Just when I thought I was out, Apple pulls me back in… in this case I’m talking specifically about how I’ve stuck with using an iPhone Pro model since making the switch from Android back in 2021.
But each year since then the iPhone updates have been essentially iterative, with very little in the way of upgrades to tingle my tech synapse. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel phones have evolved rather nicely, and the Pixel 9 Pro on my desk is sitting there siren-like, calling me back to Android.
It hasn’t quite succeeded, mainly due to the annoyance of trying to work out how to neatly transfer the WhatsApp messages I want to keep, and some Apple services that I’m still signed up for. But if Apple keeps going the way it has with its next generation of iPhones, then I really could see myself switching back to Android.
With that in mind, here are the upgrades I’d like to see arrive with the iPhone 17, and which would keep me whiling away the hours and conferring with the flowers in Cupertino’s walled garden.
Improved camera color and contrast (Image credit: Future / Roland Moore-Colyer)While this isn't a problem that's exclusive to iPhones, I feel that the past two generations of Apple smartphones have produced photos in which the shadows are lifted and the highlights lowered in scenes that have both light and dark elements.
This picks out more details in a shot, but it also has the effect of making a photo look flat in terms of contrast and vibrancy. I’ve often praised Apple for keeping colors natural and being good at capturing what my eyes are seeing, but it appears to have lost its touch a little.
So I’m really keen for Apple to go back a step with the iPhone 17 and let its image processing allow for deep, dark shadows and punchy flares of light, all with colors that might look a tad boosted given the lighting situation. Otherwise, I can see myself being drawn towards the dynamic, if oversaturated, photography of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
A real gaming-grade boost in performance (Image credit: Alex Walker-Todd / Dashiell Wood / Future)The A17 Pro and A18 Pro chips both promise serious gaming power for a smartphone. And they deliver… but only so far.
While iOS now has access to some true console-quality games like Death Stranding and Sniper Elite 4, they still don’t run at the most desirable frame rates; I particularly struggled with the latter game.
So rather than tout percentage boosts in processing and graphics power with whatever chip comes in the iPhone 17 Pro, I’d like Apple to talk increases in framerates, aiming for a smooth 60 frames per second in the aforementioned games.
I’d also like to see some Apple Arcade games that tap into the power of these Pro chips, although that could be asking for a lot.
A proper Siri and Apple Intelligence experience (Image credit: Apple)When the iPhone 16 family arrived, it was championed as a phone with Apple Intelligence.
But that wasn't really the case, and we’ve had to wait some time for AI-powered tools to come to the new phones; so much so that I’ve forgotten a lot of the features Apple showcased at the launch event, and I probably need Apple to talk me through them again.
So with the iPhone 17, I want Apple Intelligence better baked into iOS and the phones themselves, and Siri to be consistently smart and useful in handling my queries.
I also want handy features like being able to ask Siri to read web pages, digital magazines and so on, in a natural fashion and to do so intelligently, without needing me to dig into accessibility settings or try and find a workaround to coax it into reading newspapers in Apple News+.
Cameras flush with the body (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)I know there’s chatter of an iPhone 17 Air, which looks to be somewhat legit, and that phone could slim down the current iPhone design and have cameras flush with the phone’s body, much like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
But that's a design feature I want to see for the whole iPhone 17 family, especially the Pro models.
I still like the overall design of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the square panel housing its trio of rear cameras is starting to feel a little long in the tooth. So finding a way to make them more compact to fit in flush with the phone’s glass rear would be an upgrade I'd appreciate. Plus, it would mark a notable evolution in flagship iPhone design.
Something actually surprising (Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)The Action Button is okay. Camera Control is a whole button of meh. These are two features Apple introduced with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 respectively, and they're hardly mind-blowing upgrades. In fact, I’d argue that the Camera Control almost gets in the way of my personal iPhone experience.
What I really want is a feature that actually makes me sit up and pay attention. I’m not sure what that could be, but it could be as simple as having a dedicated video editing app for the iPhone 17 Pro that lets one easily capture and create videos for YouTube, TikTok, and so on.
Or it could be a modular system that allows for camera lens accessories to be added. Or a simple way to connect an iPhone 17 to a monitor in a Samsung DeX-like fashion to act as a pseudo desktop when one doesn't have a MacBook handy.
I just want to be surprised by an iPhone for once, as that’s something that hasn't happened in years. So fingers crossed.
You might also likeWhile Philips Hue makes a treasure trove of lights, from simple bulbs to sophisticated fixtures, it also makes security cameras and connected wall plugs that are part of the smart home.
