 2028."

There are plenty more comments to cycle through, but while fans are voicing their concerns, Sony is notably quiet on the matter.

After posting the announcement, the company hasn't yet shared a statement in response to the outcry, so it remains to be seen if the PlayStation maker will cave under pressure.

• International Aerial Photographer of the Year 2026 winners announced
• Azim Khan Ronnie and Vitaly Golovatyuk scoop the top 'Photographer' and 'Photograph' prizes
• Both winners shoot aerial images with a DJI Mavic 4 Pro

If you love jaw-dropping aerial images, the International Aerial Photographer of the Year contest is well worth checking out — and the contest's 2026 winners have just been announced.

A total of 101 images were shortlisted by the contest's three judges, and Azim Khan Ronnie scooped the top prize with his portfolio of scenes from around the world, including vibrant images of chili pepper harvesters in his home country of Bangladesh.

Ronnie said: “From above, everyday scenes reveal patterns, geometry, textures and relationships that are often invisible from the ground. Aerial photography allows me to tell stories about people, nature and the environment from a perspective that inspires curiosity and offers a deeper understanding of the world."

A minimum of four images are required to be considered for the top 'Photographer' prize won by Ronnie. Vitaly Golovatyuk of the Russian Federation took 1st place for the International Aerial Photograph of the Year, with their individual image of a bird standing in a perfectly still lake in Elk Park, outside Dongtai City in the Zhejiang Province of China.

You can take a look at Azim Khan Ronnie's portfolio below, with the variety of scenes including migratory seagulls in Yamuna Ghat, Delhi, India and a perfectly synchronized rowing team gliding over the mist-covered surface of Lake Zurich in Switzerland.

For a few months of the year, a large number of Siberian seagulls migrate to various parts of India. One of them is Yamuna Ghat in Delhi. The birds start coming in here in November and move out in mid-March. The activity continues all morning.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the YearThousands of bright red chilli peppers are harvested in the hot sun before being sorted ready to be delivered to spice companies in the Sariakandi, Bogura, Bangladesh. More than 2,000 people work in almost 100 chilli farms in Bogura.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the YearAn aerial view of a rowing team gliding through the pristine waters of Lake Zurich in Switzerland. The team is perfectly synchronized, with oars cutting cleanly into the turquoise, misty surface, leaving subtle ripples in their wake.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the YearHindu devotees gather in Dhaka for Rakher Upobash, fasting and praying with incense and oil lamps to honour Baba Lokenath. Thousands seek blessings for health and protection, recalling the 18th century saint’s life of asceticism and spiritual devotion.Azim Khan Ronnie / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the Year'Unique and extraordinary'

I reached out to Azim Khan Ronnie, who described his images as "unique and extraordinary", and the result of much hard work, repeat visits and early starts.

I was particularly drawn to his series of chili pepper harvesters in Bogura, Bangladesh, where more than 2,000 people work on approximately 100 chili farms — you can see more of his images from this particular series at his Instagram page, linked below.

The vibrant colors grabbed my attention first, then the abstract patterns and astute composition kept me engaged.

A post shared by Azim Khan Ronnie (@azimronnie)

A photo posted by on

I also enjoyed his use of manual exposure and a slow shutter speed to blur the motion of the migratory seagulls, in contrast to the still (and sharp) boat they're surrounding, in his image from Yamuna Ghat, Delhi, India.

In the International Aerial Photographer of the Year press release, learn that Ronnie takes his aerial images with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone — a professional triple-camera drone which scored a maximum 5-star rating in our in-depth review.

Ronnie says, “For aerial photography, I use the DJI Mavic 4 Pro and DJI Mavic 3 Classic, allowing me to create images that reveal scale, patterns and perspectives impossible to capture from the ground. I always shoot exclusively in raw to capture the maximum amount of image data, giving me greater flexibility during post-processing while preserving image quality."

Birdie is sitting on the water of a tiny, crystal clear lake with reflection of the sky and surrounded by red grass, somewhere in Dongtai. Vitaly Golovatyuk, DJI Mavic 4 Pro (Image credit: Vitaly Golovatyuk / The 2nd International Aerial Photographer of the Year)

Vitaly Golovatyuk also used a Mavic 4 Pro for his winning individual image (above), taken in China, where the still lake appears like an eye, with the bird framed in the center among the reflected clouds and the surrounding rich red landscape.

