Technology

At its AWS re:Invent 2023 event in November 2023, CEO Adam Selipsky unveiled the company's Graviton4 chips, built on Arm’s “Demeter” Neoverse V2 core. These new processors were claimed to offer up to 30% better compute performance, 50% more cores, and 75% more memory bandwidth than the Graviton3 processors, aimed at boosting memory-optimized and compute-heavy workloads.

Graviton4-powered R8g instances became generally available in July 2024 and when Phoronix benchmarked it, the processor came in ahead of the Intel Xeon instance by about 5% and wasn’t too far behind AMD’s EPYC.

AWS has now stepped things up by introducing new memory-optimized X8g instances.

(Image credit: AWS) Improved performance

X8g instances are available in ten virtual sizes and two bare-metal configurations, featuring up to 3 TiB of DDR5 memory and 192 vCPUs. These instances are also considered AWS's most energy-efficient EC2 offerings to date. With a 16:1 memory-to-vCPU ratio, the X8g instances are also equipped with full encryption across all high-speed hardware interfaces, and offer additional security features.

The X8g instances provide notable improvements over their predecessors, offering three times more memory and vCPUs than X2gd instances. They also double the EBS and network bandwidth, making them an attractive solution for memory-heavy workloads. Graviton4’s twice the L2 cache per core and 160% higher memory bandwidth contribute to up to 60% better compute performance.

In terms of real-world applications, AWS says X8g instances are already being used for SAP HANA and SAP Data Analytics Cloud, with performance gains of up to 40% for transactional workloads compared to Graviton3.

AWS notes the X8g instances allow users to scale up or out, providing flexibility for memory-bound applications currently running on distinct instances. The new instances are now available in US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), and Europe (Frankfurt) AWS regions, supporting various pricing models such as On-Demand, Spot, and Reserved Instances.

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Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant has a sleek new look and a slew of new and enhanced features. The tech giant is clearly keen to get more people to use its AI tools and to make it as much a part of people's lives as possible. 

It's a strategy pursued by Google and Microsoft's other AI rivals as well. To stand out, Microsoft gave Copilot a makeover regarding how you engage with the AI and its capabilities when you do so. Copilot is noticeably quicker to adapt to your preferences and does so in more ways than it could before. You can test out the new Copilot experience on the web, a mobile device, or through the Windows app. 

"Copilot will be there for you, in your corner, by your side and always strongly aligned with your interests." explained Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman in a blog post. "We are not creating a static tool so much as establishing a dynamic, emergent and evolving interaction. It will provide you with unwavering support to help you show up the way you really want in your everyday life, a new means of facilitating human connections and accomplishments alike."

We've highlighted some of the most notable and intriguing changes and new features below.

Voice

The loudest upgrade is the new Copilot Voice feature that allows you to converse vocally with Copilot. It's a bit like OpenAI's new AdvancedVoice Mode in that you can speak to the AI like you would a human, even interrupting mid-word, and hear what it has to say back. 

You can select four voices for the experience, with multiple accents, though only in English for now. Copilot Voice can also be your newscaster with the Copilot Daily feature. You can get audio summaries of the latest news and weather personalized to your location and interests. The AI relies on Microsft's partners, including Reuters, Axel Springer, Hearst, and the Financial Times, to source and summarize the news. 

Vision and Visuals

Not only can Copilot now talk, it can 'see' too. The new Copilot Vision feature lets the AI look at what's on your screen, whether it's a website or a personal document. The AI can suggest ideas for related information or analysis, even bring up products that might better suit your interests and budget if you ask, simply using the vision on the screen. It won't work universally yet, but it can handle most of the more popular websites. This is an opt-in feature, so none of the data is stored or used for training unless you agree. Notably, Copilot Vision isn't limited to printed text; it can even read handwriting.

