Technology

Cybersecurity is an unavoidable investment for any modern business, but a skills shortage is making it increasingly difficult for small businesses to recruit and retain cybersecurity professionals.

New research from Sophos shows that the issue disproportionately affects small to medium businesses, with organizations employing fewer than 500 employees ranking this as their number two cybersecurity concern, whereas it ranks seventh with larger firms.

The shortage manifests as both a lack of expertise and a lack of capacity. The survey revealed that 96% of SMBs find at least one aspect of investigating suspicious alerts challenging, and that 74% of ransomware attacks against them are successful in encrypting data.

Burnout and fatigue

Smaller companies don’t have the capacity for vigilant cybersecurity, and 33% of the time, SMBs have no one monitoring, investigating, or responding to alerts - meaning many are vulnerable to attacks.

More and more cybersecurity professionals are experiencing significant increase in burnout, with 85% of organisations saying IT professionals have struggled in the last 12 months.

A worrying report earlier this year revealed that 74% have taken time off for work-related mental health concerns. With the average ransomware attack costing a staggering $3 million in recovery, it's no wonder cybersecurity professionals are feeling the pressure.

Working conditions, high workloads, and unreasonable expectations are all contributing to a workforce of over exerted IT professionals, who clearly aren’t being given the right tools to carry out their responsibilities, whether that be training or resources.

As our world becomes increasingly digital, and companies hold more and more sensitive data on their customers, cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. Although it might feel like data breaches are just a part of life now, there is still immense pressure on IT workers to protect their businesses.

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Amazon just announced four new Kindles, including a revamped Paperwhite, a more capable Scribe, and the first-ever color Kindle.

Maine has quite a few decent internet providers, and here is how the top options compare.

This all-in-one espresso machine delivers on quality with minimal fuss.

I love adventure watches, from analog Casio G-Shocks to the Apple Watch Ultra and Garmin’s Instinct and Fenix ranges. But there hasn't really been any of the best Android smartwatches in that space: the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro are there, but they use Wear OS filtered through Samsung’s One UI Watch 6 interface.

Now, Mobvoi’s latest TicWatch, the Mobvoi TicWatch Atlas, looks like a rugged adventure watch designed to challenge Garmin and the Ultras, and it runs on Wear OS. This means it could be a natural choice for users of the best Android phones looking for a tough, durable watch to see them through hikes, trail runs, and all manner of other outdoor adventures.

With a 90-hour battery life in smartwatch mode and 45 days in 'essential' or low-power mode, it also uses fast charging: 30 minutes on the charger gives you another two days of use. The Ticwatch Atlas packs an AMOLED display overlaid with an “ultra low-power display” detailing time via a digital watch face, steps, heart rate, notifications, alarms and battery life. Sort of a souped-up Casio: it’s a feature that’s shared by the well-reviewed Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5, although it seems a more natural fit here.

The AMOLED display looks ideal for displaying topographical maps of your surroundings, along with the usual navigational toolsets: compass, barometer and altimeter (ideal for climbing), GPS and four other GNSS systems (likely Glonass, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS). It’s also got a heatmaps feature for ball games like soccer, showing you where you’re most active on the pitch, alongside Fall Detection and automatic workout detection, which Mobvoi refers to as 'TicMotion'.

The watch retails at $349.99 / €359.99 Euros in Black and Silver, with pricing for other regions TBC, and is available to order now.

(Image credit: Mobvoi) Analysis: a watch to get excited about

The TicWatch Pro 5 received 4.5 stars in our review, with the writer stating it was “one of the best Wear OS smartwatches around". That ran Wear OS 3, and the TicWatch Atlas is stated to run Wear OS 4. It’s unknown at this point whether it’ll receive a Wear OS 5 rollout, but as even Google is struggling with it right now, I wouldn't bet on that happening anytime soon.

Nevertheless, for Wear OS fans, this might be a Garmin-beating watch, earning its place alongside contemporaries like the OnePlus Watch 2 and Google Pixel Watch 3. Stay tuned for a full review.

