Technology

The Google Play Store has just introduced a new way for VPN providers to show they offer secure and trustworthy services – a "Verified" badge.

The new badge is designed to highlight consumer-facing VPN apps "that prioritize user privacy and safety," the Big Tech giant explains in a blog post. The goal is to help users make more informed choices about the VPN apps they download and use.

Google's new badge will be displayed on the VPN app's details page and in search results as a guarantee the virtual private network (VPN) service meets Google's safety standards.

How to get Google's "Verified" badge

"Earning the VPN badge isn't just about checking a box – it's proof that your VPN app invests in app safety," said Google, pointing out how the verification label will help providers stand out in a crowded VPN market.

To be eligible for the new verification badge, VPN providers need to complete a Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) Level 2 validation. This is essentially an evaluation of the app's security.

VPN apps must also have at least 10,000 installs and 250 reviews. They also require an "organization developer" account type and to be published on Google for at least 90 days to qualify.

Eligible app developers must also submit information on how they collect user data and opt into independent security reviews.

While other factors contribute to the evaluation, Google explains, fulfilling these requirements "significantly increases" the chances of getting the VPN Verified badge.

"In a market where trust is key, this badge not only provides reassurance to customers, but also highlights the integrity of developers committed to delivering secure and reliable products," commented NordVPN to Google. (Image credit: Google)

Google's initiative comes as a very much-needed move. Increasingly more instances have proven downloading a legitimate VPN app from the internet isn't enough to be safe.

At the beginning of the month, for example, Google warned of legit VPN apps being used as a backdoor to infect devices with malware.

VPN downloads have also increased across the US lately to evade age verification laws and temporary blocks enforced on TikTok.

Some of the best VPN apps have already received a verification badge. These include TechRadar's top pick NordVPN, Hide.me, and Aloha Browser.

Google's new Verified badge adds to Google's ongoing commitment to better transparency and security in its App Store. These include the privacy labels rolled out in 2022 and the independent security review banners introduced the year after.

NordVPN’s newly launched NordWhisper VPN protocol aims to bypass VPN restrictions by mimicking traditional web traffic.

A White House memo ordered a halt to federal assistance and a review to align spending with Donald Trump’s priorities. Many legal experts say the order is unconstitutional.

• New details about Phantom Blade Zero's gameplay features have been revealed
• The game will reportedly take 20-30 hours to beat and have 20 hours of side content
• The soulslike will have four difficulty options and a phase two checkpoint on all bosses

New details have emerged about Phantom Blade Zero, S-Game's upcoming soulslike action game.

The PS5 exclusive was announced last year and it wasn't until recently that the developer treated fans to a fresh look in a six-minute gameplay trailer showcasing an intense boss battle.

We don't have a release date just yet, but thanks to multiple Chinese outlets (via Push Square) we now have confirmation of a ton of features the game will have at launch.

Interestingly, it looks like Phantom Blade Zero will be straying away from the traditional soulslike formula by featuring at least four difficulty options, including easy, normal, hard, and extremely hard, something other games in the genre, like Elden Ring or Lies of P, lack.

In terms of story, it will reportedly take between 20 and 30 hours to beat the main campaign. There will be 20 hours of additional side content too, which could mean side quests and bosses not tied to the narrative.

Speaking of boss fights, each boss will have two battle phases - although we can't be sure if this will apply to every single boss just yet. Unlike other popular soulslike games, there will be a phase two checkpoint, meaning if the player were to die, they will respawn at the beginning of that phase without losing phase one progress.

Additionally, there will be a separate mode that will allow players to replay boss fights, similar to the Reflections of Strength mode in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, which lets players challenge any boss to a re-match.

It's said that this mode will also lead to more "hidden" bosses to confront, but we don't know how many there will be.

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• McAfee researchers find number of malicious GitHub repositories
• The repositories change every week, but always promise game cracks, hacks, or free access to commercial software
• But instead of the cracks, the victims get infected with Lumma Stealer

Cybercriminals are using GitHub to target children with infostealing malware, a new McAfee report has claimed, saying it spotted an ongoing malicious campaign on the popular code repository.

In an analysis, the researchers said they observed many repositories pretending to be game hacks, cracks, or free versions of otherwise commercial software. However, instead of providing these programs, the repositories were actually hosting Lumma Stealer, a known infostealer malware.

“McAfee Labs encountered multiple repositories, offering game hacks for top-selling video games such as Apex Legends, Minecraft, Counter Strike 2.0, Roblox, Valorant, Fortnite, Call of Duty, GTA V and or offering cracked versions of popular software and services, such as Spotify Premium, FL Studio, Adobe Express, SketchUp Pro, Xbox Game Pass, and Discord to name a few,” the researchers said.

Disabling the AV

This “network of repositories”, as McAfee described it, changes the description every week, and creates new repositories, since the old ones get flagged and removed by GitHub. The payload, however, always remains the same.

“These repositories also include distribution licenses and software screenshots to enhance their appearance of legitimacy,” McAfee concluded.

The descriptions also contain instructions on how to download and run the malware, and how to disable any antivirus programs on the computer, before running it. The attackers said that antivirus solutions flag these programs as false-positives, and can safely be ignored.