For your own visual creations, Copilot assists with enhancing both photos and other visiuals. The AI-powered Super Resolution feature in the Photos app can enhance old and low-resolution images to 4K without getting grainy or pixelated. And if you make an image in Paint, you can now use the AI-fueled Generative Fill and Generative Erase tools to add or remove bits from an image using a text prompt or brush strokes.

Personalized Companion

Microsoft's main goal for Copilot is for people to think of it as a useful helper to turn to both online and when working on a PC. The new Copilot's look is no longer the usual chatbot but now works as cards that are supposed to make you feel more involved in running the AI. There's also the new main page that adapts to your interests called Copilot Discover. Your conversations with the AI and stated preferences will change the Discover page to provide searches and suggestions that are relevant to you, encouraging long-term use.

A subtle but potentially very useful upgrade is how Copilot helps you find and do things on your PC. For instance, Click to Do is an AI feature that puts interactive commands on your screen, offering suggestions relevant to what's on the screen, such as summarizing text, changing an image, or looking something up online. If you're working on a presentation, Copilot might offer to help expand the text in one section, remove the background of an image, or even email someone if you have their address in the presentation.

There's also the new Recall tool, which helps you find things you were looking at recently on your computer, document, webpage, video, or anything else. The AI can remember and recognize what it was and pulls it back up again for you, even if you don't remember the location or file name. Windows Search on Copilot+ PCs will even find files and settings that you haven't opened yet by using a description you write in.

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UK law enforcement and international partners have released new details about the cybercriminal gang Evil Corp, including its use of the Lockbit ransomware platform and ties to Russian intelligence.

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A musical crime saga and a black comedy series that feels like a realtors nightmare is going straight onto my Netflix watch list after the best streaming service released two new trailers for Emilia Pérez and No Good Deed. Both titles look like the next big comedies I’ve been waiting for but with very different plots.

Emilia Pérez is a genre-bending musical odyssey as it follows cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) who enlists lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña) to help fake her death so she can live authentically as herself.

Meanwhile, No Good Deed sees three families competing to buy the same house in Los Angeles, but what might be their dream home soon turns into something of a nightmare. Consider me sold!

What is Emilia Pérez about?

Release date: November 13

Directed by Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez looks like it is filled with bold song and dance visuals. It follows four women in Mexico pursuing their own happiness. Formidable cartel boss Emilia asks Rita, an unappreciated lawyer, to take on an unexpected case: to help fake Emilia's death so she can have sex-reassignment operations and begin a new life under a new name - Emilia Pérez.

The potential best Netflix movie is described as an "audacious fever dream" by Tudum, Emilia Pérez also serves as an opera. Saldaña revealed: “It was described to me as this film noir that didn’t really exist in any of the conventional kind of genres, but it was a musical. It was actually an opera, and based in a crime world, but there was going to be a sense of justice, and validation, and sanctification. And I was just like, ‘What?’ I had to read it more than once. And then, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

The operatic tale also stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Édgar Ramírez.

What is No Good Deed about?

Release date: December 12

From the creator of one of the best Netflix shows Dead to Me, No Good Deed is a dark comedy that centers on three very different families as they rush to purchase the same 1920s Spanish-style villa in the LA neighborhood of Los Feliz. But little do they know that the house of their dreams may not be so perfect after all.

The series is led by Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano who play married couple Lydia and Paul Morgan. They have different opinions on selling their family abode, but as they struggle to hide the dangerous secrets that live inside their home, they realize that the only way they’ll escape the past is to confront it head-on.

Dead to Me star Linda Cardellini also steps into cherry red wedges for the role of Margo, along with a star-studded cast that includes Luke Wilson, Teyonah Parris, and O-T Fagbenle.

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Meta’s first AR glasses have broken cover in the form of the game-changing Orion prototype. These glasses won’t ever be available to sale, but Meta says they’re the precursor to consumer AR Glasses. And based on what we've seen they could be the world's best AR glasses when they launch.

Those consumer AR glasses are likely a few years away, but thanks to Meta Connect 2024 and what Meta staff have said afterwards, we already have an idea of when non-prototype Meta Orion AR glasses might launch, how much they could cost, and what they’ll be capable of.

