TechRadar News

• DomainTools found more than 100 domains promoting fake browser extensions
• These extensions impersonated legitimate products and reputable businesses
• They were stealing sensitive data and executing malicious code remotely

Security researchers recently found more than 100 malicious browser extensions posing as legitimate tools. These extensions, distributed through various channels, but also found on the Google Chrome Web Store, were able to steal sensitive user information, as well as receive further commands to execute.

Google was notified of the findings and managed to remove most malware from its repository. Apparently, some still remain and continue to present a risk to the users.

This is all according to DomainTools, who claim to have spotted more than 100 fake domains promoting the tools, most likely through malvertising campaigns. The malware spoofed all sorts of legitimate products, from VPNs, to AI assistants, and cryptocurrency utilities, and impersonated some of the world’s biggest brands, including Fortinet, YouTube, or Calendly.

"The Chrome Web Store has removed multiple of the actor's malicious extensions after malware identification," DomainTools said. "However, the actor's persistence and the time lag in detection and removal pose a threat to users seeking productivity tools and browser enhancements."

The full list of malicious domains can be found on this link.

Abusing extensions

Add-ons and extensions are a great way to expand the browser’s features and thus enhance user productivity in a business environment.

For example, tools like Asana, Trello, or Grammarly can streamline workflows and improve writing accuracy, while password managers like LastPass can improve credential management.

However, they also handle a lot of sensitive information and are granted high-level permissions, which is why they’re often on the threat actors’ radars. That being said, not only are hackers looking for ways to break into legitimate tools, they often build fake ones, too.

With spoofed add-ons, they can gain high-level privileges without raising alarms, and can access sensitive information stored in the browser, such as passwords, or credit card data.

It is important that users only install the add-ons from reputable sources such as the Chrome Web Store, but even there - they should read the reviews and mind the download count because, as seen in this example, crooks can sometimes smuggle malware even past the greatest of gatekeepers.

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• Malicious "polymorphic" Chrome extensions can mimic other tools to trick victims
• We've rounded up the best password generators
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app

• Solidigm’s 122.88TB SSD is efficient, dense, and now on sale
• First review confirms strong performance in read-heavy enterprise storage use
• CSAL tech removes QLC flash drawbacks for practical, high-capacity deployment

Solidigm’s 122.88TB D5-P5336 enterprise SSD was announced in November 2024 and has just gone on sale, priced at $12,399, less than the $14,000 analysts were predicting.

Now the first full review of Solidigm’s 122.88TB beast has arrived, and according to Jon Coulter, Senior Hardware Editor at TweakTown, the best SSD more than lives up to the hype, not just in scale, but in performance, efficiency, and practical deployment.

As Coulter writes, “In enterprise scenarios where capacity is king, Solidigm's D5-P5336 122.88TB SSD reigns supreme.”

Game-changing advantages

The drive, based on QLC NAND, is described as the most efficient high-capacity SSD currently in circulation. It offers unprecedented storage density, allowing data centers to store up to 4 petabytes per 1U server footprint. That matters more than ever in an era where AI model datasets are doubling every eight months.

TweakTown notes that Solidigm is at the forefront of QLC flash development and points out that many of the usual drawbacks of QLC, such as endurance and write performance, are addressed by both the sheer size of the drive and by Solidigm’s CSAL (caching SSD acceleration layer) technology.

Coulter explains, “As we see it, with CSAL augmentation, all drawbacks inherent to QLC arrays are completely erased and you are left with only game changing advantages. Amazing.”

The D5-P5336 reached 7,481MB/s in sequential reads and 947,000 IOPS in 4K random reads during testing, both exceeding manufacturer specifications. “Factory spec here is up to 900K IOPS at QD256. We are getting 947K IOPS at QD256 with our configuration,” Coulter reports.

In practice, this level of performance is intended for high-volume, read-heavy storage tiers, not fast-paced transactional systems. As Coulter points out, "workloads of this nature will rarely, if ever, be encountered in the role QLC SSDs play in the storage tier. Results here are to be taken with a grain of salt."

Summing up, he concludes: “Because it delivers as advertised and then some, is readily available, supremely efficient, delivers plenty of performance for its intended roles, and is backed by a 134 PBW 5-year warranty. Solidigm's 122.88TB D5-5336 SSD has earned a Must Have Editor's Choice rating.”

You might also like

• These are the fastest SSDs you can buy right now
• And these are the largest SSDs and hard drives on the market
• This the first 122.88TB SSD ever, the Solidigm DP-P5336 and someone tested it with DeepSeek and Nvidia's cutest motherboard

• Strava has been updated with new features for paying subscribers
• That includes AI-powered Routes and tappable locations
• The app’s leaderboards have also been purged of cheats

If you’re a fitness fanatic you’ve probably heard of Strava. The health tracking app is popular among athletes and enthusiasts alike, and it’s just been updated with a range of new features for subscribers.

According to a blog post on the Strava website, the new features “blend on-the-go flexibility with community-driven reliability,” meaning the app gives subscribers “smarter, community-powered tools to explore and compete with confidence.”

So, what do you actually get with the update? First, there’s a new Routes experience. Strava says this comprises “updated AI-powered Routes” that can offer suggestions based on the app’s Global Heatmap. That means more flexible and reliable options that are based on user contributions, the company claims.

From June, points of interest will be tappable, and this can allow you to find out more information about the place in question (such as an eatery or beauty spot). It also means you can create a route that either goes directly to the point of interest or incorporates it along the path, and this will show data like elevation and estimate arrival time.

Then from July, subscribers will be able to drop a pin onto a map in Strava and create an “efficient, activity-specific route from A to B.”

Leaderboard fairness

(Image credit: Strava)

Beyond these new features, Strava says it's also taking steps to ensure that leaderboard times have been achieved fairly. To that end, the app’s machine learning model has been updated to reprocess the 10 most popular spots on the ride and run leaderboards. This has resulted in the removal of 4.45 million activities that were either filed with the wrong sport type or were recorded in vehicles. Strava says this means the leaderboards will now “reflect true performances.”

Strava is also adding more live segments, with double the number compared to previously. You'll be able to access these segments whether you’re a subscriber or not, but paid members will get a few added features here, including extra screens with comparison metrics.

If you love Strava and use it every time you head out on a run or a ride, these updates might have piqued your interest. Just make sure you take one of the best fitness trackers with you the next time you hit the road.

You might also like

• Strava review: Still the best training app for runners and cyclists, but it's getting expensive
• Best fitness app 2025: Get fit with just a smartphone
• The best fitness trackers 2025: From Fitbit-style bands to smartwatches and more

• Researchers found a new non-password-protected database
• The database contained hundreds of millions of records
• Among the records were login credentials for Facebook, Apple, and more

Login credentials for Microsoft, Facebook, Snapchat, and many other services, were recently found in a public, non-password-protected database, available for anyone who knew where to look.

The database was discovered by Jeremiah Fowler, a security researcher known for hunting large, open databases.

According to Fowler, the database contained more than 184 million unique logins and passwords: emails, usernames, passwords, and URL login links, for a wide range of services applications and accounts. That includes email providers, Microsoft products, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Roblox, and many more.

