TechRadar News

Like many world-changing events, new applications of existing technology can lead to some interesting concepts. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the creation of masks featuring audio components. The controversial Razer Zephyr had external speakers, will.i.am’s Xupermask Honeywell collaboration had earbuds, and there was Dyson's air purifier mask headphones combo, of course. Once the pandemic and the lockdown eventually concluded, the idea of wearable air filtration devices with audio listening devices sorta died down.

That idea is being revived by Ible, which is a Taiwanese company established in 2015. The company is currently known for its Airvida line of wearable air purifiers that look like necklaces. During CES 2025, Ible revealed its upcoming E1 & T1 wireless earbuds that double as air purifiers. Users can listen to music and take phone calls while the purifiers claim to provide something akin to an invisible face mask.

Though I couldn’t personally test the hardware, I visited the booth and spoke to the company, and both of these audio devices offer a different glimpse into the future where the best earbuds are health devices too, which is becoming more and more of a thing.

The Airvida E1 is a pair of neckband earbuds that merges a 25dB noise cancellation with an ionic air purifier. Weighing just 42 grams, the device is connected through Bluetooth and provides eight hours of battery life with audio or over 30 without audio. The device is charged through a magnetic charging cable. When it comes to sound quality, the E1 uses 13mm dynamic driver and multi-layer composite diaphragm for rich sound and robust bass.

Interestingly, it can be used as a desktop purifier when used with a stand, too. The Airvida Connect app offers real-time air quality updates, pollen alerts, and adjustable ion levels. This device claims to achieve 99.9% removal of PM2.5 particles and pollen allergens, along with 99.7% efficacy against Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

(Image credit: Future)

Meanwhile, the T1 looks to be the world’s first wearable ionic air purifier integrated with noise-cancelling earbuds. Like the T1, the audio device hopes to provide 99.9% protection against air pollutants, allergens, and viruses, while delivering superior sound quality with active noise cancellation and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

Weighing 9.5g per earbud, they're certainly hefty – something like AirPods Pro 2's buds weigh around 5g – and the battery life is fairly low at five hours of usic (or around 24 hours for air purification). The USB-rechargeable charging case offers three charges for extended use.

Still, 9.5g is light (and small) for an air-purifying solution, so we can forgive that. Generating over 30 million negative ions per cm³, it promises to effectively clean the air around the facial area. It comes with replacement earbud tips in three sizes, and two color options: Space Black and Pearl White. Aiming to be serviceable for various environments, it operates efficiently in temperatures from 0°C to 40°C and relative humidity of 30–85%.

Both E1 and T1 earbuds blend innovative air purification with advanced audio technology, and I hope they can live up to their claims and prove useful for people with respiratory issues, allergies or those attempting to avoid germs – and that the music can hold up too. What's the point in breathing more clearly if the sound doesn't put you in the mood to belt out some tunes?

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TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2025 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• Security researchers from Check Point Research recently find new variant of Banshee malware
• The new variant uses encryption that allows it to blend with regular macOS operations
• The campaign went unabated for two months

Cybersecurity researchers from Check Point Research recently uncovered a new version of the Banshee infostealer, capable of bypassing Apple’s built-in malware protection to grab sensitive data.

Banshee is a macOS-focused malware which emerged in mid-2024, designed to extract sensitive information such as system details, browser data, and cryptocurrency wallet information. Initially sold as a stealer-as-a-service for $3,000 per month, its source code was leaked in November 2024, leading to its broader dissemination.

Despite the operation being shut down, Banshee continued to live, being both developed, and distributed, by various hacking collectives.

Distribution through GitHub

Now, the new version seems to be somewhat more dangerous, and is most likely built by a different threat actor. According to the researchers, Banshee now uses string encryption from Apple’s XProtect, allowing it to blend with normal device operations and avoid being detected. XProtect is macOS's built-in antivirus system that identifies and blocks known malware using regularly updated signature-based detection.

Furthermore, it no longer avoids Russian users, which could signal that it was built by a different team. This latest campaign seems to have started in September 2024, and continued unobserved for roughly two months.

While it is impossible to know exactly how many devices are infected with Banshee, we do know that it’s being distributed via GitHub repositories. Threat actors are impersonating legitimate software, and are betting on software developers being careless when downloading content from the open-source platform.

