Technology

Multiple important refinance rates moved higher this week, but rates are expected to trend down in the coming months.

To remain ahead of their peers - or at least to remain competitive - most companies these days are rushing to innovate different technologies.

However this can put them at risk of cyberattacks, a new report from BlackBerry has warned. Based on a global survey of 1,000 embedded software developers and engineers, the report found the majority of UK respondents (77%) admitted to compromising on critical safety aspects in order to meet pressing deadlines. Furthermore, if they are not pressed with deadlines, they are with funding.

Also, while three-quarters (74%) of respondents in the UK consider security either a “top”, or “high” priority in their software and applications, they aren’t diligent when it comes to patching. The average time between two updates is five weeks, BlackBerry said, adding that this frequency varies significantly.

OS woes

Another important aspect while building new technologies is the underlying operating system. Some respondents (28%) said that they weren’t confident their OS of choice had the necessary safety certifications. What’s more, 14% “firmly believe” their OS lacks these features, and another 14% said their OS was only partially compliant.

OS plays a major role in project timelines, the report stressed, saying 29% of organizations in the UK missed their deadlines due to time spent developing, certifying, and testing the OS. Using open source solutions doesn’t help much, since open source is more likely to experience a breach, compared to proprietary software (52% versus 31%).

For João Pereira, Director, EMEA General Embedded Market Sales at BlackBerry QNX, the solution is in pre-certified software: “As we enter the era of 'Software-Defined Everything,' where devices and infrastructure increasingly rely on software for operations, new features, and innovation, the importance of functional (FuSa) safety is paramount. While 91% of UK organizations surveyed recognize this as a priority, it’s clear developers are under growing pressure to meet deadlines and budgets, which is why pre-certified software is so important to enabling organizations not only meet their goals, but doing so without compromise.”

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If before today you’d asked us what chipset the Samsung Galaxy S25 series would use, we’d have guessed some combination of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and the Exynos 2500. After all, chipsets from one or – usually – both of those lines are used every year, depending on the model and region. But it now looks likely that at least some Samsung Galaxy S25 units will use a MediaTek Dimensity 9400 instead.

A pair of Google DeepMind researchers have suggested as much in a blog post on the DeepMind website (spotted by NotebookCheck). They write: “MediaTek, one of the top chip design companies in the world, extended AlphaChip to accelerate development of their most advanced chips – like the Dimensity Flagship 5G used in Samsung mobile phones – while improving power, performance and chip area.”

Now, Google doesn’t mention the Samsung Galaxy S25 line by name there, but it does say that a MediaTek Dimensity Flagship 5G chipset (that being a chipset in the 9000 series) is being used in Samsung phones, which as far as released phones go isn’t the case, and as this is the company's flagship series it would only be used in top-end handsets – like the Galaxy S25 line.

The signs were there

While this would be a big change for the company, we perhaps shouldn’t be too surprised, as we heard rumors of a MediaTek chipset being used in the Samsung Galaxy S25 as far back as June.

It’s a switch Samsung is reportedly making due to a combination of sub-par yields of its own Exynos 2500 chipset, and the supposedly high cost of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. So there would be some logic to Samsung leaning on MediaTek, and in fact the recently released Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra use MediaTek chipsets, showing that Samsung is willing to equip high-end devices with them.

Even with all that we'd have been a little skeptical about a switch to MediaTek for Samsung's flagship phones, but given Google’s comment it’s looking very likely that at least some Samsung Galaxy S25 models will use a MediaTek chipset – presumably the MediaTek Dimensity 9400, as that’s expected to be the top model at the time of the Galaxy S25’s release, likely in January.

Snapdragon for some

(Image credit: Qualcomm)

However, we’d think the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra at least will stick with a Snapdragon chipset, especially as early benchmarks show it using a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.

So it’s only the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus that are likely to use a MediaTek chipset, and even then, they might not do so everywhere.

But early benchmarks of the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 suggest it will offer comparable power to the top rival chipsets, so having a phone with this may not be such a bad thing – especially if it means a lower price than you might pay for a phone equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.

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Windows 11’s 24H2 update recently arrived and it comes with some problems, as we’ve seen, but here’s another issue with the upgrade, and it’s a strange one – the case of the vanishing cursor.

Windows Latest reports that it faced the odd problem after installing the 24H2 update on an HP Spectre PC, and some others have reported the bug too – although admittedly it doesn’t seem to be that widespread.

As the tech site observed, the mouse pointer disappeared when they clicked in text fields in certain apps, notably Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Slack, and Spotify.

