Technology

• IKEA has launched a new wireless driver for its integrated LED lights
• Called Dubbelkisel, it connects your lights to IKEA's Bilresa hub
• It's Matter-enabled so you can integrate it into a wider smart home setup

If you have IKEA integrated lights in your cabinets or wardrobe, there's good news — the company has just launched a new driver that lets you control them wirelessly, with Matter compatibility, so you can integrate them into the rest of your smart home.

The new driver, called Dubbelkisel, is a successor to the Trådfri driver, which allowed you to control your integrated lights via a small remote control using the Zigbee protocol. The new driver is different; instead of linking directly to a remote, it connects to IKEA's Dirigera hub, which means you can operate your cabinet lights with any of IKEA's smart switches — or even non-IKEA devices as part of wider Matter setup.

As Notebookcheck reports, news of the Dubbelkisel leaked earlier this year, when the driver appeared in a database of Thread devices, but this is the first time we've seen it on sale.

The new device replaces the IKEA Trådfri, which let you operate integrated lights wirelessly via a small remote control (Image credit: IKEA)

Some users on Reddit managed to get their hands on the device early, and report that it generally performs well, though the older Trådfri has some advantages.

"No problems so far," wrote one poster on r/tradfri. "It’s paired via a gateway, so there’s a noticeable delay when turning on the light. The previous Trådfri power supply was connected directly to the remote and worked instantly. Also I preferred the old, small Trådfri remote over the current Bilresa model."

The new driver is currently available in a selection of European countries, and is expected to roll out more widely within the coming weeks. It's priced at €18, which is approximately $20 / £15 / AU$30.

• Kinryū Labs found misconfigured APIS database in Vietnam exposing 220M passenger and crew records
• Data included PII, travel details, seat assignments, and baggage references from 2017–2026
• Archive locked and there is no evidence yet of dark web sale

Millions of travellers have had their sensitive information exposed on the internet, thanks to a “series of misconfigurations” discovered in a cloud database, experts have warned.

In early June 2026, security researchers from Kinryū Labs discovered an Elasticsearch cluster which, although inaccessible from the open internet, allowed access through an alternate route - a cloud-based path. Once inside that route, the researchers discovered that the cluster accepted default credentials, granting access to an archive with 29 indices, weighing roughly 107GB.

The archive was apparently generated by an Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), a system airlines use to collect and send passenger and crew information to country authorities before flight arrival or departure. Usually, the system collects people’s names, birth dates, nationalities, passport and travel document numbers, and flight details, which are then used for border control, immigration, and similar cases. In this case, however, it also contained people’s sex, document expiration dates, issuing countries, airlines, departure, destination and transit airports, seat assignments, baggage reference, and more.

It is not known who operated the APIS, or who owns and runs the database. All the researchers managed to find is that it was hosted in Viettel-assigned IP space in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital.

Who was affected?

Of the 29 discovered indices, two were rather large: one contained 210,318, 069 passenger records, while another 10,465,631 crew records. In total, 220 million records, created between January 2017 and April 2026, from people who traveled to, from, or through Vietnam during that period.

The records don’t correspond to individuals, however. If a person travelled multiple times, they will show up in the archive multiple times. Canadians, Chinese, Korean, and New Zealandian nationals are among the ones whose information was exposed. The database is not limited to a specific airline, either - various airlines in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Middle East regions were mentioned in the researchers’ report.

Since the researchers could not attribute the database to a specific entity, they reported it to the Vietnamese authorities, different airlines mentioned in the archives, and the country’s CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team), on June 3. The archive was locked down a week later, on June 8. According to BleepingComputer, it was the Singapore Airlines’ security team that took the lead on remediation efforts, telling the researchers they “engaged the relevant parties” and have “taken steps to contain the issue.”

Without a proper audit of the logs, and a full-blown forensic investigation, it is impossible to tell if any threat actors reached the database before the researchers, or if they exfiltrated and used the data found inside in identity theft, wire fraud, or other scams. What’s (somewhat) comforting is that there is no evidence of such activities on the dark web, and no hacking groups have made such claims. No one is selling the archive on the dark web, either.

Number one causes of data spills

Misconfigured databases remain one of the key causes of data leaks. Most businesses generate some type of data on their employees, partners, clients, or customers, and store it in the cloud for easy access and actionable insights. However, some businesses don’t understand the shared responsibility model of cloud security or are simply reckless and sloppy when it comes to securing their cloud-stored data. Others, according to Cassius Edison, COO of Closed Door Security, have a problem with visibility of their IT real estate:

“The range of technology now used and managed by firms globally has made misconfigurations an increasingly persistent problem,” Edison explained. “Many organizations fail to maintain full visibility of their IT real estate and fail to perform proper audits of their systems, which inevitably leads to oversights in security and monitoring.”

For Edison, tackling misconfigurations internally can be difficult, “especially at large companies where teams work independently across a range of systems,” and advises organizations to bring in independent pentesters and security auditors.

Some of the biggest data leaks in the world came not from hackers breaking into locked-down systems, but from businesses inadvertently exposing their customers.