Check Point says that the same operators are also going after Windows users, but through Lumma Stealer, not Banshee. The researchers also stressed that macOS continues to gain popularity, thus becoming an increasingly attractive target.

“Despite its reputation as a secure operating system, the rise of sophisticated threats like the Banshee MacOS Stealer highlights the importance of vigilance and proactive cyber security measures,” they concluded.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Severance season 1 is streaming for free on Roku
• It's available until January 19, right before the season 2 premiere
• Severance season 2 is streaming from January 17, only on Apple TV Plus

Severance season 2 is right around the corner, and if you don't have an Apple TV Plus subscription you can now watch the first season on Roku. It's only available for a limited time, though, as episodes are only available until January 19, slightly after the season 2 premiere on January 17. So Roku is giving you the weekend to catch up!

Since this is a show I can't stop talking about, I'd definitely urge people to give Severance a go. It's one of the best shows I've seen in years, and fellow TechRadar entertainment writer Tom Power agrees in his glowing 4.5 star Severance season 2 review. It's one of our best Apple TV Plus shows, and it's going from strength to strength.

• Watch Severance for free on the Roku Channel now

Should I get an Apple TV Plus subscription?

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

While I'm keen for everyone to watch Severance, especially while it's freely available, that doesn't mean I'm discouraging people from signing up to Apple TV Plus. Quite the opposite in fact, as hopefully that excellent first season and gripping finale will have you rushing to join me in watching season 2.

While it's my favorite show in some time, and nothing has come close to beating it, Apple TV Plus is home to so much more, which is why we crowned it our Streaming Service of the Year in 2024.

Apple TV Plus is home to hits like Slow Horses, which has recently been renewed again, comedy gem Ted Lasso, the creepy Servant, and intriguing sci-fi mystery Silo. There's plenty to enjoy, and if you're new to the streaming service, you can sign up and get the first three months free until February 3.

We've also put together all the ways you can get an Apple TV Plus free trial, and there are some great deals you can take advantage of here.

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• BayMark Health Services confirmed suffering a cyberattack in September 2024
• Crooks stole Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and more
• The company did not say how many people were affected

BayMark Health Services, a US healthcare provider which helps people treat and recover from drug abuse and mental health problems, has confirmed suffering a cyberattack and losing sensitive patient data.

In a filing with the Attorney General of California, which includes a letter sent to affected individuals, BayMark said that the attack happened in September 2024, but did not state how many people lost their data:

“On October 11, 2024, we learned of an incident that disrupted the operations of some of our IT systems. We immediately took steps to secure our systems, launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic experts, and notified law enforcement,” the breach notification letter says. "Our investigation determined that an unauthorized party accessed some of the files on BayMark’s systems between September 24, 2024 and October 14, 2024. We then initiated a review and analysis of those files.”

RansomHub

The subsequent investigation, which concluded in early November, determined that the threat actors took people’s Social Security numbers (SSN), driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, the types of services received, the dates of the service, insurance information, treating providers, and treatment/diagnostic data. More than enough for phishing, identity theft, and other forms of cybercrime.

To mitigate the incident, BayMark is offering a year’s worth of Equifax identity monitoring services for free to affected patients.

While the company did not discuss who the attackers were, BleepingComputer uncovered that the RansomHub ransomware gang took responsibility and added BayMark to its data leak site. There, the miscreants said they stole 1.5TB of sensitive data, which they uploaded to the leak site, as well. This would mean that BayMark most likely did not pay the ransom demand.

RansomHub is a relatively young ransomware operation which emerged after the infamous ALPHV group stole $22 million from ChangeHealthcare and disappeared.

Via BleepingComputer

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If there was any period where gamers could be spoilt for choice with gaming hardware, it's looking like 2025 could be it. And that's because CES 2025 included reveals and previews of PC gaming hardware with Nvidia's new RTX 5000 series GPU lineup stealing the spotlight. However, I'd argue that handheld gaming PCs have been the biggest highlight of the event.

It's undeniable that Valve sparked new life into the handheld gaming scene when it launched the Steam Deck in 2022, with competition growing rapidly each year - we've seen mid-generation upgrades from Asus with the ROG Ally and Valve's Steam Deck with an OLED variant.