We just received our best look yet at what could be next from Philips Hue. As spotted by Hue Blog, Philips Hue has been working on a doorbell, and now the outlet has found images of the ‘Philips Hue Secure Doorbell’ in the latest app update.
That’s right, the competitive world of smart video doorbells might be getting a new entry, and for those already invested in the Philips Hue ecosystem, the plug-and-play aspect that the name alone teases, might be exciting enough.
(Image credit: Signify)Further, it would help to build out the current Philips Hue Secure lineup that currently consists of security cameras and contact sensors. All of which can be customized to work alongside Philips Hue smartlights.
As revealed in the images shared in this new report, Philips Hue doesn’t seem to be veering from the working formula for a video doorbell. The purported video doorbell from the brand will be a vertically tall rectangle with the physical camera lens and sensors up top and a large, circular ring button on the bottom.
If this turns out to be the case, Philips Hue’s video doorbell will fit right alongside the many other competing options, including the Ring video doorbell lineup. Additionally, the report notes it’ll have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, likely with the former for setup and the latter for connecting to the internet.
Hue Blog also notes that a QR code will be required for set-up, hinting that “the camera will probably transmit the video signals in encrypted form.” That’s good news for security, especially as this will provide a view from your front door looking outwards.
Like other video doorbells, Philips Hue’s Secure Doorbell will likely require a wired installation, meaning that it will not be able to run solely on batteries. This makes it a bit more limiting option for renters or folks without the necessary power wiring.
Considering the wired requirement, this doorbell could likely cause a chime on a pre-existing ring box that you might have installed in your home.
A look at a Philips Hue Secure Contact Sensor on a door. (Image credit: Signify)Either route, the latest specs, name, and first image – well, a digitally sketched depiction – of the Philips Hue first doorbell certainly build up the hype and tease a likely more premium option that is purpose-built to work well in the existing ecosystem. Considering that many Philips Hue products work with other smart home systems with a bridge, the doorbell should also play nicely with Amazon, Google, or Apple Home.
Of course, nothing is official until Philips Hue confirms it, and so far, the brand has not even teased that the doorbell is coming. Hue Blog has been reporting on the possibility of a doorbell from the brand for a good bit, but this most recent leak, courtesy of the Philips Hue app, is our best look yet. The report also notes a launch isn’t expected until later in 2025, likely in the Fall (August to October), so it might be several months before we hear anything official.
In the meantime, check out TechRadar’s list of the best video doorbells here.
You might also likeLesser-known Chinese brand SDUNITED has launched the AX835-025FF, a portable mini PC powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory.
This 16-core, 32-thread Zen 5 processor runs at 5.1GHz and is paired with a 40 CU Radeon 8060S GPU, which is expected to perform similarly to an RTX 4060, making it a decent PC for photo editing.
Small brands, especially those from China, are leading in the adoption of Strix Halo chip in compact devices. While larger companies like Asus, Framework, and HP have integrated the APU into workstations, they have yet to explore compact, high-performance mini PCs.
The AX835-025FF boasts an impressive 14 ports, offering flexibility for professional workloads, and reinforcing its potential as one of the most powerful computers in its class.
However, it lacks OCuLink, which would have allowed for external GPU expansion.
Unlike traditional ultra-compact PCs modelled after Intel’s NUC 4x4, this system is slightly larger but remains significantly smaller than most desktops.
It also includes a built-in power supply and a dual-fan cooling system designed to manage its 120W power consumption.
The current Ryzen AI Max+ 395 engineering sample experiences occasional instability and power fluctuations, ranging from 140W to 10W under load.
Nevertheless, it showcases the potential of Strix Halo and the final retail version is expected to improve optimization, stability, and power efficiency.
Via Videocardz
You may also likeI stream a lot of content on Disney+, whether it’s a DCOM original movie rewatch, one of the original shows like Dream Productions, or to watch a classic film – but I also sometimes just walk away in the middle of a TV episode or a movie. And that leads to a pretty packed list under ‘Continue Watching’ that isn’t in any particular order.
It also means that when I start a new show – maybe the latest from Marvel – and end up hating it, it unfortunately sticks around. But that won't be the case for long – Disney+ is answering our collective prayers and will let us edit the list to remove that show.
That regrettable stream will soon be nothing but a bad memory, and won't haunt your new streaming content efforts.
The streaming giant said it was a “much-anticipated global update,” and it’s beginning to roll out now on a whole host of platforms, including TV and mobile. Simply put, it’s one of the best changes in recent history from one of the best streaming services around.
