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Embodied says it will try to refund recent purchases of its Moxie robot but makes no promises.

• OpenAI demo ChatGPT integration in Apple Intelligence for day five of 12 Days of OpenAI
• The ChatGPT service then goes down, but it's back up now
• ChatGPT is ready to play a central role in Apple tech

OpenAI's 12 Days of OpenAI day five involved a demo of ChatGPT working with Apple Intelligence. The demo invoked the holiday season by sharing gifts with Apple and wearing holiday sweaters on the live stream. The announcement twined with Apple's release of iOS 18.2 and served to remind everyone that ChatGPT and Apple Intelligence have several deep links. OpenAI's models are making Siri smarter while powering several of the new features introduced by Apple on the same day.

Unfortunately, while OpenAI was celebrating its Apple integration, the fifth day was a bit marred as the ChatGPT service had a sizable outage. This meant that if you've been trying to use ChatGPT, Sora, APIs, or even Dall-E, right after the OpenAI announcement then you were hit with a currently unavailable screen or encountered errors when trying to do anything. The service is back up and running now.

Complex questions

Apple pitches Apple Intelligence as a way of making its devices more creative and intuitive to use. That includes many apps and tools on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Most notably, ChatGPT integration with Siri changes the voice assistant in remarkable ways.

The AI helps answer complex questions for Siri to match its more natural, fluid conversations. Instead of getting short, robotic answers, you can ask detailed questions and get thoughtful, context-aware responses.

The demonstration by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, product team member Miqdad Jaffer, and engineering manager Dave Cummings showcased how Siri could use ChatGPT to review documents and answer questions about it, with the answers coming from Apple's assistant.

They also showed how you can send information right to ChatGPT to dive deeper and how Siri can now open different ChatGPT tools like Canvas and DALL-E. The presenters then had Siri review the most recent ChatGPT model card, asking the voice assistant about the model's coding abilities, and then had Siri send the response to the ChatGPT app to code a program visualizing those abilities.

(Image credit: Apple) OpenAI x Apple

For OpenAI, this collaboration is a reminder that ChatGPT is ready to play a central role in mainstream tech. Apple Intelligence is making ChatGPT part of the daily experience for Apple users. And in return, Apple also gets a better shot at keeping pace with competitors like Google Gemini and other rivals.

The festive sweaters worn by the presenters served an additional demonstration purpose, too. Using Apple Visual Intelligence, they had Siri process a photo of them in their sweaters, then had ChatGPT, via Apple Visual Intelligence, award one of them with the best sweater. Altman won.

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Food production has never been higher—or more costly. Yet the amount that goes uneaten remains shockingly high.

• Creature Commandos episode 3 contains the fledgling DCU's first big death
• The character's voice actor can't say if their demise is permanent or not
• DCU co-chief James Gunn previously said that characters can appear in animated and live-action projects

Well, that didn't take long. Creature Commandos, the first project released as part of the new-look DC Cinematic Universe (DCU), has already killed off one of its main characters, and I'm not sure if I'll emotionally recover from this devastating moment.

The animated Max show's third episode, which is titled 'Cheers to the Tin Man' and aired earlier today (December 11), proved that nobody will be safe in James Gunn and Peter Safran's cinematic franchise reset. Full spoilers for episode 3 immediately follow, so go and watch it before you continue.

RIP, G.I. Robot (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

Pore out a glass of oil, because everyone's favorite Nazi-killing android, aka G.I. Robot, is seemingly no more. The character – one of two voiced by Sean Gunn, the brother of DC Studios' co-head – was eviscerated by Circe, Creature Commandos' apparent Big Bad who's also one of three big ties to Wonder Woman ahead of her eventual DCU debut.