While we await news on successors to the Asus ROG Ally X and Steam Deck OLED, the announcements from the likes of Lenovo, MSI, and Acer have been enough to leave me very excited for handheld gaming PCs this year. So, here's my pick of the best handheld gaming PCs at CES 2025.

1. MSI Claw 8 AI+

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)

While this was technically announced last December, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ had a significant presence at CES 2025 - and rightly so, because from what I've seen so far, this is shaping up to be one of (if not the) best handheld gaming PC of recent times.

MSI's first attempt with the Claw A1M used Intel's Core Ultra 7 155H processor, which wasn't received well. This time around, MSI is using the more efficient Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (which uses the Intel Arc 140V integrated GPU), providing both stronger battery life and performance in games based on MSI's claims at 17W and multiple previews.

ETAPrime showcased the Claw AI 8+ running CD Projekt Red's graphically demanding Cyberpunk 2077 with the ray tracing ultra preset enabled using Intel's XeSS upscaling method - and the frame rate remained around 40fps consistently.

It's available for pre-order on MSI's storefront in the US for $899.99, while there is unfortunately no news on UK and Australia availability or pricing.

2. Lenovo Legion Go S

(Image credit: Lenovo)

The original Lenovo Legion Go is another example of a new handheld gaming PC not quite getting it right the first time. It originally boasted a 1600p display and used AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. While that hardware is certainly powerful (the Z1 Extreme is also used in the Asus ROG Ally), it wasn't enough to handle the 2560x1600 resolution, forcing gamers to knock the resolution down in-game.

In comes the Lenovo Legion Go S, which is a mid-generation upgrade, and it now uses a 1920x1200 120Hz VRR 8-inch display, plus 32GB of RAM. It will have multiple configurations, allowing you to choose between SteamOS or Windows 11 - and it comes with either the Ryzen Z2 Go or Z1 Extreme chip.

While the lower display resolution and screen size might seem like a negative, it will serve players well with both processors likely capable of handling the 1200p resolution with relative ease.

The Windows 11 Z2 Go models (16GB or 32GB) are now available for pre-order at Best Buy starting at $729.99 shipping this month, with the SteamOS models launching in May. Meanwhile, the Legion Go 2 is slated to release sometime this year using the new Z2 Extreme, but it's still just a prototype for now.

3. Acer Nitro Blaze 8

(Image credit: Acer)

I'd love to have put the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 here, as I think it will be the bigger hit for Acer, but it's just way too big for a handheld gaming PC. It's also priced at $1,099 which is absurd for a handheld gaming PC. Fortunately, the alternative to this is the Acer Nitro Blaze 8, which may still end up having the same performance issues as the original Lenovo Legion Go due to its ambitious (for a handheld) 1600p display, but it's far more portable and comfortable to hold.

Using the same specifications as its larger counterpart, it will utilize AMD's Ryzen 7 8840HS processor which has the same Radeon 780M iGPU seen in the Z1 Extreme, an 8.8-inch 144Hz display, and 16GB of RAM. This appears to be Acer's attempt to catch up with current handhelds, but it may lose out to the likes of the Legion Go S and MSI Claw 8 AI+ with their more recent components.

Either way, this is set to be an impressive handheld option for gamers, available in Q2 this year starting at $899, in the midst of what looks like a great year for all handheld PC enthusiasts.

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Anyone who works with technology and, therefore, technical documentation knows how difficult it is to understand, create, and keep up to date. Companies rely on documentation to understand how complex technology works and how it can be used and implemented within an application or finished product. More often than not, technical documentation takes an enormous amount of time to create and maintain; there are usually errors; and drafts sit in various places and forms.

In fact, engineers typically dedicate at least 50 percent of their day to tedious documentation tasks, which is critical time away from developing new products and innovations that could drive company growth and expansion. This problem only gets worse as time goes on, and the engineers who originally developed the code or wrote the documentation no longer work for the company.

We recently saw this scenario play out in a global semiconductor company when an important customer called about a long-tail legacy product built more than 20 years ago. Unfortunately, no one from the original development team still worked at the company, and there was no documentation explaining how the product had been built or evolved over the years. In the end, the company had to pull several of their best engineers to review the original codebase and answer the customer’s questions. The process proved to be both expensive and time-consuming—and it was a recurring challenge the company had grappled with for decades.

