Technology

We’ve tested lots of affordable Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and 2-in-1 tablets. You don’t have to spend more than $800 to get a good computer.

Just days after Google announced it would be investing in nuclear energy to fuel its AI data centers, Amazon has confirmed it, too, is on board with nuclear.

The company has announced several of agreements and investments focusing on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in an effort to clean up its energy supply and address the growing demand for power as a result of the AI boom.

Although Amazon still remains committed to other clean energy sources, it stated nuclear forms an important part of a mix thanks to its proven reliability.

Amazon hedges its bets on nuclear

“Nuclear is a safe source of carbon-free energy that can help power our operations and meet the growing demands of our customers, while helping us progress toward our Climate Pledge commitment to be net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040," AWS CEO Matt Garman commented.

“Our agreements will encourage the construction of new nuclear technologies that will generate energy for decades to come.”

The new agreements include a partnership with Energy Northwest to develop reactors that are set to generate 320 megawatts in the first phase, with the potential to expand to 960 megawatts – the equivalent of around 770,000 homes.

Another agreement with Dominion Energy to explore an SMR project in Virginia could provide at least 300 megawatts of power in the region, which is establishing itself as a tech hub and could see demand rise by a staggering 85% in the next 15 years.

Amazon will also invest in X-energy, a company that develops SMR technology, to support over five gigawatts of nuclear projects.

Besides the sustainability credentials, Amazon is also keen to point out that its projects will support around 1,000 temporary construction roles and 100 permanent operational roles for the Energy Northwest Project alone.

This is on top of the company’s previously announcement to co-locate a data center facility next to a Talen Energy nuclear plant for directly provided carbon-free energy.

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Artificial intelligence will contribute $19.9 trillion to the global economy through 2030 and drive 3.5% of global GDP in 2030, according to new research from IDC’s The Global Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Economy and Jobs. The report goes on to claim that there is “accelerated development and deployment defined by widespread integration that's led to a surge in enterprise investments aimed at significantly optimizing operational costs and timelines.” Clearly AI is no longer a future, aspirational technology but today an increasingly essential driver of business transformation.

Yet, the rapid pace of AI development means that creating an effective AI strategy can be complex. It demands flexibility, resilience, and a future-ready infrastructure but given so much legacy technology and differing attitudes to what is the best path to take, this is not an easy thing to put into place. While most leaders recognize that the potential is significant, the path to success lies in building an AI strategy that not only aligns with business objectives but also adapts to evolving technology capabilities.

AI models, particularly large language models (LLMs), require significant resources and infrastructure to perform at their best. Organizations, therefore, need a strategy that allows them to quickly integrate new AI models, without causing disruption or push up costs. The solution? A flexible approach that incorporates cloud integration, containerization, and automation.

Start as you mean to go on

The starting point of any AI journey must be identifying a core business problem that AI can help solve. AI is a powerful tool, but without a clear application, it can easily become a costly distraction. Focus on business areas where AI can drive value, whether that’s optimizing customer service, improving fraud detection, or predicting maintenance needs. Ensuring AI is tied to measurable outcomes is the foundation of an effective strategy and makes it easier to sell internally too.

Furthermore, the flexibility to adopt a "bring your own large language model" (BYOL) approach enables organizations to customize AI to their needs. This method, which integrates public models like those from Nvidia or Hugging Face, allows businesses to refine these models with private data, ensuring solutions are aligned with specific business challenges. It’s a powerful way to use cutting-edge technology, while keeping control of sensitive data.

Any AI strategy worth its salt must be built on a flexible cloud infrastructure. The demands of AI are not static; they evolve rapidly as more complex models and data sets come into play. A cloud-first approach allows organizations to manage these changes without costly, time-consuming hardware upgrades.

Hybrid and multicloud environments offer even greater flexibility, giving businesses the power to move workloads between on-premises and public clouds depending on their specific needs. This flexibility is key to managing the dynamic nature of AI development, where rapid iteration and model refinement are essential. Cloud integration also enables easier scalability, allowing enterprises to handle increased data volumes and computational demands, as their AI projects grow.

However, AI’s dependence on data raises important questions around security and governance. As businesses scale their AI initiatives, they will be handling vast amounts of data, much of it sensitive. This is particularly true in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, where data privacy is paramount. Organizations must ensure their AI strategy includes robust data governance protocols that protect both the data they’re using and the outputs their AI models produce.

Cloud-based environments offer built-in security features that can help protect data across various platforms. However, understanding your own data and applying AI models to it effectively is a key challenge. Organizations must ask the right questions - where is my data stored? How is it secured? How is it used in training AI models?