The winners from the 101 shortlisted entries can be found at The International Aerial Photographer of the Year website, whose founders are on a mission 'to encourage and share the wonders of aerial photography'.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page linked above, there's a flip book containing all of the shortlisted entries — trust me, it's well worth a look.

Although artificial intelligence (AI) continues to dominate business conversations, widespread adoption is still some way off.

In fact, just one-third of professionals said that AI programs are being scaled across their organizations.

Many companies remain hesitant to move beyond pilot projects, with a lack of trust a major barrier.

Concerns over reliability, data protection, IT security, impartiality and the potential for misuse also continue to slow adoption.

To close that gap, businesses need to understand what is behind it, how to close it and how to ensure these processes scale across the whole enterprise.

What’s behind the trust gap?

Lack of trust in AI systems continues to hold organizations back. Only 57% of AI and data teams fully trust the outputs of AI systems, and among product managers and software developers, this figure drops to just one-third. This points to a wider lack of confidence as AI becomes more embedded in day-to-day operations.

Developers’ fears are based on a variety of factors. Hallucinations, when AI models generate information that appears credible but is in fact false, mean workers are concerned about its reliability in high-stakes or sensitive use cases.

Likewise, cybersecurity, including the security of data entered into AI systems, the risk of leakage to third parties, the potential for attackers to compromise AI environments, compliance with ethical standards, and whether bias in systems could shift over time as they continue learning during live operation are all contributing to workers’ distrust of AI models.

Building trust in AI

As organizations look to build confidence in AI, quality management is becoming a bigger priority. In fact, 79% of workplace decision-makers see a direct link between trust in AI and active quality assurance measures such as regular testing, monitoring and oversight.

Trust can only be built when both AI systems and the data behind them are subject to comprehensive quality controls that are applied continuously, not just as a one-off check before deployment.

A strong foundation starts with data quality. Organizations need confidence that the information feeding AI systems is complete, up to date, and accurate. AI outputs are only as reliable as the inputs they depend on, so flawed or incomplete information will inevitably lead to poor results. Robust data governance is therefore essential to ensure AI-driven decisions to hold up in real-world use.

Quality management must also cover security, compliance and access controls. Organizations need safeguards to ensure that data does not leak from internal systems to third parties and that AI complies with regulatory requirements such as the EU AI Act and GDPR.

Clear accountability for protecting sensitive business is equally important. For example, organizations must ensure that HR records can only be accessed by authorized HR staff, with controls in place to monitor and manage how that data is used within AI environments.

At the same time, trust is not solely about reducing risk. Organizations want to ensure AI investments deliver measurable value, with more than half of companies citing improving return on investment (ROI) from Ai deployments as a key priority. This demonstrates that reliability and performance are just as important as security and governance.

Why quality management still struggles to scale

For many businesses, the challenge is no longer deciding whether to use AI, but how to manage it reliably at scale. That is proving difficult because quality management processes are still heavily reliant on manual oversight.

Quality management needs to extend across the entire AI lifecycle, from model design and training through to testing and ongoing monitoring in production.

Yet among companies that conduct regular testing, just 15% to 29% have implemented automated quality assurance processes at any AI development stage. This means that quality controls are often conducted entirely or partially manually, making them time-consuming, costly and prone to human errors.

Ultimately, this limits widespread AI adoption. Large-scale deployment is difficult to achieve when quality assurance relies heavily on manual effort, as scaling would require a significant increase in personnel.

Many organizations are also trying to manage AI adoption without clear governance, with half still lacking an enterprise-wide AI governance strategy. This is often compounded by a lack of expertise and limited understanding of how AI systems arrive at their results. At the same time, pressure to deploy AI quickly can divert resources away from testing, monitoring and oversight.

The consequences of inadequate quality management are quickly felt, particularly when AI systems interact directly with customers. Beyond the risk of regulatory fines, organizations often face dissatisfied customers, missed business opportunities, and reduced productivity when AI-generated results create more work than efficiency gains.