McAfee says this social engineering technique, combined with the trust GitHub enjoys with its users works well, and that the campaign infected many users. The researchers did not share any numbers, but stressed that the targets are mostly on the younger side:

“Children are frequently targeted by such scams, as malware authors exploit their interest in game hacks by highlighting potential features and benefits, making it easier to infect more systems.”

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• Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked's first trailer just dropped
• It shows us the Demeo-meets-D&D experience we were expecting
• There's no release date, but we were promised post-launch DLC support

Just over a year ago it was announced that Demeo developer Resolution Games would be creating a VR Dungeons & Dragons title, a collaboration akin to combining peanut butter and jelly – it just made perfect sense. Now we’ve got the first trailer for the upcoming project: Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked (try saying that five times fast), and we’ve got our first look at the gameplay.

Demeo is the essential tabletop experience in VR with elements that fans of IRL games will recognize instantly – including dice rolling, miniatures, and fantastical settings. It was already approaching D&D in VR, so an official partnership between the two games wasn’t surprising. And the end result is exactly what people expected.

As seen in the trailer (we’ve dropped it below for you) various players come together as their diverse set of characters – a Dragonborn warrior, Halfling mage, Elf bard, and Tiefling rogue – to take on a band of Kobolds in a tabletop setting made to look like woodlands.

It ends with a quick flash of recognizable Demeo gameplay – a player rolling a die to make an attack, while the other members of their party scan their hand of cards to decide what actions they’ll take on their turn.

So far, the only distinctly D&D change is that the usual 12-sided die used in Demeo has been swapped for the iconic 20-sided die (D20) which all D&D campaigns rely on. However, other D&D elements have been stripped away to make the game more like Demeo; Battlemarked will be a Dungeon Master-less experience (a person who runs the game for the players) with the game deciding how NPCs and monsters engage with the players, and the title will focus on “social strategy rather than social roleplay” according to the developers – so expect combat galore.

Beyond what the trailer had to show us, Resolution Games and Wizards of the Coast have promised us two story-based campaigns at Battlemarked’s launch, with additional campaigns planned as DLC for future updates.

We’re not sure which settings will make an appearance, but we expect a few iconic locations and campaigns from the Forgotten Realms – Icewind Dale, the Tomb of Annihilation, Waterdeep, and Ravenloft to name a few – will be adapted for this upcoming title.

We unfortunately don’t know when that launch will happen however, nor which platforms Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked will launch on, though we’re expecting it’ll match the core Demeo’s release – Meta Quest 3, PCVR, PlayStation VR 2 and Apple Vision Pro systems.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast) Give me customization, or give me death

There’s a lot we still don’t know about Battlemarked but one aspect of D&D I hope we do see is customization – the ability for players to create their own characters, and potentially even their own campaigns.

I’m not expecting something to the same degree of Baldur’s Gate 3’s character creation, but the ability to mix and match classes with different D&D species to create my choice of hero rather than having to select a pre-made champion – which is what you do in Demeo – would make this feel more like a D&D adventure.

I also know a lot of players – myself included – were hoping this Demeo collab might materialize as some kind of virtual tabletop experience that gives us control over the action for our own custom games. I certainly don’t mind the inclusion of a DM-less campaign mode, but a DM-led custom mode would be awesome – especially as a stepping stone for new groups to transition from playing Battlemarked to playing D&D-proper. Demeo isn’t new to PvP – with its Demeo: Battles variant – so pulling in elements into a 3v1 players vs DM environment would be a lot of fun.

Admittedly, I’m not holding my breath for either of these customization suggestions, but as a D&D and VR fan I’m excited to see what Resolution games and Wizards of the Coast have in store for us.

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The Gunners need just a point to seal their place in the last 16.

Two sides chasing an automatic qualification spot face off at Villa Park.

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Thanks to a unique recycling process, the secret to this high-performance puffer is repurposed climbing kit

Leading VPN provider, NordVPN, has just launched a “revolutionary” censorship-resistant VPN protocol as a response to greater online restrictions worldwide.

NordWhisper, the company explains, is designed to work against the most challenging network filtering techniques by mimicking regular web traffic. Despite the similarities, the new VPN protocol promises to differ from current VPN obfuscation solutions, ensuring a smoother and more consistent browsing experience.

NordVPN is rolling out NordWhisper gradually across its Windows, Android, and Linux apps, with more support expected for other platforms in due course.

How does NordWhisper work?

"We designed NordWhisper with our users in mind," said Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN. "It’s not just about getting around network restrictions; it’s about empowering people to work, communicate, and access essential services securely and freely, even in the most restrictive environments.”

Unlike traditional VPN protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard, NordWhisper uses web tunnel technology designed to mimic normal web traffic. As per experts at Tor Browser who first released this technology, this method encapsulates the data in transit within standard HTTP packets. It essentially creates a hidden tunnel that can protect users' privacy and allow them to bypass network restrictions that might block specific types of traffic.

