Technology

A new subscription tier, Comet Plus, is available for Perplexity Pro and Max customers.

The next expansion for the digital card game introduces rare monsters from classic 1999 games Pokemon Gold, Silver and Crystal.

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 26, No. 337.

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Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 26, #807.

Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for Aug. 26, No. 1,529.

The first models will reportedly be black and white, with five cameras and less of a visible crease.

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If Huda felt like she'd been ganged-up on in the villa, as she's stated in interviews, at the very least Love Island was good preparation for the reunion. Olandria understandably wants answers, but the trailer (embedded below) teases what appears to be something of a pile-on.

You can watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion online from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.

Premiere: 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Monday, August 25 (US, CA)

WATCH FREE: CTV (CA)

Stream: Peacock (US) | Crave (CA)

Use Nord VPN to watch any stream

On-hand to stir the pot are Andy Cohen and Ariana Madix, experts at feigning concern while picking gleefully at fresh wounds. One of the big topics of conversation is a cheating scandal involving one half of Love Island season 7's winning couple.

Bryan describes his indiscretion as "a lapse in judgement", though he and Amaya still appear to be together. On-hand to witness said lapse was Chris, although to be fair to him he may have been too busy tallying up Huda's faults to notice. There are also tears from Hannah and a spot of verbal jousting between Ace, kitted out impeccably in a three-piece suit, and Jeremiah, who's on the back-foot from the start because he looks as if he got dressed in the dark by a paramedic.

The pièce de résistance, however, appears to be the screening of a previously unseen, extended version of the heartrate challenge, which was what brought the beef between Chelley and Huda to a head originally.

Read on as we explain how to watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion free from anywhere.

Can I watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion for free?

Yes. Canadians can stream the Love Island USA season 7 reunion for FREE on catch-up for a limited time via the CTV website and app.

We also expect the entire series to hit free-to-air 9Now and ITVX in Australia and the UK very soon.

Unblock any stream with a VPN

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the Love Island USA season 7 reunion on your usual subscription?

You can still watch it thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business wanting to watch their usual services. We recommend NordVPN (try it now risk-free).

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How to watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in the US

The Love Island USA season 7 reunion is exclusive to Peacock in the US. It premieres at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Monday, August 25.

The Peacock price starts at $7.99 a month or $79.99 per year.

Not in the US? Anyone from the US who wants to watch their usual streaming service from abroad can do so by using a VPN.

How to watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in Canada

The Love Island USA season 7 reunion airs on both Crave and CTV in Canada, at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Monday, August 25.

It will be available to stream for FREE for a limited time after broadcast via the CTV website and app.

Alternatively, Crave plans start from CA$9.99 a month (plus tax). Crave offers classic HBO series, on-demand movies, Crave originals and Showtime content.

Outside of Canada? Use a VPN to gain access to all the content you'd normally stream at home.

Can you watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in the UK?

Love Island USA is typically shown on free-to-air ITV in the UK, though at the time of publication there's been no word on season 7. When it arrives, it will be available to stream for free on the ITVX streaming service.

In the meantime, if you're traveling across the pond from the US or Canada, a VPN will help you tune in. Nord VPN is our recommended provider.

Can you watch the Love Island USA season 7 reunion in Australia?

Aussies can watch Love Island USA on free-to-air Channel 9, though at the time of writing plans for season 7 are still under wraps. When it starts airing, it will be available to stream for free on the 9Now streaming service.

For now, if you're an American or a Canadian traveling Down Under, a VPN will help you tune in. Nord VPN is our recommended provider.

Love Island USA season 7 reunion trailer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The gluten-free pastas take mere minutes to prepare. Around $5.50 per serving, they cost less than it would to make from scratch.

Revamp your home security system with these reliable security cams, tested by CNET experts.

• Finchetto develops photonic packet switch eliminating electronic control bottlenecks
• Dual-wavelength innovation enables optical routing without electronic memory slowdown
• Future-proof passive optics promise scalability beyond terabit network generations

Photonics chip startup Finchetto is working on an optical packet switch which could help hyperscale networks scale into the AGI era. The design could potentially switch data up to 1000 times faster, while using less power and remaining scalable for future network speeds.

At a basic level, a digital packet switch receives data on one port, reads the header stored in memory, and forwards the packet out through the right port. That is straightforward in electronics, but not in photonics.

The problem with an optical packet switch is that light cannot be stored. A light beam carrying a data packet cannot be paused while its header is read, so conventional designs revert to slower electronic processing.

Future-proof

Finchetto’s co-founder, Mike Pearcey, realized that the data and header could instead be transmitted on two separate wavelengths simultaneously.

One carries the payload, the other the destination, allowing the switch to route packets optically.