A stronger focus on quality pays off

As long as concerns around reliability, security and governance remain unresolved, businesses will struggle with the successful, large-scale deployment of AI. In line with this, three-quarters of decision-makers believe that more effective AI quality assurance would see their organizations experience a significant or transformative impact on user trust.

Companies must elevate AI to a new level of trust through a combination of suitable toolsets, robust governance frameworks, process expertise and technical know-how. Only by embedding these foundations can organizations deploy AI profitably and sustainably over the long term, while building the confidence necessary to scale its adoption responsibly.

We've reviewed and ranked the best small business software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

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Plus, save 40% on a pair of noise-canceling JBL earbuds and get $45 off a 6-quart Chefman air fryer.

iRobot's new five-in-one floor cleaner can disinfect your floors without using any chemicals or cleaning fluids.

I'm not sure if Sally Wainwright fans have a name, but if they don't, it should be 'Wainwrighters'. I've been once since I was 17 and watching Last Tango in Halifax for the first time, and I've been in love with her writing, which includes Happy Valley and Gentleman Jack, ever since.

As of 2025, that took the form of Riot Women, which you can stream on BBC iPlayer. Set against a classic Wainwright Yorkshire backdrop, the show follows five menopausal women from Hebden Bridge who form a makeshift punk-rock band to enter a local talent contest.

However, it's not all fun and games like singing about menstrual cycles might seem. Though they're all from a different walk of life, each of our five women comes armed with their own drama and trauma, which soon starts to affect the others.

After ending on the tense cliffhanger of Kitty (Rosalie Craig) getting a call from her dad in prison, it's just as well that the BBC renewed Riot Women season 2 shortly after.

One year on, Wainwright and star Tamsin Grieg, who plays retired police officer Holly, tell me that they're not quite ready to start filming just yet... but that might be a blessing in disguise.

'I've now got to be two years better'

"No, no, no, no," is Grieg's immediate answer when I ask if she's feeling more confident about playing bass guitar in the band during Riot Women season 2.

"I mean an opera at the moment... so I can do anything(!). I feel a bit nervous going into the second series, because Sally has started it two years on from when the first series ended. So that is in real time, because it is two years since we stopped."

While actual plot details haven't been revealed yet, this is our first bit of insight into what to expect from the second season. After Kitty's cliffhanger, it was expected that the drama would resume from the moment her phone call ended — so who knows how many disasters have happened in the interim.

"I should have been doing my lessons for the past two years... and I haven't... so I've got a bit of catch-up," Grieg continues during our chat at the Italian Global Series. "I've got to be two years better. than I actually am. I've really got my work cut out. I've got six months to do some speed learning.

"Sally wrote to Holly as being a bit sh*t at it, so thank you. But she's not now two years on, though, is she...?" Grieg asks Wainwright, who responds, "No, she's really good now."

"F**ing hell," Grieg adds. "The annoying thing about Sally is that not only does she write all this stuff, but she goes away and learns guitar, drums, all of that. So she is doing it, and is really good at it. I think we'll just cut to your hands."

Wainwright simply replies, "It's good research," which I think tells you everything you need to know about how modest she is as a creator.

If anything, I'm hoping that the back-and-forth chaos between the two of them during our interview is indicative of what's to come when Riot Women season 2 does start filming — which, judging by Grieg's speed-learning schedule, takes us to late 2026.

Microplastics are being found everywhere, including in your home.

Apple is restoring card payments for users in India after updating its systems to comply with RBI tokenization rules.

The post Apple Reopens Card Payments in India After Four-Year Halt appeared first on TechRepublic.

Microsoft’s Point-in-Time Restore gives Windows 11 users a built-in way to roll back PCs after failed updates, driver issues, or corruption.

The post Microsoft Makes Windows 11 Point-in-Time Restore Generally Available appeared first on TechRepublic.

The open-source phenomenon OpenClaw kicked off a craze for the "personal agent", in turn sparking a massive ecosystem of specialized "claw" variations across the agentic AI developer landscape.

Questions about whether you should trust an agent with your schedule, personal information and decision making aside, Nvidia's launch of NemoClaw laid out a strong case for a similar shift for the corporate sector.

For organizations cautiously mapping out their AI roadmaps, Nvidia’s insertion into this space purports to deliver a highly credible, production-ready path forward by layering enterprise-grade reliability over raw autonomous power.