Documentation is also critical for companies providing components to automotive manufacturers. As software becomes increasingly essential in software-defined vehicles (SDVs), providing documentation that is both easily consumable internally and by customers is crucial for providing a smooth onboarding experience. SDVs are complex due to the amount of software and hardware required to integrate. In many instances, engineers are pulled from active development to support customers in integrating their software into the customer's environment.

Interactive platform built on AI simplifies documentation and speeds time to market

Semiconductor companies produce thousand-page manuals, guides, and source code for customers—all of which are created manually. The quality is often inconsistent across different products or versions, and rapid product updates make it difficult to keep up with constant changes. This archaic process deeply impacts efficiency, productivity, and product time-to-market.

For companies whose customers rely on technical documentation to develop and sell their own products successfully, these issues heavily impact customer experience and retention. Their revenue is dependent on how fast their end customers, like OEMs, can integrate their products into their solutions. The quality of the technical documentation their customers receive often defines the entire relationship and is the determining factor in new and recurring business decisions.

By leveraging multiple LLMs, interactive documentation enables customizable solutions that adapt to specific needs with continuous improvement with new and enhanced models. It can modernize the entire technical documentation process by dramatically reducing the time teams need to understand, document, and deliver technology. This, in turn, enables significantly faster engineer onboarding, which frees up valuable resources to help customers focus on developing the next new innovation or product upgrade and drive faster time-to-market. Clear, comprehensive documentation that updates in real-time can also transform customer experience by providing five key benefits:

• Lowers support costs: By delivering intuitive, well-documented features and processes from the outset, support tickets—and costs—drop significantly. When documentation is updated in real-time, the gap between outdated documentation and the current product is all but eliminated. This reduces customer frustration and confusion, two important metrics in deepening trust and building long-time loyal customers. High-quality documentation also enables customers to more efficiently problem-solve without needing to pick up the phone and ask for help, reducing costs for the business.
• Customizes the documentation: Using an interactive documentation platform enables engineers to quickly create walkthrough guides for how a particular part works. Loading information into the platform can generate descriptive content that documents not only the specific code and how it functions but also explains how the application works for the OEM integrating into products.
• Accelerates product adoption: Customers who can quickly and easily onboard to new products are more likely to engage with the product's full suite of features. This leads to faster time-to-value and increased engagement, which can lead to significant ripple effects across the business, including a 23 percent increase in revenue over the average customer.
• Increases brand reputation: When customers have an experience that meets or exceeds their expectations, trust grows. On the flip side, when the experience falls short—as is often the case with poor technical documentation—trust erodes. Modernizing technical documentation to exceed customers’ expectations is a fast and often overlooked way to win market share.
• Drives innovation: When engineers can spend less time on tedious documentation tasks, they can focus more on high-value initiatives such as building better products, speeding time to market, and innovating more quickly.

Reduce onboarding time from 1-3 weeks to just days

As technology gets more complex, prioritizing high-quality documentation is central to driving product introductions, updates, innovations, and customer experience. Companies revolutionizing the way they approach technical documentation, like Driver, hear the same frustrations from customers: understanding legacy code is nearly impossible; onboarding to projects takes too long; and customer support is time-consuming, expensive, and low quality because documentation isn’t up to date. Organizations using our interactive platform have seen significant benefits, including:

Reducing the time it takes to onboard from one to three weeks to just days. Slashing the time it takes to create onboarding guides from one to three days to just 45 minutes, a time savings of up to 95 percent. Delivering 50 percent faster creation of customer-facing technical support documents, freeing up half of engineers' workday.

While documentation has traditionally been viewed as a time sink, companies increasingly see it as a competitive advantage. As we all look for innovative ways to improve customer experience, increase retention, and differentiate our offerings from the market, modernizing the approach to technical documentation should be at the top of the list.

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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

Next-gen SIEM tools are deployed to future-proof cybersecurity operations. Here’s what you need to know.

