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• Purported Nvidia RTX 5080 Geekbench results have been shared
• They suggest roughly a 20% gen-on-gen uplift compared to the RTX 4080
• However, the RTX 5080 appears to come up short compared to the older RTX 4090

With the RTX 5090 now reviewed and fully evaluated – as an undoubtedly powerful GPU, albeit to the point of overkill in many ways – the attention of the benchmark-spilling world has turned to the RTX 5080.

Reviews of this second Blackwell GeForce GPU are imminent, and thanks to Benchleaks (via Tom’s Hardware), we’ve caught a purported Geekbench result (be skeptical with it, as with any such spillage).

The results are for the graphics tests from Geekbench and they suggest that the RTX 5080 will hit a score of around 262,000 in Vulkan and 256,000 in OpenCL.

That would represent about a 20% generational increase (just over) in performance compared to the RTX 4080 with the Vulkan score, but less than 10% for OpenCL. As Tom’s notes, Blackwell Vulkan performance appears stronger than OpenCL.

As our sister site further points out, the Vulkan score here is actually quite close to the RTX 4090, but the RTX 5080 is some way off with OpenCL, as the last-gen flagship is about 20% faster than the new graphics card.

The RTX 5090 is around 40% and 45% faster than the RTX 5080, if you were wondering how the new flagship stacks up, but again this is based on rumors.

(Image credit: Nvidia) Analysis: In line with other speculation, pretty much

As always when looking at benchmarks, synthetic results aren’t as valuable as real-world gaming tests, and Geekbench is not the first place anyone would turn to for a metric to judge a graphics card’s gaming prowess by. But nonetheless, this does give us something of a clue about where the RTX 5080 might land in terms of raw power for PC games.

And, as this hint goes, it’s pretty much what I expected. Pushing the OpenCL score to one side, I’d say a 20% performance uplift (for rasterized, non-DLSS, non-ray tracing games) sounds about on the money, based on previous spinning from the rumor mill – but obviously we’re still a long way from being able to draw that conclusion.

It’s worth remembering that games which support DLSS 4 (and Nvidia’s new frame generation tech, MFG) can expect a way, way bigger frame rate boost from the RTX 5080, or indeed any of the new Blackwell desktop graphics cards. And it's equally worth noting that while the RTX 4080 was an undoubted major leap in performance for an xx80-class graphics card, the price that Nvidia stuck on it was shocking at the time, and meant we weren’t a fan in our review (and this GPU did not fly off the shelves by any means, back in the day).

We’re now more acclimatized to Nvidia’s weighty pricing at the higher-end, and of course, with the RTX 5080, its MSRP has dropped back to $999 in the US (compared to $1,199 for the RTX 4080). So that’s something of a win for consumers, albeit a grand is still an eye-watering sum to be parting with for a desktop GPU.

Nvidia’s RTX 5080 arrives on January 30, alongside the RTX 5090, with the RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti following in February at some point. If you’re planning on buying the GPU next week, we’ve got a list of the best places to keep an eye on for stock of the RTX 5080. However, this graphics card is rumored to be short on stock, and so could sell out very quickly – you might need a fair bit of good fortune to land your next-gen GPU.

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The best hearing aids we’ve tested to date require a visit to the ear doctor—and a sizable investment.

As President Trump moves to change federal policy so the US government only recognizes “two genders” and social media platforms become less safe for LGBTQ+ people, dating apps could become a refuge.

• Security researchers found an Elasticsearch index with millions of entries
• The database contained personal information on millions of Georgians
• It was traced back to an unnamed German cloud provider

A German cloud service provider has unintentionally exposed sensitive data on probably the entire population of Georgia, security researchers are saying.

Cybersecurity expert Bob Dyachenko, of SecurityDiscovery.com said they recently discovered an non-password-protected Elasticsearch index containing a “wide range of sensitive personal details” belonging to Georgians. The index hosted two indices, one with almost five million personal data records, and another with more than seven million.

Given that the entire population of Georgia counts less than four million people, it’s safe to assume that even with numerous duplicate entries, all of its citizens could be at risk of identity theft, phishing, and more.