Fowler also said he saw credentials for bank and financial accounts, health platforms, and government portals from “numerous countries”. He managed to confirm the authenticity of at least some of the data in the database, by reaching out to email addresses found inside.

Attribution was tricky, though. Fowler says the IP address indicated that the database was connected to two domain names - one parked and unavailable, and the other unregistered and available for purchase.

The Whois registration was set to private, making it impossible to identify the true owner of the database.

Save up to 68% on identity theft protection for TechRadar readers!

TechRadar editors praise Aura's upfront pricing and simplicity. Aura also includes a password manager, VPN, and antivirus to make its security solution an even more compelling deal.

Preferred partner (What does this mean?)View Deal

Attribution troubles

But the researcher managed to reach out to the hosting provider, and soon after - public access was restricted. The provider, however, did not disclose the information about the owner.

With that in mind, Fowler says it’s difficult to determine if the database was generated by a malicious actor, or a legitimate one. Still, he leans towards the former, claiming to have seen “multiple signs” the data was harvested with infostealers.

Infostealers are usually distributed via phishing, malicious websites, or tainted updates. They can harvest sensitive information from the compromised device, including passwords stored in browsers, important PDF files, cryptocurrency wallet information, and more.

Once crooks get access to email accounts, they can use them to launch convincing phishing attacks, or steal even more data.

In fact, Fowler argues that many people “treat their email accounts like free storage” and keep years’ worth of sensitive documents inside.

Via Website Planet

You might also like

• Schneider Electric says developer platform was breached, company data stolen
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app
• We've rounded up the best password managers

• President Trump has threatened Apple with a 25% tariff as it doesn't make its devices in the US
• This could see a price increase for iPhones, iPads, Macs and more
• Trump proposes a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union, which could have a knock-on effect on product prices too

US President Donald Trump has said he's "recommending" a 50% tariff on the European Union starting June 1. And these tariffs could hit Apple, as it doesn't manufacture its iPhones and other devices in the US.

"I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else," Trump posted on his social media site Truth. "If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your for your attention to this matter!"

If such a tariff comes to fruition, the cost of iPhones could increase to compensate for the increased tariffs.

Even if Apple were to shift its manufacturing of iPhones wholesale to the US, that would very likely represent a huge initial cost of setup, as well as a long lead time and ongoing labor expenses. So, that could also see Apple need to increase the price of its products, both existing and likely upcoming.

The next big Apple product launches are likely to be the iPhone 17 and the so-called iPhone 17 Air. If the Trump administration pursues these tariffs, then both phones could have a launch price that'll sting even the most dedicated iPhone fans.

We've approached Apple for comment but have yet to hear back from the company.

Turbulent tariffs

While the Trump administration pulled back from some of its most aggressive proposed tariffs, which were paused for 90 from the start of April, given the huge market upheaval they caused; one notable example was US pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 being parsed as the Japanese gaming giant navigated protential prices changes in the face of importing its upcoming console to the States.

Reciprocal tariffs from nations affected by Trump's tariffs caused huge disruption in markets, and while things simmered down in the weeks after, there are still tariffs on the table that could make doing business with the US difficult for companies based in other nations.

The likes of Samsung have a big presence in the US, but the South Korean company manufactures its devices outside of America and Trump's traffics could make importing the likes of the Galaxy S25 and the likely upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 more expensive. A likely knock-on effect of that would be for Samsung to increase the prices of its devices, with the cost effectively being passed on to consumers.

With inflation causing the cost of all manner of products to increase, with Trump's tariffs we could see prices on tech rise. So my suggestions is to make use of the Memorial Day deals while you can still get devices for acceptable prices.

Of course, the fallout from this could be too hard to swallow so Trump might end up not seeing such threats through, especially against Apple as it's one of the US' trillion-dollar companies.

You might also like

• This iPhone 17 Air dummy unit looks incredibly slim next to an iPhone 16 Plus, it’s just a shame about the big camera
• iPhones just got Google’s best AI feature for free – and it could genuinely make me switch back from Android

The third installment in Netflix’s landmark documentary series American Manhunt has critics raving and audiences rushing to binge the three-episode series.

Since its release on May 14, American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden has shot to the top of the Netflix charts, holding the top stop not just in the US, but globally, with an estimated 12.6 million views in its first week.

It's hardly surprising, considering critics are hailing it as one of the best Netflix shows around at the moment, earning the doc a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Directed by Daniel Sivan and Mor Loushy, the series details the hunt for, and eventual raid on the compound of, al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden in the decade that followed the events of September 11, 2001.

Bin Laden was eventually “compromised to a permanent end” on May 2, 2011, but, as per Netflix’s synopsis, “less is known about what happened in between, and what operatives, officials, and counterterrorism experts faced in order to capture and bring down one of the most notorious terrorists in modern history.”

This is what the documentary sets out to explore, focusing on the individuals whose 10-year hunt involved tough decisions and swift actions, and transporting the viewer to the secure spaces in which intelligence operatives and Special Forces undertook a global pursuit of the world’s most wanted man.

Over the three episodes, the audiences hear from some of these men and women, with interviews with former CIA, Department of Defense and FBI officials such as Leon Panetta and Henry A. Crumpton, White House staffers of the era including Ben Rhodes and the journalists, like ABC reporter John Miller, who covered the ever evolving events.

The show tells “the story of the people tasked to find the world’s most wanted terrorist and bring him to justice” say Sivan and Loushy, “it [was] a hunt that changed their lives, America, and the world as we know it.”

What are the critics saying about American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden?

As evidenced by the doc’s perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, critics have nothing but praise for the show, which Ready Steady Cut called “absolutely stellar documentary filmmaking.”

Decider’s review shows that Sivan and Loushy have hit their mark attempting to tell the untold story of the operation, saying American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden “gives insight into operations most people in the US knew nothing about,” while San Francisco Chronicle called it a “a useful, riveting documentary docuseries.”

(Image credit: Netflix)What's the subscriber's verdict?

However, the response from viewers has been a little more muted, with the show currently sitting at just a 56% RT Audience Score.

One reviewer on the site criticized the lack of focus on the troops on the ground, saying “There is very little about the Seals [sic] who risked their lives but a great deal of preening and posturing by the politicians,” while others wished the show covered pre-9/11 US involvement with the al-Qaida leader in more depth: “Bin Laden and the US is part of history before the plane crash too. The documentary doesn’t delve into that subject nearly enough.”

Reddit users had a more positive response to the show, however, with one poster calling it “a solid 10/10 series” and another saying simply “must watch” while a third stated “I got goosebumps. I cried. I clapped [...] very powerful.”

Comment from r/netflix

As with the first two installments of the American Manhunt series – The Boston Marathon Bombing and O.J. Simpson – it seems one of the best streaming services have delivered a gripping documentary detailing the untold aspects of a headline-dominating event in recent U.S. history.

All three episodes, along with previous seasons, can be streamed on Netflix right now.