Automation can unlock AI’s full potential

Automation plays a crucial role in the successful deployment of AI. Managing AI workloads across multicloud environments can be time-consuming and resource-intensive if done manually. By automating tasks, such as resource allocation and scaling, businesses can deploy AI models faster and more efficiently. This also reduces operational costs, allowing IT teams to focus on more strategic objectives.

AI applications benefit greatly from using containers - small, lightweight environments that package AI models and their dependencies. These containers allow AI systems to be deployed quickly and moved seamlessly between different environments. By using Kubernetes to manage these containers, businesses can achieve the agility needed to stay competitive in an AI-driven world. Kubernetes, in particular, enables organizations to orchestrate complex AI workloads across cloud platforms, ensuring optimal performance.

This becomes even more important when we consider skills shortages. One of the most significant challenges in AI adoption is the lack of specialized talent, both in AI development and cloud management. The fast-paced nature of AI requires teams that can quickly adapt to new tools and techniques. However, the reality is that many organizations lack the in-house expertise to meet this demand.

Automation provides a solution to this challenge by reducing the complexity of AI deployment. Organizations can rely on automated systems to handle many of the operational tasks traditionally managed by highly specialized teams, freeing-up resources, to focus on optimizing AI models and drive business value.

With the rapid evolution of AI technologies, ensuring responsible implementation is crucial. Organizations must focus on compliance, governance, and ethical considerations when deploying AI. Responsible AI is about more than just technology, it’s about ensuring that the outputs generated by AI models are transparent, fair, and free from bias.

This is particularly important as businesses integrate AI into more sensitive areas, such as customer support, fraud detection, or decision-making processes. By building compliance into AI infrastructure from the outset, organizations can avoid potential pitfalls and ensure their AI deployments are both effective and responsible.

The key to future success is building a strategy that can evolve with technology. Flexible cloud infrastructure, automation, and containerization are critical components of this strategy, enabling businesses to adapt quickly to new advancements in AI but it is also about culture. Getting a strategy right is about people as much as the technology. For those who are prepared to embrace it with agility, responsibility, and strategic foresight, the future is undeniably bright.

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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

If you're looking to play Black Ops 6 right when it launches on October 25, you'll want to have the game preloaded. This means knowing when the download goes live, and how big the file size is so you can make room. From what we played of the beta, Black Ops 6 certainly has a chance of ending up on our best FPS games list by the end of the year, so we'll certainly be preloading it as soon as possible.

Black Ops 6 is right around the corner, having already wowed players who jumped in to try out beta with its new movement mechanics and fast-paced combat. You'll be able to play on Game Pass this time as well, meaning that if you're a subscriber, you can jump in at no extra cost.

Here's everything you need to know about the Black Ops 6 preload, including when it goes live, as well as the file size on PC and consoles. We now have an exact time for when the preload goes live, so you can start clearing space for what is, predictably, quite a sizeable download.

Black Ops 6 preload release date

(Image credit: Activision)

The Black Ops 6 preload goes live on October 21 at 9AM PT / 12PM ET / 5PM BST on all platforms. You'll be able to download the whole package at this point, including Multiplayer, Campaign, and Zombies ahead of the game's launch on October 25. For specific launch times, check out the infographic embedded above.

Black Ops 6 file size

(Image credit: Activision)

Black Ops 6's file size has now been revealed - but only for PC. According to the released PC Specs, which you can see embedded above, you'll need to save 102GB for the download. This will likely include Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies. You'll need to reserve extra space for Warzone. Once we hear about the file sizes on console, we'll update this section.

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In the past five years, where, how and when we work has shifted.

Even if your workforce is remote, hybrid or in-office, the lines between office and home have blurred irreversibly.

If you are in the arena of knowledge work, where most tasks are done on devices like laptops or mobile devices, it can be assumed that there’s a data bleed between what’s strictly personal and what’s strictly for work.

Even if you issue separate devices intended to be dedicated to work, it’s no longer safe to assume that there’s a leakproof barrier separating work data, devices, networks, and applications from any public or personal data, devices, networks, and applications.

In-office policies may create an illusion of separation — and, thus, an illusion of security — but the truth is far more complex. According to recent research, 84% of employees use personal devices for work-related tasks (known as “Bring Your Own Device,” or “BYOD”). An alarming 78% of employees admit to doing so even when company policy stipulates that using personal devices for work (and vice-versa) is unacceptable.