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Canon is set to expand its RF-mount lens line up with three new 'hybrid' lenses for its mirrorless cameras. In a teaser, the camera giant posted a picture (above) of its two existing hybrid lenses, the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z (launched in November 2023) and Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM (of June 2024), alongside three mystery lens silhouettes.

From the press release we know five things for sure: there will be three new lenses; these lenses will be hybrid (designed for photo and video use); they are L-series lenses (Canon's nomenclature for its professional lenses); they will be a mix of zoom and prime lenses; and they will be fully revealed on October 30.

Having intimate knowledge of Canon's best cameras and lenses and its lens roadmap, there's further info that I can draw from the picture to speculate what these three mystery lenses could be. So if you can't wait until October 30, read on to find out what you can reasonably expect from Canon's next product launch.

All about hybrid

Canon is certainly focusing on improving the overall user experience for video with its mirrorless cameras and lenses. Not only is the video recording capabilities of its latest cameras like the EOS R5 Mark II significantly better than before, but so too is the handling of its hybrid lenses, creating a system that's equally adept for photo and video.

Its two hybrid lenses pack video-friendly features, such as a smooth aperture ring and suppressed focus breathing. Now it looks like three more hybrid lenses will join the party, and it could be Canon's design ethos for its pro RF-mount lenses moving forwards.

In June this year, we had our hands on the Canon RF 35mm F1.4L VCM, which started life at a pricey $1,499 / £1,819 / AU$2,699. (Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Firstly there's the large silhouette in the teaser image, which is virtually identical to the profile of the RF 24-105mm hybrid lens, meaning it's almost certainly a zoom lens. Our sister title Digital Camera World took the press release image into an editor to brighten it up and see what could be revealed, and it turns out the large hybrid zoom lens will be a 70-200mm. That's some clever detective work – though it didn't reveal other details.

That same brightened image failed to reveal any details of the two smaller lenses, both of which match the size of the RF 35mm F1.4 and are almost certainly prime lenses too. A couple of months ago, Canon Rumors tipped two new prime hybrid lenses to be in the pipeline, a so-called Canon RF 24mm F1.4L VCM and Canon RF 50mm F1.4L VCM.

The lens silhouettes would tally with that rumor because it's entirely plausible they would match the size of the existing 35mm lens. Canon doesn't have F1.4 aperture lenses for the 24mm and 50mm focal lengths, which adds further credibility to that rumor.

There you have it – Canon will deliver three new professional hybrid lenses on October 30 and we'll be sure to cover those launches so do tune back in then.

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Amazon has expanded its reverse logistics operations in Europe with its re:Cycle Reverse Logistics facilities in Dublin, with the aim of extending the life of data center equipment and reducing its environmental impacts.

The facilities, which handle the testing, repairing and repurposing of hardware from AWS data centers, are part of the company’s broader strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.

By investing in a circular economy, Amazon hopes to eliminate unnecessary waste to reduce its operational carbon footprint as well as its reliance on manufactured goods.

Amazon wants to make data centers more eco-friendly

Recyclable and reusable elements include processor chips, RAM and network cards, which feature high-value materials. The Dublin factory employs robotics and specialized machines to recover precious metals like gold and silver.

Specialized trolleys at the plant, powered by robots, can more up to two tonnes of equipment. Amazon also uses bespoke machines and other processes to extract valuable materials.

Besides hi-tech solutions, Amazon claims to have created over 850 jobs in Ireland, employing a wide range of individuals and budding tech sector workers.

Leader of the Green Party and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O'Gorman, commented on the newly opened re:Cycle Reverse Logistics building: “We need to work together to ensure that products, whatever their shape or form, are kept in use for as long as possible through smart design, repair and reuse.”

Besides recovering value from decommissioned equipment, Amazon’s three-pronged approach to promoting a circular economy in its data centers includes designing reusable and lower carbon rack systems from the outset and keeping equipment operating efficiently.

Already, Amazon claims that its reverse logistics programme diverted 14.6 million hardware components from landfills globally in 2023.