In 2026 alone, we’ve seen more than 670 million identity records exposed by Infutor, a data-driven consumer identity management company, as well as more than three billion records exposed through a misconfigured MongoDB database managed by global identity verification services, IDMerit.

Via BleepingComputer

You won’t be able to buy Patch Pals and Sparkables from your neighborhood Girl Scout, however.

• South Korea could invest $22.3 billion in a massive Texas gas plant
• The proposed facility would generate 6.3 GW of electricity for AI
• Seoul says negotiations remain unfinished, leaving the reported investment unconfirmed

South Korea and the United States have reportedly settled on how much Seoul will contribute towards a new energy facility in southern Texas.

Korean outlet Edaily, citing unnamed officials and lawmakers, reported the contribution at close to $22.3 billion for the venture, which would be built in Encinal, Texas, and is expected to produce 6.3 gigawatts of electricity to power AI data centers once fully operational.

The contribution would mark Seoul's first American investment carried out under an economic arrangement the two nations signed in 2025 which saw South Korea commit $350 billion toward ventures inside the United States in exchange for friendlier duty terms on its exports.

A deal rooted in last year's pact

However South ​Korea's Industry Ministry said the recent media reports about the Texas deal were not accurate, revealing that official discussions with Washington are still going on, so no exact numbers can be confirmed yet.

Any formal announcement would come only after discussions conclude, alongside domestic steps such as approval from South Korea's legislature.

In a separate statement, the ministry noted that no decision has been reached on building an atomic energy facility on American soil.

South Korea is also weighing other ventures inside the United States, including a large-scale nuclear station and a separate gas export scheme tied to Alaska.

Scale, cost and open questions

Should the project proceed as reported, it would rank among the most expensive natural-gas-fueled generating stations ever constructed anywhere in the world.

Industry accounts also suggest the plant could become the second most powerful facility of its kind currently in operation globally.

At the moment, there is no clarification whether Seoul intends to finance the entire sum on its own or share the burden.

The Encinal facility, once running, would supply electricity to server farms supporting growing artificial intelligence computing needs across the region.

Washington has also not issued detailed confirmation of the numbers currently circulating in South Korean press coverage.

For now, financing structure, ownership stakes and construction timelines have not been settled publicly by either government.

Current details are very sketchy, but analysts say the eventual scale of investment could shift depending on how negotiations with Washington proceed this fall.

Whatever the details turn out to be, a facility of this size would place significant demand on the Texas electrical grid, water access and local infrastructure.

Given how US residents have reacted to projects with similar demands, that pressure may not be welcomed quietly by communities near Encinal.

Via Reuters

• US senators call on Army to answer questions over disbanding of futuristic drone battalion
• Letter to General LaNeve raises concerns over US commitment to NATO allies and Ukraine
• Drones are changing the face of the battlefield, and the US could miss out on important lessons and innovations

A group of bipartisan US senators is questioning why the US Army has decided to shut down a cutting edge drone battalion that was set up to understand the shifting battlefield dynamics in Ukraine.

The 3rd battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment was founded in November 2025 by former chief of staff for the US Army Gen. Randy George. But less than a year later, acting chief of staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve announced plans to disband the battalion as part of a ‘back to basics’ approach.

But there are concerns the decision could harm the US military's warfighting capacity, and its ability to learn from a rapidly evolving battlefield technology.

Senators question decision to disband drone battalion

The letter, signed by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Angus S. King, Jr., and Rep. Michael R. Turner, requests that Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll and General LaNeve provide the data and analysis behind the decision to disband the drone battalion, and also questions “if this decision was based on Department of Defense leadership guidance or was an Army-internal decision.”

“We have deep concerns that eliminating this specialized drone unit will limit our ability to learn from allies, particularly the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and hinder our efforts to modernize drone warfare at the speed necessary to compete on the modern battlefield. This specialized unit was a prudent response in a moment when the character of warfare is changing faster than a conventional formation’s ability to adapt,” the letter states.

The letter also points out that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US coordination with the Armed Forces of Ukraine provided the basis for the new battalion, providing a “prudent response in a moment when the character of warfare is changing faster than a conventional formation’s ability to adapt.”

Additionally, disbanding the unit “hurts our ability to acquire the critical knowledge and skills that can be gained from working with and learning from Ukrainian soldiers.”

“We respectfully request the Army brief us on how it intends to continue learning lessons on drone warfare from Ukraine in the absence of the Unmanned Assault Battalion. We request this briefing to occur no later than September 21st, 2026,” the letter concludes.

Why are drones changing the battlefield?

The conditions on the frontlines of Ukraine, often compared to the trench warfare of the Great War, have spawned a boom of specializations in drone technology.

From reconnaissance and electronic warfare to logistics and CASEVAC, drones are now essential to Ukraine’s war effort.

Numerous innovations in drone technology are keeping Ukraine in the fight. Autonomous drones capable of hunting and destroying Russian Shahed drones have been used to great effect, and supply lines across open ground are being bolstered by ground robots capable of lugging 210 kilograms cross-country.

But not all drone innovations are in Ukraine’s favor. Ukraine’s military intelligence recently warned that Russia is developing new drones designed to cut electricity cables to cause power cuts through the winter months.