When writing or speaking on this topic, I always make it clear that this isn’t about malicious intent or employees deliberately exposing the workplace to risks. While internal malice exists, accidental exposure is far more common. Employees may be unaware of company policies surrounding cross-contamination between personal and work devices and data access. They may use the same logins and passwords. They may log onto corporate devices on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks for a quick email check. They may engage in “shadow IT” by using preferred tools and applications, even if those are unsanctioned by IT and, thus, unregulated.

In another version of this scenario, an employee may be aware of policies but not fully understand what’s at stake or be able to draw a clear line between their actions and the potential consequences. For many well-meaning employees, it’s easy to bend the rules when the stakes feel irrelevant.

The illusion of BYOD security

To combat cross-contamination, imagine that you’ve issued dedicated devices for work. You strictly enforce that work devices are shut down at the end of the day, or perhaps even physically stay in the office so there’s no temptation to blur the lines. You have an unwavering policy prohibiting workplace usage of personal devices. You have ironclad perimeters set up banning access to prohibited tools and applications.

This can create a perception of security, just as in-office mandates can create a perception of control. But this can have the opposite of the intended effect, causing managers to rely on policies and infrastructure for regulations and letting their guard down.

In reality, people use the same passwords across devices. They use incognito mode to access the material they want to access. They address personal matters during their break time. And they often feel pressured to address work matters on their personal time.

Again, it’s not malice. It’s being human, and it’s the reality of our current, hyperconnected world. Using an in-office mandate as a corporate security measure is like using a net to hold water. The boundaries and restrictions are present and evident. Your territory is marked. And yet, while the “net” might prevent some big materials from floating past your boundaries, it can’t control the constant inflow and outflow of everything else.

As a leader, this is a challenging situation. It’s frustrating, and it may feel like trying to hold water in a net. That’s understandable. The traditional arsenal of IT tools, predominantly designed for in-office environments, falls seriously short in managing the current hyperconnected digital landscape. A mere 63% of IT teams are equipped to track BYOD alongside corporate-owned assets, leaving a gaping hole in corporate security protocols.

The good news is that the situation is not hopeless.

Embracing Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)

Regardless of your workplace model, it's time for a paradigm shift towards Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) solutions capable of managing the myriad devices accessing corporate networks. UEM solutions represent a quantum leap forward in cybersecurity, offering organizations the agility and flexibility to navigate the complexities of “everywhere work.” Over the past few years, UEM solutions have become incredibly popular among forward-thinking remote and hybrid workplaces. Still, it’s time for all workplace environments to recognize the ubiquity of everywhere work and look for a solution that matches the moment.

By extending security protocols to encompass personal devices and remote work environments, UEM empowers organizations to fortify their defense mechanisms against emerging threats. A UEM solution should be able to discover, manage and secure any device that may access corporate data and networks, regardless of who owns that device and where they’re using it. These solutions can help enforce comprehensive security measures like stringent password policies, system access protocols and data management software.

The truth is clear: data security cannot be confined within office walls, any more than water can be confined within a net. Whether your workforce is in-office, remote or a blend of both, the imperative remains the same: safeguarding sensitive information against evolving threats while optimizing productivity and supporting the digital employee experience. In-office mandates, although well-intentioned, may offer a false sense of security. The reality is that data breaches can occur irrespective of physical work locations. That means the focus must shift toward implementing comprehensive security measures beyond the perimeter (literal and proverbial). In embracing the principles of everywhere work, organizations lay the foundation for a secure, agile and future-ready enterprise.

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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

We're half way into October and already we've been given an insight to what to expect on Hulu in November 2024. Last month, some of the best horror movies were added to the platform, which we added to our best Hulu movies list, making it a trusty companion for helping me come to terms with the shorter days and gloomy weather. As for Hulu's November 2024 list, Christmas is creeping in.

Joining holiday staples like Elf (2003) and Christmas with the Kranks (2004) in November 2024 are forgotten Christmas gems A Christmas Carol (1984) as well as an abundance of Hallmark movies because, let's be honest, can you even call it Christmas if you don't give yourself to the guilty pleasure of a terrible Hallmark movie?

For all you humbugs out there who think it's too early to get into the holiday spirit, fear not as the new Hulu movies are not all tinsel and mistletoe – there's still a great deal of drama, comedy and sci-fi coming to one of the best streaming services. October is going by incredibly fast, especially as I make my through my horror movie countdown to Halloween – check out the seven psychological horror movies I watched last week – so what better time to start thinking about my Christmas streaming challenge.