Now a few months post-launch, the dust has settled just enough to say what this means for the space, particularly what it means for the future of autonomous workflows.

OpenAI Buys ‘Lightning in a Bottle’

OpenClaw’s journey to enterprise infrastructure was a wild ride. The project originally launched in November 2025 under the moniker "ClawdBot" as a playful side project relying on Anthropic’s Claude model. Following a stern cease-and-desist letter and several quickfire rebrands, the project reemerged as OpenClaw.

It perfectly addressed the unmet market demand for action-oriented AI assistants that could persistently write code, browse the web, and chain complex tasks over days without human intervention.

It quickly became the fastest-growing open-source community in GitHub history. While big players like Meta actively expanded its own footprint by purchasing alternative agent systems like Manus AI, OpenClaw caught lightning in a bottle, culminating in creator Peter Steinberger joining OpenAI to help safely bring autonomous agents to the mainstream public.

Structuring the Enterprise Shield: What is NemoClaw?

As successful as this was for Steinburger, the real changes in the industry followed shortly after. Enter Nvidia, with its sizable chequebook and “NemoClaw,” which functions as an enterprise distribution of, or wrapper built directly on top, OpenClaw.

The stack installs via a single command and answers the important question: “Can I trust this AI agent with the kind of access I am about to give it?” The idea is to deliver the vital security architecture corporate IT departments require before deploying autonomous agents near live production systems.

Its creation and distribution proves that agentic AI needs an enterprise-grade foundation — wrapping agent frameworks with infrastructure, guardrails, and policy enforcement is becoming essential. It signals a move toward “AI operating systems” — platforms that don’t just enable intelligence, but also control how that intelligence behaves.

This is likely to become the standard model: open innovation at the edge, with structured governance layered on top.

Nvidia's Dispersed Strategy for the Agent Mesh

The AI community's reaction to NemoClaw highlights a fascinating shift in how infrastructure leaders approach market dominance. Rather than locking developers into a closed stack, Nvidia is deploying a highly flexible, dispersed strategy as NemoClaw does not require Nvidia silicon to execute.

While it is naturally optimized to leverage Nvidia's robust edge systems (and why wouldn't it be), it plays nice across the broader infrastructure ecosystem. This is exactly the sort of vertical integration play that you would expect from Nvidia with its dominance of the GPU market being so unopposed.

The Peak Appetite for AI Accountability

The corporate appetite for hard guardrails has reached an absolute fever pitch. According to a recent research report, 95% of enterprises are actively holding back from scaling their AI projects purely due to safety anxieties.

These concerns are validated by severe operational risks: unconstrained autonomous agents are notorious for "shadow AI" data exposure, introducing undetected "privilege creep" via SaaS applications, or even completely deleting, contaminating, or compromising vital database instances through unrestricted "God-mode" access.

With horror stories of loosely governed AI agents wiping out entire companies databases, guardrails arriving with the sheer commercial heft and legitimacy of Nvidia are uniquely positioned to give CISOs the peace of mind they need to finally greenlight production.

The Path Forward: Collaboration Over Conflict

Ultimately, the trajectory of OpenClaw proves that independent, boundary-pushing software can still fundamentally rewrite the computing landscape overnight. Yet, Nvidia's subsequent rollout of NemoClaw emphasizes that the industry can no longer focus purely on raw intelligence or reasoning capability.

Without rigid, predictable boundaries, autonomous agency is simply an unmanageable corporate liability.

The true agentic renaissance depends entirely on collaborative, cross-industry guardrails. By actively fostering initiatives like the Nemotron Coalition — which unites rivals like Mistral AI and Perplexity to co-develop secure base models — the tech sector is showing it can build a future where AI capability and AI accountability finally move in perfect lockstep.

We list the best small business software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

Microsoft is cutting thousands of jobs in a major Xbox restructuring as the company narrows its gaming strategy and continues heavy AI spending.

The post Microsoft Guts Xbox in Biggest Shake-Up Yet, Cuts 4,800 Jobs Companywide appeared first on TechRepublic.

