Technology

• Android 16 is out now, with new features like live updates and security tools
• Many other Android 16 features – along with its visual overhaul – aren't present, and are rumored to be landing on September 3
• This initial rollout is just for Pixel phones, with other brands set to roll out Android 16 later this year

Android 16 has now landed, and if that seems unusually early to you, you’re right, as the last few versions of Android have all landed towards the end of their release years, with Android 15 only launching back in October.

So this is a quick turnaround for Google’s latest Android version – which perhaps explains why the most anticipated and substantial feature is absent.

Specifically, Android’s visual overhaul – dubbed Material 3 Expressive – which Google showed off not so long ago, isn’t here yet. That will be landing as part of Android 16’s QPR1 (quarterly platform release 1), which according to a source speaking to Android Authority will roll out to Pixel devices on September 3 – that's around the time we’d typically expect to see new numbered versions of Android.

Android's Material 3 Expressive overhaul isn't here yet (Image credit: Google)

September 3 is reportedly also when we'll see Android 16's desktop mode, which lets you connect your phone to a monitor and interact with a desktop interface, much like Samsung has been offering for years with its DeX mode.

And we'll probably also see smaller updates then, like a more organized sound settings screen, which has been spotted by Android Authority in the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta.

Still, that doesn’t mean this first version of Android 16 isn’t worth downloading. It includes various new features, such as live updates that give you real-time updates on things like food deliveries and Uber requests on your lock screen.

You can also activate Advanced Protection mode to help keep your phone protected from unsafe websites, scam calls, harmful apps, and other threats. Not all of the features within Advanced Protection are new, but now you can activate all of these safeguards with a single tap.

(Image credit: Google)Grouped notifications and accessibility improvements

Android 16 will also group notifications from a single app to keep things organized, and there are improvements for users of hearing aids, as you can now choose to use your phone’s microphone for audio input during calls (rather than the hearing aid’s microphone), and natively control your hearing aid’s volume from your phone.

There are also smaller updates, like a trade-in mode that provides quicker access to key device details, thereby speeding up the trade-in process when you're selling your phone.

These features and others are rolling out now to supported Pixel phones (meaning the Google Pixel 6 and up). If you’re using another phone brand then you’ll have to wait a bit longer, with Google saying updates for handsets from other brands will arrive “later this year”.

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Apple previewed the update for the next generation of iPhone software. It has a new name, a new look, and a bunch of quality-of-life features and improvements.

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Apple's WWDC 2025 did not disappoint, but it didn't inspire either. I wanted answers to some of my burning questions, like when is Siri going to glow up, what's the future of Apple Home, and how will you inspire consumers to buy into the Vision Pro...er..vision?

None of that was forthcoming. Instead, we got a new, glossy design language (Liquid Glass), a ton of minutiae on iOS 26 feature updates (camera app overhaul, background on group messages, edge-to-edge Safari), more intelligent Apple Intelligence, and a much-needed iPadOS reinvention.

Apple spent 90 minutes telling us how the world of iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and iPads would change, but unlike developers conference keynotes from Google or even Meta, they didn't tell us how they are changing the world. Apple's developers' conference was focused squarely on the platforms and how your experience with each of them would change.

No moment stood out as an "Oh, that's gonna change everything."

Not the star you expected

To be clear, there are big changes. iPadOS 26 in particular might be unrecognizable (but in a good way) to people who've been using Apple's tablet for well over a decade. If you asked me 48 hours ago the biggest story to come out of the keynote, I would've guessed the new naming convention (years but not the one you're in!), Liquid Glass (like glass but much Apple-ly-er), or a surprise. iPadOS 26 was not on my bingo card.

Apple kept the keynote neatly focused on software, which I thought might bode well for a hardware surprise at the end.

I had visions of Apple AR glasses tease, the unveiling of a new, tethered, and much more affordable Vision Pro Lite.

I lieu of those fanciful "one more things," I hoped that maybe Apple software engineering lead Craig Federighi would circle back to the dismissive Siri mention at the beginning, preview the full-realized Apple Intelligence Siri and deliver a blood-oath promise that it would arrive at the same time as the first iOS 26 Public betas.

None of that happened. Apple dismissed its challenging year and presented a, to be far, exhaustive collection of platform updates. At least now we know why Siri is delayed.

To be certain, everything that was unveiled at WWDC 2025 is a lot, and I struggle to wrap my mind around it all. There are bits in there, for instance, like the macOS Tahoe Spotlight update, which won't reveal the true depth of its impact until we test-drive the new platforms.

On that note, I know you're tempted to download all the developer betas, but use caution. They're usually buggy and, in the case of the iPhone, most dev betas tend to suck the life right out of your battery (mainly because they're not yet optimized).