Everything new on Hulu in November 2024

Arriving on November 1

Are You The One? seasons 2 & 6 (TV show)
Naruto Shippuden season 9 (TV show)
A Christmas Carol (movie)
Ad Astra (movie)
Aliens (movie)
Billy Madison (movie)
Carpool (movie)
Christmas on the Ranch (movie)
Christmas With The Kranks (movie)
Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (movie)
The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian (movie)
Crazy Heart (movie)
Deck the Halls (movie)
Desierto (movie)
Downhill (movie)
Eddie Murphy: Raw (movie)
Ghost Rider (movie)
Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance (movie)
Goodbye Lover (movie)
Grown Ups (movie)
Grown Ups 2 (movie)
Hanging Up (movie)
Happy Gilmore (movie)
Hellboy (movie)
Higher Learning (movie)
Hitman (movie)
Holiday in Handcuffs (movie)
Hollow Man (movie)
Hotel Transylvania (movie)
Hotel Transylvania 2 (movie)
I'll Be Home For Christmas (movie)
Inherit the Viper (movie)
Jingle All The Way (movie)
Just Friends (movie)
La La Land (movie)
The Last Duel (movie)
Lazareth (movie)
Madea Goes To Jail (movie)
The Mistle-Tones (movie)
National Treasure (movie)
National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (movie)
New Year's Eve (movie)
The Nutcracker (movie)
Operation Mistletoe (movie)
The Personal History Of David Copperfield (movie)
Predators (movie)
Renovation Romance (movie)
Same Time, Next Christmas (movie)
Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe (movie)
Santa's Little Helper (movie)
Second Best (movie)
Sonic the Hedgehog (movie)
Teddy Kollek (movie)
Tigerland (movie)
Waitress (movie)
The Wedding Planner (movie)
Whip It (movie)
White Men Can't Jump (movie)
Why Him? (movie)
Wild (movie)

Arriving on November 2

Endurance (TV show)

Arriving on November 6

Gangnam B-Side (TV show)
A Man Called Otto (movie)

November 7

Adoption Diaries season 1 (TV show)
Amazing Wedding Cakes season 4 (TV show)
America's Cutest Puppies season 1 (TV show)
Beyond the Pole season 2 (TV show)
Beyond the Pole: Living Under Lockdown season 11 (TV show)
Bid, Build, Design season 1 (TV show)
Braxton Family Values seasons 5B & 6A (TV show)
Bridezillas season 13 (TV show)
Cutting it in the ATL season 1 (TV show)
First Lady of Jamaica season 1 (TV show)
Ghost Moms season 1 (TV show)
Her Deadly Night in Paris season 1 (TV show)
Hoarders seasons 8, 9, & 15 (TV show)
Holiday Home Invasion season 1 (TV show)
Hustle & Soul seasons 1 & 3 (TV show)
John Edward Cross Country seasons 2-3 (TV show)
Katrina Weddings: A Second Chance season 1 (TV show)
L.A. Hair seasons 3-5 (TV show)
Marriage Boot Camp: Hip-Hop Edition season 14 (TV show)
Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars season 11 (TV show)
Mary Mary season 5 (TV show)
My Life is a Telenovela season 1 (TV show)
Obsessed with the Dress season 1 (TV show)
Platinum Babies season 1 (TV show)
Prison Brides season 1 (TV show)
Raising Sextuplets season 2 (TV show)
Road Wars season 3 (TV show)
Secret Lives of Women season 4 (TV show)
Surrogate Stories season 1 (TV show)
Tamar & Vince seasons 3-5 (TV show)
Wedding Gown Secrets season 1 (TV show)
Madagascar (movie)
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (movie)
Penguins Of Madagascar (movie)

Arriving on November 8

The Fiery Priest season 2 (TV show)
NCIS seasons 1-11 (TV show)
Poolman (movie)
The Present (movie)
Tooth Fairy (movie)
Wild Hogs (movie)

Arriving on November 11

Ally McBeal seasons 1-5 (TV show)

Arriving on November 12

Selling Super Houses season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on November 14

FX's Say Nothing (TV show)
Flipping Down Souths season 1 (TV show)
I Wasn't Expecting a Baby! season 1 (TV show)
Legends of the Fork season 1 (TV show)
Seatbelt Psychic season 1 (TV show)
The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth (TV show)
13 Sons & Pregnant season 1 (TV show)

Arriving on November 15

It's All Country season 1 (TV show)
Art Gallery: Andy Haynes, Maddie Wiener, Jackie Fabulous (TV show)
The Backyard: Ralph Barbosa, Kiry Shabazz, Brittany Schmitt (TV show)
The Cabin: Alec Flynn, Caitlin Peluffo, Garrick Bernard (TV show)
Parking Lot: Mark Smalls, Robby Hoffman, Darius Bennett (TV show)
The Taste of Things (movie)
Thelma (movie)