We're halfway though 2026, and this year has already delivered some of the best soundbars we've seen — or rather, heard. The standout amongst the models we've tested is the "phenomenal" Samsung HW-Q990H — one of a select group of 5-star products, thanks to its "powerful, engaging and detailed sound profile", straightforward setup and strong connectivity options. Another winner was the LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro. If you're yearning for some "phenomenal rumbling bass", this is the soundbar for you.

Those are both premium picks, but we also reviewed a couple of brilliant budget options. The Klipsch Flexus Core 100 comes in at a fraction of the price of that Samsung model, and while its soundscape is understandably less expansive, it still impressed us by delivering clear dialogue, strong bass, and a useful, responsive display.

The rather utilitarian-looking Zvox AccuVoice AV855 also stood out from the pack; this bar is especially designed to make dialogue easier to hear. It's built especially for those with hearing impairments, but will appeal to anyone who's sick of having to turn on the subtitles on just to understand what's happening.

Scroll down to see all my picks. Hit the 'View details' button for a summary of what we thought about each one, plus a link to our full review.

Super soundbars

Samsung HW-Q990H

Read our full review

LG Sound Suite Immersive Suite 7 Pro

Read our full review

ZVOX AccuVoice AV855

Read our full review

Pros

• Extreme dialog boosting
• Plenty of fine-tuning via the remote
• Good port selection
• Can get loud

Cons

• Default audio sounds a bit mid-rangey / boxy
• Spatial Audio is too subtle
• No Bluetooth or Wi-Fi music streaming

Bluesound Pulse Cinema Mini

Read our full review

Klipsch Flexus Core 100

Read our full review

LG Sound Suite H7

Read our full review

Yamaha True X Surround 90A

Read our full review

Portable power stations have become one of the smartest purchases for campers, road trippers, and anyone wanting reliable backup power at home.

The Anker Solix C300X Portable Power Station is currently on sale for $330 (was $390) at Best Buy. It comes with a foldable 60W solar panel, giving you everything you need to recharge away from the grid.

And when I say portable, I really mean it. I think of this as the middle-ground between a heavy-duty power bank and a full-sized power station. Its compact size and impressive feature set make it an excellent choice for the summer.

Today's top portable power station deal

This compact portable power station combines a 288Wh lithium iron phosphate battery with a foldable 60W solar panel, multiple charging ports, 300W output, and lightweight portability for camping, travel, and emergency backup power.View Deal

The built-in 288Wh lithium iron phosphate battery delivers 300W of continuous power, with Anker's SurgePad technology supporting peaks of up to 600W for devices that need extra power when starting up.

That's enough to keep phones, laptops, cameras, drones, lights, portable coolers, and many other everyday essentials running when you're away from mains electricity.

One of the biggest advantages of this bundle is the included 60W solar panel. Its foldable, book-style design makes it easy to carry, while solar charging lets you top up the battery wherever the sun is shining.

Anker says the bundle can recharge to 80% in around 2.5 hours under suitable solar conditions.

The power station offers eight output ports, including three AC outlets, three USB-C ports, one USB-A port, and a 12V DC output, making it easy to charge several devices at the same time without needing extra adapters.

Despite everything packed inside, the unit weighs just 9.1 pounds, so it's easy to carry between your car, campsite, cabin, or home. The lithium iron phosphate battery is rated for 3,000 charge cycles, offering years of dependable use.

Backed by a generous five-year warranty, the Anker Solix C300X is a practical portable power solution for outdoor adventures and emergency backup alike.

While you're here, take a look at our roundup of the best portable power stations.

• See all power stations and power banks at Best Buy

Chinese robotics firm Agibot has launched a range of humanoid robots designed to look, move, and sound like human beings in the UK business-to-business (B2B) market.

The Shanghai-based company, founded in 2023 by two former Huawei engineers, hosted a launch event in London on June 30, 2026, with several of its A3 full-sized humanoid and X2 half-size humanoid robots in attendance, as well as current and prospective business partners.

An Agibot X3 cutting some serious shapes (it doesn't do 'the robot' though) (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)

The robots — all controlled by humans with smartphones and DualSense controllers — were deployed at several demo stations in the event space.

One X2 humanoid robot was set up to dance to peppy music, cutting some serious shapes for a constant crowd, while another in a Harry Kane shirt kicked a football into a net. A third wore a suit of (admittedly very cool) Gundam-style armor, demonstrating the robots’ potential for customization.