Shutting down the leak

The archives contained people’s ID numbers, full names, birth dates, genders, phone numbers, and other sensitive information.

“The data appears to have been collected or aggregated from multiple sources, potentially including governmental or commercial data sets and number identification services,” Dyachenko said.

The researchers traced the instance back to a server owned by a German cloud service provider. The researchers did not name the company, and said that the server was taken offline “shortly after discovery”. It was left unclear if the company was notified of the leak. Therefore, we also don’t know if any threat actors found the archives in the meantime, and if the data had been exfiltrated elsewhere.

“Without clarity on data ownership, recourse for affected individuals is limited, and it remains challenging to enforce data protection laws or seek accountability,” the researcher said. “This leak highlights the complexities of cross-border data protection and regulation.”

Via Cybernews

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• "News briefs" will appear on the Google TV For You page
• Will recommend related videos of "top news stories"
• Only in the US, and only being tested with some users

Google is experimenting with AI-powered news summaries and recommendations that you'll be able to see on your Google TV. This seems like a very bad idea.

The feature, called News Briefs, was spotted by Android Authority on the Google support pages. It will use "Gemini models and human evaluation" to provide narrated overviews of top news stories and "related YouTube videos from trusted news sources."

So far it's only being tested with selected users, and it's only being tested in the US. And I hope that at the end of the test, they kill it with fire.

The Google TV platform already has Gemini built-in, but evidently we're doing to get more of it. (Image credit: Google) The problem with AI news is simple

The thing about AI is that, for want of a better description, it's a massive miscommunication machine. To take a pretty innocuous example, Apple's AI headlines have been a disaster, and its AI summaries on my iPhone are often hilariously wrong.

Again and again we see very clear evidence that AI can't be trusted currently. Sometimes it's funny – as the Associated Press found in the summer of 2024, Gemini will happily tell you that astronauts have played with cats on the moon – but sometimes it's much more serious; the same report notes that Google's AI shared the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama is muslim.

The problem with AI is that what we're told is AI… isn't. It's like a very high-powered autocorrect, a prediction machine, and when its data is bad – and it often is – then it produces bad information with great confidence. And online there's an entire ecosystem based on making bad information and feeding it into social media such as YouTube.

Given YouTube's track record in recommendations – NBC News is one of many organizations that demonstrated a political and religious bias in the content being recommended to people, for example – having AI-powered news recommendations pushed to us even when we haven't asked to see new sounds terrifying.

And on top of that, I get plenty of nightmarish news delivered to me all day, every day on my phone – perhaps if I've turned on my TV it's to escape, or be distracted, or entertained. Some people love to watch rolling news (or news-style) networks all day, but some of us use our TV to focus elsewhere.

There's enough bad news in the world right now. I really hope Google TV isn't going to add more of it.

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• Apple has removed claims that CarPlay 2 will arrive in 2024 from its website
• The company has confirmed it’s still working with “several” car makers
• But there’s no indication of when CarPlay 2 might launch

Apple’s CarPlay 2 system is designed to help you manage maps, media and more inside your car. It was meant to arrive in 2024, yet for one reason or another, that never happened. And now, we’ve finally had official word from Apple on what we can expect to see in the future.

In an official statement provided to MacRumors, Apple said that “several” car manufacturers would be incorporating CarPlay 2 into their vehicles, and that each company would share more details at the appropriate time. However, there was no indication of when that might be.

In full statement Apple said: "The next generation of CarPlay builds on years of success and insights gained from CarPlay, delivering the best of Apple and the automaker in a deeply integrated and customizable experience. We continue to work closely with several automakers, enabling them to showcase their unique brand and visual design philosophies in the next generation of CarPlay."

In a similarly vague style, Apple added that "each car brand will share more details as they near the announcements of their models that will support the next generation of CarPlay".

Apple also confirmed to MacRumors that it is committed to the current generation of CarPlay, which it says is available in over 98% of new cars sold in the United States.

Stuck in traffic

(Image credit: Apple)

Several weeks into 2025, Apple’s CarPlay website was still claiming that CarPlay 2 would launch in 2024 – something that clearly wasn’t possible. Interestingly, Apple has only just updated its site to remove the 2024 reference.