Arriving on November 16

Harriet (movie)

Arriving on November 17

Christmas at the Golden Dragon (movie)
Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing (movie)
Christmas Sail (movie)
A Holiday in Harlem (movie)
A Kismet Christmas (movie)
A Royal Corgi Christmas (movie)
The Santa Stakeout (movie)

Arriving on November 18

Cake Toppers season 1 (TV show)
"Cookie, Cupcake, Cake" season 1 (TV show)
The Honorable Shyne (documentary)

Arriving on November 19

Interior Chinatown season 1 (TV show)
Drugstore June (movie)

Arriving on November 20

Missing (movie)
The Son (movie)

Arriving on November 21

The 58th Annual CMA Awards
American Pickers: Best Of season 7 (TV show)
The Boarding School Murders season 1 (TV show)
Celebrity Renovation season 1 (TV show)
Christmas at the Chalet (movie)
Christmas Wars season 2 (TV show)
Donnie Loves Jenny season 1 (TV show)
Downtown Shabby season 1 (TV show)
History's Greatest Escapes with Morgan Freeman season 1 (TV show)
Lost Gold of World War II season 2 (TV show)
Roanoke: A Mystery Carved in Stone season 1 (TV show)
Secret Restoration season 1 (TV show)
Ultimate Holiday Feast season 1 (TV show)
A Cowboy Christmas Romance (movie)
Merry Magic Christmas (movie)
Mistletoe Match (movie)
Mom's Christmas Boyfriend (movie)

Arriving on November 22

Bia and Victor season 1 (TV show)
Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny (TV show)
Firebrand (movie)
The Good Half (movie)

Arriving on November 23

Sausage Party (movie)

Arriving on November 24

Southpaw (movie)

Arriving on November 25

Family Guy: Exclusive Holiday Special (TV show)
Tsunami (TV show)

Arriving on November 26

Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae (documentary series)
Robot Dreams (movie)

Arriving on November 27

Elf (movie)
Four Christmases (movie)
Fred Claus (movie)
Jack Frost (movie)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (movie)
The Polar Express (movie)

Arriving on November 29

Olympus Has Fallen (movie)
Plant Shop: Fahim Anwar, Susan Rice, Derrick Stroup (TV show)
Speakeasy: Torio Van Grol, Shapel Lacey, Ahamed Weinberg (TV show)
Thrift Store: Malik Elassal, Emma Willmann, TJ (TV show)
Tiki Series: Ali Macofsky, Matt Braunger, Sydney Castillo (TV show)

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A new study by OpenAI has identified that ChatGPT-4o does give different responses based on your name in a very small number of situations.

Developing an AI isn’t a simple programming job where you can set a number of rules, effectively telling the LLM what to say. An LLM (the large language model on which a chatbot like ChatGPT is based) needs to be trained on huge amounts of data, from which it can identify patterns and start to learn.

Of course, that data comes from the real world, so it often is full of human biases including gender and racial stereotypes. The more training you can do on your LLM the more you can weed out these stereotypes and biases, and also reduce harmful outputs, but it would be very hard to remove them completely.

What's in a name?

Writing about the study (called First-Person Fairness in Chatbots), OpenAI explains, “In this study, we explored how subtle cues about a user's identity—like their name—can influence ChatGPT's responses." It’s interesting to investigate if an LLM like ChatGPT treats you differently if it perceives you as a male or female, especially since you need to tell it your name for some applications.

AI fairness is typically associated with tasks like screening resumes or credit scoring, but this piece of research was more about the everyday stuff that people use ChatGPT for, like asking for entertainment tips. The research was carried out across a large number of real-life ChatGPT transcripts and looked at how identical requests were handled by users with different names.

AI fairness

“Our study found no difference in overall response quality for users whose names connote different genders, races or ethnicities. When names occasionally do spark differences in how ChatGPT answers the same prompt, our methodology found that less than 1% of those name-based differences reflected a harmful stereotype”, said OpenAI.

Less than 1% seems hardly significant at all, but it’s not 0%. While we’re dealing with responses that could be considered harmful at less than 0.2% for ChatGPT-4o, it’s still possible to ascertain trends in this data, and it turns out that that it's in the fields of entertainment and art where the largest harmful gender stereotyping responses could be found.