This Gundam-style armor was designed to show the X2 robot's customization potential (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)

As for the full-sized A3 humanoid — less expressive than its smaller sibling, with sharper angles and a rather blank circle in place of the X2’s animated ‘eyes’ — a unit was made available to greet guests and for photo opportunities.

In a presentation at the UK launch event, Agibot co-founder and COO Daniel Jiang said: “The robot business is the AI business. Robots should understand you, know what you say, talk to you, and work for you.”

Indeed, at the launch event, the word ‘robot’ was as common as the phrase ‘embodied AI’, as Agibot representatives attempted to position the firm’s product range as a signifier of a new technological era: the ‘fourth industrial revolution.’

The Agibot X2 was the clear star of the show, and by far the firm's best-represented product (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)

In a later talk, co-founder and R&D president Yan Xiong said: “Of the products I’ve worked on, embodied AI is the most exciting and inspiring. Through three intelligences in one body, robots can become human-like.”

The three intelligences in question control interaction, locomotion, and manipulation, powered by on-device AI models that communicate with cloud servers. It seems that Agibot sees itself as an AI company first and foremost, and is allocating its resources in kind: “Our main focus is the research and development of the three intelligences, taking up 75% of our R&D staff, and 80 per cent of our R&D budget.”

The Agibot A3 was demoed on-stage as the firm's flagship product (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)

That’s not to say that the firm's humanoid robots aren’t profoundly impressive. The units are made mainly of magnesium alloy, with titanium reinforcements at pressure points to ensure rigidity. The A3 weighs 55kg, which is pretty reasonable when you consider its 5-foot-8-inch (173cm) height, and lasts up to 10 hours on a single charge of its 1152W battery.

In comparison, the 4-foot-3-inch (131cm) X2 weighs 39kg and lasts for two hours. The units communicate with the internet via dual-module, dual-SIM 5G.

Also present were units from Agibot's D1 quadruped range, inexplicably programmed to do backflips on command, as well as G2-series industrial robots and C5 cleaning robots. The top-tier D1 model, the D1 MaxPro, has a carrying capacity of 50kg, while only weighing 68kg itself.

Don't call them dogs: Agibot never described its D1-series robots in canine terms (Image credit: Jamie Richards Future)

Agibot is young but quickly increasing its production capacity. It recently rolled out its 15,000th unit, having passed 10,000 units just three months earlier, and has already deployed its G2 industrial robots in China’s Longcheer electronics factory. Indeed, much of the event was dedicated to promoting possible use cases for each model in industries like construction, live entertainment, and the corporate world.

Having shaken hands with the X2 and watched the D1 wave its ‘paw’ and, again, perform several perfect backflips, I have to admit that I’m still stunned by Agibot's range of robots. The firm’s launch has done nothing to allay my many concerns about AI, but it’s still almost unbelievable to see actual droids walking around.

It’s clear that Agibot wants its robots to be relatable — the dance moves, handshakes, and free kicks are obviously an effort to instill some kind of affection in a crowd of possible customers. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find the X2 wildly entertaining, even though I know it's just metal and plastic — but that’s the power of pattern recognition.

The Agibot X2 has nothing of its own to say yet, but with further development towards autonomy, that could soon change (Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)

If Agibot can make strides towards its professed goal of autonomous operation, then we really aren’t too far away from having a real-life C3PO on our hands.

It’s early days, but the firm’s leadership sounds committed. In his presentation, Yan Xiong said: “Scaling to mass production is the first hurdle to mature the embodied AI industry. After we achieve mass production, the next step is to bring our portfolio to commercial availability."

“AI should not be confined behind screens,” he later added, “it must be brought into the physical world.”

If you're heading to college this fall, don't make the mistake of buying a laptop that's only good for taking notes and browsing the web. Courses increasingly rely on AI tools, creative software, and demanding applications, so you should invest in something far more powerful than a Chromebook.

Right now, the MSI Katana 15 HX is down to $1134 (was $1319) at Amazon, saving you $185. That's an excellent price for a laptop featuring an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a spacious 1TB NVMe SSD.