You might also like

For more Netflix TV show-based coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, One Piece season 2, Squid Game season 3, and Knives Out 3.

• ECCO has released its second report on Broadcom, citing no improvement
• Germany's VOICE has brought VMware pricing to the European Commission's attention
• Perpetual licenses got terminated, with many customers forced to pay upfront for three years

Broadcom has allegedly increased VMware licensing costs by eight to 15 times for many customers after eliminating perpetual and pay-as-you-go licenses, replacing them with bundled subscriptions that require a three-year minimum contract.

The European Cloud Competition Observatory (ECCO) has likened the new pricing to paying for full, continuous usage regardless of actual consumption.

It was revealed that many CISPE members have signed new contracts under pressure to keep services connected while lacking viable alternatives, with some old contracts over 10 years abruptly terminated.

CISPE isn't happy about Broadcom's VMware pricing

"ECCO’s role includes highlighting ongoing or new unfair software licensing practices from any software vendors in the cloud sector. As such, it has already published one report critical of Broadcom’s changes to licensing practices following its acquisition of VMware in November 2023," ECCO wrote.

ECCO said that Broadcom continues to enact a "increasingly litigious approach to its partners and customers," accusing the company of partaking in anticompetitive actions. Europe's Observatory stressed that it has only had one meeting with Broadcom since its VMware acquisition, but no progress was made.

"This second report finds that Broadcom’s wide ranging and brutal imposition of unfair contract terms for cloud infrastructure service provides continue unabated," the body added.

In May 2024, CISPE criticized the company for requiring up-front payment for its three-year contracts, stating that "Broadcom must do more."

Since then, Germany's VOICE, an association of IT users, has sought to file a formal complaint against Broadcom with the European Commission.

CISPE Secretary General Francisco Mignorance commented: "Unlike Microsoft, Broadcom shows no interest in finding solutions, or even of working with European cloud infrastructure providers. Broadcom can report that most have signed new contracts, but we know that these are punitive and threaten the viability of service providers locked-in to the VMware ecosystem. Urgent action is needed.”

TechRadar Pro has asked Broadcom to comment on the ongoing matter, but we did not receive an immediate response.

You might also like

• These are the best cloud hosting providers
• Broadcom is cracking down on some VMware users hard - here's why
• Check out the best virtual machine software and best virtual desktop services

• Xiaomi’s YU7 is a follow-up to the massively popular SU7 sedan
• Enormous HyperVision Panoramic Display spans the entire windshield
• Huge performance promised by 680bhp electric drivetrain

Hot on the heels of Xiaomi’s SU7, which sold almost 30,000 units in China in a single month when it launched last year, the smartphone and tech giant has announced the eagerly-awaited follow-up.

Sporting sleek crossover looks, not too dissimilar to Porsche’s stunning Taycan Sport Turismo model, the YU7 offers more interior roominess and the added practicality of a larger and more accessible trunk. A generous 1,970 liters of total storage space are on offer.

It is hotly-tipped to be a massive sales success in its domestic market of China, where it is touted to cause headaches for Tesla, further eroding Model Y sales in the country.

This is down to the fact that Xiaomi products have an almost cult-like status in China, but also because its dimensions are larger than the Model Y, it charges faster and boasts a far greater range.

Xiaomi says the YU7 will come in three versions (Standard, Pro and Max), which can offer up to 519 miles of range on a single charge or up to 680bhp in the most potent versions – the 0-62mph sprint takes just 3.2 seconds in Max models.

Plus, charging takes just 12 minutes to achieve a 10-80% state-of-charge thanks to an 800V silicon carbide high-voltage platform architecture.

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

But scratch the surface and Xiaomi has gone guns-blazing with the technology on offer, with the next-generation of Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computing platform providing some serious digital fire power.

Alongside advanced levels of autonomous driving and active safety systems, the compute power also allows for a plethora of interior screens and displays.

Xiaomi says it is the first to offer a panoramic display that spans the full-width of the windscreen. Dubbed HyperVision Panoramic Display, it “intelligently adapts” to different user scenarios.

The tech company says it can offer speed and navigational directions in the sightline of the driver, but will also offer infotainment details, including real-time lyrics.

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

If that all sounds a bit distracting, just wait until you hear that the HyperVision Panoramic Display can offer up five modular information categories, from instrument readouts and media controls to navigation and weather updates.

Xiaomi intended the interior of the YU7 to mimic the cockpit of a fighter jet, with myriad information at the driver’s fingertips.

Passengers are also treated to displays, with seat-back screens an optional extra and an additional remote control panel embedded into the back of the center console that allows rear passengers to take over navigation or “entertainment management” duties.

There is no current word on pricing, but like the SU7, the latest Xiaomi will only be on sale in China for now. That's probably a good thing for most rival manufacturers.

Analysis: Tesla's Model Y continues to be a target

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

Although the price is not official, the Xiaomi YU7 is rumored to arrive with a tag that slightly undercuts the Model Y – Tesla's globally best-selling vehicle and one that once dominated that Chinese sales charts.

According to The Verge, Xiaomi founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun responded to the news of a refreshed Model Y coming to China late last year with a size comparison between the YU7 and Musk's popular electric SUV. Heck, the new Xiaomi even has a 'Y' in its name.

It is clear that Chinese EVs continue to target Tesla, attempting to knock the brand off the top spot with more affordable, more technologically advanced and more practical electric vehicles.

(Image credit: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi has an even sharper edge, considering it is one of the most recognizable names in technology and one the biggest smartphone manufacturers in the world. The SU7 was often regarded as the Apple Car that never was and huge numbers bought into it.

Considering the YU7 offers even more, particularly the practicality of improved interior space and comfort, it is highly likely it will prove a huge sales success.

Tesla, on the other hand, is continuing to experience sliding sales figures, both in China and further afield. Last month, BYD sold more electric cars than Tesla in Europe for the first time in its history.

You might also like

• The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra EV has been unleashed – and it’s already bagging speed records
• Forget foldable phones – LG's 'stretchable' in-car display can grow physical buttons when you need them, and I can't stop watching it
• Tesla launches cheaper Model Y in the US, but confirms it's ditched the Cybertruck's promised range extender

• Mozilla is closing popular read-it-later app Pocket
• There are several alternatives that you can use instead
• The Fakespot online shopping extension is also being shuttered

Mozilla is closing down the popular Pocket app, which lets you save articles from the web so that you can read them later. The company is also shuttering Fakespot, a browser extension used to expose fake product ratings to help you avoid getting misled when shopping online.

Pocket lets you save articles to the app that you can then read at another time. While many of the best browsers like Google Chrome have built-in bookmarking, Pocket is different in that it tweaks the experience to make reading more enjoyable. To that end, it adds its own formatting so that articles appear in a uniform, readable style, and it also allows you to add tags and highlights for better organization.

In a blog post, Mozilla said the move was made to help it focus on its Firefox web browser, adding that “the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved, so we’re channeling our resources into projects that better match browsing habits today.” The company has also posted a more detailed guide to its decision and explained what will come next on its website.