So there is a valid level of concern over the disbanding of the US drone battalion. If the US army has no way to deploy or test systems within a dedicated drone unit, it may miss out on vital lessons that could shape future conflicts.

Sometimes you need a standing desk; sometimes you need a small standing desk; sometimes you want a certain color; and sometimes you just need a phenomenal foundation to build on to create your dream desk.

That's how the Vernal Core 3 came to be for me. I have a team member who had a triple-monitor setup on a tiny little desk that wasn't stable, and overall it looked quite sad.

When I had the opportunity to check out the Vernal standing desk after seeing everything in their commercials and learning about the company, I decided it was absolutely worth it to see if it lives up to the hype so far. 157 days in, we've been using the desk for probably 150 of those, and so far there have been absolutely zero problems. It has worked like an absolute dream.

The solid wood desktop is beautiful. The walnut is crisp and gorgeous. The legs are smooth, and the control panel has worked great. We've been able to build out exactly what this team member has always wanted in their desk, all made possible by the desk's high quality.

One of the reasons why I knew I wanted Vernal for this was its newly promoted stability in standing desks. The company recently updated its internal framing to make it even more stable than ever.

What better way to test that than with a shelving system resting on the table and triple monitors that, if not for a stable desk, would rock and shake back and forth nonstop?

Vernal Core3: Price and availability

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The Vernal Core3 standing desk starts at $510 from the US store, and £470 from the UK store.

But, as usual with high-quality models, if you choose a more solid options on the site, you can get up to around $1,000.

Still, for what this desk is, it's a pretty reasonable price. Some of the desks that I've had, made of high-quality materials like this, have cost twice that or even three times that. So, overall, good value for money.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Vernal Core3: Unboxing and First Impressions

The Core3 desk is simple, refined, and professional-looking, and this week the walnut desktop is sharp. The integrated style keypad is pretty good-looking. The legs are based on a widely used industry standard design. Most of what makes Vernal tick, though, is transparency and the drive to make something that works and keeps working well.

For this specific desk build, we needed a solid foundation because we knew we wanted a unique triple-monitor setup that would require high stability due to the monitor arm tension. Plus, I knew we wouldn't want extra space and stability for a shelf we're gonna add. Having a flat underside also allowed us to add features like our undermounted laptop dock.

Vernal Core3: In use

For the last 100+ days, this desk has been an absolute rock-solid companion to my team. It has not had any issues going up and down. It has not rocked or faltered in any way. We've been able to build out everything that we hoped for and more.

The stability of the dual-stacked monitor arms, with the left mount to the side and a vertical monitor, has worked great. The extra weight from the shelf has not caused any issues at all.

So far, we have absolutely loved this desk. It looks great, works great, and after using it for some time now, I would recommend it for future use as well. The desk is quality, the price is right, and the size is massive, so if you are looking for a large standing desk, this one is definitely worth considering.

The controller is easy to use, and the presets make it easy to save your favorite or most frequently used heights and keep them easily accessible. Having presets makes all the difference.

Yes, there are cheaper desks that are still technically standing that have a crank or have an up-and-down electric button, but having a preset means you can press it and know it goes to the exact height you need whilst sitting or your perfect standing height, so you can get situated while the desk then meets you where you want it.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )Vernal Core3: Final verdict

In short, this is a desk you should consider if you have a knick-knack or 17 on your desk and you're still trying to find a way to organize your series workflow. This is the kind of desk you want if you are into gadgets. This is also the kind of desk you should consider if you have a few gadgets on your desk and want to project a professional image.

However, if you're the kind of person who just throws things on their desk, doesn't really care, or is going to stay seated at all times, then you can probably find another desk that fits your budget and desires a little better.

This is the desk meant for those who like to be organized, get things done, and do it in style. There are a handful of areas that always make sense to spend a little more, and in my view, I stay in this because I'm quickly becoming one of them.

Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future

For more top picks, see our guide to the best standing desks we've ever tested.

Nintendo is marking four decades of Zelda with special hardware, playable ocarinas and more ways for fans to celebrate the legendary series.

Ugreen's four-bay DH4300 Plus NAS device impressed us during our tests, from its elegant design to the beginner-friendly setup, ideal for creating your own private cloud in the home and small business. And right now, the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus has dropped to $374 (was $440) at Amazon.

It is aimed at home users, remote workers and NAS beginners, with four drive bays, 8GB of LPDDR4X memory, 2.5GbE networking, 4K HDMI output and support for up to 128TB of storage.

The DH4300 Plus can automatically back up photos and videos, organize images using AI-powered albums and act as a private cloud that you can access remotely from multiple devices.

Today's top Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus deal

NAS DH4300 Plus: was $439.99 now $373.98
This is a four-bay diskless NAS with 8GB LPDDR4X memory, 2.5GbE networking, 4K HDMI output, Docker support, AI photo management and capacity up to 128TB.View Deal

Why we recommend it

In his 4-star review, our expert Mark called the DH4300 Plus "great for homes and small businesses" and said it offered "an elegant design that delivers the basic functionality that most NAS users need at a price they can afford."

The four drive bays give you plenty of flexibility over how much storage you add, while RAID support lets you choose between maximizing capacity or adding redundancy.