Such an infrastructure promises to be more efficient than VPN obfuscation, "While standard protocols using obfuscation techniques are effective on networks that prevent access to essential services or public resources, NordWhisper steps in when VPN-specific blocks make connecting to these networks more challenging," NordVPN explains in a blog post.

"We would like to remind people to ensure that their use of NordWhisper complies with all applicable laws, agreements, and network policies," said Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN. (Image credit: Nord Security)

Increasingly more countries worldwide have been heavily restricting the internet, investing copious amounts in developing always more efficient network filter technologies. This has resulted in a need for new solutions to enable everyone to bypass advanced online restrictions and access the open internet – no matter where they're browsing from.

You should use NordWhisper only when connecting to the internet from a highly restricted environment. That's because this VPN protocol may slow down your internet connection due to the technology it uses.

NordWhisper has been rolled out for Windows, Android, and Linux VPN users only. The provider plans to expand support for other platforms over time and will continue upgrading the VPN protocol to be on top of changes in the network filtering landscape.

Once available, you'll be able to manually select the option directly from the app's settings by heading on VPN connection and tapping on the NordWhisper button.

The company reportedly snuck the update into this week's iOS 18.3 release.

The era of console exclusivity continues to fade with remarks from Microsoft Games's master chief.

Philips Audio has revealed a new set of products all designed with a strong retro feel, called the Century range. As the name suggests, the idea is to celebrate of 100 years of the Philips name making audio gear, and the designs draw from different parts of the last century. Oh, and they're all named after big music artists.

The collection consists of two record players with built-in speakers, two pairs of headphones, and a portable digital radio, which will all launch officially in September 2025 in the UK and Europe (US availability isn't confirmed yet, but Philips Audio does sell products there, and will launch its new H8000E noise-cancelling headphones there).

I saw them all in person, though I couldn't hear them because the units weren't quite ready yet – but I saw enough to get me excited to try them, because there's some seriously cool stuff going on.

The Ringo

(Image credit: Future)

First, we've got to talk about The Ringo headphones, which are designed to look just like the '80s on-ear headphones you'd have expected to see all over Venice Beach in California connected to Walkmans.

They've got a metal headband, small circular on-ear pads, and colorful ear cup backs, with options for teal, black or white finishes (and possibly more to come). But don't be fooled, they're really modern inside, featuring Bluetooth 5.4 and 40mm drivers, which is impressive for such small ear cups.

Those who like the best on-ear headphones are a little starved of wireless options compared to the many over-ear options on the market, so these will be welcome – and they look super-cool. Pleasingly, they come with spare ear pads, so you don't need to worry about wearing them down. The battery life is about 20 hours.

The Tina

(Image credit: Future)

My next favorite from the collection is The Tina, which is a record player with a 120W built-in speaker, which Philips says is the most powerful speaker ever put in an all-in-one record player to date. It's a 2.1 stereo setup, featuring two full-range drivers facing forward, and a four-inch bass reflex subwoofer.

There's an aluminum platter and tonearm with adjustable counter-weight, and it comes with an Audio-Technica moving-magnet cartridge. As well as playing music out through the speakers, you can play over Bluetooth, including using Auracast to play to multiple speakers at once, and it has a 6.3mm headphone socket.

But this isn't just competing with the best turntables for vinyl-playing alone; you can also stream music into it over Bluetooth, or it has RCA aux-in, plus USB file playback, and even digital and FM radio tuners.

And on top of all that, it's a very striking thing to see in person. That mid-century wood veneer and front grille combo, with chunky dials at either end, is a cool statement on a sideboard.

The Freddie

(Image credit: Future)

Perfect for pairing with The Tina for private listening is The Freddie, a set of deeply cushioned open-back headphones with 50mm drivers. Philips has made a lot of very nice open-back headphones over the years from its Fidelio brand, and it looks like a lot of the principles have been used here – but with a brown finish that just screams 'old-school hi-fi'. Well, perhaps perhaps it screaming it isn't era-appropriate; more croaking it through a smoky haze in a listening club.

There's a 3m cable included, and the double-layer earpads are made to be more breathable than older headphones might have been, and with a suspended headband for lengthy listening.

The Stevie

(Image credit: Future)

Next on my personal favorites list is The Stevie, which is another all-in-one record player. It has a more modern look, and is very much aimed at vinyl beginners, featuring modest 12W speakers, and the option of streaming to it via Bluetooth as well as playing records.

The spinner is a three-speed, belt-driven affair, with an Audio-Technica MM cartridge again. As well as the built-in speakers, you can send the music out to Bluetooth speakers, and there's a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Janet

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, there's The Janet (pictured on the right, above), which is a DAB+ and FM radio that aims to suggest a '50s vibe with its curved sides, though I think its black finish and LCD screen make it look too modern to really tickle the retro-loving part of the brain. It has a 5W speaker, and you can stream music to it over Bluetooth as well as the radio.

It has a battery life of 16 hours, and this is one of many speakers Philips is launching that has an easily replaced rechargeable battery – if it stops holding charge years from now, you can just buy another from Philips, pop open a cover, and swap the units. It's great to see.

It's a shame I can't tell you more about how these sound – or, just as importantly – how much they'll cost. But I was totally charmed by the looks of The Ringo and The Tina especially, so I'm looking forward to September when we can see if what's inside lives up to the outside.