It’s rolling out on Apple TV and iOS at first, with other platforms following in the coming weeks. And here’s the best news: It’s super easy to get started with removing content from your continue-watching list. This means you won’t be stuck for much longer with that movie you wound up hating after five minutes.
There are four ways to remove content from your ‘Continue Watchlist’ Removing content from your Disney+ Continue Watching row on an iPhone or the Web. (Image credit: Disney)Disney+ has devised two ways to remove content from this auto-populated watchlist, so let’s break down the first.
When you’re on the streamer's mobile app homepage and see your ‘Continue Watching’ bar, you can simply navigate to and select the show or movie and select the three dots next to the name. From there, you’ll tap “Remove” to see it vanish. This goes for your entire profile within your Disney+ account.
If you’re on the web, you’ll hover over the title and see the option to remove – a circle with a line in the middle, like the equator – appear – just tap that, and it will be removed.
On the TV, since you can’t just touch it, you’ll navigate to the title in the bar and long-press on it to reveal the remove function. It’ll ask you to confirm if you want to remove the title from the list, and you can approve the action.
Alternatively, if you happen to be on the details page for the TV show or movie and it’s in your ‘Continue Watchlist,’ you’ll see the remove icon next to play/start, resume, or save at the end. You can simply select that icon to remove it from the list.
Disney+ certainly made it easy and rolled out several ways to accomplish it. The only hope is that folks without an iOS device or Apple TV 4K will soon receive updates on their various platforms.
(Image credit: Disney+)In the release announcing the change, Disney+ also explains that if you see content on your watchlist that you don’t recall playing, it might appear if you share your account with someone else using the same profile. Remember, with a single Disney+ account, you can create up to seven profiles. Of course, it might also be a reminder of the people who shared your account before Disney+ and other streaming services started cracking down on account sharing.
Even so, this is excellent news. It will finally let you clean up your ‘Continue Watchlist’ without having to watch through all the content or just start other shows and movies in the hopes of pushing other pieces of content further back.
It should save us from a whole lot of headaches, and let’s hope we see other highly-requested features arrive that let us get even more out of Disney+.
More of this, please, Disney!
You might also likeI was talking to an old friend about AI – as one often does whenever engaging in causal conversation with anyone these days – and he was describing how he'd been using AI to help him analyze insurance documents. Basically, he was feeding almost a dozen documents into the system to summarize or maybe a pair of lengthy policies to compare changes. This was work that could take him hours, but in the hands of AI (perhaps ChatGPT or Gemini, though he didn't specify), just minutes.
What fascinated me is that my friend has no illusions about generative AI's accuracy. He fully expected one out of 10 facts to be inaccurate or perhaps hallucinated and made it clear that his very human hands are still part of the quality-control process. For now.
The next thing he said surprised me – not because it isn't true, but because he acknowledged it. Eventually, AI won't hallucinate, it won't make a mistake. That's the trajectory and we should prepare for it.
The future is perfectI agreed with him because this has long been my thinking. The speed of development essentially guarantees it.
While I grew up with Moore's Law, which posits a doubling of transistor capacity on a microchip roughly every two years, AI's Law is, putting it roughly, a doubling of intelligence every three-to-six months. That pace is why everyone is so convinced we'll achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI or human-like intelligence) sooner than originally thought.
I believe that, too, but I want to circle back to hallucinations because even as consumers and non-techies like my friend embrace AI for everyday work, hallucinations remain a very real part of the AI, Large Language Model (LLM) corpus.
In a recent anecdotal test of multiple AI chatbots, I was chagrinned to find that most of them could not accurately recount my work history, even though it is spelled out in exquisite detail on Linkedin and Wikipedia.
ChatGPT had me working at a place I've never worked (left). DeepSeek couldn't get the dates right (center), and ClaudeAI (right) also had timeline issues. (Image credit: Future)These were minor errors and not of any real importance because who cares about my background except me? Still, ChatGPT's 03-mini model, which uses deeper reasoning and can therefore take longer to formulate an answer, said I worked at TechRepublic. That's close to "TechRadar," but no cigar.
DeepSeek, the Chinese AI chatbot wunderkund, had me working at Mashable years after I left. It also confused my PCMag history.
Google Gemini smartly kept the details scant, but it got all of them right. ChatGPT's 4o model took a similar pared-down approach and achieved 100% accuracy.
Claude AI lost the thread of my timeline and still had me working at Mashable. It warns that its data is out of date, but I did not think it was 8 years out of date.