(Image credit: OpenAI) Gender bias in ChatGPT

There have certainly been other research studies into ChatGPT that have concluded bias. Ghosh and Caliskan (2023) focused on AI-moderated and automated language translation. They found that ChatGPT perpetuates gender stereotypes assigned to certain occupations or actions when converting gender-neutral pronouns to ‘he’ or ‘she.’ Again, Zhou and Sanfilippo (2023) conducted an analysis of gender bias in ChatGPT and concluded that ChatGPT tends to show implicit gender bias when it comes to allocating professional titles.

It should be noted that 2023 was before the current ChatGPT-4o model was released, but it could still be worth changing the name you give ChatGPT in your next session to see if the responses feel different to you. But remember responses representing harmful stereotypes in the most recent research by OpenAI were only found to be present in a tiny 0.1% of cases using its current model, ChatGPT-4o, while biases on older LLMs were found in up to 1% of cases.

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New research has revealed over a third (36%) of IT leaders admit to having disabled security measures on their systems, and a staggering 70% have admitted to reusing systems passwords.

IT leaders have a lot of confidence in their organisation, as 80% say their employees wouldn't fall for a phishing attack. Having said this, 64% of leaders themselves have clicked on phishing traps.

Despite this, a study by Arctic Wolf says that they can be quick to punish others for mistakes, with 27% having witnessed the termination of an employee for falling victim to a scam.

Do as we say, not as we do

The report outlines not just a disconnect between IT leaders and their employees, but also, if you’ll excuse the dramatics, between leaders and reality. Many overestimate their organizations ability to spot phishing attacks, and are overconfident about their cybersecurity.

According to the report, despite their assuredness, 83% of leaders have observed employees clicking on phishing simulation links, and 61% of leaders have reported one or more cybersecurity breaches in the last 12 months.

“Cybersecurity isn't just about technology—it’s about people. As threat actors grow more sophisticated, security leaders must move beyond traditional security training methods and adopt a comprehensive human risk management strategy that will not only help them to better identify and mitigate threats, but more importantly foster a more proactive and security-conscious workforce.” said Adam Marre, chief information security officer, Arctic Wolf.

The threat landscape is evolving fast, and phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated and more frequent, so overconfidence could leave companies vulnerable. Firms need robust cybersecurity now more than ever, and that requires an honest assessment of risks and vulnerabilities.

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Ableton’s new stand-alone instrument has its limitations, but it’s an immensely fun musical sketch pad.

It's no secret that I love my Kindle; not just the new ultra-fast Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 12th Gen, but virtually all the Kindles that have come before it. It's a fantastic purpose-built E Ink reading device that lets me read dozens of books without a recharge. And yet it has one feature that has caused me – and more than a few others – a fair bit of frustration: the power button.

Kindles are pervasive. During the recent Kindle launch event, Amazon Devices Lead Panos Panay said the company is this year seeing the highest sales of Kindles in over a decade. That means many of you are discovering the somewhat odd placement of the Kindle power button for the first time. If you have your Kindle nearby, pick it up and examine the bottom edge. Next to the USB-C port is the shiny little power button.

There is nothing wrong with this button. It has no special powers beyond turning your Kindle on or waking it Kindle from sleep; a long press will turn off the Kindle completely, but given its power-sipping capabilities, who does that?

The problem with this placement, though, is that it seems to not take into account how some of us read with these E Ink devices. Usually, I'm reading my Kindle in bed with it propped up on some pillows, but I've also read with it on my lap or balancing on my backpack or an airplane's tray table. This means most of the weight of the ereader is resting on that little power button. It's not uncommon for me to forget, and maybe rest the weight of my hand on the Kindle while I hold it; other times I'm using it hands-free, and the Kindle is wedged between the top of a table and the back of the seat in front of me, and the person in that seat leans back just a little. It's at these times that the power button gets pressed, and the Kindle goes to sleep or, even worse, shuts down. This invariably happens during the most important passage of a 400-page book. It never fails. I cry out in surprise as I realize my mistake.

Misplaced

The newest Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (left) and last-generation restarting (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

I also feel that Amazon has made a mistake. Why is the power button there? I'm not the only one asking this question. It's quite easy to find a few Reddit threads addressing the question. In these threads are various plausible explanations for the placement of the button, such as the location of the motherboard (which, based on teardowns, does sit at the bottom of the device), the need to balance the weight of the devices, or the possible necessary proximity to the USB-C power port.

None, though, are quite right.

When I spoke to Amazon's Kindle hardware lead Kevin Keith about the issue, he offered a different explanation, but not before trying to solve my problem.