The common theme here? These are pieces of software that leverage Chromium (it’s the web engine that Chrome is actually built on, and Edge too, as well as some of the other best web browsers out there).

No, it’s not the worst bug in the world – and it’ll hardly bring your PC to its knees – but it’s a rather off-putting quirk if you’re affected.

As noted, though, it doesn’t seem to have hit that many folks, at least not yet. Part of the reason why could be the limited number of those upgrading to the 24H2 update so far (which is still in the early stages of its phased rollout).

Windows Latest points out that there are some folks posting about the bug on Microsoft’s Feedback forum, and Answers.com support website. We’ve also seen the occasional affected Windows 11 user on Reddit too.

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: There is an unofficial fix of sorts

Microsoft is yet to acknowledge the problem, sadly, perhaps because it isn’t making big enough waves in the Windows 11 community to be fully on the radar for the software giant.

Windows Latest made some valiant attempts to cure the bug including reinstalling mouse drivers, and trying a different mouse, none of which worked, but they eventually stumbled on a fudge of a fix – resetting the mouse pointer to use the default icon.

To do this, Windows Latest explains that in the taskbar search box, you should search for ‘main.cpl’ and click it to bring up the legacy Mouse Properties panel. Head to the Pointers tab, and in the ‘Customize’ panel, find and click on Text select and then click on the Browse button. Now scroll through the list and choose ‘beam_r.cur’ (the default pointer) and click Open, then click OK.

The caveat is, of course, that while this worked on the tech site’s HP computer, it may not work on yours – who knows. Hopefully this is a bug Microsoft is now looking into, and we may hear about it soon enough if that’s the case. Either that, or the next Windows 11 update could find the issue magically cured without any fanfare (that has certainly happened before).

We’ve experienced the cursor disappearing at times on our PC, in Microsoft Word notably. Usually simply closing the app, and reopening it, fixes things, but this is a much trickier beast of a bug to deal with, clearly.

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Users of Microsoft Word for Windows may need to take extra care when saving their work following a rather awkward issue for the software.

The widely-used word processor has confirmed a bug which instead of saving files, actually ends up deleting them.

The issue does not affect every version of Microsoft Word, but users are being warned to be on their guard when saving their work.

Microsoft Word deleting files

In a support page outlining the issue, Microsoft noted, "users may encounter an issue...where their file is deleted after save if the title contains a capitalized file extension (.DOCX, .RTF) or #".

The issue, which affect Word for Microsoft 365 version 2409, build 18025.20104, occurs when the user closes Word after making an edit to the file and saves when prompted to. Doing this may cause the file to simply disappear - although it may end up in the Recycle Bin, from where it can be restored.

Microsoft's advice to users struggling with the bug does not inspire a lot of confidence - users are advised to simply manually save their documents before exiting Word.

"Our current tests show the issue occurs after saving when prompted on clicking X to close Word. It does not currently reproduce when manually saving before close," the support page notes.

Users can also enable the option, “Don’t show the Backstage when opening or saving files with keyboard shortcuts”, which can be enabled by going to File > Options > Save > Don’t show the Backstage, when opening or saving files with keyboard shortcuts.

Microsoft says users can also revert to an earlier version of Word while it investigates and works on a fix.

Via BleepingComputer

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Manifest V3, Chrome’s new platform for extensions is finally going into effect. After being announced back in 2019 and facing delays, heavy controversy and pushback, 5 years later users are now beginning to see evidence of the forthcoming API change which will dramatically impact how browser extensions can operate on Google Chrome.

For one, uBlock Origin users on Chrome began receiving a notice last month, warning that the extension would soon no longer be supported on the platform, but they won’t be the only ones impacted. So, what does Manifest V3 mean for Chrome users, especially those with an eye for privacy?

The short of It

Put bluntly, the past few years have seen ample drama between Google and extension developers as both parties readied for this platform change. The Google team argued that Manifest V3 would improve privacy and performance for extensions, and most developers (us at Ghostery included) both disagreed it would be effective in doing so and felt it had a net negative impact on the privacy of users given its restrictions on ad-blockers.

The new V3 framework has several key differences from the older V2 version that significantly hinder ad-blockers in particular. Without getting overly technical, the changes impact the level of interception ad and tracker-blockers can have over web traffic and requests, like neutralizing requests from data-collecting trackers.

But after a lot of push and pull, all ad-blocker extension developers were forced to decide whether they’d redesign for the new API or not – which is why uBlock Origin users are now receiving a warning message, while users of some other ad-blockers are not.