Finchetto CEO Mark Rushworth told Blocks & Files: "We’ve eliminated the electrical control signal, the rate limiter on how granular you can get your switching in the circuit switches. We’re talking tens of microseconds, reconfiguration time, others are looking at less than a microsecond reconfiguration time, but that’s not fast enough to do a hundred gig network even, which is fairly low small fry these days. By eliminating that electronic control signal that says; switch this way, switch that way; that’s taking tens of microseconds or hundreds of nanoseconds and replacing it with light controlling lights, we’ve reduced that switching time to low nanoseconds."

He added that the processing part of the switch “is actually taking those two parallel wavelengths and it is transposing the data onto the addressed wavelength. So only one wavelength comes out … on the destination wavelength, and then you have demultiplexer would send them out. Then you can physically get the data to the correct destination based on what wavelength it is on.”

Rushworth also stressed, “The packet remains integral as an Ethernet or Infiniband packet. Whatever protocol you’re using stays so that it can be understood at each end without any issues. We keep the same protocol that the system has.”

He argued the all-optical design is inherently future-proof: “At the moment, cutting edge is 800 gigabits per second. They’re pushing on 1.6 terabyte per second. In two, three years it’ll be 3.4 and so on. But because the switch is passive optics, it doesn’t matter what speed the signal comes in, because whatever the speed, we’ll pass it through.”

Finchetto is still in the early stages, with hurdles ahead including flow control in a bufferless optical system and completing the firmware, software, and management layers needed for a full network solution.

If successful, the company expects to have a lab-ready product within 12–18 months.

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• European firms are deeply locked into foreign office suites and systems
• American platforms manage the communication backbones of Europe’s largest corporations
• Reliance on external providers exposes utilities and healthcare to foreign oversight

For years, European governments and corporations leaned heavily on American technology offerings instead of nurturing local alternatives.

That choice now carries visible consequences, as sanctions and shifting trade rules brought in by the Trump administration drastically reshape the balance of power.

A recent analysis of business email domains across Europe by Proton shows a striking majority of publicly listed firms rely on American providers such as Google and Microsoft.

Data reveals the depth of reliance

Behind the rhetoric of digital sovereignty, the reality is that much of Europe’s digital infrastructure rests on technology stacks that entities outside its borders control. This is not just about convenience software but also about essential systems that underpin finance, healthcare, and utilities.

Email may appear mundane, but it often serves as the gateway to office software, online collaboration platforms, and cloud-based storage.

When a company commits to a provider for email, it usually adopts the full suite, embedding foreign technology deep into its operations.

This trend is not limited to smaller economies but also includes the continent’s largest players, where dependence cuts across industries from energy and telecommunications to pharmaceuticals.

In countries like Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, over 90% of publicly listed companies rely on American services for email and related infrastructure.

However, the shocker is probably Ireland, which is at loggerheads with the US on several policies, but 93% of its businesses depend on American tech.

The UK, although mostly an ally of the US, has an alarming 88% of businesses relying on US tech, while other European heavyweights like Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland recorded 74%, 72%, and 68% of businesses relying on US tech, respectively.

Even France, which often champions its own autonomy, sees two out of three (66%) companies tied to US providers.

Eastern European countries like Bulgaria (16%) and Romania (39%) are the least dependent on American tech, and Russia is not even on the list of nations dependent on the US.

National security concerns emerge when utilities, transport systems, and healthcare facilities communicate through networks governed by foreign jurisdictions, but perhaps not when the network belongs to the US.

The reliance stretches far beyond convenience; it embeds itself in the very systems Europeans use every day - dependence on foreign technology does not just present a financial vulnerability; it raises questions about surveillance, geopolitical leverage, and the future of innovation.

AI training programs outside Europe’s control can sweep in sensitive business data, while reliance on external platforms exposes companies to warrantless legal demands.

This arrangement has also fostered a talent and capital drain, as engineers and investors direct their focus toward Silicon Valley rather than strengthening European ecosystems, whether through proprietary services or alternative Linux distros.

Some argue that American technology simply offers the best tools available, which may be true in terms of efficiency and global reach, yet the consequences of reliance are increasingly hard to ignore, since the US can turn off the switch at any time, and thousands of companies will be in crisis.

The fact that so many European firms cannot operate without American software demonstrates the fragile nature of Europe’s autonomy.

Rather than securing independence, Europe risks locking itself further into external dependencies at a moment when political winds in Washington are shifting.

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• Asus released new laptops with a 5-year BIOS update warranty and 1-year McAfee+ premium subs

While industry analysts are predicting Apple will release new AirPods Pro 3 this fall, they're also saying the second-gen AirPods Max won't be arriving anytime soon.

• Adjustable channels for 3D immersive audio
• Hi-res audio via TIDAL Connect and Google Cast
• New dialog enhancement mode

Sennheiser's flagship soundbar, the Ambeo Max, is getting a major firmware update called AMBEO OS2 that should deliver a serious audio upgrade to what's already a very impressive soundbar.