To make keeping track of all the latest Meta Orion information a breeze we’ve rounded up everything we know so far in this one article, and included a section at the end of the features we want to see at launch.

Meta Orion AR Glasses: Price

Technically Orion probably won’t ever go on sale; it’s a prototype that only select Meta staff, AR software developers, and those lucky enough to secure a demo will likely ever get to use, let alone own. Semantics aside, we already have an idea of how much the consumer version of Orion will cost when it launches. Unfortunately, it won’t be as cheap as Meta’s other XR tech and glasses.

When Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Orion, he also outlined three objectives Meta is aiming to achieve before the glasses get released to the public. One is to “make them more affordable” (via Meta) by using practices like building Orion at scale. When we heard "affordable" we hoped that meant somewhere in the region of the current Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses – which start at $299 / £299 / AU$449.

Orion won't be as cheap as the Ray-Ban smart glasses (Image credit: Meta)

Alas, this has been clarified by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth. In an Instagram AMA in he explained that the AR glasses “probably won’t get in at, like, a Quest 3S price point, or even a Quest 3 price point” – which instantly prices them over $499.99 / £469.99 / AU$1,049.99. Instead the team is aiming at the price of affordable phones and laptops – so hopefully somewhere around $700 (around £700 / AU$1,350).

This certainly makes more sense given how impressive Orion was sounding, though it does mean we might have to wait a while longer for a truly affordable model to come along. Speaking of...

Meta Orion AR Glasses: Release date

If you want to get your hands on the consumer version of Meta’s Orion AR glasses prototype then you might not be waiting too long, with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth revealing that the release timeline is in the region of “a couple years, but not decades.”

Our bet is on a release in 2027, as this is the release schedule from an internal meta roadmap that The Verge leaked back in early 2023. Based on Meta’s usual hardware schedule we can hone in even more on a potential release date, at around late 2027 – specifically September to December 2027.

That said, with Orion still at the prototype stage, there’s a good chance it could get delayed – resulting in it not arriving for a few more years.

Meta Orion AR Glasses: Design and features

As a prototype, Orion’s design hasn’t yet been finalized, and it’s actually one of the aspects Meta has said it wants to optimize and make more fashionable before launch. However, that’s not to say we don’t have an idea what Orion’s final form might look like.

Firstly, Meta has said it wants to slim down the glasses and keep them light. Considering Orion is already just 100g we expect the consumer version will be equally light (or lighter), and hopefully a lot less chunky – though hopefully it can do so without sacrificing battery life, which currently sits at two to three hours.

We also expect that the glasses will take design cues from Ray-Ban glasses. Meta recently announced the continuation of its partnership with EssilorLuxottica (Ray-Ban’s parent company), and it tracks that Meta would want to adopt the fashionable classic Ray-Ban style for its AR glasses and not just its AI smart glasses.

Meta might need to avoid creating clear consumer Orions like it has with the existing Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. CTO Andrew Bosworth has a special clear pair of Orion glasses, but revealed that because their design necessitates a non-magnesium frame, the clear pair have significantly worse heat distribution properties. As a result, the clear pair “thermally tap-out” in about 30 minutes instead of lasting the full two to three hours.

(Image credit: Meta)

As for features, we know Orion boasts AR and AI tools. AR-wise we’ve seen hints of the sorts of experiences it can facilitate like giving you floating windows for virtual multitasking, the ability to have AR video chats, and we imagine there will be an AR game or two at launch (here’s hoping for a fully AR Pokemon Go).

On the AI side of things, expect to see everything currently possible on the existing Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses such as Look and Ask, as well as the new photographic memory and real-time translation tools. Plus we expect several other AI tools will launch in the coming years that Orion should also possess.

Meta Orion AR Glasses: What we want to see Transition lenses by default

(Image credit: Meta)

For glasses wearables to take off they need to work in all weather, and the only solutions to this are high-quality transition lenses or a frame design that allows you to easily swap between clear and shaded lenses manually – lenses which would have to be separate to the AR displays.