Frankly, G.I. Robot's death shouldn't have come as such a huge shock. For one, episode 3's title is a clear reference to the decades-old automaton, who was originally built to murder German soldiers during World War II. One of the best Max shows' latest chapter also explores G.I. Robot's tragic backstory – after the global conflict, he becomes a relic that serves little to no function in modern day society – too. Okay, that's not necessarily an indication that he'll meet his end in episode 3. But, with G.I. Robot finally being allowed to "kill Nazis" (really, he's murdered the Sons of Themyscira who attack Pokolistan, but that's not important) by Rick Flag Sr, and knowing how James Gunn likes to rip out our hearts after finally allowing a character in one of his projects to experience any form of joy, G.I's death was always on the cards.

Is G.I. Robot really dead in Creature Commandos?

Is there any way for Nina to be reunited with her bestie? (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

That's the big question on everyone's minds. Nobody stays dead for too long in comic books and, while characters have been permanently bumped off in live-action and/or animated franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DCU's predecessor, aka the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), G.I. Robot isn't human. In short: he could be repaired and be given a new lease of life in another DCU Chapter One film or TV show, or even before Creature Commandos ends.

There's previous form for this happening, too. In DC Comics, there have been no fewer than six versions of G.I. Robot – those being Joe, Mac, J.A.K.E 1, J.A.K.E 2, J.A.K.E 6 (don't ask where versions 3 to 5 are), and Lord Job. As Daft Punk famously observed, he can be made "harder, better, faster, stronger".

I really hope this isn't the last we've seen of G.I. Robot (Image credit: DC Studios/Max)

So, what are the chances of G.I. Robot making a miraculous recovery after his death at Circe's hands? Whether he's reborn or not, Sean Gunn is giving nothing away. Indeed, speaking exclusively to TechRadar ahead of Creature Commandos' launch, the former Guardians of the Galaxy star stayed tight-lipped on such a prospect.

"No, I am not", he told me with a smile when I asked if he was allowed to say whether G.I. would return. "I don't mind you asking. I always say [to journalists] that they can ask me anything they like, but I might not be able to answer everything, including that."

I guess we'll have to hang tight and hope that G.I. is alive and well in a few weeks' time, then! For now, get some clues about whether the R-rated series will go next in my spoiler-light Creature Commandos review, or read more exclusive coverage on the DCU TV show below.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 12.

• Google partnering with energy companies to power future data centers
• The next series of Google data centers would use solar and wind farms
• Move is part of a $20 billion total investment

A new partnership between Google, energy firm Intersect Power, and climate solutions organization TPG Rise Climate, will look to to provide clean power for the company's future data centers.

As the demand for AI grows rapidly, tech companies are expanding their capabilities - but Google is making a positive step towards a sustainable future with on-site renewable energy sources for its data centers.

Data centers are notoriously causing energy consumptions to skyrocket, and at the current rate, are soon set to use more energy than we currently produce. This means that firms are having to weigh up the accelerated consumption and their sustainability goals.

A ‘power first’ approach

To help tackle this issue, Google is hoping to connect its data centers directly to solar and wind farms, instead of the existing power grid which overwhelmingly uses fossil fuels. This would also ease the burden on the already weakened power grid, and would improve reliability for energy customers.

The first phase of this infrastructure development is expected to be operational by 2026, and amounts to a $20 billion investment in all. In future, where possible, Google will build data centers on campuses equipped with their own clean power, in ‘co-located industrial parks’.

Google hopes this will be a ‘blueprint for the future’, and allow the firm to expand its digital infrastructure in a sustainable way. It looks unlikely that AI will be any less power-intensive for the foreseeable future, so creating sustainable solutions will be key.

“To realize AI’s potential, the growth in electricity demand must be met with new, clean power sources.” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy at Google.

”The scale of AI presents an opportunity to completely rethink data center development — by co-locating them where possible with the grid-connected carbon-free energy that keeps them up and running,”

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• New Chinese mini PC debuts with enhanced connectivity options
• GEM12 Pro Max can drive four 8K monitors; offers OCuLink port
• Powered by Ryzen 7 8845HS, supports upto 64GB DDR5 RAM

Chinese mini PC manufacturer Aoostar has launched its latest device, the GEM12 Pro Max.

