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Today, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing virtually every industry, but its rapid adoption also comes with a significant challenge: energy consumption.

Data centers are racing to accommodate the surge in AI-driven demand and are consuming significant amounts of electricity to support High-Performance Computing, cloud computing services, and the many digital products and services we rely on every day.

Why are we seeing such a spike in energy use? One reason is heavy reliance on graphics processing unit (GPU) chips, which are much faster and more effective than processing tasks. More than just an advantage, this efficiency has now made GPUs the new standard for training and running AI models and workloads.

Yet it also comes at a high cost: soaring energy consumption. Each GPU now requires up to four times more electricity than a standard CPU, an exponential increase that is quickly – and dramatically – changing demands for energy in the data center.

For example, consider these recent findings:

The New York Times recently described how OpenAI hopes to build five new data centers that would consume more electricity than the three million households in Massachusetts.

According to the Center on Global Energy Policy, GPUs and their servers could make up as much as 27 percent of the planned new generation capacity for 2027 and 14 percent of total commercial energy needs that year.

A Forbes article predicted that Nvidia’s Blackwell chipset will boost power consumption even further – a 300% increase in power consumption across one generation of GPUs with AI systems increasing power consumption at a higher rate.

These findings raise important power-related questions: Is AI growth outpacing the ability of utilities to supply the required energy? Are there other energy options data centers should consider? And maybe most importantly, what will data center’s energy use look like in both the short- and long-term future?

Navigating Power Supply and Demand in the AI Era

Despite growing concerns, AI has not yet surpassed the grid’s capabilities. In fact, some advancements suggest that AI energy consumption could even decreases. Many AI companies expended vast amounts of processing power to train their initial models, but newer players like DeepSeek now claim that their systems operate far more efficiently, requiring less computing power and energy.

However, AI’s sudden rise is only one factor in a perfect storm of energy demands. For example, the larger electrification movement, which has introduced millions of electric vehicles to the grid, and the reshoring of manufacturing to the U.S., is also straining resources. AI adds another layer to this complex equation, raising urgent questions about whether existing utilities can keep pace with demand.

Data centers, as commercial real estate, are also subject to the age-old adage, “location, location, location.” Many power generation sites – especially those harnessing solar and wind – are located in rural places in the United States, but transmission bottlenecks make it difficult to move. That power to urban centers where demand is highest. Thus far, geodiversity and urban demand have not yet driven data centers to these remote areas.

This could soon change. Hyperscalers have already demonstrated their willingness and agility in building data centers in the Arctic Circle to take advantage of natural cooling to reduce energy use and costs. A similar shift may take hold in the U.S., with data center operators eyeing locations in New Mexico, rural Texas, Wyoming, and other rural markets to capitalize on similar benefits.

Exploring Alternative Energy Solutions

As strain on the grid intensifies, alternative energy solutions are gaining traction as a means of ensuring a stable and sustainable power supply.

One promising development is the evolution of battery technology. Aluminum-ion batteries, for example, offer several advantages over lithium-based alternatives. Aluminum is more abundant, sourced from conflict-free regions, and free from the geopolitical challenges associated with lithium and cobalt mining. These batteries also boast a solid-state design, reducing flammability risks, and their higher energy density enables more efficient storage, which helps smooth out fluctuations in energy supply and demand – often visualized as the daily “duck curve.”

Nuclear energy is also re-emerging as a viable solution for long-term, reliable power generation. Advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) offer a scalable, low-carbon alternative that can provide consistent energy without the intermittency of renewables.

However, while test sites are under development, SMRs have yet to begin generating power and may still be five or more years away from large-scale deployment. Public perception remains a key challenge, as strict regulations often require plants to be situated far from populated areas, and the long-term management of nuclear waste continues to be a concern.

Additionally, virtual power plants (VPPs) are revolutionizing the energy landscape by connecting and coordinating thousands of decentralized batteries to function as a unified power source. By optimizing the generation, storage, and distribution of renewable energy, VPPs enhance grid stability and efficiency. Unlike traditional power plants, VPPs do not rely on a single energy source or location, making them inherently more flexible and resilient.

Securing a Sustainable Power Future for AI and Data Centers

While it’s hard to predict what lies ahead for AI and how much more demand we’ll see, the pressure is on to secure reliable, sustainable power, now and into the future.

As the adoption of AI tools accelerates, data centers must proactively seek sustainable and resilient energy solutions. Embracing alternative power sources, modernizing grid infrastructure, and leveraging cutting-edge innovations will be critical in ensuring that the power needs of AI-driven industries can be met – now and in the years to come.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

For SaaS businesses eyeing a successful exit, particularly when engaging with sophisticated Private Equity (PE) and tech investors, the era of simply showcasing impressive top-line growth is over.

Today, data reigns supreme. It's the bedrock upon which compelling value stories are built, the lens through which operational efficiency and scalability are scrutinized, and ultimately, the key to unlocking those coveted higher valuation multiples.

A robust data strategy, coupled with the ability to extract meaningful insights, is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but a fundamental requirement for securing a lucrative exit in today’s competitive landscape.

What investors are looking for

So, what exactly are these discerning investors looking for in the data of a prospective SaaS acquisition? The foundation, without a doubt, remains the ARR bridge, or what can be referred to as the ‘revenue snowball’. This isn't just about presenting a static ARR figure; it’s about demonstrating how that recurring revenue has evolved over time. Investors will dissect this data from every angle – group-wide, segmented by product, customer cohort, and geography.

They want to see the trajectory, understand the drivers of growth and churn, and identify any potential vulnerabilities. Therefore, your ARR bridge needs to be more than just a spreadsheet; it needs to be a dynamic, drillable, and rigorously stress-tested tool that can withstand the intense scrutiny of due diligence.

Beyond the ARR bridge, several other key insights are paramount. Sales pipeline reporting provides a crucial forward-looking perspective. Investors want to see a healthy, well-managed pipeline with clearly defined stages, realistic conversion rates, and accurate forecasting. This demonstrates the predictability and sustainability of future revenue growth. Similarly, classic FP&A reports remain essential, offering a historical view of financial performance, profitability trends, and cost management.

However, some SaaS firms are now also looking to leverage product usage insights to a greater extent than ever before. Understanding how customers are interacting with the platform, identifying power users, and tracking feature adoption provides invaluable insights into customer stickiness, potential for upselling, and overall product value.

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, the role of data in shaping SaaS valuations will only intensify. We anticipate that the level of scrutiny and the expectation for data maturity and insightful analysis will continue to rise. Gone are the days of presenting high-level metric summaries; investors will increasingly demand granular insights and a clear understanding of the ‘why’ behind the numbers. When it comes to performance and trends; just saying profitability has grown by X% year on year is now not enough - it needs to be evidenced by granular data and solid analytics.

Investors want to know what’s working now and how your company can scale post-acquisition. By providing the context behind the metrics, it makes it easier to showcase opportunities for further growth, with potential investors being able to leverage these data “assets” to underpin their investment cases. With higher investor expectations, those who fail to do so risk undermining their valuation potential or, worse still, failing to secure the deal.

Furthermore, I believe that companies will need to start demonstrating how they are leveraging data to capitalize on the value that advanced analytics can bring. This could range from using AI-powered analytics to identify at-risk customers to employing machine learning to drive new business growth and customer expansion.

Even while there may be applications of AI tools in the SaaS space that aren’t necessarily tied to a firm’s data, most of these revenue-driving applications of advanced analytics and machine learning are only possible when the fundamentals are already firmly in place.

Building compelling value

So, how can SaaS firms proactively use data to build a compelling value story that resonates with potential acquirers? It boils down to not just making data a strategic priority but building the data policies, expertise and infrastructure you need into the fabric of your SaaS business.

Everything does not have to be in place from day one, rather you need to create a strategy that will enable you to ramp up to gathering all the critical data points you will need to answer every question an investor will ultimately ask. Doing this also lays the foundations to take advantage of the latest generative AI advances. As mentioned, AI applied to a shaky data foundation is unlikely to get you results, but applied to the right data foundations can transform the value of your business.

Luckily, the data points that PE firms and other potential investors now really value are the same insights that will make a fundamental improvement to how effectively you make decisions as your SaaS startup scales. The important thing to remember with any data project is to start with the questions you want to answer. This means understanding modern investors. Ask yourself, what metrics, beyond simple revenue figures, will tell the story of your company’s success and potential?