Ugreen has done its best to make the software approachable for people buying their first NAS. Its apps support Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and web browsers, with remote access and automatic mobile photo backups.

He summed it up saying: "This NAS is designed to fit a specific niche: single or dual-purpose installations that require power efficiency and easy interfacing with other NAS hardware for backups. And, this NAS is perfectly poised to do those jobs without the need for the more exotic functionality that the DXP series already supports."

Price context & historical value

Amazon has cut the price of the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus from $439.99 to $373.98, giving you a saving of $66.01, or 15%. While this is a good reduction, it's not the cheapest the NAS has been. We saw it selling for between $305-$310 a little earlier in the year.

It's also worth noting the current price is for the diskless enclosure, so you'll still need to budget for compatible hard drives or SSDs. The total cost will depend on how much capacity you want.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus if...

You want to move away from recurring cloud-storage subscriptions and keep your photos, videos and documents under your own control. Four drive bays give you plenty of room to expand, and the relatively simple setup and mobile apps make this a more approachable option for NAS newcomers.

❌ Skip the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus if...

You need a more advanced NAS for running virtual machines or heavier server workloads. The DH4300 Plus supports Docker, but Ugreen specifically states that it doesn't support virtual machines, so a more powerful NAS will likely be a better fit for advanced users.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

No storage drives are included, despite the advertised maximum capacity, so the listed price is only the starting point. The maximum storage amount is based on compatible drives configured in RAID 0, which prioritizes capacity rather than redundancy.

There's also no Wi-Fi, so you'll need to connect the NAS to your router or network switch using Ethernet. Plex can be run through Docker, but the DH4300 Plus doesn't provide native virtual-machine support.

• Shop all NAS products at Amazon

• Microsoft 365 users targeted by phishing campaigns using BigBear 2.0 and AiTM proxies
• Attackers impersonate IT staff via calls, Teams, and email to steal credentials and bypass MFA
• CloudSEK tracked 5,000+ stolen records; Arctic Wolf urges phishing‑resistant MFA and conditional access

Microsoft 365 users are facing a barrage of cyberattacks all aimed at a single goal - to try and expose credentials which can later be used against employers in data theft attacks.

Different groups conduct their raids and bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) protection to access victim accounts - CloudSEK, for example, said that some groups are using BigBear 2.0, a new phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) framework that allows crooks to intercept passwords and authenticated session cookies.

Arctic Wolf, on the other hand, focused on a single threat actor, which it dubbed PREY-0058. This group, despite significant overlaps with other collectives in terms of techniques, technologies, and procedures, is not a rebrand of older organizations. Instead, the researchers believe the lines between the groups are blurred and that there is a large group of affiliates, splinter crews, and other cohorts using the same phishing infrastructure and thus often confuse defenders and analysts.

Similar methods, similar results

The attack methodology is similar across the spectrum. Crooks would call their victims on the phone or approach them via Teams and email. They would introduce themselves as members of the IT help desk sent to sort out a specific problem or issue.

Then, they would either convince the victim to grant remote access, or to open a spoofed Microsoft 365 login page and enter their credentials there. In both cases, the goal is the same - to get the victim to type in their username, password, and 2FA code, on a fake site built by BigBear 2.0 or a similar phishing framework. This framework, using an attacker-in-the-middle (AiTM) proxy between the victim and legitimate Microsoft infrastructure, harvests credentials, MFA codes, and session cookies, and replays them through an API essentially hijacking a legitimate authentication session.

Once they gain access, the attackers can do all sorts of things, but they are mostly focused on exfiltrating sensitive data from Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Deploying ransomware is rarely seen.

The campaign CloudSEK has been tracking has been rather successful, the researchers argue, saying BigBear 2.0 was used to exfiltrate more than 5,000 credential records, “including 474 complete MFA-bypassed authentications, 1,032 plaintext passwords, and 4,148 session cookies - affecting 3,331 unique victim IPs across 40+ countries with the operation still active at the time of writing.”

“The multi-user PhaaS panel is leased to at least five affiliate operators identified through live Telegram exfiltration bots, each receiving stolen credentials in real time.”

Speaking to BleepingComputer, CloudSEK says the campaign targeted 461 organizations, out of which 258 have had at least one set of credentials compromised.

Defending with phishing-resistant MFA

Arctic Wolf’s researchers stressed that the attackers are focused primarily on US-based businesses: construction and engineering, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, real estate and property management, finance, and professional services, The Hacker News reported. The researchers advise organizations to implement Conditional Access policies, deploy phishing-resistant MFA, and restrict the scope of data users can access via SharePoint. Obviously, employee education on the dangers of phishing cannot be understated.

"Defenders can disrupt this activity by detecting anomalous residential-proxy token replay, SharePoint discovery and bulk access, mailbox harvesting, and newly registered authentication-themed lure infrastructure," Arctic Wolf said.

Phishing-resistant MFA is multi-factor authentication designed so that an attacker cannot trick a person into handing over authorization code, either via a message, or through a fake login page.

These include products such as passkeys, YubiKeys security keys, and authentication methods based on FIDO2/WebAuthn. Since phishing-resistant MFA cryptographically ties the authentication to the legitimate website, the authentication cannot simply be forwarded to an attacker.