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If the Instagram app on your phone has been acting up since updating to Android 15 then you’re not alone. The app is randomly freezing for users, and Stories aren’t working as they should – though thankfully there’s a fix if you’re happy to sideload an update.

Disgruntled Instagram users have taken to platforms like Reddit (spotted by Android Authority) to highlight the problems. One earlier suggested workaround was to click on the send message button and then go back to the story, though this had mixed success, another had users suggesting you shake your phone to send an error report to Meta in the hope it would encourage the company to fix the app faster.

There’s a much quicker and reliable fix however; you just need to update your Instagram app to the latest version: 353.1.0.47.90.

You can check which version of the app you currently have installed by going to your phone’s settings, going to the Apps menu, selecting Instagram, and reading the string of numbers displayed on this info screen.

At the time of writing, to download Instagram 353.1.0.47.90 if you aren’t on it already, you’ll need to sideload the update from APKMirror. The Play Store doesn't currently offer the update.

Sideloading isn’t too tricky; you just need to download the APK file for Instagram version 353.1.0.47.90, change your phone’s settings to allow app installs from unknown sources, then find the APK in your phone’s files, tap on it, and install the app by following the onscreen instructions.

If you aren't comfortable sideloading then you'll need to wait for Meta to roll the updated app via the Play Store. Hopefully that won't be too long away given how widespread this Stories bug appears to be.

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Chinese state-sponsored threat actors may have already breached critical IT infrastructure in the UK, some government officials are saying.

According to Bloomberg, some senior ministers in the Labour government were notified, after taking power last summer, that hacking collectives with ties to the Chinese government most likely compromised supply chains and computer infrastructure belonging to certain “vital services”.

The publication is citing people familiar with the matter, who agreed to speak of matters of national security if their identities remain hidden.

China denies all accusations

Hackers are systemic, and their attacks reach a lot wider and deeper than the government decided to make public. In fact, successive governments decided not to go fully public with their knowledge on this topic, it was said, especially since the matter was being considered by the new administration.

The targets were not named, and the Chinese embassy in the UK did not comment.

Western governments, as well as cybersecurity researchers, often attribute different cyberattacks on China and its state-sponsored groups. For example, earlier this month it was reported that a group known as Salt Typhoon hijacked government systems to breach several American broadband providers and gained access to the interception portals required by US law.

Among the breached were US telecoms giants Verizon and AT&T, as well as ISP Lumen Technologies, where hackers may have had access to a ‘vast collection of internet traffic’ for months, including court-ordered wiretaps collected in the name of national security.

Also, last year a major incident was unveiled, when Microsoft discovered a threat actor tracked as Storm-0558 was able to access US government email accounts. Around July last year, the group accessed more than two dozen Microsoft email accounts belonging to various organizations in the West, including several US government agencies.

China has vehemently denied all the accusations, instead describing the US as the real cyber-bully.

Via Bloomberg

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Google has just announced a new update to its Google Shopping portal that comes with an infusion of artificial intelligence (AI). Slightly worryingly for our bank balance, Google says this will help to make buying products online easier than before.

In a company blog post, Google explained that one of the key ways it will do this is by using AI to “intelligently show the most relevant products, helping to speed up and simplify your research.”

This includes a new AI brief that sums up the most applicable things to consider in your search (such as tips for what to look out for and what to avoid), plus recommended products. Results are divided into categories that are relevant to whatever you’re looking for – search for winter coats and you might see groupings for fleece-lined jackets, insulated coats, and so on.

As well as that, the brief includes links to helpful articles and videos on your topic, giving you more context around the subject. You can filter the results to home in on the best outcome, and there’s a virtual try-on feature that uses augmented reality to help you better understand whether the item is right for you.

And if you shop over the course of several days or even weeks, Google Shopping will also now let you pick up from where you left off.

Savings vs privacy

(Image credit: Google)

A key part of the new Google Shopping experience is its promise to help you save money. It includes tools for price comparison, price insights and price tracking, plus a personalized deals page with discounts for products you might be interested in buying.