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• A travel service, integrated into many airline service providers, carried a security flaw
• This could be abused to log into people's accounts and change their bookings
• It has since been reported and mitigated

A “popular, top-tier” travel service for hotel and car rentals was vulnerable to a flaw which allowed malicious actors to take over anyone’s account, a new report from API security firm Salt Labs has claimed.

By abusing the flaw, they would be able to book hotel rooms, rent cars, and modify any booking information, easily. To make matters worse, since the service is integrated into “dozens” of commercial airline online services, it would also allow miscreants to spend airline loyalty points, and more.

Salt Labs said millions of people could be at risk, but that it did not want to say the name of the affected service.

Stealing session cookies

Here is how a theoretical attack would work: A malicious actor would create a custom-tailored link and share it with the victim via usual channels (for example, email). The victim would click on the link, leading to the rental service provider, which would ask it to log in with the credentials associated with the airline service provider.

At that point, the rental platform generates a second link, and sends the victim back to the airline’s website, to log in using OAuth.

OAuth (Open Authorization) is an open standard for secure access delegation, allowing applications to access a user's data on another service without exposing their credentials.

Because of the custom-built link, the authentication response is returned to the attackers, including the user’s session token, which grants them access to the platform.

"Since the manipulated link uses a legitimate customer domain (with manipulation occurring only at the parameter level rather than the domain level), this makes the attack difficult to detect through standard domain inspection or blocklist/allowlist methods," the researchers said in their write-up.

Salt Labs disclosed its findings to the affected service, which confirmed the flaw and deployed a fix.

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• Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer isn't ruling out a potential Starfield PS5 release
• Spencer said he can't "put a ring fence around any game and say this game will not go to a place where it would find players"
• The CEO wants Xbox to be a platform "that enables creators across any screen that people want to play on"

Bethesda hasn't announced if its Xbox console-exclusive game Starfield will make the jump to PS5, but Microsoft gaming head Phil Spencer isn't ruling out the idea.

Speaking on Save State Plus in a recent interview, Spencer was asked directly by host Destin Legarie if he could confirm whether the sci-fi role-playing game (RPG) will remain an Xbox exclusive forever, to which the CEO said, "No."

"There’s no specific game… this kind of goes back to my red line answer. There’s no reason for me to put a ring fence around any game and say this game will not go to a place where it would find players, where it would have business success for us," Spencer added.

"What we find is we’re able to drive a better business that allows us to invest in great game line-up, like you saw. And that’s our strategy. Our strategy is to allow our games to be available, Game Pass is an important component of playing the games on our platform. But to keep games off of other platforms, that’s not a path for us. It doesn’t work for us. What we’re doing now, we think really enables us to build the best platform for the world’s best games."

Phil Spencer on Starfield exclusivityDestin: "Can you solidify that Starfield is staying put for the time being?"Spencer: "No."Source: https://t.co/ccNXLG6GU5 pic.twitter.com/r6sfx9e193January 25, 2025

Microsoft kicked off its multi-platform push last year, which saw Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, Pentiment, and Sea of Thieves make their way to PS5. We can also expect MachineGames' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to be released on PS5 in Spring 2025, following its timed-exclusive launch on December 9 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.

Spencer continued, saying, "the world’s biggest games are available in multiple places. And more and more creators are asking us, 'how do we stay connected when our game might be playable in all these different places?' And we want Xbox to be absolutely the platform that enables that.

"We think that makes us unique. Most of the other platforms out there are single platform on single device. Whether that’s PC, whether that’s mobile, whether it’s a console. And we want Xbox to be a platform that enables creators across any screen that people want to play on."

Late last year, Spencer said there were no "red lines" regarding the release of more Xbox games on PlayStation but was unable to reveal any of the titles he had in mind.

"I think the ball is moving in the right direction. I think this idea of open platforms, where users have more choice, creators have more choice, you see the momentum, right?" he said at the time.

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• Windows 11 24H2 introduced a Start menu side panel for Android users
• This same panel is now in testing for iPhone owners
• A couple of other capabilities are being added, including a button to swiftly and conveniently send files from your PC to your phone

Windows 11 users with an iPhone who were jealous of Android’s additional integration in the Start menu will doubtless be pleased to see that Apple smartphones are getting a very similar treatment.

If you recall, Android phone owners got this perk courtesy of the Windows 11 24H2 update, which introduced a floating side panel just off the Start menu. This contains details on the mobile’s battery level, alongside functionality such as the ability to listen to voice messages, view photos, and continue recent activities.

It’s quite a raft of extra abilities bolted onto the Start menu, and now Microsoft is giving iPhone users much the same thing, albeit in testing to begin with.

Microsoft notes in a blog post: “This seamless integration allows iPhone users to enjoy the same benefits as Android users, including the ability to view phone’s battery status and connectivity, ability to access messages and calls, and keeping track of the latest activities, all conveniently integrated into the Start menu.”

As well as this, there’s another new feature at the bottom of this side panel, a convenient button to ‘Send files’ instantly from your PC to an Android device or iPhone.