Times change quickly in the ever-evolving cybersecurity space, with threat actors moving fast and organizations working to keep pace. Adversaries are infiltrating organizations quicker than ever before: The average eCrime breakout time — the time it takes adversaries to move laterally after compromising an initial host — dropped to just 62 minutes with the fastest observed breakout time just over two minutes.

This acceleration highlights the critical need for organizations to increase efficiency in their security operations. Many now wonder: Are legacy SIEM tools equipped to handle the change in pace?

As businesses transition to cloud-based systems and adopt new technologies, traditional security information and event management (SIEM) tools often struggle to keep up with the growing volume of data and alerts that accompany a larger, more complex attack surface. This creates inefficiencies that leave organizations vulnerable to breaches. We are seeing businesses turn to next-gen SIEM solutions in an attempt to future-proof against cyber threats and keep critical information secure.

The need for speed and operational efficiency

Every second counts in cybersecurity. With the emergence of generative AI, attacks have become more sophisticated, widespread and easier to conduct. Adversaries are now able to create more convincing social engineering campaigns at greater scale, in addition to malicious software, tools, and resources to conduct larger and more effective attacks. This newly gained edge — in both speed and execution — is a stark reminder for security leaders that their security operations center (SOC) must continue evolving to identify and remediate potential threats.

Legacy SIEM tools were designed during a time when adversaries moved more slowly and conducted simpler attacks. Now technology is advancing, but these older systems lack the pace and processing power required to operate in data-heavy environments. Today’s SOC teams often manage a patchwork of outdated SIEMs, sprawling data lakes and disjointed analytics tools, hindering the swift investigation of attacks. This adds new layers of complexity when managing and operating a legacy SIEM system — which, in turn, inflates the cost associated with maintaining a system, renders slower response times and decreases overall operational efficiency, draining resources and further contributing to delays. When a breach occurs, rapid escalation and resolution are essential to meet the perpetrator head-on and stop the breach.

Planning for a secure future with next-gen SIEM

Over the last decade, many organizations have embraced digital transformation and migrated to cloud-based environments. SIEM has now evolved to extend visibility beyond traditional perimeters and introduce a host of advanced new features such as comprehensive visibility, proactive threat detection, continuous compliance and automatic threat containment and elimination.

By combining IT and security data with AI and workflow automation, the next generation of SIEM tools will power a unified AI-native SOC platform that enables security operations to act faster and more efficiently to achieve the ultimate goal: stopping breaches. Many early adopting organizations are turning to next-gen SIEMs with an aim to improve efficiency and cut response time from hours to seconds. Here are four critical capabilities offered by next-gen SIEM to elevate security operations:

• Comprehensive data collection and management: These capabilities enable SOC teams to seamlessly review data sources and integrate with cloud platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud
• Big data architecture: SIEM solutions are scalable for supporting big data analytics, enabling real-time monitoring, investigation and search across multiple datasets to enhance efficiency and agility
• Deployment and architecture: Built-in connectors and cloud-based architecture simplify deployment, reduce management complexities and deliver rapid time-to-value and cost savings
• Modern analyst experience: Streamlined attack analysis automatically generates visual timelines and provides intuitive query languages, allowing analysts to triage incidents with minimal manual effort

Selecting the right next-gen SIEM for your SOC

When evaluating a next-generation SIEM, security leaders should ask key questions to ensure it meets the demands of their SOC. First, can the SIEM handle the growing data volumes generated by hybrid cloud environments and modern IT infrastructures while scaling cost-effectively? This is crucial as adversaries and data volumes grow at unprecedented speeds. Second, is the SIEM easy to deploy and maintain? SOC teams often spend significant time and resources setting up and managing SIEMs, time that could be better spent on mission-critical tasks. Finally, does it break down silos by consolidating tools and reducing complexities and costs? An effective SIEM should integrate seamlessly with existing tools, collecting, normalizing, and correlating data across diverse sources.

The SIEM category is gaining renewed attention as organizations grapple with complex security challenges that legacy SIEMs can no longer address. With attackers becoming faster and more sophisticated, next-gen SIEMs empower SOC teams to keep pace by breaking down silos, automating workflows, and reducing operational complexity and costs. Without these advancements, organizations risk falling behind and becoming prime targets for modern threats.