This is the most important upgrade since the Sennheiser Ambeo Max launched back in 2019, and it keeps the soundbar current with more recent high-end examples of the best soundbars from the likes of Sony and KEF.

There are three key components to the upgrade. There's customizable 3D audio; extended hi-res lossless audio performance; and a voice enhancement mode to deliver better vocal clarity in movies, TV shows and sports.

(Image credit: Sennheiser)Sennheiser Ambeo OS2: what's new and how to get it

OS2 delivers adjustable volume levels for the side, top and center channel speaker virtualization, enabling you to tweak the 3D audio to suit your room and your own personal preference.

The existing Dolby Atmos Music on TIDAL has been supplemented with support for audio up to 24-bit/192kHz via TIDAL Connect. And you can now stream at up to 24-bit/96kHz via Google Cast for Audio.

Last but not least, there's a new Voice Enhancement Mode that Sennheiser says "ensures dialog remains clear and intelligible even when sound effects or music dominate the mix". I wonder how that'll cope with Christopher Nolan's Interstellar.

Ambeo Max owners can get the new upgrade in two ways: via the Smart Control app on iOS or Android, or by downloading it to a USB drive from sennheiser-hearing.com.

This is obviously good news for Ambeo Max owners. But I think it's worth noting for prospective Sennheiser soundbar purchasers too, since a company delivering an update this significant after five and a bit years is a pretty impressive commitment to its customers.

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Joe Gebbia, who also did work for Elon Musk's DOGE project, says he wants government services "to be as satisfying to use as the Apple Store."

• Google released a study outlining how much energy and water its AI uses
• Experts say the figures lack important context
• Google insists these figures represent the average user experience

A new study from Google claims its Gemini AI model only uses very minimal water and energy for each prompt - with the median usage sitting at around 5 drops (0.26 milliliters) - the equivalent electricity used for 9 seconds of TV watching (roughly 0.24 watt-hours), resulting in around 0.003 grams of CO2 emissions.

Experts have been quick to dispute the claims, however, with The Verge claiming Google omitted key data points in its study, drastically under-reporting the environmental impacts of the model.

Whilst models and data centers have become more efficient, it seems there’s more to the story than Google is letting on.

The tip of the iceberg

One of the authors of a paper cited in the study, Shaolei Ren, associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of California told the publication; “They’re just hiding the critical information. This really spreads the wrong message to the world.”

AI models like Gemini are supported by data centers - huge warehouses full of servers which consume intense amounts of water and energy, straining local resources.

Governments across the globe have been sanctioning the building of these data centers, despite the destruction they could bring to local countryside - and consumers are likely to be the ones paying for the extra energy used.

One of the biggest concerns with Google's study is that it omits indirect water usage in the estimates, which form the majority of the use related to AI. Whilst the figures are technically correct, the missing context of the extreme energy use paints a misleading picture.

The study only looks at the water used by data centers to cool their servers, but left out is the electricity these data centers demand, which in turn leads to new gas and nuclear plants - which also cool their systems with water, or use steam to turn turbines.

Water isn’t the only metric Google misrepresented though, with the paper only outlining a ‘market based’ carbon emissions measure, which offsets the figure using Google’s promises to use renewable energy to support power grids. Savannah Goodman, Head of Advanced Energy Labs told TechRadar Pro,

"We hope to share environmental metrics that are representative of a typical user's behavior, and reasonably comparable over time. However, with the rapidly evolving landscape of AI model architectures and AI assistant user behavior, there are outliers either from small subsets of prompts served by models with low utilization or with high token counts."

"In order to share metrics that represent a typical user’s experience and are robust to this rapidly evolving field, we chose to measure metrics for the median prompt — which is robust to extreme values and provides a more accurate reflection of a typical prompt's energy impact."

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If you’re buying a flashy new pair of over-ear headphones, what are you looking for? Amazing sound quality, top-tier noise cancellation, and high levels of comfort are surely all crucial. But something I’m also keen to assess here at TechRadar is looks – how clean do a pair of headphones appear on the ear? What sets them apart from competitors?

Yep, if like me, you wear over-ear headphones all the time, even when taking public transport and out and about, I’m sure you’ll want them to look as good as they sound. So, I’ve compiled a list of 5 headphones that I and the wider TechRadar team have tested, all of which really are stunners.

And although this isn’t a list of the best headphones overall, I’ve made sure that each model listed supplies a strong audio performance, comes with a nice array of features, and feels pleasant in use. Interested? Then let’s get into the list.

1. The budget beauty: 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51

(Image credit: Future)

The 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 are our pick for the best budget cans that money can buy, and their aesthetic plays a significant part in that.