We don’t know what exactly caused the delay to CarPlay 2, but there were signs of trouble long before the most recent announcement. In 2023, for example, Apple promised it would reveal which automakers would be supporting CarPlay 2 that year – in the end, it did so in December, right before the deadline.

That said, it’s clear that Apple is still working on CarPlay 2. Earlier in January, images leaked on X depicting an updated dashboard that’s presumably destined for the auto system.

And with the latest announcement, Apple has confirmed CarPlay 2 is still on the way – but if you were hoping its arrival would be imminent, you’ll have to be patient a while longer.

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• OpenAI's new reasoning model o3-mini is launching soon
• Sam Altman has now confirmed it will be available to free tier users
• ChatGPT Plus users will get "tons of o3-mini usage"

OpenAI announced the upcoming rollout of its incredibly smart new reasoning model earlier this week, and now we've got even better news: o3-mini will be available for free.

Sam Altman confirmed the news on X yesterday, stating "Big news: the free tier of ChatGPT is going to get o3-mini!" The OpenAI CEO also confirmed that Plus members, those paying $20/£20/$AU30 a month will get "tons of o3-mini usage", which is great for those who want to take full advantage of the new model.

o3 and o3-mini were unveiled in December as part of OpenAI's "12 Days of OpenAI" event, which also saw the official release of Sora in the US, OpenAI's AI video generation tool.

o3-mini is a substantial upgrade to the o1-mini reasoning model released last year, allowing users to get answers to complex scientific and math problems. There's no exact timeframe on when o3-mini will be available, but Altman confirmed on January 17 that it will launch in API and ChatGPT in "a couple of weeks."

Once o3-mini does become available (to free, Plus, and Pro users) you'll be able to get help with questions that require thought and reasoning. In the new model you'll even be able to adjust the thinking time to give the AI model more time to work out an answer. There will be a "low compute" option for quick responses and a "high compute" option for tasks that require extra thinking power.

big news: the free tier of chatgpt is going to get o3-mini!(and the plus tier will get tons of o3-mini usage)January 23, 2025

o3-mini is free for all

When OpenAI announced the new model in December, my first thought was "how long will we have to wait to try this for free?" Luckily, Altman and co has given free users a nice surprise to kick off 2025 with this announcement that o3-mini will in fact be free.

We don't have any more info on how many prompts you'll be able to ask o3-mini for free, but hopefully there's a decent amount of free usage so that everyone can take advantage of the future of AI reasoning models.

o3-mini hits the perfect sweet spot between a reasoning model and a more general usage model, and OpenAI hopes this new middle ground will break through into the mainstream and become a daily tool for the average consumer. As soon as we get access to o3-mini we'll be putting it through its paces, so stay tuned to TechRadar for all the upcoming ChatGPT o3-mini news.

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• The first Android 16 public beta is now here
• You can install it now if you have a newer Pixel phone
• Live Updates is one of the new features

Google has pushed out the first public beta version of Android 16, which means early adopters can give it a spin: and among the new features already spotted by users is Android's take on Live Activities in iOS.

As announced by Google (via Android Police), the Android equivalent of Live Activities is Live Updates. These persistent updates on screen "help users monitor and quickly access important ongoing activities" Google says.

Right now, the updates are "suggested only for ride sharing, food delivery, and navigation use cases", but we can expect more categories to be added over time. Eventually, any developer who wants to should be able to take advantage of them.

As we've seen on iPhones, these kinds of live updates can be handy for everything from sports scores to audio recorders. They mean you can keep up to date with something without having the app open, and they'll be a welcome addition to Android.

More to come

Live Activities on iOS (Image credit: Apple)

There's quite a lot more in the first Android 16 public beta, including improved support for apps on larger screens: If you use a larger display (like the one on the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold), you should see less in the way of letterboxing.

Then we have improved support for high-resolution video recording and editing, a more consistent predictive back experience (where you see a preview of the screen you're going back to), and preparations for deeper Gemini integration.