Pocket will shut down on July 8, 2025. As of now, new users can no longer download the app or purchase new Pocket Premium subscriptions, with current subscribers being refunded on a pro rata basis. Existing Pocket users will be able to export their saved articles until October 8, 2025, after which time their data will be permanently deleted. Mozilla has published a guide on exporting your Pocket saves to help with the process.

As for Fakespot, its apps, website and extensions will become unavailable on July 1, 2025. The Review Checker feature that’s built into the Firefox web browser will stop working on June 10, 2025.

Sorely missed

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve used Pocket religiously for many years, and the move to shut it down came as an unwelcome surprise. Since I found out about the move, I’ve been looking for alternative apps that let me save articles and read through them at my leisure.

So far, I’ve seen Instapaper come highly recommended. It’s designed to help you save articles from around the web and display them in a simple, easy-to-read format. It can even speak articles aloud so you can listen on the go.

Another alternative is Readwise Reader. Like Instapaper, it’s great for saving from the web, but it also works with RSS feeds, X threads, PDFs, newsletters, YouTube videos, and more. There’s integration with Readwise’s highlighting capabilities, plus a beautiful design that’s easy on the eye.

There’s also Raindrop, which some of my TechRadar colleagues wholeheartedly recommend. This bills itself as a bookmark manager, so it helps with organizing almost anything you find on the web, not just articles. It’s built for teams and will automatically back up any files and web pages you add, ensuring you can keep reading even if the original source is lost.

Despite coming across these alternatives, I can’t say I’m not disappointed to lose Pocket. One of its best aspects was its suggested articles feature, which has helped me find an incredible array of fascinating stories that I’d otherwise never have discovered. Once it goes, it’ll be sorely missed.

You might also like

• I've finally found an app that stops the endless scrolling and I love it
• Firefox might one day be able to detect fake reviews written by ChatGPT
• Firefox is ending Do Not Track, but there are better ways to protect your privacy – here's what I recommend

• Microsoft is bringing new AI features to Notepad, Paint and Snipping Tool
• Many of these are for Copilot+ PCs only, though, as they require an NPU
• Notepad is getting a new AI-powered text creation ability which is coming to all Windows 11 PCs, but it needs a Microsoft 365 subscription

Windows 11’s Notepad app is getting its AI powers expanded to include the ability to generate written content from scratch, and Microsoft is providing new AI-related functionality to two other apps in the OS, although all of this remains in testing for now.

Let’s start with Notepad which, with the release of version 11.2504.46.0 (in preview, for Windows 11 testers) adds a new ‘Write’ option. Just right-click where you want some text to be inserted – or anywhere in an empty document if you’re starting with a blank slate – and tell Notepad the nature of the content you want created, and it’ll write something for you.

Windows Latest has had a play with the feature in testing and observes that the AI tends to keep its generated text on the concise side.

If you’re not happy with the results and feel the AI-created content could be better, you can always elect to use the option to ‘Rewrite’ in Notepad, which allows for instructions to lengthen (or shorten) the text, or change the tone (and more besides).

The catch with Notepad’s new AI-powered writing is that it uses what Microsoft calls AI credits.

If you aren’t a Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro subscriber, you don’t get those credits, and so won’t be able to use this feature. Those with a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plan get 60 AI credits per month, to be used across all Microsoft’s apps, so you are limited to the extent that you’ll be able to exercise this new power.

Away from Notepad, Microsoft has also added new features to the Paint app and Snipping Tool, and yes, as noted at the outset, all of this is AI-driven stuff. Further bear in mind that as Microsoft explains in a blog post, the following abilities are mostly for Copilot+ PCs only, too (except where I’ve noted otherwise).

Snipping Tool’s fresh addition is something called ‘perfect screenshot’ which lets you select an area of the screen that you wish to grab, but you only need to highlight it roughly. The AI will then refine the window that you’ve drawn to capture, say, an image on the screen. Essentially, this is doing the heavy lifting in terms of cropping an object exactly, meaning you only have to vaguely outline it, and AI does the rest – pretty nifty.

A further move with Snipping Tool (coming to all Windows 11 users in this case) is a color picker ability. This is for the likes of designers who want to know precisely what any given color is on-screen (so they can match it elsewhere, and it’s possible to use HEX, RGB or HSL color codes).

(Image credit: Microsoft)

As for Paint, Microsoft is providing a new ‘welcome experience’ (introductory panel explaining its latest features) that’s coming to everyone, too, and there are a couple of new AI tricks here (for Copilot+ PCs only).

First off, Paint is getting an object select tool which uses AI to, well, select objects on the canvas. This is (kind of) the equivalent of the Snipping Tool’s crop selection ability, meaning you can just point to an element of the image and AI will select the object precisely, allowing you to then apply edits.

Secondly, there’s a new sticker generator which again does what it says on the (Paint) tin. You tell the AI that you want a sticker of a tortoise in a leather jacket playing a ‘Flying V’ guitar and it’ll produce a selection of such stickers that you can choose from.

Analysis: Creative sparks and timesaving touches

(Image credit: Microsoft)

These are typical uses of AI, of course, encompassing content creation – from paragraphs in Notepad to stickers in Paint – to timesaving little touches in the form of easy selection of objects in Paint, or the swift cropping of an item in a screenshot with Snipping Tool.

All of this should make your life a bit easier, but there are reasons to have a bit of a grumble here. You’ll need a Copilot+ PC in many cases – and okay, that’s because it has the local hardware (an NPU) required to accelerate the task so it works quickly enough – but the subscription requirement for Notepad feels less reasonable.

More broadly, some folks are going to be irked by the changes to Notepad full-stop. Mainly because Notepad is supposed to be a minimalist, streamlined app to fire up to jot quick notes and the like, and it’s slowly becoming a mini version of Word. (Or indeed a new WordPad, which used to be the middle-ground between the two apps, until Microsoft killed it off).

Also, if you were thinking that Notepad already had AI text creation abilities, well, no, it didn’t. While the app has already witnessed the introduction of a Rewrite facility, creating paragraphs from scratch is a new thing (for this app, anyway).

Does Notepad really need it, though? On the face of it, the move can’t hurt – if you don’t want it, don’t use it. But the argument against slowly drafting in more and more features for Notepad is that this bloat will slow it down, making it less responsive (and even more sluggish to load, perhaps).

All of which very much pulls in the wrong direction for those who want a tiny, quickfire jotting pad of an app, which, to be fair, was always the original intent with Notepad. Not so much, these days, that’s for certain.

You might also like...

• Windows 11 is getting more AI shortcuts, but is Microsoft in danger of cluttering up the OS with AI creep?
• Can’t upgrade to Windows 11? This Linux project wants to save your old PC from the scrapheap when Windows 10 support ends
• Been hiding from Windows 11 24H2 due to the fuss about all the bugs? There’s nowhere to run now as Microsoft’s made the update compulsory

• Java is 30 today, but remains one of the most widely used programming languages globally
• Java’s design philosophy prioritizes stability and backwards compatibility over flashy language trends
• The JVM remains Java’s secret weapon, enabling true cross-platform execution for decades

On May 23, 1995, a seemingly modest programming language called Java was released by Sun Microsystems.