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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

The first full working week of the year has ended, so it's time to sit back and enjoy a whole host of new movies and TV shows on the world's best streaming services.

Admittedly, there aren't many new films for cinephiles to check out, but there are plenty of new series for you to watch instead. From new Netflix and Max-based dramas, to the return of a popular reality TV show, I'm sure you'll find something worth streaming this weekend from this week's list of suggestions. Have fun! – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter

American Primeval (Netflix)

Neo-Western dramas have taken over the streaming world, such as Yellowstone and its subsequent spin-offs 1883 and 1923. Now, Netflix has caught on to the genre hype with its new show American Primeval.

Unlike Yellowstone, American Primeval doesn’t have a contemporary twist and is instead a harrowing dramatization of the birth of the American West. Set in 1857 amid the Utah War, it follows the violent clash between culture, community, and politics as men and women battle for control of the land in a cruel new world. Going off the trailer, American Primeval is set to be a brutal and bloody watch so, if you’re looking for a darker alternative to Yellowstone, you may have found your match. We’ll have to wait and see if it becomes one of the best Netflix shows, though. – Grace Morris, entertainment writer

The Traitors season 3 (Peacock)

The UK edition of this absorbing reality TV show's third season started airing on BBC One right after New Year's. Now, US audiences can get their fill of game-based backstabbing and treachery with the American version of The Traitors, whose third season has finally arrived on Peacock.

Hosted once more by award-winning actor Alan Cummings, The Traitors season 3 will see a new gang of contestants vie for the series' cash prize by attempting to deceive their fellow players. After being split into two groups – the Traitors and the Faithful – contestants will need to work together to eliminate the other team in order to win their share of the monetary fund. I've enjoyed what the UK version has had to offer so far this season, so I'm hopeful its US counterpart will deliver similarly shocking moments. – TP

The Pitt (Max)

Max’s new medical drama caught my eye when I wrote about The Pitt's gripping new trailer in late 2024. In it, ER star Noah Wyle is back on hospital-based duties again as he leads the cast of this 15-episode series. It sounds like promising stuff, too, as it's been produced by The West Wing’s John Wells, and promises to show a “realistic examination” of what healthcare workers experience in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.

With numerous medical dramas on offer – my favorite still being House – this one has an interesting twist. The Pitt takes place across a single emergency room shift, with each episode reflecting one hour within the hospital’s walls. It's structurally identical to the Keifer Sutherland-led series 24, and I'm very excited about that. With such an intriguing premise, I do hope we can add this to our best Max shows round-up. – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer

Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger (Netflix)

As I mentioned in my Bank of Dave: The Loan Ranger trailer reaction.piece, I loved the original Netflix movie. After putting it on for an easy afternoon watch, I was soon sucked into Dave Fishwick's story, perfectly soundtracked by Def Leppard (who make a cameo, too!). The first movie followed businessman Dave as he set up a community bank, which he created to offer as an alternative to the big high street banks to help the town's local businesses.

This time, he's got a brand new enemy in the form of payday lenders. As you can see from the trailer, Dave highlights the devastating effect they've had on his local community and beyond, and sets out to challenge them. He teams up with some unlikely allies, and I can't wait to see even more of Dave's story, played by the always brilliant Rory Kinnear, who we last saw in The Rings of Power season 2. I don't expect Bank of Dave 2 to join our best Netflix movies guide, but it's sure to leave a lasting impression on me. – LB

Goosebumps: The Vanishing (Disney Plus/Hulu)

If you loved the most recent Goosebumps adaptation on Disney Plus and Hulu, you won’t want to miss this follow-up. I loved what Disney did with its first TV adaptation of R.L. Stine's beloved tween horror novels, which delivered something fresh while still featuring existing monsters and items that make it so uniquely Goosebumps. There’s a huge new name attached to The Vanishing, too with Friends star David Schwimmer joining the Goosebumps cast as Anthony, a recently divorced dad whose kids don’t want to spend much time for him.