We love the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, but the smart sunglasses aren’t usable indoors or on days when it isn’t sunny. Conversely, smart glasses with only clear lenses won’t serve you well when it is a bright day and you want to protect your eyes. As a result, the only sensible smart glasses solution will give you a wearable that can work in any weather.

AI capabilities everywhere at launch

The biggest let-down of the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses is the AI features shown off at their 2023 announcement weren’t available at launch, and still aren’t available in every region they’re sold. Without these AI tools the glasses just aren’t as impressive.

When Orion’s consumer version makes it to market Meta needs to make sure that every feature it announces for the specs is available everywhere when the AR and AI glasses release (or at least within a couple of months).

Apps, Apps, Apps

AR gaming is a must for Orion (Image credit: Meta)

The main issue most XR hardware struggles with is not its specs, but its software. No matter how impressive the gadget might be technically it’s useful if it doesn’t do anything to justify those specs.

For Orion to be a success, Meta will need to ensure it’s well-stocked with AR software and features at launch – which is perhaps why Meta plans to give software makers Orion prototypes as dev kits to aid them in their AR app-making efforts.

A SIM card slot, and phone connectivity

Mark Zuckerberg might envision AR glasses as the evolution of smartphones, and so it would be neat to see them able to access a network completely independently of your smartphone – like an LTE smartwatch – but we’d like the Meta Orion glasses to play nice with phones too.

This includes piggybacking off their network if you don’t want to get a second SIM, and also being able to perform actions like streaming video and audio from your phone, for when you want to swap between watching on the screen and on a heads-up display.

The latter point might seem like an obvious inclusion, but other recent AI-powered so-called smartphone replacements have taken measures to separate themselves from smartphones, much to their detriment. Smart glasses might replace phones one day, but for now they’ll gain a heck of a lot by working with smartphones, rather than against them.

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Another week, another online service tried to silently change its data collection and sharing practices by default. The good news is that you still have time to opt out before any of your information gets automatically given away without your consent.

As per PayPal's policy updates page (issued on September 23 for US users), the service is set to exchange your data with third-party merchants "to help improve your shopping experience and make it more personalized for you." Starting in early Summer 2025, the new policy will not just come at the detriment of your privacy – even if you're using the best VPN apps – but PayPal will start gathering data as early as November 27, 2024.

Users appear to be opted in by default (see image below), which may be an issue under some privacy regulations like GDPR. After coming across some US-based accounts complaining about this on Twitter, I decided to check if that was the case also for people in the UK (where I'm based). When I accessed my privacy settings, the option was automatically toggled in.

The screenshots were taken at the time of writing, September 30, 2024. (Image credit: Future)

It's also important to bear in mind that the policy changes will not apply in the same ways across all jurisdictions and users. For instance, in the UK, the new data sharing is set to be enforced on October 10, 2024.

A policy update dated July 8 clarifies that, for the UK market, "merchants are permitted to share customer personal information provided to them by PayPal with their service providers."

I suggest checking your profile settings as soon as possible to reverse the change if you don't wish your data to be shared.

How to opt-out PayPal's new data sharing

Depending on where you're based, you'll find PayPal's new data-sharing option under a different name. Remember, you may not see this at all if you're based in a country that doesn't allow it.

If you're in the US, you should head to your profile Settings and tap on Data & privacy. Under Manage shared info, click on Personalized shopping. You should see the option enabled by default. Toggle off the button at the right to opt-out.

If you are in the UK like me, you'll see something different after you head to your profile Settings and tap on Data & privacy. 

Under Manage your privacy settings, here you'll see an Interest-based marketing tab – click on it. At this point, two options will appear: Interest-based marketing on PayPal and Internet-based marketing on your accounts. You have to tap on each of these and toggle off the button at the right to opt-out. These instructions can also apply if you're based in the EU.