Building on the Pro variant introduced earlier in 2024, the new device sports a couple of noteworthy improvements including a DC power port, which provides an alternative to USB-C-based power delivery used in previous models. While the Pro featured a single front-facing USB4 port, the upgraded Pro Max adds another at the rear, a welcome addition.

Like its predecessor, the Pro Max is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor, offering a base clock speed of 3.8GHz, a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz, and 16MB of L3 cache. This is backed by the integrated Radeon 780M GPU. Users can adjust the TDP to a maximum of 75W, tailoring performance to specific needs.

Drives up to four 8K screens

The GEM12 Pro Max supports up to 64GB of DDR5-5600MHz memory in a single slot and features two M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 slots for high-speed storage. For users needing more hardcore graphics performance, the GEM12 Pro Max retains the OCuLink port from the Pro model, located on the front panel. This allows connection to an external GPU, like the DEG1 eGpu, for tasks such as video editing and 3D rendering without using the M.2 slots reserved for storage.

As with its predecessor, the GEM12 Pro Max features a built-in screen and fingerprint reader. Connectivity includes WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and dual 2.5G Ethernet ports located on the back. The rear panel also houses two USB2.0 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4. On the front, there are two USB3.2 Gen2 ports, an audio jack, and the power button. The system can drive up to four 8K monitors simultaneously.

The compact device measures 13cm x 13cm x 6cm and weighs 0.66kg. It uses the Glacier 3.0 cooling system with a vapor chamber to maintain stable performance during intensive workloads.

The barebones GEM12 Pro Max is priced from CNY 2299 (approximately $317) and is currently available only in China. Given Aoostar’s history, a global release seems unlikely for now, which is a shame.

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Here are some hints — and the answers — for the Dec. 12 Strands puzzle, No. 284.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for today's all-graphic Connections No. 550 for Dec. 12.

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,272 for Thursday, Dec. 12.

Here are some hints — and the answers — for Connections: Sports Edition No. 80 for Dec. 12.

Take advantage of the abundant peak sunlight hours in New Mexico and go solar with these top-notch installation companies.

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #550) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• See picture for clues! But if you want a description…
• Ice cream
• Bed
• Saw
• Tee-shirt
• Music notes
• Gear
• Rodents of some kind
• Triangle
• Zipper
• Nuts
• Hot drink in a cup
• Multiple letter Gs
• Mouth
• Golf tee
• Comb
• Building with dollar sign

NYT Connections today (game #550) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: The A-Team's 'Mr'
• Green: They're not all for eating
• Blue: How rude!
• Purple: Watercourse elements

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #550) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT SOUND LIKE "T"
• GREEN: OBJECTS WITH TEETH
• BLUE: MILD OATHS
• PURPLE: PARTS OF A RIVER

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #550) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #550, are…

• YELLOW: THINGS THAT SOUND LIKE "T" TEA, TEE (GOLF), TEE (SHIRT), TI (MUSICAL NOTE)
• GREEN: OBJECTS WITH TEETH COMB, GEAR, SAW, ZIPPER
• BLUE: MILD OATHS FUDGE, GEEZ, NUTS, RATS
• PURPLE: PARTS OF A RIVER BANK, BED, DELTA, MOUTH

• My rating: Impossible
• My score: Fail

Oh come on, NYT! Seriously? This is just too hard to even remotely count as fun. Will anyone solve this today? Am I just stupid? Pictograms are fine as a concept, and yeah it's a welcome change from the normal Connections routine, shaking things up a bit – but if you're going to do this at least make it a little easier!

Or maybe I just got unlucky, because I was on the right path with a couple of today's groups. It's just that there were so many options that might have worked, I was left scrabbling around in the dark.

For instance, I spotted right away that SAW, ZIPPER, GEAR and COMB were all OBJECTS WITH TEETH, but so is a MOUTH, so I included that twice and lost a couple of guesses there. Ditto MILD OATHS; I had GEEZ (Gs), RATS and NUTS, but thought the fourth was D'OH as in Homer Simpson, based on the picture of a musical score with the word DO written on it. Trouble was, the arrow was pointing to a different note, and I don't read music so never realized that was actually a TI and instead went with a different group; the real final answer was FUDGE.