Aside from the core metrics already mentioned, it could be there are further opportunities to demonstrate differentiation. It could be the diversity of your customer base - both geographically and by sector. It could be that the cost of serving an additional customer and the automation of key processes can provide compelling evidence of scalability.

When you have a clear picture of where your real strength and USP exists, the next step is to develop the data collection, management and analysis systems and policies that will prove what you know to investors.

Further down the line

Further down the line it’s likely that there will also be a strong business case for investment in upskilling and retraining staff across the board

This should include everyone, including all senior teams. Even today, it still surprises me how few founders and business owners can understand and interpret their core business data, instead relying on a handful of experts. After all, it’s impossible to know what you don’t know – and a second-hand account of somebody else’s understanding, no matter how advanced it may be, could never substitute for your own personal analysis.

By building up your own expertise now, you and your senior team will be best positioned to demonstrate a compelling equity narrative that results in the highest possible valuation at the point of exit.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Enterprises find themselves at a pivotal moment in communication technology, facing a difficult decision: embrace modern technology or protect their investments in existing systems. This has created a divide between all-new cloud solutions and approaches that work with the infrastructure organizations already have in place. Avaya's new Infinity platform solves this dilemma by offering a way to do both.

Bridging Technological Divides

The enterprise communication technology landscape has fragmented into distinct camps. On one side stand cloud-native solutions promising flexibility and innovation but requiring complete system replacement. On the other hand, traditional vendors offer incremental improvements to on-premise systems without fundamentally reimagining their architecture.

Our approach with Avaya Infinity platform targets the substantial middle ground with a hybrid solution for enterprises seeking modernization without abandoning functional infrastructure investments. This hybrid model acknowledges a fundamental reality: most large organizations operate complex technology ecosystems built over decades, making complete replacements impractical regardless of the benefits.

Differentiated Architecture

What differentiates Avaya Infinity platform is its architectural approach. It’s a secure platform that ensures compliance, deployment flexibility, and top-tier performance — a single code base across on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments. Rather than forcing customers into two distinct choices, Avaya Infinity platform offers:

• Modern, Secure, Ready-to-Use Architecture: The unified platform with a single code base delivers the flexibility, security, and control that large enterprises expect. This approach ensures data privacy, regulatory compliance, and unmatched scalability. The modular design enables organizations to activate specific capabilities without implementing the entire platform—essential for phased adoption strategies.
• Layered, Intelligent Orchestration: AI capabilities function as an enhancement layer across both cloud and on-premises components, end-to-end, allowing intelligence to flow throughout the platform regardless of where components physically reside. It unifies AI, native applications, and disparate systems, whether they’re from Avaya, our partners, or enterprises’ existing own infrastructures. This empowers enterprises with a seamless, single-source approach to business agility and desired outcomes.
• Data-Driven Customization: Enterprises can customize experiences for their customers, contact center agents, and employees by leveraging rich data insights. With intelligent engagement tools, this platform enables hyper personalization at every touchpoint, driving satisfaction and loyalty.

This architecture addresses the realities enterprises face in the contact center. The vast majority of organizations simply cannot afford operational disruption during technological transformation, yet they’re also unable to ignore competitive pressure to implement AI-powered experiences.

The Strategic Benefits

Avaya Infinity platform offers a hybrid solution that enables organizations to:

• Extend the value of existing investments while incrementally introducing new capabilities
• Deploy AI capabilities selectively based on specific business needs and readiness
• Scale cloud adoption at a pace aligned with organizational change capacity
• Maintain operational stability throughout transformation processes

For those managing customer experience strategies, this approach transforms the contact center into a connection center ─ connecting channels (voice and digital), connecting insights (data and behavior), connecting technologies (unifying AI, applications and disparate systems), and connecting workflows (delivering hyper personalized experiences). When customer interactions generate not just service outcomes but actionable intelligence, every conversation becomes a source of competitive advantage.

Balancing Innovation and Stability

The enterprise technology landscape has historically swung between innovation cycles and stability periods. Today's environment is unique in demanding both simultaneously—rapid innovation in customer experience alongside operational stability in core systems.

Avaya Infinity platform embraces this hybrid reality offer a compelling vision: transformation without operational upheaval. Its architecture is enabled by existing investments while enabling future capabilities, indicating that for most enterprises, technology evolution occurs on a continuum rather than through discrete revolutions.

The Path Forward

Avaya Infinity platform supports sustainable transformation strategies using on-premise investments while systematically introducing AI-powered innovations. It delivers what enterprises need today and expect tomorrow.

Watch this video to learn more about Avaya Infinity platform and contact an Avaya expert to request a demo here.

Google's unveiling of a new line of AI-fueled smart glasses built on the Android XR platform was only one of dozens of announcements at Google I/O this year. Even so, one facet in particular caught my eye as more important than it might have seemed to a casual viewer.

While the idea of wearing AI-powered lenses that can whisper directions into your ears while projecting your to-do list onto a mountain vista is exciting, it's how you'll look while you use them that grabbed my attention. Specifically, Google's partnership with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to design their new smart glasses.

The spectre of Google Glass and the shadow cast by the so-called Glassholes weraring them went unmentioned, but it's not hard to see the partnerships as part of a deliberate strategy to avoid repeating the mistakes made a decade ago. Wearing Google Glass might have said, “I’m wearing the future,” but it also hinted, “I might be filming you without your consent.” No one will think that Google didn't consider the fashion aspect of smart glasses this time. Meta’s Ray-Ban collaboration is based on a similar impulse.

If you want people to wear computers on their faces, you have to make them look good. Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are known for creating glasses that appeal to millennials and Gen Z, both in look and price.

"Warby Parker is an incredible brand, and they've been really innovative not only with the designs that they have but also with their consumer retail experience. So we're thrilled to be partnered with them," said Sameer Samat, president of Google’s Android Ecosystem, in an interview with Bloomberg. "I think between Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, they're going to be great designs. First and foremost, people want to wear these and feel proud to wear them."

Smart fashion

Wearables are not mini smartphones, and treating them that way has proven to be a mistake. Just because you want to scroll through AR-enhanced dog videos doesn't mean you don't want to look good simultaneously.

Plus, smart glasses may be the best way to integrate generative AI like Google Gemini into hardware. Compared to the struggles of the Humane AI Pin, the Rabbit R1, and the Plaud.ai NotePin, smart glasses feel like a much safer bet.

We already live in a world saturated with wearable tech. Smartwatches are ubiquitous, and wireless earbuds also have microphones and biometric sensors. Glasses occupy a lot of your face's real estate, though. They're a way people identify you far more than your watch. Augmented reality devices sitting on your nose need to be appealing, no matter which side of the lenses you look at.

Combine that with what the smart glasses offer wearers, and you have a much stronger product. They don't have to do everything, just enough to justify wearing them. The better they look, the less justification you need for the tech features.

Teaming up with two companies that actually understand design shows that Google understands that. Google isn’t pretending to be a fashion house. They’re outsourcing style strategies to people who know what they're doing. Google seems to have learned that if smart glasses are going to work as a product, they need to blend in with other glasses, not proclaim to the world that someone is wearing them.

How much they cost will matter, as setting smart glasses prices to match high-end smartphones will slow adoption. But if Google leverages Warby Parker and Gentle Monster’s direct-to-consumer experience to keep prices reasonable, they might entice a lot more people, and possibly undercut their rivals. People are used to spending a few hundred dollars on prescription glasses a reasonably sized extra charge for AI will be just another perk, like polarized prescription sunglasses.

Success here might also ripple out to smaller, but fashionable eyewear brands. Your favorite boutique frame designer might eventually offer 'smart' as a category, like they do with transition lenses today. Google is making a bet that people will choose to wear technology if it looks like something they would choose to wear anyway, and a bet on people wanting to look good is about as safe a bet I can imagine.

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• Anthropic has debuted two new Claude AI models named Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4
• Claude Opus 4 claims to be the best coding AI in the world
• Claude Sonnet 4 is a smaller, streamlined model with major upgrades from Sonnet 3.7 version.