Your options in the new MV3 reality

Let’s start with a quick summary of which ad-blocking extensions did redesign for MV3 and where others stand:

• Ghostery – recently released Ghostery 10 which is Manifest V3 compliant 
• AdBlock Plus – has been updated to be Manifest V3 compliant 
• AdGuard – has a Manifest V3 compliant version currently in beta testing 
• uBlock Origin – will not support Manifest V3 on its primary extension, but has released a Lite version which will continue to operate on Chrome under V3

But, even if your preferred ad-blocker is listed as being Manifest V3-compliant, that doesn’t mean your privacy won’t still be impacted to some degree if you remain on Chrome.

Ad-blocker developers have spent years redesigning how our extensions operate at a foundational level to be able to function on this new platform. The restrictions are so excessive that it’s safe to say ad-blocking with any extension on V3 will be less effective than before (you can think of pre-Manifest V3 ad-blocker protection being at 100%, and post being around 75%).

As one Reddit user put it and many others echoed, “Google is in the ad business. They are removing ability to block ads. Use another browser, there are plenty of them.”

So, if you’re serious about your privacy and want to maximize your ad-blocking capabilities (and essentially go back to 100% protection), you should switch to another browser before Manifest V3 goes into effect.

But, be aware of what browser you’re switching to, as many others like Opera and Edge are still Chromium-based and therefore will be subject to the same extension restrictions as Chrome.

Firefox is one of few browsers not built on Chromium and where your favorite ad or tracker-blockers will retain full functionality. Some Chromium-based browsers like Brave have also implemented tracker-blocking in the browser and therefore are not affected by Manifest V3 changes and remain good options.

Other reasons to consider moving off Chrome

While we’re discussing browser privacy, I’d be remiss not to mention a few other recent developments shaping the future of privacy on Chrome which you should consider.

Google recently announced that their long-held plans to abandon third party cookies on Chrome have been cancelled. This means that many of the data-collecting trackers that extensions like Ghostery were able to easily block on Manifest V2 and which are now more difficult on V3, will also be allowed to remain on Chrome for the foreseeable future.

Ironically, the decision to abandon these plans wasn’t even Google’s alone. U.K. regulators had anti-trust concerns over the advantageous position Google’s own first-party cookies would enjoy once third-party cookies were phased out.

This brings me to my final point. While Manifest V3 and the abandonment of third-party cookie phaseouts continue to leave your data vulnerable to unknown and often malicious third parties in Chrome, one of the chief reasons you may want to consider switching browsers comes down to the data Google itself is able to collect on you. No matter what technical changes or developments come down the line, that’s one threat that’s certain not to change as long as you remain on Chrome.

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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

Don't settle for just any wireless headphones; get the best for you, tested and verified by CNET's team.

This tech gadget lets you work smarter, not harder. And it's currently on sale for $127.

When we reviewed the luxurious Dali IO-12 headphones we loved their looks, we loved their sound, and we tried to forget that they cost a colossal $1,499 / £999, which is roughly AU$1,870. But now they have a more-affordable sibling that promises the same combination of style and substance along with active noise cancellation.

The new Dali IO-8 headphones have been designed by the same team that made the firm's flagship KORE loudspeaker, and they use many of the same electronics as the IO-12. According to Dali, they're "true Hi-Fi speakers for your head."

(Image credit: Dali) Dali IO-8 headphones: key features, pricing and availability

The Dali IO-8 are designed to work in both wired and wireless modes, with the latter offering a choice of ANC on, ANC off or transparency mode. As before, there's no companion app, which is unusual for smart headphones; everything's done with the on-headphone buttons. That means you don't get features such as customizable EQ; instead you can switch between Hi-Fi or Bass modes using the controls. The earpads are finished in real leather and the cups are made with a radial brushed and anodized finish. 

The diaphragms in these headphones are made from proprietary paper and wood-fiber materials, with randomly aligned fibers of variable length delivering lightness, stiffness and effective damping, according to Dali. The company says that "the result is natural, relaxed sound quality brimming with detail" from the 50mm drivers. Given the stellar performance of the IO-12 headphones, we'd no reason to doubt that; as we said in our review of the flagship over-ears, while some rivals may offer punchier bass or a more flattering audio curve the Dalis delivered "insight, detail, neutrality and precision".

The DALI IO-8 will be available from today, 8 October 2024, priced £599 (about $795 / AU$1,155) – that's still far higher than most of the best noise-cancelling headphones, but Dali's sound comes with a clear upgrade over the majority of the competition. Notice, we don't say 'we expect Dali's sound to come with a clear upgrade' and that is because, as luck would have it, you can already read our really rather positive review of the Dali IO-8… 

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