So actually yeah, let's talk about some of these pictures, because how was anyone supposed to know that bit near the top of the ice cream was FUDGE? It could be anything! It could be chocolate or strawberry sauce, it's not like this is a high-resolution photo. And as for DELTA… I mean that's a triangle.

I'm never playing this game again (until tomorrow).

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 11 December, game #549)

• YELLOW: UTOPIA PARADISE, SEVENTH HEAVEN, SHANGRI-LA, XANADU
• GREEN: THINGS YOU SHAKE HAIRSPRAY, MAGIC 8 BALL, SALAD DRESSING, SNOWGLOBE
• BLUE: PROPER NOUN PORTMANTEAUX JAZZERCISE, PARALYMPICS, POKÉMON, WIKIPEDIA
• PURPLE: ENDING IN SYNONYMS FOR "FRIEND" KETCHUM, PAYPAL, PRIMATE, ROSEBUD

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Shape and bake

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• STEEL
• STEER
• REST
• BELT
• MOAN
• DINT

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Kitchen template

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #284) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #284, are…

• BUNNY
• BELL
• STAR
• DIAMOND
• HEART
• ANGEL
• SPANGRAM: COOKIECUTTER

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

It's a long, long time since I've baked cookies. Actually, no, I have baked cookies in the past couple of years, but they were just splodges of gooey chocolatey goodness, not perfectly shaped BELLs, STARs, DIAMONDs or HEARTs as you would get if you used a COOKIE CUTTER.

Maybe that's a failing on my part, but they all taste the same, right – so why risk losing some mixture by creating shapes? Then again, I'm not five years old, and my kids are older teens, so pretty shapes are not going to be appreciated in the same way as they would be by a pre-schooler.

My unfamiliarity with the form definitely hurt my Strands game today; I needed a couple of hints to get going, and it was only once I spotted the spangram that things got easier. Maybe I'll bake myself a cookie to cheer myself up.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 11 December, game #283)

• VISE
• DRILL
• LATHE
• PLANE
• CHISEL
• JIGSAW
• SANDER
• SPANGRAM: WOODWORKING

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1053) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1053) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.

Quordle today (game #1053) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1053) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1053) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• M

• C

• S

• D

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1053) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1053, are…

• MILKY
• CRIER
• STORK
• DRIER

Still no real strategy for me, but I got lucky with the Quordle gods today, who helpfully provided two words with the same letters except the first one, CRIER and DRIER. Solve one, get one almost free!

They were probably the two toughest words here, but overall it was a pretty easy one today. Makes a change, eh?

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #1053) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1053, are…

• TRITE
• PLANK
• FORGE
• CLAMP

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1052, Wednesday 11 December: BRIAR, NASAL, SHARD, FLUFF
• Quordle #1051, Tuesday 10 December: BEGAN, TRIAL, IDEAL, GUIDE
• Quordle #1050, Monday 9 December: TITAN, FORTE, SPEED, BRIAR
• Quordle #1049, Sunday 8 December: BUNCH, SHINY, MOULT, INTRO
• Quordle #1048, Saturday 7 December: SHAKY, CROOK, GHOUL, VERSE
• Quordle #1047, Friday 6 December: BRAWL, UNTIL, DOWRY, STING
• Quordle #1046, Thursday 5 December: AGING, BICEP, CLOVE, SPILL
• Quordle #1045, Wednesday 4 December: JUDGE, GIVER, GNASH, CLOAK
• Quordle #1044, Tuesday 3 December: FUDGE, THICK, CRANK, STASH
• Quordle #1043, Monday 2 December: TROPE, HOVER, SAUNA, SHAPE
• Quordle #1042, Sunday 1 December: NAIVE, CIRCA, STEAD, MICRO
• Quordle #1041, Saturday 30 November: MAMMA, SNUCK, CRYPT, TAROT
• Quordle #1040, Friday 29 November: JOIST, DROOL, DUSKY, GLIDE
• Quordle #1039, Thursday 28 November: GRADE, WORRY, NOISE, DAISY
• Quordle #1038, Wednesday 27 November: HEART, ROGUE, INEPT, UTILE
• Quordle #1037, Tuesday 26 November: PRIED, FAINT, HURRY, WOOER
• Quordle #1036, Monday 25 November: NUDGE, SNOOP, SHACK, DRYLY
• Quordle #1035, Sunday 24 November: CLOTH, CLAMP, PETTY, CHEST
• Quordle #1034, Saturday 23 November: AVOID, PLANT, FILET, TWIRL
• Quordle #1033, Friday 22 November: CUTIE, ALOOF, ETUDE, SILLY