Anthropic has unveiled Claude 4, the latest generation of its AI models. The company boasts that the new Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 models are at the top of the game for AI assistants with unmatched coding skills and the ability to function independently for long periods of time.

Claude Sonnet 4 is the smaller model, but it's still a major upgrade in power from the earlier Sonnet 3.7. Anthropic claims Sonnet 4 is much better at following instructions and coding. It's even been adopted by GitHub to power a new Copilot coding agent. It's likely to be much more widely used simply because it is the default model on the free tier for the Claude chatbot.

Claude Opus 4 is the flagship model for Anthropic and supposedly the best coding AI around. It can also handle sustained, multi-hour tasks, breaking them into thousands of steps to fulfill. Opus 4 also includes the "extended thinking" feature Anthropic tested on earlier models. Extended thinking allows the model to pause in the middle of responding to a prompt and use search engines and other tools until it has more data and can resume right where it left off.

That means a lot more than just longer answers. Developers can train Opus 4 to use all kinds of third-party tools. Opus 4 can even play video games pretty well, with Anthropic showing off how the AI performs during a game of Pokémon Red when given file access and permission to build its own navigation guide.

(Image credit: Anthropic)Claude 4 power

Both Claude 4 models boast enhanced features centered around tool use and memory. Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 can use tools in parallel and switch between reasoning and searching. And their memory system can save and extract key facts over time when provided access to external files. You won't have to re-explain what you want on every third prompt.

To make sure the AI is doing what you want, but not overwhelm you with every detail, Claude 4's models also offer what it calls “thinking summaries.” Instead of a wall of text detailing each of the potentially thousands of steps taken to complete a prompt, Claude employs a smaller, secondary AI model to condense the train of thought into something digestible.

A side benefit of the way the new models work is that they're less likely to cheat to save time and processing power. Anthropic said they’ve reduced shortcut-seeking behavior in tasks that tempt AIs to fake their way to a solution (or just make something up).

The bigger picture? Anthropic is clearly gunning for the lead in AI utility, particularly in coding and agentic, independent tasks. ChatGPT and Google Gemini have bigger user bases, but Anthropic has the means to entice at least some AI chatbot users away to Claude. With Sonnet 4 available to free users and Opus 4 bundled into Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans, Anthropic is trying to appeal to both the budget-friendly and premium AI fans.

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• Samsung's Frame, Neo QLED, and QLED TVs can all display art or photos when off
• The Art Store is expanding again, this time with a Disney collection
• Pieces of art themed after Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and National Geographic are now available

Samsung already doubled down on its Art Mode and Art Store earlier in 2025 by expanding it to nearly its entire TV lineup, well beyond the Frame TV or Frame Pro. And if you’ve ever wished you could pick an iconic piece of art from the Star Wars universe – maybe an AT-AT on Hoth or an X-Wing – or something from the world of Disney like Snow White, Samsung’s answering the call.

Beyond the thousands of art pieces already available on the Art Store, Samsung has now dropped a collection of pieces in partnership with Disney. The collection goes beyond the iconic classic Disney animated films to include Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic. All of the pieces, be they animated or a wild shot of nature, are in 4K quality to ensure they’ll look their best on your Samsung TV.

Now, it’s not a free drop – you’ll need to be subscribed to Samsung’s Art Store and have an eligible TV. That membership is either $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year in the United States and lets you access all the pieces, including future drops.

While Art Mode and these works of art will look their best on a Samsung Frame TV or Frame Pro, thanks to the special reflection-blocking, matte finish, you’re not limited to that specific family of TVs.

(Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung’s expanded Art Mode support to QLED, Neo QLED 4K, and Neo QLED 8K TVs within the 2025 lineup means you don’t need to opt for a Frame TV or Frame Pro. And that also means you might be able to save a bit, as Samsung’s lifestyle TVs do cost a bit more in some cases.

This also isn’t the first time Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic pieces of art have been available on Samsung’s TVs. In 2023, timed for the Disney 100 anniversary, Samsung dropped the limited-edition The Frame-Disney100 Edition in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch sizes. It was a standard 4K QLED Frame TV with a special, platinum metal bezel, but the real appeal was that it came with 100 pieces of Disney art ready to go out of the box.

No extra subscription needed as you could look through the collections and pick your favorites, and then set them to your Art Mode.

It remains to be seen how many pieces are included in the Art Store and whether they’re the same as what was previously collaborated on. We’ve reached out to Samsung to ask, but for fans of Pixar – Toy Story, anyone? – Star Wars, National Geographic, and Disney at large, it’s certainly a fun addition.

With this latest drop, Samsung’s Art Store offers over 3,500 pieces of art to pick from, and on TVs with Art Mode, you can set your favorites to be shown when the TV is off and even mat them for a more dramatic effect, if you like.

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• A dual-GPU design returns, but it’s not meant for gamers this time around
• 48GB of memory sounds impressive, but will it actually deliver meaningful AI performance?
• With no benchmarks and specs, this card is more rumor than revolution right now

Intel may be preparing to launch an unusual graphics card featuring two Arc B580 GPU chips and 48GB of memory, reports have claimed.

While this isn’t an official Intel product, it appears to be a custom design developed by one of Intel’s board partners, who remains unnamed due to non-disclosure agreements.

What makes this card notable is the return of a dual-GPU layout using consumer-class chips, something the industry hasn’t seen in several years.

48GB of memory hints at AI potential

This particular model reportedly combines two B580 GPUs, each paired with 24GB of memory, for a total of 48GB on a single card.

The intent doesn't appear to be gaming, which raises questions about the target audience. Given the high memory and compute potential, one possibility is that it’s intended for AI development or other high-throughput workloads.

Although 48GB still falls short of the memory capacity in top-tier professional accelerators, using consumer-grade GPUs could offer a cost-effective alternative for some training scenarios.

Still, without performance benchmarks or detailed architectural information, it’s difficult to determine whether this configuration could compete with even midrange professional GPUs.

For users comparing it against the best GPUs currently available, skepticism is warranted. No other board partners have been linked to similar designs, and it remains unclear whether this is a one-off experiment or part of a broader strategy.

This development may also interest content creators. With such a high memory ceiling, it could appeal to users seeking the best laptops for video editing or for Photoshop, assuming future mobile variants emerge.

But until more technical data is released, this card is best regarded as a curiosity rather than a sure bet.

Via Videocardz

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Google I/O events are an often frustrating glimpse of the near future, with a lot of shiny software toys scheduled to land sometime "in the coming months". That often means a long wait of up to a year, so for Google I/O 2025 we've rounded every new announcement that you can actually try today.

Naturally, some of the features below come with restrictions – a few are only available to try now in the US, while some are restricted to subscribers of Google's AI Pro or AI Ultra tiers. But many have also rolled out worldwide, so there are new features to take for a spin even if you don't currently pay Google a cent.

What's missing from the list below and coming at a later date? Quite a bit actually, including some of the more futuristic ideas like Google Beam and Android XR, and it also isn't clear how long we'll have to wait for a worldwide rollout of AI Mode for Search, Veo 3, Flow, Virtual Try On in the Shopping app, and Google's top-tier AI Ultra plan.

Still, there are quite a few things from Google I/O 2025 to keep us amused in the meantime, so here's a list of the ones that are available to try today...

1. AI Mode in Search

• rolling out in the US now (other regions TBC)
• where to try it: in Google Search or in the Google app

(Image credit: Google)

Google completely upended its golden goose, Search, at I/O 2025 this week, announcing several new features to stave off the threat of ChatGPT – and the biggest was arguably the US rollout of AI Mode.

If you're in the US and aren't seeing the new tab in Search (or in the search bar of the Google app), it's likely because Google said it'd be a gradual roll-out "over the coming weeks".

We've been using it for a while, though, and have put together a guide on how to master the new AI mode. It shouldn't be your go-to for everything, but we've concluded that "if you’re researching, planning, comparing, or learning, AI Mode can be a real comfort". Google hasn't yet commented on when it'll get a worldwide launch, but we'd imagine it'll be sometime this year.

• Read more: Google Search just got its biggest-ever upgrade to lure you away from ChatGPT – here are 7 new things to try

2. Veo 3

• available today for Gemini Ultra subscribers in the US
• where to try it: in Google Flow

Arguably the biggest breakthrough moment at Google I/O 2025, Veo 3 is the first AI video generator that can deliver synchronized audio (including speech) alongside its video creations. And it's available to try now for a lucky few, if you're in the US and on the new Gemini Ultra plan.