Finally, Microsoft has also made it so those who haven’t got the Start menu side panel up and running yet get a quick setup process presented to them.

(Image credit: Microsoft) Analysis: A fair bet for a (relatively) swift release

This is for Windows Insiders (testers) to start with, those in the Beta or Dev channels initially. It’s worth noting that this Start menu feature, for both Android and iPhone users, relies on the Phone Link app (and Bluetooth LE). So, you’ll need a recent version of Phone Link installed to use it (v1.24121.30.0 or better).

Not every feature that’s introduced to preview builds makes the cut for release, but with this functionality, I can’t see that Microsoft would abandon it. That would hardly seem fair on iPhone users, after all, and there are a lot of them (even if the number still pales in comparison to those on Android devices globally).

I’d expect this to proceed through testing relatively swiftly then, to be introduced in the nearer term, assuming all goes well in preview builds, that is.

Via The Verge

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Full spoilers follow for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1 episodes 1 and 2.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (YFNSM) has finally made its debut on Disney Plus. The first two episodes of the webslinger's latest animated adventure were released on January 29, and, surprising no one, they're packed with Spidey-based Easter eggs and wider Marvel references – 42 to be exact.

Some are easier to spot than others, so you might not have found all of them yet. Luckily for you, I did, so you can use this handy guide to track down the ones that you probably missed. I've put them in chronological order, too, so you don't need to jump ahead or rewind each episode.

Full spoilers follow for the show's two-episode premiere, so turn back now if you haven't streamed them yet. Better yet, read my review of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man to see if it's worth watching, check out both episodes, and then come back to see if you found every Spider-Man and/or Marvel secret hiding in plain sight.

Episode 1 – 'Amazing Fantasy'

YFNSM opens with an ode to Spider-Man's MCU introduction in Captain America: Civil War (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney Plus)

• Queens, New York – The borough that Peter Parker hails from. Its name appears on the screen in bold, white lettering as soon as YFNSM begins. It's also a throwback to the same giant 'QUEENS' location card that's shown on the screen prior to Peter's introduction in 2016's Captain America: Civil War movie.
• Avengers Tower – the building formerly known as Stark Tower can be seen in YFNSM's very first scene. Indeed, you can't miss the iconic skyscraper, which stands tall among its brethren on the Manhattan skyline.
• Amazing Adult Fantasy – don't worry, Peter Parker didn't fall asleep while reading an adult-themed magazine! He does wake up, though, with his copy of his face when Aunt May calls him to tell him he'll be late for school. For the uninitiated: this magazine's title is a play on Marvel's real-life Amazing Fantasy comic book series. Peter and his legendary superhero alias made their debuts in Amazing Fantasy #15 in June 1962, hence the call-back here.
• Iron Man Car Mirror Toy – An Iron Man accessory can be seen hanging from the rear-view mirror of Aunt May's car as she drives Peter to school.
• Midtown High – This is the science and technology school that Peter attends in the comics. In YFNSM, it's his first day – it's known as Orientation Day in the US – attending this prestigious institution. It also ends up being his final day at the school because, well...
• Alien Symbiote – ...No sooner do Peter and Aunt May arrive at Midtown High, than it's attacked by a symbiote that looks a lot like Shathra (also known as Spider-Wasp), a Spider-Man villain who dwells in the Astral Plane in Marvel's source material. The symbiote itself is a call-back to the parasitic lifeform that originally bonds to Peter in the comics and, later, finds a new host in Eddie Brock and becomes Venom. There are other symbiotes, but Venom is the most iconic of the bunch.
• Doctor Strange – Just as he did in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Sorcerer Supreme has a small supporting role in YFNSM's first episode. He battles the aforementioned symbiote, rescues some of Midtown High's students from becoming the alien's latest meal, and actually has a role in the creation of Spider-Man in this universe. His sentient Cloak of Levitation, Eye of Agamatto/the Time Stone as well as numerous Mystic Arts spells, including Astral Projection and the so-called Impenetrable Shield of Seraphim, also make appearances.
• Nico Minoru – Peter's fellow Midtown High freshman, Nico is saved by her soon-to-be bestie from being attacked by the symbiote creature. In the comics, Nico is a member of a teen group called the Runaways, possesses supernatural abilities, and is the child of parents who – spoiler – are supervillains. It seems that she has (or will have) superpowers in YFNSM, too, as her purple necklace is a reference to the Staff of One, a powerful artefact that she can summon and wield if she bleeds.
• Radioactive spider – emerging from the same inter-dimensional portal that Strange and the symbiote did, this experimented-on arachnid is – surprise surprise – the creature that bites Peter and imbues him with superhuman abilities.