One of the absolute highlights of this week's Labor Day sales has been the excellent Sony WH-1000XM5 on sale for just $198 (was $399) at Amazon. It's been a while since these wireless headphones have hit this record-low price — and, quite frankly, it's one of the easiest recommendations we've made this week.

They only hit $198 once before, back in late June, so this is a great chance to grab some of the best headphones on the market for cheap.

As an overview, the Sony WH-1000XM5 combines a stylish and comfortable design with some of the best noise cancellation on the market. They're perfect for everyday use, a busy office, or commuting on public transport. They also sound fantastic, with rich and detailed sound for all types of genres.

With today's price on Amazon, you're getting them for a fantastic price, considering these are only one generation away from the latest Sony model. The Sony WH-1000XM6 has superseded the Mark 5, but they're currently sitting at $398 at the retailer, while offering similar performance.

Sony WH-1000XM5 record-low price at Amazon

WH-1000XM5: was $398 now $198
Quite simply, the best in Sony's class-leading wireless over-ear lineup. The older XM4 headphones were outstanding, the XM3 cans before it were excellent, and it'll come as little surprise to know that Sony's XM5 proposition is also incredibly hard to beat — especially with a whopping $150 off. They don't fold up like the XM4, but, as a quick glance at our Sony WH-100XM5 review proves, there's not much else to pick fault with. View Deal

• See more: check out all of today's Labor Day deals at Amazon

The Sony WH-1000XM5 are a few years old now, but our initial five-star rating from when these headphones were released still stands. At the time, we called them "the best headphones in the world thanks to their class-leading noise-canceling features and well-balanced audio.” There is a newer version now (the Mark 6), but those are significantly more expensive, as I've already stated.

Compared with the sixth-generation model, the fifth-generation model is a little less portable because it lacks folding hinges, but otherwise performance is quite similar. If you're not desperate for the folding mechanism, then it's definitely a good idea to save some cash and go with the Sony WH-1000XM5 over the newer model.

• Xbox seems to be using dynamic pricing to tempt back some lapsed Game Pass subscribers
• A photo showing a surprise 30% discount was posted to Reddit by a US user
• The promotion is not visible to others

Are you suddenly being offered an Xbox Game Pass subscription at a lower price than standard? According to Reddit, some users are being shown discounts of up to 30% for 12 months, and there are a few theories as to why.

In a photo uploaded to the platform, one user shared the subscription screen featuring an unusual promotion — an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription for just $16.09 a month (down from the usual $22.99 monthly fee).

The screen states that the discount will last for an entire year unless the user chooses to cancel their membership early. "Been looking for an annual subscription for years," the poster wrote. "$16.09 a month for one year Ultimate. I'll take it."

Interestingly, not everyone is being shown the same discount, and if you head to the Xbox website right now, chances are you'll see the standard $22.99 rate.

This would suggest that the promotion is being dynamically awarded to accounts that fulfil certain criteria, and many commenters were keen to share their theories.

"If you log in to a secondary account on your Xbox, one that doesn't pay for Game Pass, then you will see an offer like this," posed one. "My offer was $18 something for 12 months, so I'm guessing they're doing some kind of dynamic pricing BS."

"I am on and off Game Pass a lot," the original poster went on to explain in the comments, suggesting that this promotion is being used to bring back lapsed subscribers.

"You won’t see any kind of reduced monthly offer while subbed," someone else added in a different comment thread.

Xbox Game Pass has had a tumultuous time recently, with its price only recently reduced following a string of hikes. According to analysts, the decision to briefly add day-one Call of Duty games to the service was expensive, but 'did not lead to a significant increase in Xbox console sales or even subscriptions.'

We'll likely see more efforts like this to boost subscriber numbers in the future.

• The Legend of Zelda Movie's full title has been revealed
• It was announced during September 2026's Zelda-dedicated Nintendo Direct
• Its name ends a long-standing tradition for the iconic videogame franchise

The Legend of Zelda Movie's official title has been revealed — and it breaks a long-standing tradition for the incredibly popular Nintendo video game series.

Announced today (September 8) during the September 2026 Nintendo Direct, the forthcoming film's full name is — drumroll, please — The Legend of Zelda.

One name to (Hy)rule them all... (Image credit: Nintendo)

Okay, so Nintendo and film studio partner Sony Pictures won't be winning any creativity awards for that name. That said, it's a clean, subtitle-less name that's not only fitting for the game franchise's forthcoming big-screen debut, but also an homage to the series' first-ever entry — that being, the identically-titled 1986 game The Legend of Zelda.

The movie adaptation's title is even more appropriate when you consider that the beloved game series is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, too. The aforementioned game is the only one that doesn't have a subheading, either, so it makes sense why Nintendo would want to honor one of its longest-running series by giving it the same name as the game that started it all.

As much as I was hoping for an actual teaser and/or more official cast reveals — right now, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth's Link and Bo Bragason's Zelda are the only characters confirmed to appear — I might not have to wait too long for those wishes to be granted.