• University researchers find way to trick AMD's secure VM tech into sharing sensitive information
• AMD released a security advisory with recommended mitigations
• The bug requires physical access, but in some scenarios could be abused through software alone

AMD Virtual Machine (VM) security tools can be bypassed, allowing cybercriminals to infiltrate devices and steal sensitive data, experts have warned.

Security researchers from multiple universities in the EU and the UK outlined how AMD chips come with Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV), a security feature designed to encrypt virtual machine (VM) memory to protect it from unauthorized access, including by the hypervisor or other VMs. SEV uses hardware-based encryption keys unique to each VM, ensuring data remains confidential and tamper-proof even in shared environments.

Recently, AMD upgraded SEV with Secure Nested Paging (SNP), an enhancement that should guarantee the integrity of a virtual machine's memory by validating memory page tables and preventing unauthorized modifications by the hypervisor. However, the researchers claim SNP can be bypassed, if the attacker has physical access to the target device. They used a Raspberry Pi Pico to “fake” additional RAM, and exfiltrated secrets from it. They call the attack BadRAM.

Attacks with and without hardware

By abusing the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) chip on the memory’s module, they created aliases for physical memory, which they could later access.

"In our attacks, we double the apparent size of the Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) installed in the system to trick the CPU's memory controller into using additional 'ghost' addressing bits," the researchers said in a research paper titled “BadRAM: Practical Memory Aliasing Attacks on Trusted Execution Environments”.

"These addressing bits will be unused within the virtually enlarged DIMM, creating an interesting aliasing effect where two different physical addresses now refer to the same DRAM location."

The technique works on DDR4 and DDR5 memory, and there’s even a possibility to use it without hardware, if the SPD chip is left unlocked (which, according to The Register, is sometimes the case).

In response, AMD released a security advisory, and is now tracking the flaw as CVE-2024-21944. It has gotten a severity score of 5.4 (medium). It recommends utilizing memory modules that lock SPD, as well as following physical security best practices. “In addition, the AGESA and SEV FW versions listed below have been released to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to mitigate this issue. Please refer to your OEM for the BIOS update specific to your product.”

Further details can be found here.

Via The Register

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It might be hard to believe, but we’re just 14 days away from Christmas. The holiday season is here, and I’d bet you’re already spinning your favorite Christmas songs on your preferred music service, like Spotify or Apple Music, but there is a change in the wind with how your next favorite holiday song might be recorded.

Alongside releasing iOS 18.2 for the iPhone, Apple is dropping a major update for Voice Memos, which Michael Bublé thinks is “going to change the way we make music, forever.” Voice Memos has long been used to record tracks, jam sessions, and even ideas for songs by artists, but now the app supports layered Voice Memos recording.

This allows you to layer a vocal recording on top of an existing instrument-based track, all with just your iPhone. However, you will need a new one, specifically an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max with an A18 Pro chip inside. With just that one device, you can play the existing instrumental backing track out of your iPhone’s speakers and use the onboard microphones to record your vocals in real time.