We can look forward to plenty more in the way of new features as the Android beta testing phase continues – numerous upgrades have already been rumored, including changes to notifications. A full launch of Android 16 is expected in June.

Right now, if you want to give the beta a try, you need to have a Pixel phone (a Pixel 6 or later) and be enrolled in the Android Beta Program (which is free). As always with betas, expect bugs and crashes – we wouldn't recommend doing this on a phone you rely on.

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• Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit over its Apple Watch bands
• The lawsuit alleges that Apple "hides" the existence of PFAS in its products, claiming this is false advertising
• Apple has hit back, saying its bands are safe to wear

Apple has been hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging that some of the company's best Apple Watch bands contain dangerous levels of "forever chemicals."

The suit was filed in California on January 21, on behalf of customers who've bought Apple's Watch Sport Band, Ocean Band for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the Nike Sport Band. It states that Apple "advertises these Products as designed to support and further human health and wellness, environmentally sustainable, and suitable for everyday use and wear. However, in truth, they contain excessive levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), which are toxic to human health and the environment."

The suit has been filed in the wake of a University of Notre Dame study that found elevated levels of these 'forever chemicals' in smartwatch bands.

The study found that "many" bands advertised to contain fluoroelastomers also contained high concentrations of PFAS, with some very high concentrations, particularly in more expensive bands.

Based on the study's findings, this suit alleges that Apple knows its products contain PFAS, and knows they're harmful to consumers (the company is phasing them out), but does not inform consumers which products contain the harmful chemicals.

The suit continues: "Instead, in respect of watches, Defendant continues to hide the existence of PFAS at the point of purchase and otherwise. They also affirmatively promise the opposite: that these Products are specifically designed to aid human health and are environmentally friendly. Consumers therefore reasonably would have no way of knowing the products are laced with harmful chemicals and instead believe what Defendant falsely promises."

The suit also alleges that Apple could have chosen not to use these materials, but elected to put them in the bands to give it an advantage over its competition.

Apple's response – is your Apple Watch band dangerous?

Fluoroelastomer bands are very popular with smart watch accessory makers (Image credit: Future)

In response to the suit, Apple told TechRadar: "Apple Watch bands are safe for users to wear. In addition to our own testing, we also work with independent laboratories to conduct rigorous testing and analysis of the materials used in our products, including Apple Watch bands."

Apple also pointed us to its history of removing harmful chemicals from products and manufacturing, and noted that its own restrictions often go beyond the relevant regulations when it comes to protecting human health.

The suit alleges that the aforementioned study found elevated levels of PFAS in bands "including" Apple's, a claim that is not immediately supported by the study results. As we mentioned in our initial story reporting the study, the public data does not indicate which manufacturers' bands were found to have high levels of chemicals; they're not identified by name, but by a sample ID. Tested brands included Apple, CASETiFY, Fitbit, Google, and Samsung.

PFAs and their risk

(Image credit: Future)

The presence of PFAS in consumer products is a complicated issue. Research indicates that PFAS are linked to increased risk and incidences of certain types of cancer, and the chemicals are dubbed "forever chemicals" because their structure is so durable that they don't degrade or break down over time.

However, there are other caveats. There's only a small body of research on the risk of absorption of PFAS through the skin, with some specialists suggesting that absorbing a significant amount through the skin is unlikely.

Furthermore, the testing in the aforementioned study involved chemically extracting the compounds in the band to confirm levels, which doesn't replicate the experience of someone wearing a smartwatch.

As for the suit, it's seeking the usual swathe of relief, injunctions requiring Apple to change its business practices, and monetary compensation for affected users. You can read the lawsuit in full here.

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According to recent data from the International Energy Agency, industrial sectors, such as chemical manufacturing and mining, currently contribute 25% of all global CO2 emissions and 37% of all global energy consumption.

Industries face increasing pressure to develop net-zero roadmaps. As sustainability rises on the corporate agenda, digitalization contributes to a clear, strategic path to achieving commercial, operational, and sustainability goals for today's industrial enterprises.