Granted, that is a pretty small group of people, but we had to include it in this list because it is actually available today for those lucky peeps, and US enterprise users on the Vertex AI platform.

The amount of processing power required for Veo 3 could mean a relatively slow rollout elsewhere, and Google has hinted as much by also releasing new features for Veo 2 like the ability to give it reference scenes.

• Read more: Google's Veo 3 marks the end of AI video's 'silent era'

3. Google Flow

• available to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US
• more countries "coming soon"
• where to try it: the Google Flow page in Labs

(Image credit: Google Flow)

Not sure how to weave all of your AI videos together into a cohesive whole? Google also addressed that issue with a new AI video editor called Flow – and like Veo 3, it's out now for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US.

It's a bit like a Premiere Pro that you can operate entirely with natural language, to avoid learning keyboard shortcuts or complex menus. To get an idea of how it works, check out Google's short tutorial.

Impressively, it goes as far as giving you menus of camera moves like 'dolly out' and 'pan right', so you don't even have to describe them. Google has also at least promised that it's "coming soon" to more countries, so we're hopeful of a wider rollout in 2025.

• Read more: Want to be the next Spielberg? Google’s AI-powered Flow could bring your movie ideas to life

4. Gemini Live

• available worldwide now on Android and iOS
• where to try it: in the Gemini app on Android or iOS

(Image credit: Future)

The big smartphone story of Google I/O 2025 was the full rollout of one of the best AI tools around on Android and iOS – Gemini Live.

Like ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, Gemini Live is an AI assistant that you can chat to using your voice. The most useful part, though, is that you can also give it eyes using your phone's camera to get help with whatever's in front of you or on your screen.

To conjure the assistant, open the Gemini app on iOS or Android, tap the Gemini Live icon (on the far right of the text input box), and start chatting away.

• Read more: Gemini Live is now free for everyone on Android and iOS, and you can finally share your screen and camera on iPhone – here's how to try it

5. Imagen 4

• available worldwide in the Gemini app, Whisk, Vertex AI

(Image credit: Google)

Google didn't just level-up its AI-generated video at I/O 2025 – we also got a new Imagen 4 model for whipping up still images in higher resolution (now up to 2K) than before.

The latest Imagen (which is available now in the Gemini app, Whisk, Vertex AI and across Google Workspace) also showed that it's been working hard on one of its main weaknesses – handling text.

This means that scenes involving typography should no longer be a jumbled mess of weird characters and look more realistic. While Imagen 4 is available to use for free, it does come with usage limits – you can expect 10-20 image generations on a free plan, while Gemini subscribers get a more generous 100-150 generations a day.

• Read more: Gemini’s AI images have been updated to Imagen 4 with a ‘huge step forward in quality’ – here’s what you need to know

6. Gemini 2.5 Flash

• available worldwide now in the Gemini app

Okay, Gemini 2.5 Flash isn't brand new, but it was given a big upgrade at Google I/O 2025 – and it's now available to everyone to dabble with in the Gemini app.

In fact, Gemini 2.5 Flash is now the default model in Google's Gemini chatbot, because it's apparently the fastest and more cost-efficient one for daily use. Some of the specific improvements, over its 2.0 Flash predecessor, include a greater ability to understand images and text.

Wondering how it compares to ChatGPT 4o? We've already compared the two to help you see which might be the best for you. Spoiler: it's a close call, but Gemini 2.5 Flash is particularly appealing if you live in Google's world of apps and services.

• Read more: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash promises to be your favorite AI chatbot, but how does it compare to ChatGPT 4o?

7. Jules

• available worldwide in public beta
• where to try it: on the Jules website

Need a coding assistant to speed up your workflow? Google has just given Jules (first introduced as a Labs experiment last December) a wider public beta rollout, with no waiting lists.

Jules is a bit more than a coding copilot – it can autonomously beaver away on fixing bugs, writing tests and building new features without any input from you. It works 'asynchronously', which means it can work on various tasks without waiting for them to finish.

Google says Jules isn't trained on your private code and that your data stays within its private environment. With autonomous agents on the rise, it certainly looks worth dabbling with if you could do with some coding assistance.

8. Virtual Try-On

• rolling out in Search Labs in the US
• where to try it: in Google's Search Labs

Google Shopping has had a 'Try On' feature for clothes since 2023, but it got a big upgrade it got at Google I/O 2025. Rather than using virtual models to show you how your chosen clothes might fit, it now lets you upload a photo of yourself – and uses AI to help you avoid the hassle of changing rooms.

Once you've uploaded a full-length photo of yourself, you'll start to see little "try it on" buttons when you click on outfits that are served up in the Shopping tabs search results. We've taken it for a spin and, while it isn't flawless, it does give you a solid idea of what some clothes will look like on you. And anything that helps us avoid real-world shopping is fine by us.

• Read more: I tried Google's new AI try-on feature, and it's given me some new fashion ideas

9. Deep Research in Gemini

• available now worldwide in Gemini and the Gemini app
• where to try it: in Google Gemini

(Image credit: Google)

Google brought its 'Deep Research' feature to Gemini Advanced subscribers (now Gemini Pro) in late 2024. And now the handy reports tool has given a particularly useful upgrade – the ability to combine its research of public data from the web with any private PDFs or images that you uploads.

Google provided the example of a market researcher uploading their own internal sales figures so they could cross reference them with public trends. Unfortunately, you can't yet pull in docs or data from Google Drive and Gmail, but Google says this is coming "soon".

10. Gemini quizzes

• available worldwide on Gemini desktop and mobile
• college students in the US and UK can also get a free Gemini AI Pro upgrade for the whole school year
• where to try it: on Geminiand the Gemini app on Android or iOS

(Image credit: Google)

Google is particularly keen to get students using its Gemini app – not only did it extend its free access to Google AI Pro for school and university students to new countries including the UK, it also added a new quiz feature to help with revision.

To start a quiz, you can ask Gemini to "create a practice quiz" on your chosen subject. The most useful part is that it'll then make a follow-up quiz based on your weaknesses in the previous test. Not that you have to be studying to make use of this feature – it could also be a handy way to sharpen your pub quiz skills.

If you're a student in the US, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan and the UK, you can get your free year of Gemini AI Pro by signing up on Gemini's students page – the deadline is June 30, 2025 and you will need a valid student email address.

11. Google Meet speech translation

• available to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers
• initially only in English and Spanish, more languages coming soon

We're particularly looking forward to trying out Google Beam this year, with the glasses-free 3D video calls (formerly known as Project Starline) heading to businesses courtesy of HP's new hardware. But a new video calling feature you can try now is Google Meet's near real-time translations.

Available now for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in beta, the feature will provide an audible translation of your speech (currently in English to Spanish, or vice versa) with a relatively short delay. It isn't seamless, but we imagine the delay will only reduce from here – and Google says more languages are coming "in the next few weeks".

• Read more: Google Beam could change your video calls forever with glasses-free 3D and near real-time translation

12. Google AI Pro and AI Ultra plans

• available now (AI Ultra is currently US-only)

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Sadi Santos)

Google switched up its AI subscription plans at Google I/O 2025, with 'Gemini Advanced' disappearing and being replaced by AI Pro and new 'VIP' tier called AI Ultra.

The latter is currently US-only (more countries are "coming soon") and costs a staggering $250 a month. Still, that figure does give you "the best of Google AI", according to the tech giant, with AI Ultra including access to Veo 3 with native audio generation, Project Mariner, and the highest usage limits across its other AI products. You also get YouTube Premium and 30TB of storage thrown in.

The AI Pro tier ($20 a month) still gets you access to Gemini, Flow, Whisk, NotebookLM and Gemini in Chrome, but with lower usage limits and cloud storage of a mere 2TB.

If you're an AI power user and like the sound of AI Ultra, Google is currently offering it at 50% off for your first three months. Don't tempt us, Google...