The MSI Katana 15 HX laptop combines workstation-class hardware with a high-resolution display, making it an excellent choice for students who want a laptop capable of handling demanding workloads alongside everyday coursework.

Today's top laptop deal

Powered by an Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics, this laptop pairs a color-accurate 15.6-inch QHD 165Hz display with 16GB DDR5 memory and a 1TB SSD for demanding creative workloads.View Deal

A portable powerhouse

In our review we said the laptop was a "great option" that "balances design and performance with a relatively affordable price."

At the heart of the system is Intel's 14th Gen Core i7-14650HX processor, paired with Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU based on the Blackwell architecture.

Together they deliver the performance needed for AI workloads, video editing, 3D rendering, CAD software, photography, and other demanding creative applications.

The 16GB of DDR5 memory keeps multitasking smooth, while the 1TB NVMe SSD provides plenty of room for large projects, applications, and media libraries.

Support for ray tracing and DLSS 4 also helps boost supported professional workflows and GPU-intensive tasks.

The 15.6-inch QHD display offers a sharp 2560 x 1440 resolution with a fast 165Hz refresh rate, making scrolling, animation, and video playback feel silky smooth.

With 100% DCI-P3 color coverage, it's also well suited to photo editing, video production, and other color-sensitive work.

Keeping everything running efficiently is MSI's Cooler Boost 5 cooling system, which combines dual fans with multiple heat pipes to help maintain stable performance during extended workloads.

A customizable four-zone RGB keyboard, highlighted WASD keys, and a full numeric keypad make it equally comfortable for productivity and creative work.

It comes with Wi-Fi 6E, USB-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, HDMI output supporting up to 8K displays, USB-A ports, and Gigabit Ethernet, making it easy to connect high-resolution monitors, fast external storage, and other peripherals.

MSI AI Engine and Windows Copilot also help optimize performance for different workloads.

With a powerful processor, one of Nvidia's newest laptop GPUs, a color-accurate QHD display, plenty of fast memory, and a spacious SSD, this is an excellent laptop deal for students, creative professionals, and anyone looking for desktop-class performance in a portable package.

For further choices, look at our round up of the best student laptops and best business laptops you can buy.

Also consider: More RTX laptops for students

Available at Walmart, this 18-inch Asus powerhouse combines an AMD Ryzen 9 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics, 32GB DDR5 memory, a 1TB SSD, and a stunning 240Hz Nebula display for demanding creative and professional workloads.View Deal

Also available at Walmart, this Lenovo laptop pairs an Intel Core i7-14700HX processor with Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics, 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a color-rich 165Hz OLED display.View Deal

Available at Best Buy, HP's 16-inch laptop combines an AMD Ryzen 9 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 graphics, 16GB of memory, a 1TB SSD, and a vibrant 2.5K 165Hz OLED display for demanding creative workloads.View Deal

• See all student laptops at Amazon

• A Reddit user manually upgraded their MacBook’s storage chips
• The process involved soldering, 12 hours and ‘some nerves’
• The move saved them $2,200 after Apple recently increased its prices

How much is too much to pay for laptop storage? After Apple’s shocking price rises, things might feel so bad that you’re tempted to roll up your sleeves and perform an emergency DIY upgrade job on your MacBook. That’s exactly what one Apple fan did — and they saved themselves a cool $2,200 in the process.

Posting on Reddit, user arduinoRPi4 explained how they took their MacBook Pro with 2TB of storage and boosted it all the way to 8TB, quadrupling their available storage with a serious improvement that means they can “store anything I want.” They spent “around $800” on parts, which saved them $2,200 (around £1,650 / AU$3,170) compared the exorbitant $3,000 (about £2,240 / AU$4,320) it would have cost to pay Apple for a similar upgrade.

Of course, this being Apple, opening a MacBook Pro and increasing its storage yourself is far from straightforward. The post revealed that it took them 12 hours “and some nerves” to make the change — and no wonder, as doing so requires removing the existing storage modules from the MacBook Pro’s mainboard and soldering alternative chips in their place.

As well as that, the poster indicated that they had to “fill in the power components on the other side as well” in order to complete the upgrade. “That was really hell,” they admitted, adding that these parts “are TINY packages.”