First Keith asked if I had a cover for my Kindle, because the thickness of the cover would immediately mitigate this issue by putting the power button level with the surface of the Kindle cover. No more accidental presses. But I hate covers. I'm a travel-light kind of guy, and I try to shed anything that adds any unnecessary weight. Kindles are plenty tough in my opinion (the Signature models are waterproof) and don't need that extra protection. Keith joked that they needed to get me a cork cover which would be a lot lighter.

And that's when Keith opened up about the real reason for the button placement.

"We've looked at that because we've gotten this feedback and a lot of it is to keep the dimensions really tight, and so if you remember what Panos was saying, the thing you don't want to mess with, with a Paperwhite, is how it feels in your hand for long reading sessions of one-handed reading, and so that's why when we increase the screen viewing size we always have to shrink the bezels. And the [fact that the] button has to be near the light guide is essentially what is driving this."

Okay, I know, that doesn't entirely clear this up, but the thinking here appears to be related to, for one thing, cutting down the distance between components, especially the power and the panel that guides the LED lighting (which is arrayed across the base of the Kindle) across the entire screen. It also means you're not reaching across the screen to power up the Kindle, and thereby not covering the light sensor on Paperwhite Signature editions that automatically adjust to light conditions (granted the sensor will catch up in short order and adjust the lighting as soon as you move your hand). Finally, Amazon isn't putting the power button on either side of the Kindle, or even the back, because it might change how the Kindle feels in your hand.

Put another way, Amazon obviously has no intention of moving that power button any time soon. Put yet another way: have you thought about buying a case?

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Unity has announced that Unity 6, the latest version of its cross-platform game engine, is now available worldwide.

Unity 6 can be downloaded here, and is the company's "most stable and best-performing version of Unity" yet that has been built, tested, and refined in partnership with game developers around the world.

According to Unity, the updated software will allow developers to create games much faster and more efficiently than ever before and comes with new features like end-to-end multiplayer workflows, tools that target the mobile web, alongside new graphics capabilities that move workloads from the CPU to the GPU, improving CPU performance by up to 4X in internal.

Unity has also shared its plans for the engine post-launch, confirming that it will be "dedicating long-term product and engineering resources to Unity 6" to enhance features and add new functionality, while continuing stability.

"We are relentlessly focused on delivering tools to help game developers build games more quickly and efficiently while also facilitating innovation," said Matt Bromberg, President and CEO of Unity. "We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that Unity 6 is at the heart of game development for years to come."

Alongside the launch of Unity 6, the company has also introduced some brand-new learning resources for developers, like Time Ghost, the latest Unity Originals real-time cinematic demo which includes advancements in environment building and character design, as well as Megacity Metro, a demo that showcases how to build a 100+ player cross-platform multiplayer game.

"Unity 6 gives our global multi-functional team the stability and scalability we need. The improved performance combined with features like the new WebGPU graphics API and the seamless live services integration make our workflow much more efficient and our production quality top-tier,” said Josh Loveridge, managing director of Stratton Studios.

"It's been a game-changer while developing PGA TOUR Rise. We’ve truly been able to push the boundaries of creativity at every step of the development pipeline."

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Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, a company that has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence tools for its portfolio, has called Microsoft’s Copilot AI a “tremendous disservice” to the industry.

In a recent interview on the Rapid Response podcast, Benioff likened Copilot to Microsoft’s early office assistant, Clippy, suggesting the service is disappointing and fails to deliver meaningful value.

The comments come despite Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT maker OpenAI several months ago, and the subsequent injection of what is considered one of the best AI models available into its products.

Salesforce CEO criticizes Microsoft’s Copilot AI

Benioff went as far as suggesting Microsoft’s extensive AI efforts might not be around for long, predicting faded hype and a dwindling user base.

In the podcast, he added: “It doesn't work. It spews data all over our floors, it doesn't deliver value. I haven't found a customer who has transformational work with Copilot. Copilot is just the new Microsoft Clippy.”

Keen to separate Microsoft’s efforts with those of Salesforce, the CEO praised the company’s new Agentforce tool for helping to transform businesses by delivering tangible value. Agentforce is already reportedly handling “a couple of trillion AI transactions per week,” leading to satisfied customers.

Looking ahead, Benioff alluded to an AI landscape dominated by AI agents destined for enterprises, suggesting the demise of Microsoft Copilot, which promises to deliver productivity and efficiency improvements for workers.

Despite the CEO’s criticism, Microsoft’s influence in the AI space remains strong. Its relative early entry combined with its affiliation with OpenAI put it high on the scoreboard among companies choosing to employ AI. Subsequently, Microsoft has plans to continue investing in its data centers to support future expansion.