Indeed, speaking during today's dedicated Legend of Zelda Direct, Nintendo President Shigeru Miyamoto said "We'll share more details at a later date". Hopefully, there'll be another Nintendo Direct before the end of 2026 that lifts the lid on its cast and plot, and finally gives us some footage to pore over.

Bo Bragason will play the titular Hyrulian princess in next year's Legend of Zelda flick (Image credit: Nintendo/Sony Pictures)

It's been a while since Nintendo revealed anything new about this flick. Apart from Ainsworth and Bragason's casting in May 2025, the release of The Legend of Zelda Movie's first official images last September, and confirmation of The Legend of Zelda Movie's revised release date in May, the Japanese video game titan has been tight-lipped on its next film offering for some time.

That's not to say there haven't been leaks. Just last month, reports emerged that The Legend of Zelda Movie had found its Ganondorf and Impa, with the former being played by an unlikely choice. Meanwhile, the late Sam Neill is also seemingly set for one final big-screen outing — the Jurassic Park star and Yvonne Strahovski being linked with supporting roles in one of 2027's most anticipated new movies. Let's hope Nintendo has the courage and wisdom to tell us more shortly.

The Legend of Zelda Movie will launch in theaters worldwide on April 30, 2027. In the meantime, find out everything else we know so far about The Legend of Zelda Movie.

Being a devoted Gemini user seems to require a peculiar combination of loyalty, patience, and an unusually high tolerance for the word Flash.

That patience is being tested again. Anthropic released Claude Fable 5.1 last week, bringing significant improvements to its model lineup. OpenAI followed with GPT-6 Astra, its new frontier model designed to operate software, tackle complicated multi-step jobs, and work with considerably less human supervision.

Over in the Gemini community, meanwhile, some users are staring at their model picker and wondering when Google is going to join the party. The increasingly nervous focus is Gemini 4 Pro, the presumed next major frontier model from Google, and whether the company will actually release it at all.

Google has not announced that Gemini 4 Pro has been canceled, and the increasingly elaborate theories circulating on Reddit should be treated as exactly that: theories. Still, the mood is revealing. One r/Bard post jokes that Astra's arrival means Gemini 4 Pro will now be canceled while everyone waits for Gemini 4.5 Pro instead, and the thread title predicts Google will decide 4 Pro is no longer competitive enough and return to releasing Flash models.

Awaiting the new Gemini

(Image credit: Shutterstock/mundissima)

"I also want to feel the frontier," one Reddit thread begins, with plenty of sympathetic agreement from others. "Google doesn't have enough talent anymore, and most of its compute is reserved for Apple Intelligence and Google Search AI Mode," one user posted in response.

The frustration makes more sense when you look at what Gemini users can see happening elsewhere.

Anthropic calls Fable 5.1 one of its most advanced models for coding and knowledge work, with improvements aimed at long-running tasks and research. The model has a one-million-token context window and 128,000-token maximum output, while Anthropic has also made cache reads dramatically cheaper.

Then there is Astra. OpenAI describes GPT-6 Astra as its most intelligent model yet, with an emphasis on computer use, coding, and completing complex work across multiple steps. The important part for ordinary enthusiasts is that OpenAI says Astra is rolling into ChatGPT, including access through Plus in Work and Codex as rollout progresses.

Gemini users want their turn.

Another Reddit thread is literally titled “I envy them too,” but most of the comments there are pushing back against the idea that Gemini's current model is useless. "Just keep all three subs, best way to play," one post argues.

Still, that misses something about why people become attached to these platforms. Gemini comes with Google's wider ecosystem, Android integration, and tools such as NotebookLM. As one Reddit commenter put it when told to subscribe elsewhere, “Gemini is cooler, has more tools, NotebookLM, it's better integrated in Android, etc.” Switching models is easy. Switching ecosystems is less so.

Gemini Flash again?

There's a running joke is that Google will respond to all this impatience by releasing another Flash model. Google has continued iterating rapidly on its faster Gemini models, and the current Reddit discussion is full of references to Gemini 3.7 Flash and 3.8 Flash.

In the thread speculating about Gemini 4 Pro's fate, one commenter imagines Google announcing, “We have started our most ambitious pre-training run yet, for Gemini 4.5,” while another delivers the punchline: “Here's another few Flash models.” A less amused commenter writes that DeepMind has “lost the initiative” and its famous confidence.

This is not really a fight over whether Gemini 3.8 Flash is good. Some users think it is excellent. Multiple commenters argued that Gemini remains highly competitive on price and performance and wins when it comes to coding.

The feat is that, after years of seeming to have an AI advantage, Google has squandered it. When Gemini looks like it is following OpenAI and Anthropic rather than forcing them to respond, its most enthusiastic users notice.

Of course, whether Google even wants the same victory its Reddit fans want is debatable. A cheaper, faster model embedded across Search, Android, Workspace and countless other services could ultimately be much more valuable than topping a frontier benchmark for a few months. For Google shareholders, that could be wonderfully sensible. For the person refreshing the Gemini model picker while Claude and ChatGPT users play with their new frontier models, it is rather less exciting.