PayPal is updating their ToS to let themselves give your data to merchants starting Nov & they're banking on people not knowing to opt out, SO to opt out before they start: go to Settings >Data & Privacy > Manage shared info >Personalized shopping, & toggle that shit offSeptember 29, 2024

PayPal isn't the first online service to silently activate more invasive data practices without asking for users' consent.

In the most recent of such instances, LinekdIn started training its AI tool on user data by default last week. Again, users had to opt out of this functionality to prevent their personal information and posts from being collected. 

Before the Microsoft-owned social platform, also Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter) had silently enabled the training of their AI tools on all users' public information.

"We shouldn't have to take a bunch of steps to undo a choice that a company made for all of us," tweeted Rachel Tobac, ethical hacker and CEO of SocialProof Security, at the time to comment on the LinkedIn move. "Organizations think they can get away with auto opt-in because 'everyone does it'. If we come together and demand that organizations allow us to CHOOSE to opt-in, things will hopefully change one day."

While the business models of these platforms are unlikely to change anytime soon, I suggest keeping an eye out for any news or notifications of policy updates from PayPal  – and any other online services you have an account with, for that matter – to know exactly what information you're sharing at all times.

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Green Hills Software has announced it has supplied the Trump campaign with "unhackable" communications and computing technologies in order to ‘protect election integrity and defend democracy’.

The company's equipment runs on an operating system subtly named ‘INTEGRITY-178’, currently primarily used in military applications, and in an ever-so-slightly Trumpian statement, claims it, "never fails and can’t be hacked".

Currently supplying both the FBI and US Government, Green Hills says it has ‘stepped forward’ to prevent any further hacking of Presidential campaigns, and added its tech was offered to the Harris campaign, but it's unclear if the team has adopted them.

No more vulnerabilities

In a statement, the firm says ‘all other smartphone operating systems are hacked regularly’ and that foreign actors are exploiting these vulnerabilities. The INTEGRITY-178 OS however, is certified by the NSA as highly robust and capable of protecting high value resources.

“Only a phone running on an operating system that never fails and can’t be hacked can be relied on to keep messages completely confidential. The only phone with this capability is the INTEGRITY-178 phone.” Green Hills Software says.

The Trump campaign was recently the target of a ‘hack-and-leak’ campaign, allegedly carried out by Iranian state sponsored cyber criminals, and the 2024 election cycle has been plagued by cyber attacks and online misinformation.

“Hacking by malicious foreign actors has become all too common in recent years and the time has come to take action to secure our democracy,” observed Green Hill CEO Dan O’Dowd.

“Most recent US election campaigns have been the victims of hack-and-leak operations. We owe it to our democracy to ensure that our elections are decided by the American people and not by foreign agents who wish harm to our country."

The 2024 election could be the most targeted yet, with potential hostile interference from Iran, Russia, and China reported so far, so security will be a top priority for both teams.

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Epic Games has introduced new time limit controls in Fortnite, allowing parents to restrict their child's playtime.

The studio announced the changes in a new blog post today, confirming that the new tools apply to both the popular battle royale game and Unreal Editor for Fortnite.

According to the new safety guidelines page, with 'Time Limit Controls', parents will have the ability to limit the total amount of time their child can play per day. They can also choose specific time windows when their child can play each day, and set time limits within that window.

After setting a time limit, kids will start seeing in-game banners notifying them when they have 30 minutes left in Fortnite or the Unreal Editor for Fortnite.

(Image credit: Epic Games)

"Once your child reaches their limit, they will not be able to use Fortnite or UEFN until the next day or until a new window begins, unless you choose to add more time," Epic Games explained.

Parents can also grant extra playtime with the 'Request for More Time' setting. When the setting is on, the player can request more time, but if it's turned off, they can't.

"If you have allowed your child to request more time, and they have 30 minutes or less left in their window, your child can request more time from within Fortnite," the developer continued.