Microsoft became the second company to reach a market cap of $3 trillion, well into its AI journey, and analysts are predicting that it could be the world’s most valuable company in the years to come. Apple currently holds that title, but chipmaker Nvidia, which is responsible for providing those all-important data center chips, has also entered the race, and strongly.

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For many, watching Die Hard is a Christmas tradition. Believe it or not, the iconic 80s action movie can be as comforting as watching Home Alone or Elf. But now, your traditional holiday flicks are about to get an exciting addition with Netflix's new thriller Carry-On that's set to bring some Die Hard action this festive season.

Taron Egerton has become something of an action star himself due to his roles as secret agent Gary "Eggsy" Unwin in the Kingsman franchise and heroic outlaw Robin Hood in the modern retelling of the mythical legend. In Carry-On, Egerton packs a punch as a young TSA agent who battles against a villainous Bateman (Ozark, Arrested Development), a mysterious passenger who blackmails him into allowing a strange package onto a busy flight on Christmas Eve and endangering everyone's lives onboard.

If airport security wasn't hard enough, this new Netflix movie makes it even more challenging in the new trailer (see below). Bateman sets the sinister tone of Carry-On with the ominous voiceover: "You have ten minutes before everybody in the airport dies. All you have to do is nothing." Cue a montage of high-octane mayhem with car crashes and gun fights, then you have everything you could want from a holiday action flick.

What is Carry-On about?

Landing on the best streaming service on December 13, Carry-On follows TSA agent Ethan (Egerton) working on Christmas Eve. If a heaving airport filled with irritated passengers wasn't enough to contend with, his arduous shift soon turns into a full-blown nightmare when a terrorist (Bateman) blackmails him into letting a dangerous package slip through the scanner and onto a Christmas Eve flight.

Egerton told Entertainment Weekly of his character: "I think he's someone who lacks a sense of drive and direction but is ultimately really resourceful and capable. He's a bit of a hero in waiting. He's pretty noble and selfless. He has all the qualities of an archetypal hero underneath the lack of direction."

Just looking at the trailer, it has the potential to become one of the best Netflix movies or even land a spot on our best Netflix Christmas movies list alongside the streamer's upcoming festive rom-com Our Little Secret starring Lindsay Lohan.

Other cast starring in Carry-On are Sofia Carson as Ethan's girlfriend whose life is threatened by the terrorist, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Dean Norris, Logan Marshall-Green, and Josh Brener.

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Samsung has released a new video teaser, which we think hints at an impending launch for the long-rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE.

The video shows a person carrying an envelope through a hallway before revealing a tablet-sized device with the words “You’re Invited” displayed on the screen – we think this device has a solid chance of being the Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE, previously known as the Galaxy Z Fold Slim.

Confusingly, the translated press release that accompanies this video states a reveal date of October 21, while the video itself suggests an event on October 24. It’s possible that these are sequential reveal and release dates, but we can’t say for sure.

(Image credit: Samsung)

The main selling point of the Z Fold 6 SE is expected to be its design – even the earliest rumors referred to it as a thinner version of the flagship Galaxy Z Fold 6. We’ve seen estimates for folded thickness that vary from 7.7mm to 11.5mm, and the latest rumor from GSMArena points to an impressive unfolded thickness of 4.9mm.

More recently, we’ve seen suggestions that the Z Fold 6 SE will feature a less prominent crease through the center of the inner display, which would allay one of our last remaining complaints with Samsung’s Z Fold devices.

And yet more rumors claim the Z Fold SE will have larger displays than its predecessor, with Korean news outlet Financial News (via 9to5Google) suggesting a 6.5-inch cover display and 8-inch inner display.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 was released on July 24, meaning it’s far too soon for a fully-fledged sequel. As for other clues in the teaser, the envelope could hint at the device’s thinness, and the “You’re Invited” wording certainly feels exclusive enough for a ‘special edition’.

The 11-second teaser was uploaded to Samsung’s Korean-language Samsung Newsroom YouTube channel, but is conspicuously absent from the equivalent US or UK channels.

This tracks with prior rumors: as we previously reported, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 SE will likely be exclusive to Korea and China when it finally launches.

For now, much of the above is based on rumors, but it seems like we won’t have to wait long for official details. It’s very unlikely that the Samsung Galaxy Fold 6 SE will launch worldwide, but this is otherwise poised to be one of the best folding phones on release.

For the latest official updates as we hear them, be sure to keep up with our Samsung phones coverage.

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