• 3,000 Swiss government devices will use open source software instead of Microsoft 365
• 172 workers already tested Germany's openDesk software in an earlier proof-of-concept
• The next stage should be complete by the end of 2027, at the cost of $11.1 million

Switzerland's federal government has launched a pilot program to explore the feasibility of ditching Microsoft 365 in favour of open source alternatives, and it's starting with 3,000 machines of the government's estimated 54,000 total computers.

The government is looking to move around 7% of its machines away from M365 by the end of 2027, the chancellery confirmed, but it's not the first time the Swiss government has explored open-source alternatives.

An earlier proof-of-concept, the details of which have just been released, demonstrate 172 federal employees testing German-made openDesk for document processing and emailing.

Switzerland is progressing with its open-source plans

Crucially, the government doesn't look to be removing M365 outright from all 3,000 machines, but rather, workers will be given openDesk to run in parallel in order to avoid any disruptions.

Central to the migration isn't necessarily an anti-Microsoft initiative, but rather a pro-digital sovereignty push. Switzerland wants critical government operations to be less dependent on foreign tech companies, especially US tech giants given ongoing geopolitical tensions.

US cloud legislation potentially allows American authorities to gain access to Swiss government information, and with Microsoft being an American firm, its 365 platform is naturally under assessment.

More broadly, Switzerland isn't the only country to be walking away from Microsoft and other US tech vendors in favor of local, open source alternatives. France and Germany have also introduced similar schemes.

Microsoft is already working on a solution to pacify Swiss sovereignty requirements - in 2025, it announced a $400 million investment in Switzerland to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure, with a major focus on government, finance and healthcare customers.

The ongoing project covering 3,000 devices is expected to cost $11.1 million, per the chancellery, with funding coming from pro-sovereignty initiatives.

The game seems geared more toward melee action than 3D zero-G combat — think less Armored Core and more Dynasty Warriors or Virtual On.

• Sony unveils the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G lens
• It's the company's first fisheye lens, covering a 180-degree field of view
• It costs $1,600 / £1,500 / AU$2,299

Sony has unveiled its first-ever fisheye lens, the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G, which becomes the widest-angle lens in the company's burgeoning lens range — and I've had my hands on it ahead of the announcement.

I'll admit, it caught me off guard to realize that Sony didn't have a fisheye lens for its mirrorless cameras until now — after all, there are a huge number of Sony lenses already available — but the 8-14mm will no doubt appeal to fans of the distorted, ultra-wide perspective.

Popular for astrophotography, urban landscapes, sports such as skateboarding, and hiphop music videos, fisheye lenses are the widest-angle lenses available, and now there's finally one available with the Sony name on it.

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

The compact optic is designed for full-frame cameras, and has a maximum f/3.5 aperture across its 8-14mm zoom range. It certainly feels the part; it's dust and moisture resistant, includes a zoom lock, clicked / de-clicked aperture ring, focus switch, and a rear filter holder (which is handy, as the lens doesn't accepted threaded filters because of the bulbous front lens element).

Zoom and focusing are internal, which usefully means that the lens barrel doesn't extend when zooming, while close focusing is just 0.15m, with a 0.22x maximum magnification — you'll often want to make the most of the minimum focus distance to emphasize subjects in the frame.

At its widest 8mm focal length the lens covers a full 180-degree field of view, meaning that much of the built-in lens hood is in the frame — these files need processing to remove the pronounced vignetting. Zoom in to 14mm, however, and the hood is out of the shot completely.

Future / Tim ColemanFuture / Tim ColemanFuture / Tim ColemanFuture / Tim ColemanFuture / Tim ColemanFuture / Tim ColemanFuture / Tim Coleman

I've never really got on with fisheye lenses — the ultra-wide and distorted perspective isn't one I particularly like or feel that I can utilize — whereas I prefer ultra-wide rectilinear lenses (which correct that distortion for straight lines).

However, I'm challenging myself and giving Sony's first fisheye lens a proper go. It's early days in my testing of the the FE 8-14mm F3.5 G lens, and I look forward to sharing my review soon.

The lens is part of Sony's 'G' range of enthusiast-level lenses, and is priced at $1,600 / £1,500 / AU$2,299.

(Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

• Spider-Noir was canceled after one season at Prime Video
• Nicolas Cage has had his say on the series' end, speaking exclusively to Deadline
• Despite the cancelation, Spider-Noir recently won five Creative Arts Emmys

Nobody likes a cancelation. Whether it's a flight or your favorite TV series, it never seems to get any easier. Prime Video's recent decision to cancel its new series Spider-Noir left many fans devastated, including me.

There are lots of comic book adaptations out there, and for me, Spider-Noir did more than enough to stand out from the crowd. Nicolas Cage brought his Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse character to life brilliantly, so it's a shame we won't see any more.

Having said that, Cage himself has been optimistic about the show's cancelation in a new statement received by Deadline. In it, he said: “For me, one season is perfect, having said what I wanted to say with this dangerous, innovative, pop-art Spider-Man. Onwards, upwards, inwards.”

Perhaps it's true and it's possible to have too much of a good thing. Season one is indeed excellent, and since it earned a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score and secured five Creative Arts Emmys, including stunt coordination and title design, it's undeniably one of the best Prime Video shows.