• Read more: Gemini AI Ultra is Google's new ultimate 'VIP' plan for AI obsessives – here's what you get for its staggering price tag

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• Phison X200Z writes entire drive every 24 minutes nonstop
• Delivers record-breaking endurance and performance with 60 DWPD capability
• TweakTown calls it the most powerful flash-based SSD ever tested

TweakTown has delivered its first hands-on look at the Phison Pascari X200Z 3.2TB Enterprise SSD, and – spoiler alert – it was blown away.

Built with SLC flash and running over a PCIe Gen5 x4 interface, the X200Z boasts a write endurance rating of 60 drive writes per day (DWPD), translating to an astounding full-drive write every 24 minutes.

As Jon Coulter of TweakTown puts it, “Phison's Pascari X200Z 3.2TB SLC caching SSD is simultaneously the highest capacity, lowest latency, and most endurant flash-based SSD of its kind we've ever encountered.”

The best ever seen

The X200Z is built for extreme durability in demanding caching roles, especially in front of QLC arrays.

It buffers random write workloads, reshapes them into sequential data, and directs them to slower, more fragile QLC layers, enhancing speed, reliability, and overall lifespan of the storage system.

Coulter notes, “The 3.2TB model we have in hand is rated at 60 DWPD or a mind-bending 350 Petabytes of endurance. Incredible.”

The drive also shines on performance. In testing, it surpassed its factory specs across the board. Sequential read throughput hit 15,026MB/s - breaking TweakTown lab records - while write performance came in over 10,200MB/s.

In random workloads, the X200Z hit up to 2800K IOPS and showed strong consistency across all queue depths.

Coulter was impressed by the performance curve: “Its low queue depth performance here is stunning.”

He adds, “We knew it would be good, but we didn't anticipate the drive's mixed workload performance would be this fantastic. By far the best we've ever seen.”

Phison positions its Pascari line as enterprise-grade, offering flexibility in U.2 and E3.S form factors and support for dual-port configurations. The Pascari X200 Series already has design wins across data centers, video platforms, and HPC workloads.

Coulter concludes: “Phison's Pascari X200Z 3.2TB SSD is easily the most powerful flash-based SSD we've ever tested.”

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• Twelve South's PowerCord is so simple, with a wall plug on one end and a USB-C on the other
• It's a one-stop solution for charging small to medium-sized devices
• With the cord, you can effectively ditch the power brick as it's integrated

When it comes to charging our devices right now, you generally need a wall plug that goes into an outlet and a cable. For phones – iPhone or Android – that means, say, at least a 20-watt wall plug and then a USB-C to USB-C cable. It doesn’t need to be like this, especially for those who travel.

Twelve South, known for excellent accessories that especially complement Apple devices, just dropped the ‘PowerCord.’ Yes, that’s a product name, not something that comes with the product in the box. It’s a USB-C port cable that ends not with a replica of that port but rather a power adapter.

Thus, it eliminates the need for a wall brick, and if you’re charging a Pixel 9, an iPhone 16 Pro, a Nintendo Switch, an iPad or Galaxy Tab, or even a MacBook Air, you just plug it in to get the charge going.

(Image credit: Twelve South)

It’s fairly genius, right? The 30-watt power supply is integrated into the wall plug, and it comes in two lengths – 4-foot or 10-foot. The cable itself is braided and looks fairly heavy-duty from shared images and comes in a slate black or dune white.

The wall plug is also non-removable. In fact, the whole design is a closed circle on purpose. That way, you can’t leave one part of the equation at home or behind, so when you need to recharge something, it’s all there, whenever you need it.

As of right now, it’s priced at $39.99 for the 4-foot model and $49.99 for the 10-foot model in either color. However, it can only be purchased with a Type-A wall plug. That means it works best in North America, specifically in the United States or Canada. It's up for order now at Amazon or from the brand directly here.

TwelveSouth has said that an EU and UK version is on the horizon and will likely drop in mid to late June. That's excellent news, since for frequent travelers, this is a really nice charger, and I like that you can’t leave any part of it at home.

If it proves to be a success, Twelve South may need to figure out how to put in a larger power supply so it can also handle recharging more power-hungry devices.

(Image credit: Twelve South)

Even so, as it stands, PowerCord can charge phones, tablets, a DJI Osmo Pocket 3, earbuds and headphones, Bluetooth speakers, smart glasses, headsets, and countless other devices. The product page notes that it’s best for small to medium-sized devices but can trickle-charge other products like laptops.

If you’re sold and are in North America, or planning a trip, the PowerCord is up for order and shipping now directly from Twelve South here and on Amazon here.

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• United Airlines just unveiled its next-gen cabin with new Polaris seats – here are the biggest changes

• The faulty CrowdStrike update disrupted operations at Delta
• The airline sued the cybersecurity outfit, which then filed a motion to dismiss
• The judge denied the motion and gave the lawsuit the go-ahead

Delta’s lawsuit against cybersecurity outfit CrowdStrike got the judge’s green light and will proceed. Earlier this May, Judge Kelly Lee Ellerbe filed their decision with the Fulton County Superior Court, denying CrowdStrike’s motion to dismiss and allowing most of Delta’s claims to move forward.

Here is a little context: Last year, cybersecurity company CrowdStrike pushed a faulty update to users on Windows devices, causing widespread disruption. Banks, airlines, TV broadcasters, and many other companies, were unable to operate nominally due to the dreaded Blue Screen of Death popping up across their IT infrastructure.

US airline Delta was hit particularly hard. According to The Register, it took five days to recover, significantly more than rivals American Airlines and United Airlines. What’s more, the same source claims Delta was forced to ground a lot more airplanes compared to other organizations.

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Motion to dismiss

This prompted Delta to sue CrowdStrike claiming the company deployed the update without permission, bypassed Microsoft’s certification process, and failed to properly test the update before release. CrowdStrike admitted the update was flawed but claims Delta’s delayed recovery was due to its own decisions. The lawsuit included multiple claims, such as breach of contract, trespass, negligence, and fraud.

CrowdStrike filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that Delta’s claims were invalid. The argument here is that the claims should be limited by the contract under Georgia’s economic loss rule, which generally prevents tort claims for purely financial losses arising from a contract. Delta says CrowdStrike violated independent duties, such as obligations under trespass laws and cybersecurity standards.

Now, the judge has partially denied CrowdStrike’s motion to dismiss. Namely, trespass and negligence claims are valid, while fraud claims were upheld in part.

The Register spoke to CrowdStrike’s outside counsel, Michael Carlinsky of law firm Quinn Emanuel, who says that the worst-case scenario is the company having to pay “single-digit millions” to Delta. The airline, on the other hand, is “pleased by the ruling”.

Via The Register

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If you're in need of something to binge this week, Sirens has arrived and it's definitely worthy of a spot on our best Netflix shows round up.

The dark comedy-drama, which arrived today (May 22), already has – at the time of this article's publication – an 86% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Clearly, it's gone down well with plenty of professional writers.

For the uninitiated: Sirens is, according to Netflix's own Tudum fan-led website, an "incisive, sexy, and darkly funny exploration of women, power, and class".

The show's story is told over the course of one very explosive weekend, and sees Meghan Fahy play Devon, the concerned older sibling of Milly Alcock's Simone, who has a very creepy relationship with her new boss Michaela (Julianne Moore). Clearly worried about her younger sister, Devon heads to Michaela's country retreat with the view to holding an intervention for Simone.

Why I'm recommending Sirens on Netflix

Kevin Bacon is among Sirens' starry supporting cast (Image credit: Netflix)

There are plenty of great reasons why I'm recommending Sirens this week. With only five episodes, you can easily binge watch it in one or two sittings.

Molly Smith Metzler, the playwright behind the highly-enjoyable Maid, which starred Margaret Qualley, created this Netflix show, which is based on Metzler's own 2011 play Elemano Pea. So, you know this series is in good hands

Smith Metzler told Tudum: “This story has a lot of teeth. There are real moments of drama, and it’s going to make people uncomfortable. Operatic is a word I like to use to describe it. It’s a true dark comedy – and it’s got a Greek mythology vibe.”

The cast is also excellent. Alongside Moore, Fahy, and Alcock, the likes of beloved actor Kevin Bacon. Considering Prime Video canceled The Bondsman, it's nice to see Bacon popping up in a different project, even if I'm still very disappointed to see one of the best Prime Video shows suddenly come to an abrupt end. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton also plays a supporting role, so you really can't get much more star-studded than that.