But there's a good reason for that. Anthony’s son Devin, along with his sister Cece and their group of friends, begins to investigate a string of disappearances that took place in the ’90s, which ends up taking a very dark turn. Considering how impressed I was with the first season, I’m so excited for this one. Hopefully, it’ll be another worthy entry to our best Disney Plus shows and best Hulu shows round ups. – LB

On Call (Prime Video)

Prime Video’s latest TV Original On Call is an adrenaline junkie’s dream and puts an exciting spin on the cop drama genre. Indeed, On Call isn’t all about sleuthing detectives and murder mysteries you see in a typical police procedural – instead, it’s a visceral take on the patrol side of policing through the use of hand-held cameras, body cam, and dash-cam footage to create a cinema verité effect.

On Call follows veteran cop Traci Harmon (Troian Bellisario) and her partner-in-training Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente) as they respond to emergencies in Long Beach, California. With an interesting twist on the action-packed side of law enforcement, On Call certainly sounds like an intriguing watch on Amazon's streaming platform and has the potential to be one of the best Prime Video shows of the year so far. – GM

Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (Netflix)

Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action is a two-part documentary that goes behind-the-scenes of America’s most controversial chat show to expose its huge scandals on and off camera. The documentary also explores the show’s origins and meteoric rise with exclusive testimony from show insiders, producers and ex-guests who reveal its dark and destructive secrets.

With an 86% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action seems set to be included in our best Netflix documentaries guide. I’m a fan of trash TV and, with this remarkable look into probably the trashiest one of all, it’ll be interesting to see the murky backstory behind the entertainment factor. – GM

For more streaming recommendations, read our guides on the best Disney Plus movies, best Apple TV Plus shows, best Prime Video movies, and best Paramount Plus shows.

• TikTok employees working from home must continue to do so amid LA wildfires, company says
• Affected homeowners will need to take time off
• The company's LA office is closed due to power outages

Devastating wildfires affecting at least 45 square miles in California are already believed to have burnt 1,300 properties, but TikTok is saying workers affected by the blazes should use their personal/sick days if they’re unable to work from home.

This is despite the fact its LA office is closed due to power outages caused by related winds, rendering working from home the only current option for local workers.

Employees left without power, Internet connections or even homes are now having to eat into their limited time off to pick up the pieces, according to TechCrunch reporting.

TikTok says LA wildfire workers should use personal time off

The company reportedly confirmed to workers its office would remain closed from January 8 to January 12, but rather than giving workers time off, they’re being asked to work remotely. TikTik is believed to have a three-day office-working mandate in place.

An HR representative shared a link to the company’s paid sick and safe leave program in one message – workers in the area are given 10 such days off per year as well as 15 paid time off days for vacations and such like.

However, because there is said to be no flexibility in the hybrid working setup, poorly workers must either continue to attend the office or use one of their limited sick days to take time off, rendering them a precious resource that workers try to save for emergencies.

A company spokesperson told TechCrunch: “The safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority… In light of current circumstances, our offices have been closed since Tuesday and will remain so for as long as necessary. While employees who can work from home safely are encouraged to do so, we also recognize the unique challenges this situation may present and are committed to supporting our team with flexibility if they are unable to work remotely at this time.”

A company spokesperson told TechRadar Pro in an email:

"The safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority. In light of current circumstances, our offices have been closed since Tuesday and will remain so for as long as necessary. While employees who can work from home safely are encouraged to do so, we also recognize the unique challenges this situation may present and are committed to supporting our team with flexibility if they are unable to work remotely at this time."

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• CrowdStrike warns it is being impersonated in a malware campaign
• Crooks are offering fake job positions, in an attempt to deploy XMRig
• The campaign has only been active for a few days, so be aware

Hackers are impersonating well-known cybersecurity company CrowdStrike in a malware delivery campaign, the company has warned.

In a blog post, it urged software developers to be extra careful when engaging with people online, as unidentified cybercriminals have created a fake CrowdStrike website to host malware on it.

Then, they would reach out to software developers via the usual channels, and offer a job position within CrowdStrike. Those who show interest are invited to download the “employee CRM application” from the website - but in reality, this is a popular cryptojacker called XMRig, which mines the Monero currency for the attackers.

Why Monero?

Monero is a popular choice among cybercriminals since it is designed as a privacy coin, and is relatively difficult to trace. XMRig is the most popular mining malware at the moment, found everywhere from cloud hosting servers to consumer computers. Usually, cryptominers are easy to spot, since they consume most of the infected device’s computing power. The computers are rendered practically useless, which is a red flag that is easily picked up.