An email will be sent from Epic Games to parents with a link where they can add more time for that day, even if requests are disabled, but the additional time must be added through Fortnite's main menu settings.

Epic has also added 'Time Reports', allowing parents to see how much time their child spends in the game, as well as 'Time Reports Email', which will send a weekly email to parents with a report summarizing their child’s time spent getting victory royales.

Time Limit Controls are now accessible across all consoles and devices, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. As long as a player is using the same account across devices, the time limit will be enforced, no matter where the child plays.

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The Devil's Hour season 2 is nearly upon us, and I'm so excited to dive back into the gripping Prime Video thriller series where we'll see dynamics shifting and find out what happened to Gideon (Peter Capaldi) after he escaped into the night in the season one finale. All that and more will be revealed when the series releases on October 18.

A lot happens in this mind bending series so it's understandable if fans have questions – I have plenty of my own, especially since the first season explained the link between Gideon and Lucy (Jessica Raine), and we've now established two co-existing timelines. We've got social worker Lucy and police officer Lucy, thanks to Gideon's time traveling interference, so there are effectively two versions of her. Yeah, you really need to pay attention when you're watching this series, folks.

The trailer answers at least some of these burning questions, and you can take a look below.

What is the plot of The Devil's Hour season 2?

We've come a long way since season one, which saw Lucy waking up at 3:33 AM every night, which falls between the titular "devil's hour" of 3-4 AM. Now, Gideon seems to be begging for Lucy to form an alliance with him, and as unwise as that might be it does seem like their only real choice right now.

We should also expect to learn more about Lucy's son Isaac who is really going through it as he has time hopping abilities of his own and can see things that his mother can't. This series is packed full of drama, and this is only the beginning.

The official synopsis reads: "The Devil’s Hour season two sees Lucy (Jessica Raine) and Gideon (Peter Capaldi) forming an uneasy alliance in order to prevent a recurring tragedy and hunt down an elusive monster. Lucy’s double life sees her torn between family and duty as she finds herself in the crosshairs of her past-life husband, DI Ravi Dhillon (Nikesh Patel). Assisting Dhillon in his investigation is DS Sam Boyd (Saffron Hocking) who was mentored by DI Lucy Chambers in a previous life.

"Meanwhile, Isaac (Benjamin Chivers) is discovering new emotions every day and struggling to keep his balance in a reality that rejects his existence. Fresh mysteries unfold as our stories converge on one explosive moment that will change the fate of our characters for the rest of their ever-recurring lives."

Need something to watch until The Devil's Hour returns? Check out our best Prime Video shows feature for plenty of recommendations.

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Amazon Prime has launched its own take on Shark Tank to give entrepreneurs the chance to get their products featured online.

Hosted by actor and comedian JB Smoove, Buy It Now is designed to feature everyday Americans each pitching their own innovative products in front of a live audience and a panel of investors.

Successful pitchers will secure a spot for their product in the exclusive Buy It Now storefront on Amazon, with one entrepreneur from each episode winning a $20,000 prize.

Amazon Prime to take on Shark Tank, Dragon’s Den

Although the programme uses a similar principle to America’s Shank Tank and Britain’s Dragon Den, it will place a bigger emphasis on the audience, referred to as ‘The 100,’ who will vote on whether they like the product before it goes to a panel of celebrity judges and Amazon execs.

The company has already confirmed panel appearances from Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Anderson, Tony Hawk and Tabitha Brown. Execs like Jenny Freshwater, VP of Amazon Fashion & Fitness, and Jamie Siminoff, founder of Ring, will also make an appearance.

Besides being on the bandwagon of a popular show format, Amazon’s move will also draw a closer link between the company’s ecommerce and entertainment businesses by featuring winning products on the dedicated storefront.

Following an initial launch of three episodes on October 30, Buy It Now will stream for a further 13 weeks until January 8.

Amazon has also planned to run a secondary weekly show – This is Small Business: Behind the Buy. The behind-the-scenes episodes will offer insights from winning entrepreneurs and other not-seen-before content.