And Google Shopping is changing in other ways. Google says it’s making the shopping experience better tailored to you by adding a personalized feed of products based on your likes and preferences.

Google says you can change or disable these personalized results, and that’s something to consider if you’re not a fan of Google’s all-seeing eye following you around the web and learning all your shopping habits.

As well as that, Google cautions that its new AI tools are “experimental” (you’ll see a warning to that effect on the AI briefs) and that they can get things wrong. The company says that the new Google Shopping will start rolling out across the U.S. over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for it – there's no news yet on an international launch.

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One of the most popular WordPress site optimization plugins, Jetpack, carried a major vulnerability for years, which allowed people to access other people’s submitted content. The company that manages the plugin, Automattic, discovered the vulnerability during an internal audit recently, and released fixes for all vulnerable versions.

Users are advised to apply the fix immediately, since there is no workaround and since crooks will probably now try to take advantage of the bug.

In a security advisory published together with the patches, Automattic said that the vulnerability allowed “any logged in users on a site to read forms submitted by visitors on the site."

IntelBroker

Multiple versions were said to be affected, with the earliest one being released back in 2016, "During an internal security audit, we found a vulnerability with the Contact Form feature in Jetpack ever since version 3.9.9, released in 2016," Automattic said.

In total, 101 versions are affected. You can find the entire list here.

The company also said that there is, so far, no evidence that malicious actors discovered and abused the flaw in the past. However, now that the cat is out of the bag, it’s only a matter of time before miscreants start scanning for vulnerable WordPress sites. Therefore, applying the patch is paramount. There is no workaround, and users are advised to first double-check if their website updated automatically (since some do).

The technical details of the flaw will be released once Automattic determines that the majority of users migrated to the fixed version.

Jetpack for WordPress is a multifunctional plugin that enhances website performance, security, and management. It comes with tools for SEO, social media integration, and e-commerce support, helping its users optimize the sites for user experience and visibility. The plugin also comes with customizable themes and advanced search features.

Via BleepingComputer

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Some of the best password managers have teamed up with the FIDO Alliance to set new standards for secure passkey storage, even when switching between providers.

The new draft set of specifications were published by the Alliance’s Credential Provider Special Interest Group, which included major names in the password and identity management game, including 1Password, Apple, Bitwarden, Dashlane, Enpass, Google, Microsoft, NordPass, Okta, Samsung and SK Telecom.

Passkeys are a more secure and phishing resistant alternative to passwords, and are widely expected to replace passwords altogether in the near future.

Enhancing security, choice, and competition

Passkeys remove the need to type in a password, and instead use an authenticator app on a dedicated device, such as your phone, to check that the person attempting to log in is actually you, usually through some form of biometrics.

According to statistics presented by the FIDO Alliance, passkey adoption has been widely successful with 12 billion online accounts currently taking advantage of passkeys to log in. Moreover, passkeys significantly reduce the risk of phishing and improve log in speeds by 75%.

The new specifications hope to ensure users have a free choice of providers and are free to transfer their passkeys and passwords between their choice of service. This is the first standard of its kind to be introduced to the credential management industry. The draft specifications can be viewed on the FIDO Alliance blog.

Currently, the specifications are in a community review and feedback phase with regular updates to be published publicly for review until the final specifications are approved and implemented.

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Amazon has prematurely announced the new Kindle Colorsoft, the first Kindle with a full-color display, alongside three more new Kindle products in a now-withdrawn Spanish press release.

The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition was unveiled in a Spanish-language announcement through an official Amazon blog (spotted by The Verge). It’s likely the reveal was a mistake, as no English announcement has been made, some product links don't work, and the whole page has now been taken down.

The new Kindle 2024 family (above) was revealed in a now-removed Spanish language blog post on Amazon's official blog (Image credit: Amazon)

The Kindle Colorsoft was announced alongside a new AI-powered Kindle Scribe, an updated Kindle Paperwhite, and a refreshed entry-level Kindle, with US pricing and availability information given for each.