Like a lot of 1More cans, they have an extremely sleek curved on-ear look, giving them a sharp, well-defined appearance. They combine that with an attractive matte black finish, red detailing on the ports and earcups, and a slim headband. Bring that all together, and you’re looking at a really attractive pair of over-ears.

They also offer surprisingly effective ANC, a highly customizable sound, and outrageously long battery life – 65 hours with ANC on and 100 hours with it off! All of that for less than $100 / £100? Oh, go on then.

Read our full 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 review.

Not really your thing? Then how about the awesome value Sony WH-CH720N, which appear higher in quality than their low price may suggest.

2. The magnificent mid-ranger: Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless

(Image credit: TechRadar)Check this out

(Image credit: Future)

Want to know what tracks I use to test headphones here at TechRadar? These are the 7 failsafe tracks I use when reviewing audio gear

Right, a quick disclaimer, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless are mid-rangers in my book for UK buyers – they’re regularly available for well under £200. In the US, they’re a fair bit pricier, but these are simply too suave for me to omit from the list.

These five star-rated headphones combine large oval-shaped earcups, a unique fabric headband, and a far smoother appearance than their predecessors, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. I specifically really like the variant that has copper-colored detailing around the outside of the earcups as well as the Sennheiser logo – it really makes this model pop.

Of course, you know that’s not all. They’ve got a pleasantly neutral, crisp sound signature, awesome battery life, and better noise cancelling than you might expect. Talk about the full package.

Read our full Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review.

Want something a little different? Then how about the comfort kings that are the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro

3. The majestic mid-to-premium model: Marshall Monitor III ANC

(Image credit: Future)

Even though the Sony WH-1000XM6 are the pair of headphones I use daily, they’re not my favorite headphones you can buy looks-wise. That award would go to the Marshall Monitor III ANC, which are absolutely stunning, in my opinion.

They have a faux-leather exterior, visible wires to represent the brand’s rock ‘n’ roll roots, and gorgeous golden details. I see a lot of stylish people donning the Marshall Major IV on-ears, and I don’t mind those, but I prefer the slimmer form of the Monitor III’s.

My colleague at Future, Nikita, wears these cans everyday, so I wanted to get her opinion. She said: “There's a very good reason why Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong is the posterboy for these headphones, and that's because they make me look and feel like a rockstar. They look like a million bucks and I love how sleek and compact they are as well. Based on looks alone, the Monitor III’s are the best-looking headphones I've owned”.

Pretty high praise, right? But there’s more! I adore the red-velvet-lined carry case, immersive sound, and seemingly endless playtime these headphones offer. They’re a true standout option in today’s market, but for all the right reasons.

Read our full Marshall Monitor III ANC review.

They’re divisive, but if you want something truly eye-catching, the Nothing Headphone (1) is an S-tier option.

4. The pretty and premium pick: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

OK, we’re getting into expensive territory now, but with headphones like the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, you’re getting what you pay for. I could speak for hours on end about their spacey, hypnotic sound signature, but it's looks we’re talking about here, and these have them in abundance.

The earcups are slim and well built, there’s a satisfying feeling fabric headband, and stellar color options – there’s Anthracite Black, Canvas White, or Indigo Blue. If you want cans that indicate you value sound highly, these should be a go-to.

We love the audio quality, evolving feature-set, and enhanced ANC on the Px7 S3, so if you’ve got around $450 / £400 to spend, you can’t really do much better than this.

Read our full Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 review.

If you’re not sold on the Bowers, I also personally like the Sonos Ace – they’re amazing for movies, very solid for music, and super stylish.

5. The luxurious looker: Dali IO-8

(Image credit: Future / Simon Lucas)

At the time of writing, our guide to the best over-ear headphones places the Dali IO-8 in first place for design. Yes, we’ve described them as “the best over-ear headphones for ultra-luxe looks as well as sound”.

These cans have exceptional build quality, using brushed, anodised metal on the exterior, memory foam lining the inside of the earcups, and a tasty choice of ‘iron’ black or ‘caramel’ white finishes. Their perfectly circular earcups also have a minimal, yet premium look that’s timeless.

One issue some may take with the IO-8 is that there’s leather on them. There’s no vegan alternative either, unfortunately, but the aforementioned Marshall Monitor III ANC are a nice vegan-friendly alternative.

The Dali IO-8 aren’t only beautiful, they’re also able to offer positive, detailed audio, with support for the hi-res aptX Adaptive codec also on the menu. They appear to be somewhat elusive and highly expensive in the US, but UK buyers should be able to scoop these up for less than £500.

Read our full Dali IO-8 review.

Apple fans, if you don’t own them already, the Apple AirPods Max are a seriously sexy pair of cans; they’re my alternate option in this bracket, no questions asked.

So, those are my personal picks, but I’d love to hear from you. Do you have any of these headphones? What do you make of them? Or are there some other models that you really like the look of? Let me know in the comments.

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