Industry 4.0: Accelerating Sustainability in Industrial Enterprises

Industrial enterprises are increasingly implementing Industry 4.0 to achieve greater operational efficiency and sustainability across their operations. The Internet of Things (IoT) stands out as a significant enabler of sustainability within industrial enterprises. IoT technology combined with seamless connectivity facilitates the continuous flow of real-time data by linking devices, machines, and sensors across the industrial site, which helps reduce fuel, waste, energy consumption and carbon emissions.

For instance, IoT sensors capture real-time energy data from machinery and equipment across entire facilities, allowing enterprises to identify inefficiencies and make precise adjustments to reduce energy waste and lower utility bills. Additionally, IoT technology tracks production outputs and material usage in real-time, helping companies better align supply with demand and swiftly address issues such as overproduction and misallocation of resources. This minimizes the environmental impact of enterprise operations while fostering a more efficient operational model, delivering significant commercial benefits for businesses.

Industrial Edge and Private Wireless Networks Strengthening Sustainability

Industrial enterprises increasingly recognize digitalization's sustainability benefits, with Industry 4.0 applications powered by private wireless networks driving significant operational improvements and footprint reductions. In fact, according to the 2024 Industrial Digitalization report, by deploying private wireless networks, 79% of enterprises surveyed by GlobalData, reported a reduction in carbon emissions.

Industry 4.0 use cases require the kind of high bandwidth, low latency connectivity provided by 4.9G/LTE and 5G private wireless networks to ensure uninterrupted operations to realize the sustainability and efficiency benefits that come with Industry 4.0.

For example, with reliable worker communication, workers have instant access to the right expertise to repair malfunctioning machinery – this not only reduces truck rolls and fuel use, but also ensures quick repairs to lower unnecessary energy consumption by faulty equipment.

Drones can be used for remote inspections of dangerous or hard-to-reach locations, also reducing vehicle-based inspections and identifying potential issues early before major breakdowns and expensive repairs are required, which often consume more resources and produce more waste. Remote-controlled machines, such as port cranes or robots in chemical plants, can significantly improve the efficiency and safety of operations, while reducing energy consumption and associated carbon emissions.

As global ESG commitments become more stringent, industrial enterprises must invest in the right tools to build towards their sustainability goals. The Private Wireless Sustainability Calculator provides enterprises with a clear digitalization path to reach their goals. Combining handprint and footprint analysis, the calculator helps enterprises estimate how new Industry 4.0 use cases, powered by high-performance private wireless and industrial edge, are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as worker safety incidents.

Currently available for mining, ports and chemical manufacturing, enterprises can use insights from the calculator to make informed decisions and guide operational planning and investment choices. The calculator shows that digitalization and use cases like critical worker communication and environmental monitoring are critical tools to support their sustainability goals while also driving operational efficiencies and profitability.

A Data-Driven Approach to Sustainability

Reliable data lies at the heart of a successful sustainability strategy – without it, enterprises are operating in the dark, using inaccurate views of their footprint and the impact operational changes have on their ESG targets, skewing reporting, decision-making and long-term planning. IBM reports that 41% of executives name inadequate data as a top barrier to ESG progress. Yet, despite this, KPMG found that almost 50% of companies still manage ESG data manually in spreadsheets, making reporting extremely time-consuming and prone to human error.

Digitalization allows enterprises to collect comprehensive real-time operational technology (OT) data from all systems, machines and sensors. With an on-premises industrial edge, that data gets aggregated into a single data hub, eliminating data siloes to enable a single unified view on sustainability performance across the operation. Access to all operational data in real-time enables teams to align their efforts with sustainability goals and support ESG reporting, leading to more efficient resource management, optimized production schedules, and minimizing waste. Having the right digital foundation enables industrial enterprises to make immediate progress while setting the stage for future sustainability and increased profitability.

In asset-intensive environments such as manufacturing or port operations, all processes are interlinked and dependent on one another. Any interruption or issue in this chain will result in interruptions and losses for the entire process. This means that there is a need for continuous operations, underpinned by redundancies and mission-critical performances with reliability of 99.99% or more across connectivity, and operational technology (OT).

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we 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/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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