At the time, it introduced the catchy promise of "write once, run anywhere" - a proposition that, despite sounding ambitious, resonated deeply with a generation of developers navigating a fragmented and rapidly evolving computing landscape.

Thirty years later, Java remains one of the most widely used programming languages in the world, embedded in everything from enterprise servers to cloud-native applications. But how did a language from the mid-'90s maintain its relevance amid relentless technological shifts?

A runtime built for endurance, not fashion

As Java turns 30, it’s worth re-examining its trajectory not just through celebratory anecdotes but also through the lens of its actual utility, structural longevity, and measured adaptability.

The occasion may call for cake and nostalgia, but the real story lies in the language’s persistent grip on serious computing tasks, and the skepticism it continues to attract from those who see it as either too slow to evolve or overly burdened by its own legacy.

Java's defining characteristic has always been platform independence. It achieved this through the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which runs compiled bytecode on any operating system equipped with a compatible JVM.

This design helped Java flourish in the heterogeneous IT environments of the late '90s and early 2000s. Unlike many languages that depend on direct compilation for each target system, Java's intermediary form allowed for smoother portability.

Over the decades, Java's APIs and class libraries expanded, but with an unusual level of care: backward compatibility was always a priority. Developers weren’t required to rewrite code with every version upgrade.

This is a crucial advantage in enterprise systems, where uptime and reliability often outweigh syntactic novelty. Today, applications written decades ago can still run with minimal modification on modern JVMs, a level of continuity that few languages offer.

A cautious evolution of language features

Java has seen gradual enhancements, often arriving later than similar features in more agile languages. Lambda expressions, for example, only became part of Java with version 8 in 2014, long after functional programming had become mainstream elsewhere.

In its early years (1995–2000s), Java established itself in enterprise and mobile development with the introduction of Java 2, which included J2SE, J2EE, and J2ME. J2EE became the standard for web and enterprise applications, while J2ME gained popularity on mobile devices.

Java 5, released in 2004, marked a turning point with the addition of generics, enhanced for-loops, and annotations, moving Java closer to modern programming practices.

From Java 9 onward, the language has evolved steadily. The module system (Java 9), local variable type inference with var (Java 10), pattern matching (Java 16), and improvements in memory management reinforced Java’s adaptability.

Java 17, a long-term support release, reaffirmed the platform’s role as a robust and modern choice for software development.

Java in the cloud and beyond

Despite its age, Java has found a second wind in cloud computing. It is particularly well-suited for cloud-native applications, thanks in part to the emergence of GraalVM, a runtime that compiles Java into native machine code.

GraalVM’s native images can dramatically reduce startup times and memory usage, a key consideration for containerized environments and serverless platforms like AWS Lambda.

Java has also extended its reach into machine learning and high-performance computing through projects like Panama, which improves interoperability with native C/C++ libraries.

With tools like Jextract, Java developers can generate bindings to foreign code easily, sidestepping the clunky and error-prone Java Native Interface (JNI).

This technical depth is part of the reason Java continues to power complex systems. It's not flashy, but it's functional, and in enterprise environments, functionality beats fashion every time.

Projects shaping Java’s future and the evolution of syntax

The OpenJDK community has multiple projects aiming to refine Java’s performance and usability.

Project Leyden focuses on optimizing startup times and reducing memory footprints. Project Lilliput is exploring ways to shrink the object header to as little as 32 bits. Several other projects are underway, though not all have yielded immediate results.

Some, like Project Amber, show incremental but slow progress, while others, like Babylon, seem to outpace current implementations.

Nevertheless, one of the more welcome modernizations has been the addition of record types, which reduce boilerplate in data-holding classes. This improvement, introduced via JEP 359, aligns with the goals of the Valhalla project.

Pattern matching and enhanced switch statements are also nudging Java closer to functional programming languages in expressiveness.

However, these changes are often incremental and restricted to preview status for multiple releases before becoming permanent.

James Gosling, the creator of Java

Java’s 30th anniversary also brings renewed attention to 70-year-old James Gosling, the language’s creator.

His reflections are both proud and critical. Gosling has expressed satisfaction in hearing from developers whose careers were built on Java.

Looking back on Java’s evolution, he noted that features like lambdas, introduced in JDK 8, were ones he wished had been part of the language from the start.

Still, he emphasized the importance of thoughtful language design, explaining, “I never wanted to put in something that was not right.”

On AI, he’s blunt: “It’s mostly a scam,” he said, adding, “The number of grifters and hypesters in the tech industry is mind-rotting.”

His views on AI-assisted coding tools are similarly sharp. While he finds them amusing for basic tasks, he notes that “as soon as your project gets even slightly complicated, they pretty much always blow their brains out.”

Conclusion: Longevity through caution and clarity

Java’s 30th birthday is more than a symbolic milestone, it highlights a rare achievement in software engineering: staying relevant without constant reinvention.

While newer languages come with sleek syntax and flashy tooling, Java remains a trusted workhorse in sectors where stability, security, and predictability matter most.

Whether it's running a logistics backend, a financial system, or a cloud-native microservice, Java’s design ethos - pragmatism over novelty - continues to prove itself.

Its legacy isn’t built on hype, but on solving real problems at scale. And in that regard, it may very well be just getting started.

You might also like

• These are the best NAS devices around
• We've also rounded up the best cloud storage platforms on offer
• These are the best AI writers available

• Nintendo Switch 2 GameChat will require a phone number to use
• This will presumably help prevent children from accessing the service without permission
• It offers voice calls out of the box or video calls with the optional Nintendo Switch 2 camera accessory

The Nintendo Switch 2 GameChat feature will require a mobile phone number to use.

As spotted by Notebookcheck, this was disclosed on the 'Ask the Developer Vol. 17, GameChat – Chapter 1' interview on the Nintendo website.

"Mobile phone number registration required to use GameChat. Children must get approval from a parent or guardian via the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app to use GameChat," a small notice towards the top of the page reads.

The US GameChat section of the site expands on this a little further, explaining that "as an additional security measure, text message verification is required to set up GameChat."

This is the same phone number registered to your Nintendo account. Presumably, those who are banned from using GameChat for poor behavior would be unable to use the same phone number to access it on another account.

The requirement is also likely intended to help prevent children from accessing the service without parental permission, which is required for those under the age of 16. Children that young are unlikely to have access to a mobile phone, potentially easing some parental concerns that GameChat could be used to communicate with strangers online.

Although it can be used via the console's in-built microphone, GameChat is also compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 camera accessory. Sold separately, the Nintendo Switch 2 camera allows for video chat functionality.

You are only able to start GameChat sessions with people on your Nintendo friends list, who must be invited to the session.

The Nintendo Switch 2 launches globally on June 5. UK pre-orders and US pre-orders are now live.

You might also like...