As consumers battle rising subscription fees globally, Amazon’s efforts to intertwine two of its core businesses and create a do-it-all ecosystem, similar to Musk’s ambitions with X, could bode well for it.

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The pick of Tuesday's UCL ties sees the Gunners host the French giants in north London.

Two weeks ago we reported on a leak that said Sony was about to expand its weird and wonderful LinkBuds range of headphones. And now it's official, and even more interesting than the leak suggested: in addition to two new sets of LinkBuds headphones, there's a LinkBuds speaker too.

The new Linkbuds range features the new LinkBuds Fit (which replaces the Sony LinkBuds S), the new LinkBuds Open (replacing the original Sony LinkBuds), and the new LinkBuds Speaker. They're all keenly priced, with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open at $199.99 / £179, and the LinkBuds Speaker at $179.99 / £139. 

All three products are available to order now and will ship during October. Here's what's new.

Sony LinkBuds Fit, LinkBuds Open: key features

(Image credit: Sony)

Both pairs of LinkBuds earbuds come in new colors and a wide range of custom cases and have been made with comfort in mind, with a teardrop shape and a squishy 'supporter' to really hold them in your ear. The LinkBuds Fit have a new eartips too, which are slightly shallower than those in the Sony WF-1000XM5, again improving comfort compared to many of the best wireless earbuds – something we praised the LinkBud S for.

The LinkBuds Open still have an iconic circular design to their driver, so they're closer to the best open-ear headphones, allowing outside sound in naturally. 

As expected, the Fit are water and sweat resistant with an IPX4 rating. The Open earbuds have the same certification – though the cases aren't IP certified.

Sony says that the LinkBuds Fit have Sony's best ambient sound and auto adjustment, with an automatic noise canceling optimizer and a new app to configure it all. There's a new transparency mode that's more like what you get on AirPods Pro 2, where it adjusts exactly how much sound is allowed in depending on the ambient volume. Sony gave us the example of wanting lots of fine sound in if you're out in a quiet park and someone calls your name, compared to needing some control over the sound if you're at a train station.

They also support a new Background Music mode, which changes how music sounds to feel more like a speaker at the back of the room, rather than pumping right into your ears, with the aim of making it easier to concentrate if that's useful. Bluetooth is 5.3 with multi-point and LDAC hi-res audio, plus DSEE upscaling.

(Image credit: Sony)

The LinkBuds Open have the same Bluetooth 5.3 with multi-point, and Sony claims both louder sound and richer bass than before thanks to a new circular driver. Battery life is longer – 8 hours from the buds and 22 hours via the case – and charging is faster than before. They also support Background Music mode, and have DSEE upscaling to improve low-quality streaming music. There's no LDAC support here, though.

Both the LinkBuds Fit and Open also have option silicon covers for their case and buds, meaning that you can add in more colors than they initially come with, and can mix and match tones. The covers cost a little extra: $10 / £10 each for earbuds covers, or $20 / £20 for a case cover.

Sony LinkBuds speaker: key features

(Image credit: Sony)

The LinkBuds Speaker was designed based around data that 70% of younger headphones users have a Bluetooth speaker as well, and many would love to be able to flow from one to the other with no hassle. So the centerpiece here is an auto-switching feature that means your music will move automatically from the speaker to your headphones when you put them on, or will switch back to the speaker when you come home.

This feature will work with the both new LinkBuds models, plus the LinkBuds S, the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, and the Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ears. Sadly, it won't work with the five-star Sony WF-C700N or the brand-new and excellent Sony WF-C510.

The LinkBuds Speaker is small, and comes with a separate charging base and grabbable design with a loop on the back. The speaker is IPX4 splash resistant and promises up to 25 hours of play time with quick charging.

There's a woofer and tweeter facing forward, with a passive radiator on each side to help provide oomph. It'll have a 5-band audio equalizer, adjustable from the app. There's also a built-in microphone so you can use it for calls.