I see you, Scarlet Spider suit... (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney Plus)

• Iconic Spider-Man Theme Song – The tune that plays during YFNSM's title sequence, which is called Neighbor Like Me, references the classic Spider-Man theme song from the wallcrawler's 1960s animated series. Indeed, parts of that ditty have been remixed and incorporated into YFNSM's intro track, including famous lines like "there goes the Spider-Man!".
• Black Spider-Man Suit – briefly seen during YFNSM's title sequence, this is a call-back to Spidey's symbiote costume, which he acquires during the 1984 Secret Wars comic series after his first encounter with the alien symbiote.
• Tobey Maguire's Wallcrawling Homage – The first of many throwbacks to Spider-Man's various live-action films (read our guide on how to watch the Spider-Man movies in order while you're here), YFNSM's title sequence shows this reality's Peter crawling up the side of a building. This is a reference to Tobey Maguire's take on the character doing exactly the same thing in his first outing as the webslinger in 2002.
• Scarlet Spider Suit – One of many Spider-Man costumes that can be glimpsed during the intro sequence. This costume was worn by Ben Reilly, one of Spider-Man's clones in the comics, who goes on to become crimefighter himself, using the superhero alias Scarlet Spider.
• The legendary 'Thwip!' – one of Spider-Man's most recognizable sound effects, this literary depiction of Spidey's webshooters, well, shooting webs has long appeared in Marvel comics and the hero's many animated projects.
• Scorpion/Mack Gargan – One of Spider-Man's seemingly infinite number of enemies, Mack Gargan, who adopts the supervillain alias Scorpion, is also one of his oldest foes. He can be seen in the title sequence as the silhouetted figure that Parker squares up to.
• Amazing Fantasy, Indeed – Not content with referencing Spidey's comic book debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 via the previously mentioned magazine, YFNSM also recreates that real-world comic's cover art at the end of episode 1's title sequence. Here, it shows Spidey rescuing Harry Osborn (more on him next), but the actual cover page shows the wallcrawler apprehending a criminal.
• Harry Osborn – the son of Oscorp CEO Norman Osborn and another of Spidey's villains, known as Hobgoblin. Harry is rescued by Spider-Man from a group of thugs early on in Amazing Fantasy.
• Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Quote – Not content with naming Spidey's newest animated show after one of his many pseudonyms, Marvel also references it in episode 1. Peter calls himself 'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' after he rescues Harry.

"Bring me pictures of Spider-Man!" (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney Plus)

• Rockford Bales High School – The institution that Peter and Nico are forced to attend, after the symbiote's Midtown High attack causes extensive damage to it. In the comics, it's another New York City-based school, but one that prioritizes athletic prowess over science and technology.
• Pearl Pangan – Peter's childhood crush and fellow Rockford Bales student in YFNSM, Pearl is actually another superhero in Marvel's source material. She's called Wave, and acquires water manipulation abilities after she's exposed to an experimental liquid. She doesn't have superpowers in this Disney Plus show, but she is a talented swimmer, which honors her Olympic swimming roots from the comic book giant's literary works.
• Spider-Man's Classic Suit – Peter can be seen doodling mock-ups of his ideal super suit during a school class. Shocking no-one, it's a carbon copy of the hero's iconic original costume, complete with web wings, red and blue coloring, and even his original, chest-based Spider-Man logo.
• Do a flip, Klev! – As Spider-Man pursues a van driven by criminals through New York's streets, he's seen jumping over a man wearing a light-blue shirt. This is Klev, the hotdog-loving character played by Severance star Zach Cherry, who asked the webslinger to do a backflip in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.
• A Bus Rescue – In a near-identical recreation of a scene depicted in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man stops a van driven by criminals from T-boning a bus load of people. It's the same phone-based sequence that Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark shows to Tom Holland's wallcrawler in the apartment that the latter shares with Aunt May when Stark is trying to recruit new heroes to take his side over the Sokovia Accords. I'm also pretty sure that an animated version of the late Stan Lee is one of the bus passengers, but I could be wrong.
• Lonnie Lincoln – Another of Peter's fellow Rockford Bales pupils, and Pearl's boyfriend. In the comics, Lincoln is the civilian name of another Spidey villain named Tombstone, whose powers include superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. He's also the leader of a crime gang that operates on 110th Street. Here, though, he's positioned as a more sympathetic individual, so it'll be interesting to see if he becomes one of Peter's enemies in future episodes.
• The Daily Bugle – A copy of the print paper that's synonymous with Spider-Man can be seen on a table in the Lincoln family's home. In the comics, Peter becomes a photographer for the news outlet, working under the iconic J. Jonah Jameson, i.e., one of Spidey's fiercest critics.
• Pizza Time – The name of the pizza restaurant that's robbed by a desperate woman towards the end of episode 1. This is a reference to the 'It's Pizza Time!' line (it's since become one of many Spidey-based memes) that Maguire's Peter Parker utters in 2004's Spider-Man 2 (see where it ranks in our best Spider-Man movies guide while you're here) when he's a pizza delivery driver.
• Norman Obsorn – The aforementioned boss of Oscorp and one of Spider-Man's most legendary foes. Here, though, Osborn is being positioned as mentor figure to Peter in much the same way that Downey Jr's Stark was to Holland's Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Episode 2 – 'The Parker Luck'

YFNSM is the start of an *ahem* Brand New Day for Marvel's legendary webslinger (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney Plus)