If you loved Netflix's The Four Seasons, this is another picturesque series to gape at, too. Expect great on-location scenes, glamorous wardrobes, and plenty of luxury. It's also full to the brim of mystery and has a sinister undertone, as all is not as it seems on this island enclave.

I was sucked in from the get-go and soon realized that I'd streamed three episodes back to back. You'll find yourself desperate to know what's going on, and what's up with Moore's rich philanthropist and animal activist.

I'm keen to see more from Sirens, but we'll have to see if Netflix decides to renew it.

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• Konami has confirmed that Silent Hill f is a standalone game in the series
• The studio says the upcoming game is "a completely new work independent of the series"
• It also adds that players who have never played Silent Hill can experience Silent Hill f without worry

Konami has offered some insight into where Silent Hill f stands in the overall Silent Hill series.

In a new post shared on the Japanese Silent Hill X / Twitter account, Konami clarified that the upcoming horror game is a standalone title in the Silent Hill timeline, suggesting it won't have any connection to any previous games in the series (via IGN).

The studio also confirmed that players will need no prior knowledge of the franchise and that even newcomers to the series can experience Silent Hill f.

"This is a completely new work independent of the series," Konami said (translated via X / Twitter). "Even those who have never played the 'SILENT HILL' series can enjoy this game."

Only a few games in the series, like Silent Hill, Silent Hill 3, and Silent Hill Origins, have a connection, and Silent Hill 2 does offer some links to the first game, but both plots are not directly related.

While only some games take place in the titular town, Silent Hill f will notably take place away from America entirely, in the rural Japanese town of Ebisugaoka in the 1960s.

『SILENT HILL f』＜シリーズ最新作登場＞本作はシリーズから独立した完全新作です。「SILENT HILL」シリーズを一度もプレイしたことのない方も遊んでいただくことができます。▼ウィッシュリストはこちらhttps://t.co/N9lsQPDLiM#SILENTHILL #サイレントヒルf #サイレントヒル pic.twitter.com/9rCeDSfV2SMay 20, 2025

Konami revealed new details about the game in March, alongside a creepy new trailer. The story will follow teenager Shimizu Hinako, whose secluded hometown of Ebisugaoka is engulfed in a sudden fog, transforming her home into a haunting nightmare.

"As the town falls silent and the fog thickens, Hinako must navigate the twisted paths of Ebisugaoka, solving complex puzzles and confronting grotesque monsters to survive," the game description reads.

There's no release date for Silent Hill f just yet, but we know that the horror game will be released for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. And with Summer Game Fest right around the corner in June, there's every chance we get more details at the annual gaming event.

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AI-lationships is the gag-inducing term Joi AI cooked up to support its recent eye-opening survey on human-to-AI relationships. In it, eight out of 10 Gen Z respondents said they would consider marrying an AI partner.

Before we delve too much into this mind-bending stat, let's look at the source. Joi AI, formerly EVA AI, is a premium online AI companion service that offers a wide range of AI companion personalities, complete with AI-generated imagery that can be, depending on settings and what you pay, NSFW.

It's kind of a cheesy service that caters mostly, I think, to lonely men. Now, don't get me wrong; I know there's a growing epidemic of loneliness. A recent Harvard study found that 21% of US adults report some level of loneliness (some studies suggest the number is far higher).

Disconnection

Remote work, screen time, and other things that take us away from direct human connection are probably not helping this trend, but AI has increasingly stepped into the connection void with a growing army of voice chatbots that can carry on surprisingly realistic and even empathetic-sounding conversations.

And this is by design. Earlier this month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose company is building powerful AI models, suggested we should all have AI friends.

Marriage, then, is perhaps, the next logical extension.

The concept of deep, personal relationships between humans and artificial intelligence traces back to well before we had Gemini Live, ChatGPT, Copilot, and others ready and willing to converse with us at length. The 2013 movie Her was built around the idea of a deeply personal (and concerning) relationship between Joaquin Phoenix's character and Scarlett Johansson's disembodied AI voice long before we could talk to a single AI in real life.

I've had my share of AI conversations, and I find them entertaining and, often, illuminating. I don't see them as personal, though. Perhaps that's because I'm not lonely. The more desperate you are for human connection, the more AI companionship might seem like a reasonable substitute.

But marriage?

Meet-cute in the cloud

At least Joi AI adds static imagery to the playful banter you'll find through its AI partners, but that's the exception and not the rule. Most generative AI chatbots are just voices and undulating screens. You need images and, ultimately, touch to make a genuine connection... don't you?

As I write this, I'm reminded that I met my wife through a phone call and that I was enchanted, initially, by nothing but her voice and wit. But to build our relationship and eventual union, we did date in person. Being with her sealed the deal and made me want to marry her.

I don't understand why Joi AI's respondents, even Generation Z, who are much more deeply immersed in technology, social media, and AI than any generation before it, would accept an AI as a life mate. In the survey, though, they do sound primed for AI connection, with 83% saying they "could build a deep emotional bond with an AI partner."

One expert I spoke to via email, Dr. Sue Varma, a board-certified psychiatrist and author of Practical Optimism, put it in perspective for me. "At our core, we all want the same things: to be seen, to be heard, and to feel valued – not judged or criticized. For Gen Z, that longing is especially strong, and the loneliness they’re experiencing is very real. What they want, what we all want, is meaningful, mutual human connection."

Would you consider marrying an AI?May 22, 2025

Unconvinced that Joi AI's data points to a real trend (I did ask them for survey details and have yet to receive a response), I ran a couple of anecdotal surveys on X (formerly Twitter) and Threads. Across both, less than 10% said yes, they would consider marrying an AI, roughly a third said no on Threads, and the vast majority wondered if I was okay.

As preposterous as I find the whole idea of AI relationships and eventual marriage, I also understand that we're at the start of a revolution. AI's ability to mimic human language and even emotions is growing exponentially, and there's already growing concern about human-to-AI relationships.

"Technology—and AI in particular—isn’t going away. It’s going to keep evolving, and yes, it may offer relationships that seem easy, even comforting. Think of the always-affirming AI: the hype person, the yes-person, the one that never challenges us and always tells us what we want to hear. It’s seductive. But it’s not real," said Dr. Varma, and added, "What we really need to be doing is using AI to support our humanity, not replace it."

The latest Gemini and ChatGPT models provide incredibly human- and expressive-sounding conversations. Some believe AIs have already beat the Turing test (basically when a computer's response is indistinguishable from a human's, at least as perceived by another human).

We will, in this decade, see humanoid robots equipped with these AIs, and that's when things will get really weird. How long before some dude is marrying his AI bot in Vegas?

Joi AI's self-serving survey is ridiculous on the face of it, even if it is also a harbinger of AI relationships to come – and I hope Gen Z swipes left on the whole idea.

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In the great iOS vs Android debate, you’ll often hear Apple fans bringing up Airdrop as one of the iPhone’s key advantages. However, it seems OnePlus is hoping to bring AirDrop-style sharing and drag-and-drop file transfers to its Android phones.

O+ Connect, which comprises a feature built into OnePlus' OxygenOS Android wrapper and an app for compatible third-party devices, brings these features to OnePlus devices, starting with the OnePlus 13R.

As for the flagship OnePlus 13, the company has confirmed O+ Connect support is on the way, but we don't know exactly when yet. Additionally, the feature is only available for UK and EU users at the moment.

This enables users to view and transfer files between their OnePlus phone and iPhone, iPad, or Mac wirelessly, which is usually impossible without using an intermediary like Google Drive or WeTransfer.

The corresponding O+ Connect app can be found on an official OnePlus website or on the iOS App Store.

Curiously, the O+ Connect app supports macOS all the way back to version 10.4, released in 2005 as macOS X Tiger – this means that any Mac released in the last 20 years should be supported; talk about backwards compatibility.

It’s worth mentioning that the O+ Connect app was originally released under the same name for Oppo phones. Oppo and OnePlus are both owned by parent company BBK Electronics, and while the two companies often share designs and features, they are distinct. It’s something to keep in mind if you use both OnePlus and Oppo devices.