• Missed out on a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order? GameStop and Best Buy will have more stock on the console's launch date
• The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller is already doing one thing better than the DualSense Edge and other premium gamepads
• The newly revealed Logitech G522 Lightspeed could become the new mid-range wireless gaming headset to beat

• The Earfun Tune Pro cost $69.99 / £59.99 (about AU$108) at launch
• Hi-Res Audio, dual drivers and Bluetooth 5.4
• Hybrid ANC to block 45dB of unwanted audio

EarFun is carving out an enviable reputation for its high-quality and low-priced headphones such as the 4.5-star EarFun Wave Pro. And now there's an even higher spec pair of over-ears with a refreshingly low price.

The new EarFun Tune Pro have an impressive specification and cost just $69.99 /£59.99 at launch thanks to a coupon that knocks $20 / £20 off their official $89.99 / £79.99 price – and that means this lower price is effectively the 'real' price, and whenever they're the higher price, that just means a deal is coming soon and retailers want to show a nice discount amount.

• Earfun Tune Pro for $69.99 at Amazon US
• Earfun Tune Pro for £59.99 at Amazon UK

That lower price for these kind of features, and a dual-driver speaker setup, is extremely tempting.

We wouldn't expect these headphones to go head to head with something like a pair of Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3. But we've been consistently impressed by EarFun's value for money, and if these new 'phones surpass the "admirable" sound quality of the Wave Pro (as described by our review) they could be a great budget buy.

If they're really good, they might even restore EarFun's crown as maker of the best noise cancelling headphones for budget buyers, an honor that was recently passed to EarFun's arch-rival 1More.

EarFun Tune Pro: key features

The Tune Pro are dual-driver headphones with a large 40mm PET composite film driver and an additional 10mm LCP polymer driver for the higher-frequency sounds.

The idea of a driver pair like this is the that the large driver can focus more on low-end sounds, and the smaller driver can focus on the upper end, and the overall depth of sound should be improved compared to a single driver. But as with all audio engineering, it depends on execution.

Also included is a new Theater Mode sound profile for "enhanced 2-channel stereo and 360-degree spatial sound formats".

There's hybrid ANC promising noise reduction of up to 45dB, and a five-microphone setup with AI for clear voice calls. Battery life is up to 120 hours (presumably with ANC off, but that's a very impressive number in any case), and you can listen in cabled mode as well as wireless.

Bluetooth is 5.4 with multi-point and a low-latency mode for gaming, and the headphones are Hi-Res Audio certified, although EarFun hasn't published details of supported audio quality or wireless codecs; if you squint at the promotional images you'll see the small print that Hi-Res certification only applies to listening in wired mode.

The new EarFun Tune Pro headphones are available now from EarFun and from Amazon.

• Earfun Tune Pro for $69.99 at Amazon US
• Earfun Tune Pro for £59.99 at Amazon UK

You might also like

• The best cheap noise canceling headphone sales and deals
• The best over-ear headphones 2025 for all budgets, tested by us
• The best cheap headphones 2025, all tested by our experts

• Ive and Altman announced their company, io, was purchased by OpenAI yesterday
• The two entrepreneurs are working on creating the next generation of AI hardware
• A new report claims the device will look like an iPod Shuffle and can be worn around your neck, like a necklace

Jony Ive and Sam Altman just announced an AI device made by their company, io, is in the works. Now we've got even more info about the mysterious product, and it's rumored to look like an iPod Shuffle.

According to industry insider and renowned leaker Ming-Chi-Kuo, the current OpenAI ChatGPT hardware prototype "is slightly larger than the AI Pin, with a form factor as compact and elegant as an iPod Shuffle."

Kuo revealed multiple new insights into the product on X, detailing that io's product is expected to enter mass production at the start of 2027.

Kuo says while the design and specifications may change before the device enters mass production, it's expected to "have cameras and microphones for environmental detection, with no display functionality."

Not only is the device expected to look like an iPod Shuffle that can be worn around your neck, but it is also "expected to connect to smartphones and PCs, utilizing their computing and display capabilities."

This information gives us a much deeper insight into what the io product actually is, following OpenAI's $6.5 billion acquisition of the company.

In the announcement video, Ive, famous for designing the first iPhone, and Altman, OpenAI's CEO, talked for nine-minutes in a café without really giving information on what the product is, other than it's "an extraordinary moment", and that whatever the pair are working on is going to completely revolutionize the way we interact with artificial intelligence.

My industry research indicates the following regarding the new AI hardware device from Jony Ive's collaboration with OpenAI:1. Mass production is expected to start in 2027.2. Assembly and shipping will occur outside China to reduce geopolitical risks, with Vietnam currently the… pic.twitter.com/5IELYEjNyVMay 22, 2025

So... It's basically an AI Pin

After reading Kuo's report, it's now clearer than ever that this upcoming product is essentially going to be a better version of the Humane AI Pin. Essentially, it's ChatGPT in a small product you can throw in your pocket or wear around your neck.

While this gives us further indication into what to expect, there's still a long time before io's first product enters mass production and that could mean major changes over the next year.

Kuo says, "AI integrated into real-world applications, often termed "physical AI," is widely recognized as the next critical trend", and while we may not understand the necessity for these products yet, in two years time everyone might be interacting with ChatGPT and other AI models in a whole new way.

You might also like

• Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s mysterious ‘AI-powered computer’ will be OpenAI’s magnum opus - here are 5 clues that hint at what it will be
• Google Gemini 2.5 Flash promises to be your favorite AI chatbot, but how does it compare to ChatGPT 4o?
• I pitched the new Google Gemini against ChatGPT for AI image generation – and the results shocked me

• A leak has detailed the claimed specs of Nvidia’s RTX 5080 Super
• Some gamers might see this refreshed GPU as underwhelming – it doesn’t add any extra cores into the mix, notably
• However, there are robust upgrades elsewhere with the video memory and also clock speeds

Another rumor about Nvidia’s RTX 5080 Super has been aired and we’ve got a look at what are supposedly the full specs of this GPU.

As VideoCardz pointed out, leaker Kopite7kimi has posted the claimed specs for the rumored graphics card on X, and that may mean Nvidia has just provided said details to its graphics card making partners (and they leaked from there). Or, it might mean precisely nothing, because as ever, rumors, much like demons, need considerable salting.

GeForce RTX 5080 SuperPG147-SKU35GB203-450-A110752FP32256-bit GDDR7 24G 32Gbps400+WMay 20, 2025

The key parts of the specifications are that the RTX 5080 Super will supposedly use the same GPU as the RTX 5080, which is the GB203 chip. As the RTX 5080 has already maxed out the cores on that chip, the core count will be the same with the Super version of this graphics card – there’s no room to maneuver to increase it.

The big upgrade comes from the leap from 16GB to 24GB of video RAM (VRAM), and as well as that 50% uplift, the leaker believes Nvidia is going to use faster memory modules here (32Gbps rather than 30Gbps).

We’re also told that the TDP of the RTX 5080 Super is going to sit at 400W, or it might use even more power than that.

Analysis: Crunching the specs and not forgetting about clocks

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

Looking at those specs, you might think: how is the RTX 5080 Super going to be a tempting upgrade on the vanilla version of the GPU? It has the same CUDA core count, and somewhat faster video memory, but only around 7% more VRAM bandwidth than the RTX 5080. So, what gives?