(Image credit: Amazon)

The release stated that the Kindle Colorsoft offers “rich, paper-like color” in either standard or vibrant styles, a “custom-designed oxide backing layer”, new algorithms to enhance color and increase brightness, eight weeks of battery life, and the fast page-turns and high contrast that Kindle users have come to expect. It'll seemingly be available for preorder at $279.99 (which is around £215 / AU$420), with the first units shipping on October 30.

The release also says that users will be able to “search for color covers in your Library or Kindle Store, view photos and images of books in color, or highlight text that you can easily search for later” thanks to the custom Colorsoft display, new light guide, and nitride LEDs. You'll also apparently be able to “zoom in on images without worrying about pixelation”.

As mentioned, the Kindle Colorsoft also boasts eight weeks of battery life with support for wireless charging, and is waterproof.

AI comes to Kindles

(Image credit: Amazon)

The new Kindle Scribe, meanwhile, refreshes the design of Amazon’s writing tablet, with new white borders, a 300ppi display with a "smooth, paper-like texture", and all-new AI tools.

The new Scribe's AI capabilities will include summarizing “pages and pages” of notes into bullet points and converting handwritten notes into font, though the latter feature is currently only available in English.

The Kindle Scribe also brings the new Active Canvas feature that keeps book notes in place when you change the layout or font size. The ereader will seemingly ship with the Premium Pen stylus, which comes with a "soft-tip eraser". If the leaked release is acccurate, the Kindle Scribe will be available starting at $399.99 (which converts to £310 / AU$600), with the first units shipping on December 4.

(Image credit: Amazon)

The new 7-inch Kindle Paperwhite is the “fastest Kindle ever” according to the release, with 25% faster page turns and the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle display. It’s going to be the thinnest Paperwhite model yet and boasts a three-month battery life and waterproofing.

The release says the new Kindle Paperwhite will be available at $159.99 (about £125 / AU$240) for 16GB of storage in the Raspberry, Jade Green, and Charcoal color options, and the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition at $199.99 (around £155 / AU$300) for 32GB of storage in the Raspberry Metallic, Jade Green Metallic, and Charcoal Metallic color options.

(Image credit: Amazon )

The release also detailed a new base-model Kindle, which seemingly comes equipped with a 300ppi display with a 25% brighter front light on the max setting, which matches the brightness of the Kindle Paperwhite. It comes in the new Matcha color and has “weeks” of battery life. The release lists the new Kindle at $109.99 (£85 / AU$165).

The announcement also suggests two new Kindle Kids products could be on the way, a new entry-level Kindle Kids and new Kindle Paperwhite Kids. As GoodEReader reports, UK retailer John Lewis began listing the new Kindle 12 Gen Kids Edition, with a 6-inch display, higher contrast ratio, glare-free display, and faster page turn than its predecessor.

We’re still light on official details, though the pulled Amazon announcement suggests the two new Kindle Kids products will come with a free cover with either an original design or branded design based on popular kids books.

For the moment, none of these announcements can be considered properly official as the press release has been taken down, but it seems we can expect official confirmation soon – and we'll update this story as soon as we get that. For the latest official updates as we hear them, be sure to keep up with our ereader coverage.

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Several important refinance rates were higher this week, making it harder to find a lower rate on a home loan.

A few key mortgage rates climbed higher. Here's what to expect if you're in the market for a home loan.

You probably know by now – the best VPN services encrypt internet connections while spoofing your real IP address and location to give your online privacy a boost. As digital threats get more diversified, however, VPN providers often upgrade their software with tools like malware and ad-blockers to protect you against different cyberattacks. But, what if these digital dangers were prevented from reaching your device altogether?

This is the idea behind IPVanish's new tool: Secure Browser. A two-year in-the-making project, it comes as both a standalone app and browser extension to operate all your activities entirely in the cloud. All browsing information promises to be completely detached from your device to keep it safe. According to the provider, this means: "no local data stored, no trackers monitored, and no malware risks."