Building bridges

O+ Connect is coming to the OnePlus 13, but we don't know exactly when yet. (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

According to OnePlus, the integration of the O+ Connect app marks the start of an ecosystem that will aim to connect OnePlus users with devices from multiple other brands – not just Apple.

Personally speaking, I’ve experienced the sheer horror of trying to move a large video from an Android phone to my MacBook, or from an iPhone to an Android device, one too many times.

Though third-party solutions like LocalSend are very effective, I welcome OnePlus’ addition of O+ Connect – it’s great to see phone makers tackling this issue with first-party solutions.

I think phone makers have some right to protect and encircle their own ecosystems, but making file sharing easier really has no downside from a consumer perspective. I'm glad to see OnePlus leading the way on this.

O+ Connect is on its way to the OnePlus 13, but I’m hoping it’ll come to more of the best OnePlus phones soon. Let us know if you’ll be using this new feature in the comments below.

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• Coinbase filed a new form with the Maine Attorney General
• It confirmed when the attack happened and how many people were affected
• The company confirmed offering a bounty

We now know exactly how many people are affected by the recent Coinbase data breach - 69,461. The company confirmed the news in a new filing with the Office of the Maine Attorney General. In the filing, the company said that the attack took place in late December, 2024, and that it was spotted months later, in mid-May 2025.

It also shared a data breach notification letter it is sending out to affected people, in which it detailed what happened.

Apparently, threat actors bribed “a small number of individuals performing services for Coinbase” to have them exfiltrate sensitive customer data.

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Extortions and bounties

These individuals, which were allegedly fired afterwards, stole identity information (names, dates of birth, last four digits of their social security numbers), masked bank account numbers and “some bank account identifiers”, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, images of IDs, driver’s licenses, and passports, and different account information (transaction history, balance, transfers, and more).

The attackers then tried to extort Coinbase for $20 million, in exchange for deleting the data. Coinbase not only denied the offer, but also doubled-down on it, offering the exact same sum - $20 million, to whoever comes forward with actionable information about the identities or whereabouts of the attackers.

Earlier reports on Reuters claimed the attack might cost Coinbase between $180 million and $400 million, citing a regulatory filing the company submitted recently.

Besides offering a $20 million bounty, Coinbase also promised to “make customers whole” - by reimbursing anyone who can prove that they lost money after a social engineering attack made possible by the data stolen from the crypto exchange.

Coinbase also said it was working with law enforcement, and urged users to stay vigilant, create strong passwords, set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), and never share their login credentials with anyone.

Via TechCrunch

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• Secretlab has revealed its Warhammer 40,000 Edition Magnus Pro Sit-to-Stand Metal Desk
• The desk features the Imperium of Man design from the game and offers magnetic cable anchors and sheaths for cable management
• The desk can be adjusted between 650mm and 1,250mm and features a custom backlit control panel

Secretlab has announced the latest addition to its Warhammer 40,000 collection, the Magnus Pro Sit-to-Stand Metal Desk Warhammer 40,000 Edition.

Designed in collaboration with Games Workshop, the Secretlab Magnus Pro Sit-to-Stand Metal Desk Warhammer 40,000 Edition follows Secretlab's release of the Titan Evo Warhammer 40,000 Ultramarines Edition chair that completes the ultimate PC and tabletop gaming setup fit for Warhammer fans.

The officially licensed desk is designed to clear up space and manage cable clutter with the Secretlab Cable Management Bundle Warhammer 40,000 Edition magnetic cable anchors and sheaths to help maintain your workspace.

Fans will recognize the map of the Imperium of Man design, which covers the entire desk, featuring Holy Terra and Mars at its center, detailed with black, gold, and red legends that indicate Imperial bastions and strongholds, major Imperial worlds, and Chaos-infested zones.

It also pairs with the bundled Secretlab Magpad Desk Mat Warhammer 40,000 Edition, to "pay homage to the Throneworld of the Imperium".

The sit-to-stand desk can be adjusted between 650mm and 1,250mm thanks to its precise controls. Alongside the map design, the desk also offers a custom backlit control panel on the edge of the desk for easy access.

It also features the world’s first integrated power supply column, concealing a single cable within the desk leg, which leads to a power socket at the top.

There is no release date just yet, but the Secretlab Magnus Pro Sit-to-Stand Metal Desk Warhammer 40,000 Edition (Bundle) will start at US$878 / CA$1,098 for the standard size (1.5m) and US$1,028 / CA$1,228 for the XL size (1.7m).

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Even though it’s been almost a year since they released, I’ve still been going on and on about the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) as though they were the hot new gadgets in the block. But it’s time to stop dwelling on the past, even if one model does rank among the best wireless earbuds, and look to the future.

Given that it’s been releasing new earbuds ever year, a regular ol' Santa Claus of music, it seems likely that tech company Nothing will be preparing a new pair of Nothing Ear buds for 2025 – especially given that company is now pairing with British hi-fi great KEF and has several audio products planned for release this year.

The company’s been operating with an infuriating lack of a numbering system since the Ear (2), so I’m just going to call these the Nothing Ear (2025) for the purpose of making this article at least a little bit easy to read.

At the time of writing, the only hints we have about a new set of Ear-branded buds and a budget companion are the hints about the KEF tie-up. So here's what I want to see in the new buds, in the absence of any concrete leaks about features. I’ve tested both of the 2024 models – as well as the Nothing Ear (open) – and will draw on that for this wish-list.

Nothing Ear (2025): cut to the chase

• What is it? The newest generation of Nothing earbuds
• When could it launch? Likely later in 2025
• How much could it cost? Standard for around $150 / £130 / AU$250, the cheaper (a) version for about a third less

(Image credit: Future)Nothing Ear (2025): price and release date predictions

So far, we've been looking at annual releases from Nothing; the Ear came out in April 2024 and the Ear (2) (which came before the Ear, despite the name) was released in March 2023.

Nothing has said that's working on a pair of over-ear headphones for release likely later this year, but hasn't said anything about new earbuds specifically – only that it has multiple new audio products coming from its partnership with KEF.

Based on the yearly cycle, I'd have expected to see the new earbuds already. It’s possible that the September 2024 release of the Nothing Ear (open) has caused the company to push its schedule by a few months, so let’s hope the new buds come in the middle few months of the year, or perhaps towards the end.

And what about price? We’ve heard nothing on that front, but Nothing hasn’t done much to change the cost of its buds between generations. The Nothing Ear cost $149 / £129 / AU$249, while the Nothing Ear (a) went for $99 / £99 / AU$192.

(Image credit: Future)Nothing Ear (2025): what we want to see

I reviewed the Nothing Ear for TechRadar and have been using the (a) for the best part of a year now as my 'standard' earbuds. So here's what I'd love to see on a new-and-improved version of the duo:

1. A new Nothing Ear (a)

If, like me, you think the Nothing Ear (a) remain some of the best earbuds you can buy right now, you might be alarmed to know that there are no guarantees a new version of this model will return.

In fairness there’s no reason that a new Nothing Ear (a) won’t come out, but remember that 2024 was the first year we saw an (a)-style affordable alternative, following the company’s trend of (a) smartphones. So it’s not a recurring product type that’s guaranteed to return.

I hope it does, though, because the Nothing Ear (a) have become the budget headphones I compare rivals too – and some updated ones in 2025 could wipe the floor clean with the competition.

2. A longer battery life

My main gripe with the Nothing Ear in my review, which I also bump into when I’m using the Ear (a,) is that neither has a particularly impressive battery life.

For context, you get about five hours of listening with the standard model and an extra half hour with the (a) – both figures while ANC is turned on. By my personal standards, anything sub-six-hour is sub-standard – I really like to see eight hours on the spec list.

You might be wondering who listens to music for 8 hours straight – but I think you’d be surprised. That is, after all, the length of an average working day, and it’s the amount of time you might be wanting to listen if you’re travelling or working on something that requires audio.

More than once the Ear (a) have run out of juice when I’ve needed them: once on a bus ride to my hometown, another time in the afternoon of a working day.

So I’d love to see any of Nothing’s new earbuds offer a little more listening time before they run out of power.

3. Improved cases

(Image credit: Future)

Both the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) came with cheap-feeling plasticky charging cases. I can excuse the (a)’s – the case is incredibly small, and the products are cheap themselves. But that’s not quite the case with the flagship device.