Well, don’t forget that added to that VRAM boost, the RTX 5080 Super is expected to have considerably faster clock speeds. Pushing those clocks faster is why this incoming GPU is going to chug more than 400W (perhaps a fair bit more) compared to 360W for the plain RTX 5080.

So, if you’re worried that the RTX 5080 Super may represent an underwhelming prospect in terms of an upgrade over the RTX 5080, don’t be. (Although you may have concerns about your PC’s power supply instead). All this is in line with previous speculation that we’ll see something like a 10% performance boost with the RTX 5080 Super versus the basic version of the GPU, or maybe even slightly more (up towards 15%, even).

Plus that much bigger allocation of 24GB of VRAM is going to make a difference in some scenarios where 4K gaming coupled with very high graphics settings gets more demanding with certain games. (A situation that’s only going to get worse as time rolls on, if you’re thinking about future-proofing, which should always be something of a consideration).

On top of this is the fact that Nvidia is falling out of favor in the consumer GPU world, with AMD’s RDNA 4 graphics cards making a seriously positive impact on Team Red’s chances – and sales. The latest RX 9060 XT reveal has pretty much gone down a treat, too, so I don’t think Nvidia can risk damaging its standing with PC gamers any further, frankly, by pushing out subpar Super refreshes.

Speaking of refreshes – with the emphasis on the plural – previous rumors have also theorized an RTX 5070 Super graphics card with 18GB of VRAM is on the boil, but that’s notably absent from Kopite7kimi’s post here. That doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, but it could be read as a sign that the RTX 5080 Super is going to arrive first.

Again, previous spinning from the rumor mill indicates a very broad 2025 release timeframe for the RTX 5080 Super, but if the specs really are decided on at this stage – and it’s a huge if – that suggests Nvidia intends to deploy this GPU sooner, rather than later, this year.

You might also like

• Nvidia RTX 5080 vs RTX 5070 Ti: Should you spend a little more?
• Nvidia RTX 5080 review: nearly RTX 4090 performance for a whole lot less
• AMD could be working on a faster RX 9070 Extreme graphics card

• Samsung's next budget earbuds have leaked again
• Regulatory filings show much bigger batteries than the Galaxy Buds FE
• Expect pricing around $99 / £99 / AU$149

Earlier this month we reported that the incoming new pair of Samsung affordable earbuds – possibly called the Samsung Galaxy Buds Core and the likely successor to the Galaxy Buds FE – could deliver a much-needed battery boost, with significantly enhanced battery capacity in both of the buds and in the case too. That information came via leaked regulatory filings, and now another leak adds more confirmation.

This time the leaks are from Samsung. As Sammobile reports, support pages for the imminent earbuds are now live on Samsung's portals including the ones in Russia, Turkey and the UAE.

And in a sheer coincidence, the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE appear to be out of stock in most of those markets.

There's some speculation that the new earbuds will more closely resemble the Galaxy Buds 3 (Image credit: Future)Samsung Galaxy Buds Core: what we know so far

It looks like the battery capacity is up from 60mAh per bud to 100mAh, and from 479mAh to 500mAh for the case. Factor in the expected chipset improvements from newer hardware, and that could mean a significant boost to the buds' playback time. The current Buds FE deliver about six hours with ANC on and nine with it off.

The new model number is SM-R410 (the Galaxy Buds FE were SM-400) and there is speculation that we'll see a new design, possibly closer visually to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3; that would make room for those bigger batteries.

Samsung hasn't announced these buds yet, so we don't know pricing or availability, but clearly if support pages are going up then a product launch can't be too far away.

We'd expect the new buds to be priced similarly to the Galaxy Buds FE, subject to tariff-related hikes: those launched at $99 / £99 / AU$149 in 2023.

You might also like

• Samsung Galaxy Buds 3: official price, release date and more
• Our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review
• The best earbuds 2025 for every budget, all tested by us

• The tri-fold Samsung phone might cost $3,000-$3,500
• However, it's likely to be limited to South Korea and China
• A launch has been predicted for sometime in July

We've been ready and waiting for the Samsung tri-fold phone for months now – remember it was officially teased back in January – and as its launch gets closer, there's a new leak hinting at a high price for the foldable.

This comes from well-respected tipster Yogesh Brar, who says we can expect a price tag of around $3,000-$3,500. With a straight currency conversion at today's rates (which Samsung won't use), that's £2,225-£2,595 or AU$4,650-AU$5,425.

However, if you live in a country using any of those currencies, it sounds like you're not going to be able to spend your cash on this device. Brar reckons the handset is launching in "limited quantities", and only in South Korea and China (as previously rumored).

Samsung has previous form for this, because last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition has also been limited to South Korea and China. Perhaps the company isn't sure what the demand for these very expensive foldables would be like globally.

One more fold

Galaxy Tri-fold all set to launch in Q3 this yearSamsung is only launching it in 2 markets : South Korea & ChinaLimited quantities with a price between $3000 - 3500May 21, 2025

That high price isn't much of a surprise of course. As our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review will tell you, that phone launched at a starting price of $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749, and the new model will come with a bigger screen and an extra hinge.

Then there's the Huawei Mate XT, which costs 19,999 yuan in China. That's roughly $2,775 / £2,060 / AU$4,305 at today's conversion rates. These are clearly expensive and difficult to make, and that means high prices and limited production runs.

Since rumors of a Samsung tri-fold first started swirling, we've heard that the handset could be called the Galaxy G Fold, and that it'll share the same hinge technology expected to appear in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The tri-fold, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 are all expected to be announced at an Unpacked event sometime in July, though on-sale dates may vary. At the same launch, we should also see the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 8.

You might also like

• Samsung's next foldables tipped for a titanium upgrade
• Here's how big the Samsung tri-fold might be
• Samsung tri-fold phone could come with a folding battery

• BT-owned Openreach confirms plans to speed up full fibre rollout
• 18 million properties are connected – 25 million by 2026, 30 million by 2030
• BT also confirmed a deal to target "hard-to-reach" properties in South and West Wales

UK broadband network and infrastructure giant Openreach has committed to rolling out full fibre broadband across the UK more quickly after acknowledging that only 37% of customers are connected to the network.

The news coincides with an undisclosed "increased investment" from BT Group – Openreach's owner.

According to the company, more than 18 million homes and businesses nationwide have benefitted from new infrastructure, including four million in the past year, but with an extra cash injection from BT, it hopes to e

Openreach wants more homes and businesses to have full fibre

Openreach "now expects to accelerate towards its target of reaching 25 million premises by December 2026," a press release reads, noting how the company's build rate is expected to increase by 20%.

The BT-owned network and infrastructure firm says it's seen record demand over the past year, connecting one customer to its full fibre network every 17 seconds.

"We’re bringing life changing connectivity to all corners of the country, and we’re determined to go further and faster, so we’re proud of the confidence being shown in us through this investment," Openreach CEO Clive Selley said.

That growth is expected to continue into the end of the decade. Openreach envisions 30 million properties being connected to its full fibre network by 2030, adding a further five million after its December 2026 target.