Nic Cage plays The Spider in Spider-Noir. (Image credit: Amazon)

Across eight episodes, Spider-Noir centered around Cage's Ben Reilly aka 'The Spider', an older version of Spider-Man who is a down on his luck private investigator. Filmed like a classic 1930s detective movie, it focused on themes like grief, systemic corruption, and aging disillusionment.

Additionally, Spider-Noir invited viewers to watch in two ways whether it was 'authentic black and white' or 'true-hue full color'. As someone who loved Rockstar's LA Noire, this was fun to experience on one of the best streaming services too.

Even though Spider-Noir won't be returning, it's a solid entry into the Marvel franchise. Elsewhere, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is expected to be streaming on Disney+ soon, so I'm looking forward to watching that at home.

• Half of UK CIOs say they're being held accountable for AI agent mistakes
• Bigger organizations, governments and public sector blame their CIOs more
• Tech leaders are also being asked to consider digital sovereignty while navigating vendor lock-in

New research has found half of UK CIOs say they're personally accountable when an AI agent makes a mistake - even though they may be little more than a figurehead for an entire department.

Interestingly, the bigger the company, the more personal accountability a CIO may have, despite likely having more workers and managers within the team, the report from 8x8 found.

Among companies with 50-99 workers, 45% of CIOs noted personal accountability for AI agent errors, but this grew to 62% among companies with 500+ employees.

CIOs say they're being held accountable for AI agent errors

Government and public administration organizations were found to put the biggest pressure on CIOs, with the figure sitting at 86%.

But more broadly than just facing the blame, CIOs are also struggling with data sovereignty. Two in five (39%) say the location of AI infrastructure has now become the primary factor behind which platforms they use, with questions about where data is stored and processed appearing both at the beginning of the procurement process but also at broad level.

"Sovereignty is the opening question in almost every conversation we're having with customers here," EMEA MD Jamie Snaddon wrote.

Nearly all (91%) UK technology leaders agree digital sovereignty has become a higher priority this year, with vendor lock-in, cost and complexity also influencing decisions.

With all of this added pressure, plus personal accountability, stacking up against the role of the CIO, the job is becoming riskier and less desirable overall. 8x8's research suggests that, with this current approach at least, CIOs may be more cautious adopting AI and could even be less willing to take on the job in the first place.

• Dacia says the thoroughly revised Spring will go on sale next year
• It will be based on the same platform as Renault’s Twingo
• More power, greater range and improved in-car tech all promised

Earlier this year, Chinese EV manufacturer Leapmotor upset the applecart when it dropped the price of its T03 electric city car down to just £12,995, making it officially the cheapest electric car in the UK.

Dacia, the long-time holder of that title, quickly responded and slashed the price of the current-generation Spring to just £11,990 in its cheapest version.

Now, the company says an all-new model is on the horizon, which promises 155 miles of range on the WLTP cycle (up from 140 miles) thanks to a larger 27.5kWh LFP battery, an extra 10 horsepower from the single electric motor and faster charging via 50kW DC outlets.

Perhaps more importantly, the upcoming Spring rides on an all-new platform, shared with the Renault Twingo and forthcoming Nissan Wave EV, which means the body is longer and considerably wider than the outgoing model.

This offers up more interior space for passengers — something the current Spring isn’t particularly good at — as well as an additional 29 liters of space in the trunk, increasing the maximum cargo space by 279 liters to 1,283 liters overall.

Alas, Renault’s RG-EV Small platform and the larger battery mean the new Spring will be considerably heavier, although Dacia says improved efficiencies in both the battery and motor ensure it offers more usable range than the vehicle it will replace.

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Alongside a generally elevated cabin, complete with more premium fabrics and trims, technology has taken a sizeable leap forward, too.

Every new Spring will get a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, while more expensive Journey models gain Dacia’s Media Nav Live system, built around a much larger 10.1-inch touchscreen.

It brings wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, connected navigation with real-time traffic and continuously updated European maps, plus connected services that let owners schedule charging and pre-condition the cabin remotely.

There’s also a vehicle-locating function and an app store, although it hasn't been confirmed whether the system will run on the Android Automotive platform like some of its Renault siblings.

Dacia has also added some useful EV-specific tech. The optional Charge Pack brings an 11kW AC charger and 50kW DC rapid charging, while Vehicle-to-Load capability allows the Spring to supply power to external electrical devices.

Analysis: More adventurous, but more expensive

(Image credit: Dacia)

Dacia has been working hard over the years to position itself as the adventurous brand within the Renault Group, all while pushing its value-for-money messaging.

As a result, the new Spring looks decidedly more capable, with a more commanding road presence and protective cladding making it generally seem more robust than the current generation.

The Renault Twingo EV, which shares most of its structural components with the upcoming Dacia model, is yet to receive its official Euro NCAP safety rating, but we would bet good money it will be a good deal safer than the one-star rating the 2021 Dacia Spring received.

However, there is a big question mark hanging over the price. Dacia has revealed that the new Spring will cost less than £18,000 when it arrives in showrooms next year, although the UK government’s Electric Car Grant scheme could bring that down to around £14,000.

But even with subsidies, it looks like the upcoming Spring will no longer be the UK’s cheapest electric vehicle, leaving Leapmotor to take back the crown.

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