The Nothing Ear’s case creaks a little in the hand, a true symptom of cheap plastic, and it doesn’t feel particularly premium to hold. It’s just a case, you’re not meant to get too riled-up about it, but Nothing’s decision to use see-through fronts in an attempt to evoke noughties-style gadget-nostalgia shows that case design is important to it.

I’ve tested loads of much-cheaper earbuds that come with cases that feel more premium, usually due to the material or texture, for example the Sony WF-C510. Nothing should take notes.

4. A slightly higher max volume

I know the whole point of active noise cancellation, or ANC, is to allow you to hear your music without you having to do so at a hearing-damagingly loud volume. But to get pumped, you sometimes need to play your tunes loud, and neither of the 2024 Nothing Ear products allowed for that.

It’s not that I struggled to hear music (most of the time), just that the earbuds never let me turn the volume up to 11 – it’s also an issue I had with the the open-ear buds later in the year. Come on Nothing, let’s push that decibel count a little.

5. The (a) having sound profile personalization

They say beggars can’t be choosers, but I’m about to choose a premium feature I want to come to the affordable earbuds.

One major difference between the Nothing Ear (a) and its premium sibling is that the latter had a sound personalization feature – it was an easy test that created a custom audio mix based on your unique sonic sensibilities. I tried it, and I loved it.

Sure, a lack of features in the Nothing Ear (a) is the price you’re paying for… well, not paying a price. But it’s been a year – let’s let the budget buyers enjoy it now too. And maybe the higher-end model will have a new flagship feature to draw people to it.

6. Funkier colors on the top-end model

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve been writing about tech for over six years now, and perhaps the most common complaint I’ve made about anything is how gadgets all too often come in only two boring color options: white or black. I want some color!

Thankfully, the Nothing Ear (a) is one of the rare exceptions of funky-colored buds, coming in a yellow option that obviously I love to wear out. But if you don’t like yellow, you’re going to be left blue.

I’d love to see a few more color options (colorways, as tech nerds call them) available in future generations. Admittedly Nothing is reticent to color products, judging by its phones, but it does offer its CMF-branded gadgets in a few more vibrant hues so perhaps it’s time to take inspiration from that budget range.

7. Keep the equalizer

There’s no indication that Nothing is going to change the equalizer in its Nothing X app… but I can see why it’d want to.

The Nothing X equalizer is pretty barebones by industry standards – many rivals offer eight- or 10-band equalizers, letting you tweak your sound profile down to the wire. However Nothing offers a three-band one so you can change bass, treble and mid, and that’s it.

Many audiophiles will find this insufficient but I think that’s besides the point – a simple EQ like this is really easy to use for people who aren’t audiophiles, and it gives them a way to customize their music without having to sit through endless YouTube tutorials on what the various settings do. So I’d like to see Nothing keep this feature the same.

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• Capcom announces a new Monster Hunter Wilds and Street Fighter 6 collaboration event
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• Additional paid Street Fighter 6 DLC will be released the same day

Capcom has unveiled its Monster Hunter Wilds special collaboration event with its own fighting game, Street Fighter 6.

"A demon begins his HUNT. Become the master of the fist with the Monster Hunter Wilds x Street Fighter 6 Special Collaboration!" Capcom teased in its announcement.

The event goes live on May 28 and will introduce a brand new side mission called Ultimate Strength, which can be completed to recieve special collab rewards including a free Akuma full armor set and layered equipment based on the Street Fighter character.

Equipping either set allows players to use Akuma's unique item and gestures to perform his fighting moves. Attack power of Akuma's unique actions is determined by the main weapon equipped.

The full armor set boosts attack power more compared to the full layered armor set, Capcom explained in a post on its website, and Assisted Combos and other actions will gain stun properties, while the Drive Impact action will gain an offset effect.

Completing accompanying event arena quests, Demonic Strength and True Strength, will also result in additional rewards like the 'Blanka-chan' Palico full armor set and layered equipment, and a Hunter Profile background, nameplate, and pose.

Players must be Hunter Rank 21 or higher to take on the side mission, which can be initiated by talking to Quinn at the Oilwell Basin Base Camp.

Capcom also notes this collaboration will be a permanent addition to the game, so there's no need to fear missing out.

Additional paid downloadable content (DLC) inspired by Street Fighter 6 will also be available from May 28, including Chun-Li and Cammy outfits for Alma, a Blanka-Chan Doll pendant, a sticker set, and a gesture pack.

In case you missed it, Capcom has released its roadmap for Monster Hunter Wilds, which reveals what updates we can expect for the rest of the year.

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• A well-known leaker has said Apple’s 18.8-inch foldable is still inbound possibly as early as 2027
• Amazon also has a ‘similar’ large foldable in the pipeline, though
• With Huawei recently airing a foldable laptop, Apple may feel it’s falling behind rivals – and we still don’t even know the exact nature of its device

Apple’s rumored big foldable device – which might be a MacBook that’s all-screen and no physical keyboard, or a huge iPad tablet – has popped up on the grapevine once again with a claim that it could be here in 2027. However, Amazon might beat Apple to the shelves here, we’re told.

As Wccftech noticed, renowned Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X to let us know that Apple’s 18.8-inch foldable is still set to go into mass production in either late 2027 or 2028 (a timeframe he’s previously mentioned, and I’ll return to that point later).

Apple's competitors in the large-sized foldable device market may not be limited to Huawei. My research indicates that Amazon is also internally developing a similar product, which has not yet officially kicked off. If development progresses as planned, it is projected to enter…May 20, 2025

This comment came after Huawei revealed its MateBook Fold laptop at Computex 2025 earlier this week, which is an 18-inch device, so very similar in size to Apple’s theoretical product here. (I should note that both this and the rumored Apple foldable are 18 to 19-inches when fully unfolded, so that’s the total size of the device).

Kuo further observed that Amazon is developing a “similar product” which has yet to be made official, but it could be due to hit the production lines in late 2026, or perhaps 2027 (add plenty of seasoning with all of this).

Analysis: Falling behind rivals?

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The hint being dropped here, then, is that Apple is falling behind the pacemakers in the giant foldable device arena, with Amazon’s timetable apparently being a year in advance of Apple’s. Although that said, for something which isn’t even officially underway yet, the Amazon device debuting at the close of next year seems like a pretty fast track through development.

The key question, of course, is will Apple be producing an 18.8-inch foldable MacBook or iPad? (Incidentally, if a foldable laptop seems like an odd term – and it is, given that all notebooks fold up – it refers to a folding screen, rather than chassis. This is a notebook that doesn’t have a keyboard, and instead uses a virtual keyboard displayed on one half of the screen).

This is where things get a bit odd as rumors have suggested Apple’s foldable device could be either a laptop or tablet. Kuo comparing it to Amazon’s foldable – which is surely a Fire tablet – would seem to suggest it’s a huge iPad. But then a direct comparison is also made to Huawei’s foldable laptop. Furthermore, the leaker notably uses the neutral term ‘device’ rather than any hint of mentioning a laptop or tablet.

What that suggests to me is that Apple is working through concepts on both sides of the fence, tablet and laptop, and still hasn’t made the decision of which OS to go with, macOS or iPadOS, and what’ll be more useful: a MacBook with a folding screen (and virtual keyboard), or an iPad that can fold out to be a giant display.

Personally I think the MacBook idea is the frontrunner (and rumors about Apple working on a notebook with a virtual keyboard have been around for ages). Although more innovative and attention-grabbing, that is the riskier move, admittedly, in terms of getting Mac fans to accept the ditching of a physical keyboard in favor of a screen-based effort. It’d have to be a very good virtual keyboard, that’s for sure. A big iPad would be a safer avenue to tread when you look at these ideas in that light.

What’s also interesting is that Kuo hasn’t changed the release timeframe for this 18.8-inch foldable since talking about it in mid-2024, which could be read as Apple being on track with its development schedule here. Or Kuo simply hasn’t heard anything else, especially regarding that decision on whether to make the hardware a laptop or tablet.

All in all, that’s a bit of a worry, but if this large foldable device really is coming from Apple, we should receive some firmer hints soon enough. And it’s certainly true that plans from rival laptop (or tablet) makers will help spur Apple’s thought processes and the realization of this product, or I’d imagine so, anyway.

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