It's about certainty

The larger issue here, though, is that, unlike previous years, where I knew Apple would deliver on its promises, I know that that's no longer a lock. I want to trust that the incredible Vision Pro personas update, the one that makes those floating heads look absolutely real, will arrive in the fall, that Spotlight with contextual awareness will work as demonstrated with the next new Mac, and the iPadOS 26's windowing and background activity prowess will be just as powerful as they looked during the keybote.

Even some of the stuff I'm reasonably certain will arrive will be limited. Digital IDs are expanding, but Apple is unable to get it working in all 50 US states (for now, nine support it), and watchOS 26's Workout Buddy, which relies on Apple Intelligence on the iPhone, will only support English, and what if it's only in the US?

There are now always limits to Apple's dream scenario, and I find that it's smart to wake up long before the first public beta drops.

Apple may surprise us and overdeliver, but if we've learned one thing from the WWDC 2025 keynote, it's that, for now, it's no longer in the business of big surprises that leave it in a position of underdelivering.

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• Colorful Smart 900 is the latest AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 mini PC
• 96GB of LPDDR5X could mean big things for AI and creative workloads
• Dell, Asus, and MSI might be missing a golden opportunity in compact AI desktops

Colorful is reportedly set to release the Smart 900, a new high-end mini PC powered by AMD’s top-tier Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 processor.

Until now, Colorful’s AMD-based mini PC offerings have been limited to older processors, such as the Ryzen 7 7735HS used in the Smart 500A.

The Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 in the Smart 900 is AMD’s current flagship APU, combining 16 Zen 5 cores with Radeon 8060S graphics, built on 40 RDNA 3.5 Compute Units. This makes it one of the best integrated GPUs available for workloads, creative tasks, and gaming.

Memory and AI performance

The system reportedly includes 96GB of LPDDR5X memory, which is lower than the 128GB maximum seen in some high-end PCs.

However, this figure may refer to a dedicated memory allocation for AI inference tasks, sometimes described as “VRAM” in translation.

Whether this is a hard cap or part of a split configuration remains unclear, but it highlights the system’s focus on AI and graphics-intensive use cases.

The Colorful Smart 900 has not yet been officially announced by the company, nor has it appeared on any of its social media channels, so we don't have too much more information, such as pricing.

It seems likely, however, that it will be positioned as a mini workstation for professionals working with large media projects.

As of now, only eleven brands have released products featuring Strix Halo. Notable models include the HP Z2 Mini G1a, Lenovo LCFC AI PC, and the GMKTec EVO-X2.

What remains puzzling is the complete silence from major brands like Dell, Asus, and MSI, who have yet to introduce any mini PCs using the chip.

These companies already offer high-performance, premium products that far exceed the price points of anything from Colorful or GMKTec, so pricing does not appear to be the limiting factor.

Their hesitation may instead stem from longer internal validation cycles, stricter thermal and reliability standards, or a delay in aligning with AMD's release schedule.

Another possibility is that these companies are prioritizing other AI hardware strategies, such as discrete GPUs or server-grade accelerators, over high-end APUs in compact desktops.

Via Videocardz

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• Kaspersky warns multiple DVR devices are being targeted with malware
• The malware assimilates the devices into a botnet, granting DDoS and proxy capabilities
• The victims are scattered all over the world, and there seems to be no patch

If you are using TBK DVR-4104, DVR-4216, or any digital video recording device that uses these instances as its basis, you might want to keep an eye on your hardware because it’s being actively hunted.

Cybersecurity researchers at Kaspersky claim to have seen a year-old vulnerability in these devices being abused to expand the dreaded Mirai botnet.

In April 2024, security researchers found a command injection flaw in the devices listed above. As per the NVD, the flaw is tracked as CVE-2024-3721, and was given a severity score of 6.3/10 (medium). It can be triggered remotely and grants the attackers full control over the vulnerable endpoint. Soon after discovery, the flaw also got a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) exploit.

Victims around the world

Now, a year later, Kaspersky says it saw this same PoC being used to expand the Mirai botnet. The attackers are using the bug to drop an ARM32 malware which assimilates the device and grants the owners the ability to run distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, proxy malicious traffic, and more.

The majority of victims Kaspersky is seeing are located in China, India, Egypt, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and Brazil. However as a Russian company, Kaspersky’s products are banned in many Western countries, so its analysis could be somewhat skewed.

The number of potentially vulnerable devices was more than 110,000 in 2024, and has since dropped to around 50,000. While most definitely an improvement, it still means that the attack surface is rather large.

Usually, when a vulnerability like this is discovered, a patch soon follows. However, multiple media sources are claiming that it is “unclear” if makers TBK Vision patched the bug.

CyberInsider reports that multiple third-party brands use these devices as a basis for their models, further complicating patch availability, and stating that “it’s very likely that for most, there is no patch.”

Some of the brands are Novo, CeNova, QSee, Pulnix, XVR 5 in 1, Securus, Night OWL, DVR Login, and others.

Via BleepingComputer

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