What percentage of AI answers do you think are hallucinations?March 24, 2025
I ran some polls on social media about the level of hallucination most people expect to see on today's AI platforms. On Threads, 25% think AI hallucinates 25% of the time. On X, 40% think it's 30% of the time.
However, I also received comments reminding me that accuracy depends on the quality of the prompt and topic areas. Information that doesn't have much of an online footprint is sure to lead to hallucinations, one person warned me.
However, research is showing that models are not only getting larger, they're getting smarter, too. A year ago, one study found ChatGPT hallucinating 40% of the time in some tests.
According to the Hughes Hallucination Evaluation Model (HHEM) leaderboard, some of the leading models' hallucinations are down to under 2%. Older models like Meta Llama 3.2 are where you can head back into double-digit hallucination rates.
Cleaning up the messWhat this shows us, though, is that these models are quickly heading in the direction my friend predicts and that at some point in the not-too-distant future, they will have large enough models with real-time training data that put the hallucination rate well below 1%.
My concern is that in the meantime, people without technical expertise or even an understanding of how to compose a useful prompt are relying on large language models for real work.
Hallucination-driven errors are likely creeping into all sectors of home life and industry and infecting our systems with misinformation. They may not be big errors, but they will accumulate. I don't have a solution for this, but it's worth thinking about and maybe even worrying about a little bit.
Perhaps, future LLMs will also include error sweeping, where you send them out into the web and through your files and have them cull all the AI-hallucination-generated mistakes.
After all, why should we have to clean up AI's messes?
You might also likeMeta has just launched the HorizonOS v76 update to its public test channel, and the beta software is already teasing some massive changes for how you can use your Meta Quest 3 headset to virtually socialise.
Firstly, Meta is putting your Horizon Avatera front and center in video calls, finally unlocking the selfie camera – a feature it first teased back at Meta Connect 2022. You could previously take Zoom meetings from your virtual workspace, but with update v76, you’ll be able to use your Meta avatar in more casual video calls through WhatsApp and Messenger.
Avatar Selfie Cam UI in Meta Quest/Horizon OS v76 PTC.Doesn't seem to be enabled out of the gate though. pic.twitter.com/zOG0aya5NiMarch 22, 2025
In Settings, you can see your Selfie cam options to adjust how narrow or wide the virtual camera is, and you can select a static background that will appear behind your character.
Then, when you join video calls while using your headset, other people will see your avatar moving as you move. However, people who have tested the in-development tool say it is still limited.
‘In-development’ is definitely the key description here, as Selfie cam still feels very limited so it might take a little while before it reaches the wider HorizonOS public release.
Further, when it does, Meta might move it to be an ‘experimental feature,’ which is a designation given to features that are available in the full HorizonOS release, but that might be a little buggy still.
Strings in Quest/Horizon OS v76 PTC suggest that Meta is working on the ability to share windows with other users in Horizon Home (and possibly Worlds).This will likely work similarly to SharePlay on visionOS. pic.twitter.com/ZudymM05XJMarch 22, 2025
Update v76 in the PTC also hides details about the ability to share your screen with other Meta Quest users.
The feature isn’t live yet, but code strings (discovered by Luna) suggest that 2D window panels will gain a ‘share’ and ‘unshare’ button so you can show other people in Horizon Home or Horizon Worlds (and maybe other multiplayer apps) what you’re looking at in your browser.
The Quest 3 already has the ability to screenshare YouTube content, and this release seems like a more general rollout of that bespoke feature so other 2D apps can be shared.
Given its current state in the PTC update, screen sharing might be an update or two away. However, when it does arrive, it might be joined by a massive UI overhaul.
Codenamed ‘Navigator’ Luna shared a short five second long clip of a tutorial for the new layout – which Meta demo’d at Meta Connect 2024.
Meta teased "the future of Horizon OS" at Connect today, showing a concept of a complete redesign.Details here: https://t.co/nYX2CfKeXt pic.twitter.com/Knavsn3p54September 26, 2024
Luna added that it’s expected to drop in v77 or later, so it’s still a release or two from launch, but these first hints suggest this overhaul’s launch is approaching.
We’ll have to wait and see if this UI overhaul is what Quest 3 has been needing all along or one of those terrible changes that'll have us begging Meta to put everything back the way it was.
From what we’ve seen, it should be the former, but we won’t know until the Navigator UI is available for everyone to test (hopefully later this year).
You might also likeWe’ve seen all sorts of collaborations celebrating The Office (US) – aka one of the most timeless and iconic sitcoms to ever broadcast or stream – but this one might be the most out of left field, in the best way possible.