• A Brand New Day – Like episode 1, YFNSM's second chapter pays tribute to another Spider-Man comic series, albeit one that was a follow-up to Marvel Comics' extremely divisive 'One More Day' storyline. Episode 2's cover art pays tribute to the Brand New Day literary series, with its specific homage recreating the front cover to The Amazing Spider-Man #458.
• Roxxon Oil Company – Mentioned by Nico while she's chatting with Peter during a Rockford Bales American Football match. In the comics, Roxxon is a malicious energy megacorporation that plays both sides in its bid to achieve political and economic power.
• Johnathan Gallo – An Oscorp security guard in YFNSM, Gallo is the civilian identity of a superhero named Ricochet in Marvel's source material. Fun fact: Ricochet was one of four pseudonyms used by Peter Parker after he's accused of murdering someone during Spidey's Identity Crisis comic book series. The superhero alias is later given to Gallo by another hero called Black Marvel.
• Jeanne Foucault – One of Peter's fellow Oscorp interns, this character will be familiar to some Marvel readers. Indeed, she's also a vigilante in the comics, who goes by the name Finesse. Like Taskmaster, she's able to mimic other superpowered beings' movements because, well, she's actually Taskmaster's biological daughter.
• Asha – A transfer student from Wakanda in YFNSM, but yet another supporting character who ends up with superpowers in Marvel literature. She can absorb light and use it to turn invisible or fire laser beams at her foes.
• Amadeus Cho – The third and final (not to mention cocky) Oscorp intern, Cho initially succeeds Bruce Banner as The Hulk in the comics before adopting the new alias Brawn. Like Jennifer Walers/She-Hulk, he retains his personality when he transforms into the Mean Green Machine.
• Bentley Wittman – An Oscorp scientist who reluctantly oversees Osborn's intern program at Oscorp. That's a marked departure from who he is in the comics – indeed, Wittman is actually a villain called The Wizard (sometimes he's referred to as The Wingless Wizard, though) who uses a power suit to commit crimes. He's run into the Avengers, S.H.I.E.LD, and The Fantastic Four throughout Marvel history.

This has to be a reference to Doc Ock, right? (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney Plus)

• Hawkeye – Marvel's most-famous archer needs no introduction, but he's referenced by Wittman when he sarcastically scolds Peter as part of the intern group's first-ever session.
• Doctor Karla Connors – A gender- and race-swapped version of Doctor Kurt Connors, aka another of Spidey's most iconic villains in The Lizard. Here, Connors is Peter's experienced research partner as part of the Oscorp intern program.
• Stark ARC Reactor – The device that kept Tony Stark alive and, until Iron Man 3, was used to power his suits of armor. This item is mentioned in passing by Peter as he and Connors begin work on creating a new self-sustaining generator.
• Crusher Hogan – A wrestler who's name-checked in a news bulletin as Peter and his fellow interns watch some TV during a break at Oscorp Tower. Hogan is the individual that Peter Parker fights and defeats – in the comics and 2002's Spider-Man – to test his newfound superhuman abilities.
• Butane – A pyromaniac who Spidey battles towards the end of episode 2. In YFNSM, he's a tech-based villain but, per Marvel Comics, he's an unnamed individual whose entire body is transformed into a fiery individual by a British mutant (called James Jaspers) who possesses reality-warping powers.
• Mark of the Octopus – After Spider-Man defeats Butane, he notices a peculiar symbol that's been stamped onto his foe's weaponry. To the untrained eye, it looks like the symbol used to depict infinity. However, look closer and it appears to be two 'O's joined in close proximity. Who's the only Spider-Man foe whose first name and surname begin with that letter? Otto Octavius, aka Doc Ock! Don't be surprised, then, if he appears at some point this season.
• On Your Left, Cap – After Peter is called into Norman Osborn's office before 'The Parker Luck' ends, a portrait of Captain America posing for a picture with Osborn can be seen on the wall to Peter's left-hand side.
• Wakanda Forever – A photograph or painting of Osborn standing alongside Wakanda's late monarch in King T'Chaka is hanging on the wall next to the Cap portrait, too.

I'm pretty confident that's all of YFNSM episodes 1 and 2's Easter eggs. If I missed any, though, let me know in the comments! Otherwise, read more of my YFNSM coverage via the links below.

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The explosion of AI over the past two years has tipped the scales on a long-developing paradigm shift: technology is no longer merely another tool to support business objectives, but a fundamental driver of business value. To maximize this value and join the AI revolution, organizations need an IT foundation that’s purposefully designed.

For many organizations, this means rethinking their hybrid, multicloud IT strategy and shifting from a piecemeal hybrid-by-default architecture to one that’s intentionally structured to achieve key business priorities and maximize return on investment (ROI): hybrid-by-design. By incrementally adopting an intentional approach to hybrid cloud architecture across technology, platforms, processes and people, organizations can help achieve their business priorities and desired outcomes. In contrast, organizations who maintain the status quo are poised to risk repeating patterns of sluggish, siloed technology adoption while their competitors speed ahead.

From default to design

The default approach to adopting new enterprise technology is often sporadic with different departments acting independently and shifting workloads between clouds, on-premises and edge servers in search of quick wins. Without an overarching strategy, cloud transformation efforts largely fail to meet expectations: an HFS research report found less than one-third of cloud transformations are realized on time and on budget, and just one-fourth could demonstrate a hard return on investment. In chasing shiny new technologies, organizations often accumulate unrealized implementations, leading to tech debt—where technology investments become liabilities hindering agility and scalability.