(Image credit: Apple)

In fact, that’s how Michael Bublé, Carly Pearce, and producer Greg Wells recorded vocals for their new Christmas song, Maybe This Christmas, on an iPhone 16 Pro within Voice Memos. After recording, and during the process, the A18 Pro chip isolates just the vocals by using AI and ML models – likely similar to what Apple uses within Logic Pro for separating instruments, but the big difference is that this is for everyone, free on the top of the line iPhone.

Apple even released a bit of a behind-the-scenes story with Pearce, Wells, and Bublé alongside announcing that layered Voice Memos were rolling out. You can see a bit of the process, including the recording on the iPhone, but also thoughts on the broader impact. Bublé is bullish on it and says, “If an artist has a moment of inspiration, being unencumbered by the traditional studio experience becomes the advantage, not the limitation.”

After completing a layered recording within Voice Memos, the result is two tracks – one with vocals and one with instruments, that will sync across your Apple devices within the app or that can be exported to another tool like Logic Pro for additional mixing or recordings. And thanks to a fresh update for Apple’s pro-mixing tool for the Mac and iPad, you can also easily send that base instrumental layer to Voice Memos.

So, say inspiration strikes, and you write down lyrics in notes. Ask your band for the base track; they can record it in Logic and send it to you, and you can layer down sweet, soulful vocals on your iPhone. It's pretty nuts.

Of course, if you’d rather listen to the new holiday song, “Maybe This Christmas” is streaming now on Apple Music, mixed with Spatial Audio. Assuming you’ve updated to iOS 18.2, you’ll see this new feature within Voice Memos alongside some major new Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji and Image Playground.

And as far as Christmas tracks, I’m still spinning Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’ … who knows, maybe he and E Street will rerecord with Voice Memos and include the historic Clarence Clemons saxophone solo.

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• Inspired by 80s Tandy 1000 PC
• Raspberry Pi 500 is less than $100

The Raspberry Pi is already well-known for pushing the envelope in what makes a tiny and affordable computer. Now the manufacturer is reinventing itself again with the Raspberry Pi 500, an entire PC fitted into a keyboard that’s available now for purchase. Such an exciting and new idea right? It certainly is, though it’s not the first time this concept has been brought to fruition.

In 1984, 40 years ago, the Tandy 1000 was released by Tandy Corporation and based on IBM’s PCjr, which essentially fit most of the computer parts into the keyboard. The Tandy 1000 was successful in the consumer electronics market and spawned countless models until its eventual discontinuation in 1993.

It used the then-popular home-computer-style case with the keyboard, motherboard, and disk drives in one enclosure, which kept the design simple and prices much more affordable for the time. Despite this level of success, there wasn’t a proper follow-up to this particular model of computer, which is a shame since it was clearly ahead of its time.

In comes the Raspberry Pi 500, which is a complete PC wrapped up in a keyboard with a starting price of just $90 (about £70 / AU$141). It seems to take strong inspiration from the Tandy 1000 but upgrades the concept to its most convenient and affordable form.

The Raspberry Pi 500 is bringing retro back

It comes with a Quad-core 64-bit ARM processor, 8GB of RAM, two micro-HDMI ports, and three USB ports. If you don’t have a monitor, there’s a 15.6-inch portable Raspberry monitor for $100 (about £80 / AU$157).

It’s exciting to see the Tandy 1000-style tech make a comeback — as mini-PCs have already been making a huge splash in the industry thanks to their much smaller size footprint and very reasonable pricing. And it feels fitting that it would be under the Raspberry brand as it’s already well known for its compact PCs, like the Raspberry Pi CM5.

And for a price of less than $100, which is far cheaper than even the best Chromebooks and best cheap laptops on the market, it’s absolutely worth the price of entry. It’s compact form factor and approachable price tag is ideal for productivity work, as well as students looking for an affordable machine to get their homework and class projects done.

Hopefully, the Raspberry Pi 500 will inspire other manufacturers to put out their own version of a keyboard computer. My personal hope is seeing a retro-themed machine designed after the original Tandy 1000, as a tribute to the one that started it all is more than fitting.

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