IPVanish's security upgrade doesn't end there, though. Secure Browser is now available as part of the new Advanced plan alongside its no-log VPN, Threat Protection tool, and a newly launched 1TB of encrypted Cloud Storage powered by Livedrive.

From a VPN to security suite

"Secure Browser is something unique, which we don't see any other major VPN or antivirus players putting on the market," Subbu Sthanu, Chief Commercial Officer for Consumer Security at Ziff Davis (IPVanish parent company) told me.

The key idea here is to move your "window to the world," as Sthanu put it, from your device to a sandbox in the cloud on IPVanish servers. Users interact with it through a video feed directly through the browser, while their activities remain isolated in the virtual environment.

This approach promises to "drastically improve" your security and anonymity online. Your device would never know your browsing history, for instance, with all the information supposedly deleted from the cloud after any session. Your device won't be vulnerable to malicious links, viruses, spyware, and other type of malware as these would never reach it in the first place. It also prevents third-party cookies from tracking your activity and habits.

IPVanish has the advantage of operating within Ziff Davis' wider areas of expertise in security tools – from consumers to enterprises, from antivirus software to cloud backup solutions. The company now seeks to bring it all together. "We are moving from being a VPN provider to a security suite," Sthanu told me. "Secure Browser is a core part of it."

Secure Browser comes both as a web app and a browser extension. All you need to do is download the software, log in with your IPVanish credentials, and turn it on. You'll notice that all the tabs you'll open after that will be labeled and later saved locally as "Secure Browser." Besides this, you can use the browser as usual without even noticing it.

Being a standalone app, you can use Secure Browser with or without an active VPN connection. It comes with 10 different locations to choose from, at the time of writing, which include the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and some EU countries. This means you will be able to bypass geo-restrictions even when you aren't connected to its VPN software.

At this point, you might be wondering: why should I even use a VPN in the first place?

Sure, Secure Browser shields you from browsing fingerprinting and targeted ads – which a virtual private network cannot. Its malware and tracker protection is also expected to be more efficient than the IPVanish Threat Protection feature. However, a VPN is still necessary to enjoy an encrypted internet connection and prevent your ISP from monitoring what you do online.

Secure Browser is meant to be used in tandem with the VPN, Sthanu explained. So, you'll have privacy and anonymity from the VPN, while Secure Browser will protect your device and boost your online security. Put simply, "We're taking online protection to the next natural level, beyond the VPN," he added.

(Image credit: IPVanish)

You might not want to use Secure Browser each time you access the internet. Let's say that you want to keep track of your browsing history, for example, which is why you have the option to open suspicious links through Secure Browser (by right-clicking them) and do the rest of your day-to-day browsing as usual.

All in all, as Robert Custons, Head of Product Marketing at Ziff Davis, put it, Secure Browser is a proactive solution that seeks to stop security problems before they happen rather than trying to fix them afterward.

"It's not this continuing cat-and-mouse game anymore [between the software and attackers]," he told me. "Everything is in the cloud. It is not connected to your device."

As mentioned earlier, IPVanish's security upgrade also includes 1TB of encrypted cloud storage from the provider's sister brand Livedrive. This allows backup for one PC or Mac computer and up to five mobile devices and tablets, for both Android and iOS systems. The subscription even includes an external online drive with unlimited device connections, allowing you to easily offload and share large files.

Secure Browser and Cloud Storage come alongside IPVanish VPN and its Threat Protection tool with the new Advanced plan, starting from as little as $4.49 per month.

The PS5 Pro version of Dragon Age: The Veilguard will have some enhancements compared to the version on the base console, developer BioWare has confirmed.

The news comes from a blog post on EA's official website written by studio technical director Maciej Kurowski. In addition to global release times and system requirements for its PC version, Kurowski broke down what enhancements players can expect from Dragon Age: The Veilguard on PS5 Pro.

"The game’s Fidelity and Performance modes will both see improvements on the hardware," Kurowski wrote, "including improved resolution in 30fps Fidelity and 60fps Performance modes. Additionally, there will be various improved visual settings across 30fps Fidelity and 60fps Performance mode."