BT recently confirmed a £9.8 million contract to extend its full fibre network to 1,800 "hard-to-reach sites" in Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire.

BT Group CEO Allison Kirkby added: "Our new network is helping to grow the economy, create jobs, delight customers and deliver value to our shareholders."

You might also like

• Make the most of strong connections with the best business laptops
• We've rounded up the best business broadband deals you can get this month
• Nokia is bringing ridiculously fast 50Gbps broadband to the UK as the global race for hyperfast internet heats up

• The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller's GL/GR buttons have some handy features
• You can remap them without exiting your game session
• Furthermore, the assignments will be saved on a per-game basis

The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller has a bit of an ace up its sleeve, and it relates to the remappable GL/GR buttons found on the rear of the pad.

A spotlight for the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller was featured on the Nintendo Today mobile app (spotted by GamesRadar), showcasing some of the functionality of these extra buttons.

It confirmed that the GL/GR buttons have a couple of fantastic quality-of-life features that are sorely missing from the likes of the DualSense Edge and Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 - two premium gamepads that also house additional remappable buttons.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, the major difference is that the GL/GR remappable buttons can be assigned (and reassigned) without backing out of your current play session.

By holding down the Home button, you'll gain access to a 'quick settings' menu, within which you can assign the GL/GR buttons instantaneously. Furthermore, the controller will remember which inputs have been assigned to these buttons on a per-game basis.

This differs greatly from, for example, the DualSense Edge. While Sony's controller has a pair of exceptionally handy Function switches that let you swap button profiles on the fly, said profiles still need setting up in a separate menu on your PS5's dashboard.

For Nintendo Switch 2 games, this makes it incredibly easy to quickly assign a secondary input to the GL/GR buttons, but also test it out immediately to see how it feels in-game.

Quick remappable button assignment, in and of itself, is nothing new. Plenty of the best Nintendo Switch controllers feature button combination macros that let you remap on the fly. The downside here, though, is that this can be quite cumbersome, and you'll often need to dig into a controller's instruction manual to figure out what these macros are.

We're now less than a couple of weeks away from the Nintendo Switch 2's launch on June 5. Be sure to check out TechRadar Gaming around that time, as we'll have plenty of coverage on the console, its hardware, and games in the months to come.

You might also like...

• The newly revealed Logitech G522 Lightspeed could become the new mid-range wireless gaming headset to beat
• Vertagear announces new partnership with Audi to launch a gaming chair collection and you can pre-order them right now
• Secretlab's new Warhammer 40,000 sit-to-stand desk is one of the coolest pieces of licensed gear I've ever seen

• Marvel has delayed the release of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars
• The movies were supposed to arrive in May 2026 and May 2027
• Their worldwide launch dates have been pushed back seven months

Marvel has delayed the release of Avengers: Doomsday and its sequel.

In a move that won't come as a surprise to many, the comic titan has pushed back the launch dates for Doomsday and its follow-up Avengers: Secret Wars.

The pair had been slated to land in theaters on May 1, 2026 and May 7, 2027. Now, you can expect to see Doomsday release in theaters worldwide seven months later than planned, with Avengers 5 now set to arrive on December 18, 2026 and Secret Wars' launch pushed to December 17, 2027.

The next two Avengers movies are set to be the biggest undertakings in Marvel Studios' history. Per Deadline, sources close to the production of both films say they're among the most ambitious projects that parent company Disney has ever produced, too. To quote Thanos, then, it was inevitable that Marvel would need more time to make both flicks.

Why Avengers 5 and 6's release-date delays are so significant

Marvel hasn't said what impact Doomsday's delayed release will have on its other projects (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Make no mistake, Disney and Marvel have made the right call to delay the release of Doomsday and Secret Wars. The overall response to Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects since 2019's Avengers: Endgame has been mixed. While some films and Disney+ shows have been critical and commercial successes, others haven't been greeted as enthusiastically or made as much money as Marvel would have hoped.

Disney and Marvel can't afford to fumble the proverbial bag with Doomsday and Secret Wars, especially given the amount of money it'll collectively cost to make them. Add in the talent behind and in front of the camera – Avengers: Doomsday's initial cast alone is 27-deep – and the pressure to deliver two more top-tier Avengers movies is most certainly on.

The release of Spider-Man's next MCU adventure could be pushed back, too (Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)

Their release date postponements also raise other potential issues.

For starters, Doomsday and Secret Wars' delay could have a significant impact on Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The webslinger's next big-screen adventure was set to arrive between the pair, with its initial launch date penciled in for July 24, 2026. Spider-Man 4 suffered its own release setback in February, but its launch was only delayed by a week to July 31, 2026.

The big question now is whether Brand New Day will swing into cinemas on that revised date. Depending on which online rumors you believe, Spider-Man 4 will either be a multiverse-style movie like Spider-Man: No Way Home was, or a more grounded, street-level flick.

If it's the former, and if Brand New Day's plot is dependent on events that occur in, or run parallel to, Avengers: Doomsday, the next Spider-Man movie's launch date will likely have to be pushed back again.

Should Brand New Day be moved into 2027, we could see a repeat of 2023 when only one MCU film – Deadpool and Wolverine – landed in theaters, with 2026's sole Marvel movie being Doomsday. That's on the basis that Avengers 5, aka the second Marvel Phase 6 film, doesn't suffer another release date setback.

Will Marvel decide to move some of its 2025 Disney+ offerings into early 2026? (Image credit: Marvel Television/Disney Plus)

These delays could have a huge knock-on effect for Marvel's small-screen offerings, too.

If Brand New Day keeps its mid-2026 launch date, a whole year will have passed between the final MCU film of 2025 – The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which arrives on July 25 – and Tom Holland's next outing as Peter Parker's superhero alias. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it means MCU devotees will look to Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services, for their Marvel fix.

Fortunately, Marvel has plenty of TV-based MCU content in the pipeline. From Ironheart's release in late June to Daredevil: Born Again season 2's launch next March, there are currently five live-action and animated series set to debut on Disney's primary streamer.

In light of Doomsday's delay, though, will Marvel tweak its Disney+ lineup and further spread out its small-screen content to fill the void?

Right now, Born Again's second season is the only series confirmed to arrive in 2026. There are other shows in the works that are expected to debut next year, but they aren't likely to be ready until mid- to late 2026. To offset a potentially months-long barren spell in the MCU that Doomsday's delayed release has caused, Marvel might opt to push animated series Eyes of Wakanda or Wonder Man, the final live-action MCU TV show of 2025, into early 2026.

I guess we'll find out more about any further release-schedule changes when Marvel takes to the Hall H stage for its now-annual presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, the 2025 edition of which runs from July 24-27.

You might also like

• New Avengers: Doomsday behind-the-scenes images from Robert Downey Jr are getting Marvel fans excited about his portrayal of Doctor Doom
• New Marvel leak might have revealed Spider-Man: Brand New Day villains – and there could be three of them
• The Marvel multiverse saga isn't over yet, but these X-Men movie casting rumors are already making me rage like Wolverine