Sure, we've seen collaborations before: Mattel dropped an incredible Polly Pocket that lets you carry the TV show's office set, including the conference room, in a mug with countless characters inside, and Lego will let you build the actual office from The Office. But now, you can both wake up to the classic theme song, and even be greeted with light that emulates a Dunder Mifflin sheet of paper.
How? Well, all you’ll need is a Hatch Restore sunrise alarm clock and you’re then ready for Bears, Beets, and Battlestar Galactica at any time. Thanks to a new partnership between Hatch and Peacock – one of the best streaming services around and home to every episode of The Office in the United States – you can enjoy the TV show’s theme song as an alarm sound or bedtime tune, as well as two light effects.
(Image credit: NBC)Like any other sunrise alarm clock, the Hatch Restore – now in its third generation – aims to help you get to bed easier and wake up more smoothly with scenes. The latter combines audio – either a cozy tune to help encourage a window or a peaceful set of tones to wake up – and lighting, mimicking a sunrise or sunset.
This collaboration with The Office goes beyond the expected, though – waking up or settling down to the jungle is pretty fun and about where we would have expected this collaboration to start and finish.
However, the design team at Hatch also created lighting effects to help you start or end your day. In the morning, the new wakeup cue plays the theme song along with a “Scranton Commute Sunrise Light,” and for bedtime, you’ll hear the jingle as well as a “Dunder Mifflin White Paper Light.”
Whether or not you are superstitious – or if you’re just a little stitious – you won’t want to wait to give these The Office themed songs and lighting effects ago, as they are only here for a limited time. Available via the Hatch+ subscription in the United States or Canada, you can access The Office themed content, which will only be available for a month.
Hatch+ is available at $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year and gives you access to a ton of sleep content, including podcasts, soundscapes, and various lights.
(Image credit: Hatch)While it’s only here for a limited time, this Hatch x The Office collab might feel like Pretzel Day for some, and who knows, waking up with the theme song and a Scranton sunrise might just let you start your day off a little better.
The Hatch Restore 3 – the latest generation sunrise alarm clock from the brand – is up for order at $169.99 in Putty, Greige, or Coacoa, and you get a free trial for Hatch+. Considering the previous generation has been discounted for previous Amazon shopping holidays, we’d keep an eye on it and see if it drops to a better price for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale.
You might also likeNvidia has unveiled two DGX personal AI supercomputers powered by its Grace Blackwell platform.
The first of these is DGX Spark (previously called Project Digits), a compact AI supercomputer that runs on Nvidia’s GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip.
The second is DGX Station, a supercomputer-class workstation that resembles a traditional tower and is built with the Nvidia GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Desktop Superchip.
Dell and HP reveal their versionsThe GB300 features the latest-generation Tensor Cores and FP4 precision, and the DGX Station includes 784GB of coherent memory space for large-scale training and inferencing workloads, connected to a Grace CPU via NVLink-C2C.
The DGX Station also features the ConnectX-8 SuperNIC, designed to supercharge hyperscale AI computing workloads.
Nvidia’s OEM partners - Asus, HP, and Dell - are producing DGX Spark rivals powered by the same GB10 Superchip. HP and Dell are also preparing competitors to the DGX Station using the GB300.
Dell has shared new details about its upcoming AI workstation, the Pro Max with GB300 (its DGX Spark version is called Pro Max with GB10).
The specs for its supercomputer-class workstation include 784GB of unified memory, up to 288GB of HBM3e GPU memory, and 496GB of LPDDR5X memory for the CPU.
The system delivers up to 20,000 TOPS of FP4 compute performance, making it well suited for training and inferencing LLMs with hundreds of billions of parameters.
HP’s version of the DGX Station is called the ZGX Fury AI Station G1n. Z by HP is now one of the company’s product lines, and the “n” at the end of the name signifies that it’s powered by an Nvidia processor - in this case, the GB300.
HP says the ZGX Fury AI Station G1n “provides everything needed for AI teams to build, optimize, and scale models while maintaining security and flexibility,” noting that it will integrate into HP’s broader AI Station ecosystem, alongside the previously announced ZGX Nano AI Station G1n (its DGX Spark alternative).
HP is also expanding its AI software tools and support offerings, providing resources designed to streamline workflow productivity and enhance local model development.
Pricing for the DGX Station and the Dell and HP workstations isn’t known yet, but they obviously aren’t going to be cheap. Pricing for the tiny DGX Spark starts at $3,999, and the larger machines will cost significantly more.
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