So far it's all things we expected from an enhanced PS5 Pro version, then, but Kurowski goes on to suggest the team is leveraging tech exclusive to Sony's beefed-up $700 console. Here, Dragon Age: The Veilguard will feature "upgraded image quality thanks to Sony’s new AI-based upscaler, PSSR." Kurowski also confirmed the team has "enabled Raytraced Ambient Occlusion (RTAO) in the 60fps Performance mode, which previously was only available on the base PlayStation 5 with 30fps Fidelity mode."

In summary, Dragon Age: The Veilguard players on PS5 Pro will not only be able to make use of Pro-specific features like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution for a bump in image quality. They'll also benefit from having technically demanding features like RTAO available at higher framerates. Seemingly, then, you could be getting an experience on PS5 Pro that's similar to that of a fairly high-end PC.

Do take this with a pinch of salt, though; it remains to be seen just how well the game runs on PS5 Pro with all these extra enhancements enabled. There's still a chance for uneven performance even on more powerful hardware; hopefully, BioWare is able to provide an experience fitting of the pricey mid-gen upgrade.

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Something weird might be happening with Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs, because if the rumor mill is to be believed, we’re going to get a whole bunch of Blackwell GeForce graphics cards in the near future – including RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 models.

As you may recall, all the chatter on Blackwell was about the flagship RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 until recently when the RTX 5070 came into the conversation, apparently set to be revealed at CES alongside the other two next-gen GPUs.

Now we have word from the Board Channels over in China (via VideoCardz) – not always the most accurate source of rumors, we should note, so add plenty of skepticism – that Nvidia will be introducing RTX 5060 flavors early in 2025.

Nvidia’s plans, as outlined by the leak, involve the firm releasing the RTX 5090 and 5080 in January (presumably shortly after the revelation of these GPUs), and then in February, the RTX 5070 will follow – apparently with an RTX 5070 Ti in tow.

Then, in March, we will see an RTX 5060 hit the shelves, along with an RTX 5060 Ti. So basically, the entire Blackwell line-up, or the core GPUs anyway, will be out by the end of the first quarter of 2025 (apply salt very liberally now).

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: Does this make any kind of sense?

What on earth’s going on here? As noted, all the focus has been on the RTX 5090 and 5080, then suddenly the RTX 5070 seemingly pops out of nowhere, and now the RTX 5060 as well (complete with matching Ti flavors of both).

Actually, regarding the RTX 5070, the theory is it’ll run with 12GB of VRAM – which has meant this purported GPU has already been flamed considerably as not remotely future-proofed – but we’ve also heard that there could be a version with 18GB of video RAM. Is this graphics card the rumored RTX 5070 Ti mentioned here?

We guess that particular piece of the puzzle fits, kind of, but what about the RTX 5060? We’ve heard literally nothing about that desktop GPU, and what’s more, we had to wait quite some time for the release of the RTX 4060, which didn’t arrive until eight months after the RTX 4090 (to be fair, the 4060 Ti turned up after seven months).

To see the RTX 5090, 5080, 5070, and 5060 – plus variants – all turn up in the space of three months seems like a very unlikely prospect. Why would Nvidia take this route? We can’t figure out a decent answer to that question – unless perhaps it’s tied up in taking on RDNA 4 mid-rangers (which are expected to arrive in Q1 2025). Frankly, though, we’ll have to see a lot more than this relatively thin rumor from said Chinese forum before we can entertain this notion.

After all, if the RTX 5060 GPU is so close at this point, why have we heard nothing about it yet? Except for the laptop version of the 5060, mind, which brings forth another idea – are there some crossed wires here between desktop and mobile launches? Another rumor is that Nvidia will reveal mobile Blackwell GPUs at CES 2025, and it’s much more believable that a full range of those graphics cards for gaming laptops could turn up together.

Surely the source wouldn’t make that kind of basic mistake, though, so for now, we’ll just have to remain somewhat mystified by the turn of the rumors here – and wait for any further clarification that Nvidia really is planning to spring an early RTX 5060 launch on us.

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