A hybrid-by-default approach not only leads to inefficient budgeting and lower ROI, it also creates a siloed landscape and unchecked sprawl that hinder organizations from creating the flexibility and scalability needed to address current and future business demands—such as harnessing generative AI.

If this sounds like your enterprise, you’re not alone: in a recent study, only 16 percent of surveyed executives expressed strong confidence that their cloud and data capabilities are fully prepared to support generative AI investments in 2024. To adapt, organizations must shift from a reactive approach where technology dictates business limitations to a proactive architecture designed to meet new business and customer demands, a changing technology landscape, and new processes and skilling requirements.

Driven by an organization’s key business objectives, hybrid by design guides the transformation journey with intentionality and consistency. It amplifies the priority, speed and scale of value creation across the organization, with a user-centric approach at its core. It ensures seamless data flow and collaboration by harmonizing systems, as needed, across the architecture. And it enhances agility and innovation, where needed, through unification across multiple hybrid cloud environments. This intentional approach will ultimately lead to better business outcomes and a higher ROI.

Patterns of alignment

Based on conversations with a wide range of companies, I’ve identified five common patterns in organizations that operate successful hybrid-by-design strategies: they have a product-centric mindset for enabling business priorities, build an intentional architecture for core competencies, create consistent development and operational experiences across platforms, empower product teams, and harness the power of data and scale generative AI.

The first two patterns involve aligning IT and the business to define key business priorities, then determining how products and services will support these priorities and determining their order of importance to the business. Without a clear articulation of the key business priorities, stakeholder buy-in and a product-centric approach, a hybrid-by-design redesign is impossible.

Patterns of action

Building on these business and product objectives, successful companies also develop a strategic, consistent technology architecture to accelerate and scale business competencies. This architecture should standardize a target environment with deliberate choices on elements like the containerization and data layers and security, while also clearly distinguishing between technology components and the organizational and operational model components.

This process should be approached gradually: rather than tackling the entire cloud ecosystem at once, focus resources on high-leverage areas first and then expand to additional technologies that support the business case.

Even the most brilliantly designed technology implementations will fail if not properly utilized. This leads to another key trait of well executed hybrid-by-design strategies: team empowerment. Successful companies implement training to cultivate cloud-native behavior among their employees, and even reorganize business and IT teams to encourage stronger collaboration.

As competency within the hybrid-by-design approach grows, companies can begin adopting of the final identified pattern: forward-looking experimentation, such as applying generative AI to business processes. With the foundational structures in place, this experimentation will align more naturally with business needs, leading to more immediate, tangible results and the ability to scale.

Taking the leap

A redesign of this scope is never comfortable. With AI integration and adoption now an absolute mandate, enterprises no longer have a choice. It’s necessary to recalibrate transformation programs to better align to business imperatives and priorities, in addition to understanding how generative AI can amplify the value of cloud and accelerate digital transformation. Hybrid by design seeks to accomplish this goal.

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• Some users are reporting a durability issue with the Google Pixel 9 Pro
• The phone's iconic camera bar is seemingly separating from the rear panel
• We've reached out to Google for comment

User reports indicate that the Google Pixel 9 Pro may have a design flaw relating to the iconic camera bar mounted on its rear panel.

Multiple users have reported issues and durability concerns over the Google Pixel 9 Pro’s camera bar, which in the most extreme cases is literally peeling away from the rest of the phone.

In a now-deleted post to r/pixel_phones, Reddit user MohiFlaz shared images that clearly show the Pixel 9 Pro camera bar separating from the phone’s chassis.

PhoneArena recounts that MohiFlaz stated in the original post that they had been careful with the phone, never dropping it and keeping it “in a case with a screen protector since hour one of ownership.”

Reddit user MohiFlaz's Google Pixel 9 Pro device (Image credit: Reddit / MohiFlaz)

The poster also said that they had contacted Google for support, but had been offered no help due to the phone being more than 90 days old.

This seems to contradict Google’s own one-year limited warranty, which covers defective units for repair or replacement beyond the initial 15-day return window, a response which has garnered significant criticism online.

MohiFlaz has seemingly since deleted their Reddit account.

Not the first time

As Android Central notes, this isn’t the only time the r/pixel_phones subreddit has seen discourse about this issue. Back in October 2024, user lakhip shared a post, with images, detailing how the camera bar on their Google Pixel 9 Pro had begun to lift on the right side. Luckily, the user was able to get a replacement.

It’s worth remembering that complaints online typically represent a minority of users, and there's no suggestion that this issue is particularly widespread.

In fact, we were so impressed by the Pixel 9 Pro during testing that we crowned it our phone of the year for 2024 and gave it a spot on our list of the best phones, which makes these reports of camera-bar breakage all the more concerning.

We’ve reached out to Google for comment on this issue and will update this article with any new information. Hopefully, this is just a bump in the road for one of the best Android phones on the market.

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