All the work was done while they were on vacation in Shenzhen, China, where they “borrowed a lab from a friend who does component level repair.” They used a hot air station and microscope soldering and stencils to do the work, which involved soldering power management integrated circuits into place, followed by 4TB of NAND storage chips on each side of the laptop for a total of 8TB.

‘It looks like excellent work’arduinoRPi4 on RedditarduinoRPi4 on Reddit

If you’ve got the resolve, patience and skill for a spot of laptop surgery like this, the savings can be enormous. A 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max chip and 2TB of storage will set you back $4,099 / £4,099 / AU$6,399 at Apple’s increased prices. Change the storage to 8TB and that tweak will add a hefty $3,000 to your bill, bringing the total to an eye-watering $7,099 / £7,099 / AU$10,899.

The difference is even starker when you apply this change to Apple’s entry-level MacBook Pro. A 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 chip and 2TB of storage currently costs $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,949. Add 8TB of storage and the total shoots up by a colossal $4,600. That’s partly due to the expensive storage addition and partly because it requires changing the M5 chip to an M5 Max, which is the only chip that can be configured with 8TB of storage.

A $3,000 upgrade is well out of reach for most MacBook buyers (much less a $4,600 one), so it should perhaps be unsurprising that an enterprising user with plenty of experience and a little time on their hands felt motivated to manually upgrade their storage.

Most posters in the thread were highly impressed with their work, with comments like “very impressive, I could never” being typical. One user was especially effusive in their praise, saying “This kind of work blows my mind.”

That said, other users weren’t happy that a task like this is even needed at all. “Crazy that you have to go this level of modifying just to upgrade your storage,” said one, indicating that Apple’s increased storage prices are not exactly the most popular move it’s ever made.

But with the artificial intelligence (AI) goldrush pushing up component prices worldwide and Apple unwilling to compromise its famously high margins, increased costs are here to stay, at least for the time being. And while that’s still the case, there will probably be plenty more people willing to take on the considerable task of upgrading their laptop’s storage with a few off-the-shelf components and a soldering iron to hand.

• Marshall unveils Acton IV and Stanmore IV speakers
• Redesigned bass port, repositioned cables and tweaked speaker array
• Sadly, there's no Woburn IV in sight yet

It's been four years since Marshall revamped its home speaker line-up, and so fourth-generation models of the Marshall Stanmore, Marshall Acton and Marshall Woburn are certainly due.

In the words of Meat Loaf, two out of three ain't bad, because the former amp company (which now seems to focus solely on consumer tech) has just unveiled the brand-new Acton IV and Stanmore IV speakers.

These two new speakers are on sale now, and because we're keen we've already got a Marshall Acton IV review hot off the press for you — ie. the slightly smaller and cheaper of the two. It costs $299.99 / £259.99 (AU$430), while the Stanmore IV is a little more expensive at $399.99 / £349.99 (about AU$700).

And what about the top-end member of the family, the Woburn? There doesn't seem to be a new-generation version of this model. Perhaps it was stuck in traffic on the M1?

(To explain that joke for those outside the UK, Stanmore and Acton are both boroughs in London, while Woburn is a town outside of it. The M1 is the freeway passing it, and congestion jokes are a stalwart part of British humor. Feel free to trot this one out down at the local bar/ watering hole; I don't need any credit).

Fourth-gen upgrades abound

(Image credit: Future)

The Acton and Stanmore IV both bring a few improvements over the third-gen models.

These include support for Auracast, upgraded tweeters for a sparkling high-end, a redesigned bass port for increased airflow, and cables which plug into the bottom of the speaker instead of the side.

This latter was an interesting move, and it was done to allow the speakers to be backed right up against the wall. In theory, then, they'll fit into a cabinet or cupboard much better.

Beyond that, you're largely getting a package that'll be familiar to Marshall fans, especially with the amp-esque design and style. They're both still compatible with the brand's control app, as well as the M-button for controls, and retain the various connection options including Bluetooth, RCA and aux.

In previous reviews of Marshall's home speakers, we praised the bass performance and audio detail (thanks to a previous bass port redesign), but wished they could stream music over Wi-Fi, or offered voice assistance. Sadly, these particular perks have not been added for the new models — but we can still hope that they might arrive with the Woburn, right?

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