However, in this case, the attackers limited XMRig’s maximum power consumption to 10%, in order to avoid being detected. Furthermore, the malware adds a batch script in the Start Menu Startup directory, to make sure it always runs on boot.

CrowdStrike believes that it hasn’t been going on for too long, but fake jobs are a common occurrence on the internet these days, with the North Korean group Lazarus bringing it into the spotlight.

This organization is known for its “Operation DreamJob” campaign, targeting software developers and high-profile individuals in technology, aerospace, defense, and government industries, with fake jobs.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Microsoft is nudging folks to use a new keyboard shortcut for Copilot
• The nudge reportedly arrives via a pop-up after updating the Copilot app
• The problem is the key combo used could interfere with the existing workflows of some Windows 11 users

Microsoft is keen to get folks on Windows 11 using its Copilot assistant more, and the software giant is now flagging up a fresh keyboard shortcut to summon the AI to your desktop.

Windows Latest reports that after updating the Copilot app in Windows 11 – remember, the assistant was turned into a standalone app last year, in a separate window, whereas it was previously anchored to the right-hand side of the desktop – the tech site received a pop-up promoting the new shortcut for Copilot.

The pop-up tells the user that they can hit Alt + Space as a keyboard shortcut to fire up the Copilot app. This panel also has a button to click to enable the shortcut, or you can pass on that option and click ‘Not now’ if you prefer.

This was seen last month in testing, where it was introduced to open Copilot’s new ‘quick view’ feature. (The dedicated Copilot key, on PCs that have it, is used to open the assistant in its main view – though this key can be reconfigured).

So, this functionality is seemingly rolling out via an update to the Copilot application, with a fresh prompt to use it.

(Image credit: Future) Analysis: Interfering with workflows

Okay, then – what’s the big deal here? Well, for some Windows 11 users, this won’t be important. However, others may have Alt + Space set to something else (PowerToys uses it, for one thing), and moreover, by default, it also brings up the context menu for any active window. That’s part of the core Windows 11 interface, and it might be an ability used regularly in the workflows of some folks.

Meaning that Copilot could mess with those workflows, which could lead to some frustrations.

Microsoft previously acknowledged this issue in testing, noting that: “Many apps use this keyboard shortcut [Alt + Space] today. For any apps installed on your PC that might utilize this keyboard shortcut, Windows will register whichever app is launched first on your PC and running in the background as the app that is invoked when using Alt + Space.”

This isn’t exactly clear (to us, anyway), but we take it to mean that with other apps (like the mentioned PowerToys), if you run them first (and not the Copilot app), they will keep the Alt + Space shortcut. However, you won’t be able to use Alt + Space as part of the main Windows 11 interface (meaning to summon the context menu for the active window on the desktop), as this isn’t an app (but part of the core UI as mentioned).

This whole setup might change, Microsoft said last month in its blog post for testers, though it appears that the software giant might be going ahead with the plan at this point. That doesn’t mean this course can’t still be altered, of course, if enough Windows 11 users complain via the Feedback Hub and usual channels.

Windows Latest points out that you can disable (or enable) the Alt + Space shortcut for Copilot in the app’s Settings (accessed via the three-dot menu at the top-right).

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• Lenovo announces plans to establish its new MEA HQ in Saudi Arabia
• It will manufacture “millions” of PCs and servers in a new plant
• Financial performance is strong with Lenovo revenues rising

Lenovo and Saudi Public Investment Fund company Alat have confirmed the completion of their $2 billion investment to “accelerate [Lenovo’s] ongoing transformation” by “[enhancing] its global presence.”

More specifically, Lenovo will invest across supply chain, technology and manufacturing in Saudi Arabia with the hope of generating 1,000 new jobs in the region.

As part of the deal, the Hong Kong computing giant is set to build a new Middle East and Africa (MEA) headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Lenovo bets big on Saudi Arabia

Part of increasing its presence in the Middle East and Africa will include building a new manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia to build PCs and servers. The company hopes to build millions of devices a year, with production beginning by 2026.

In its commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Lenovo will also use local R&D teams to build “fully end-to-end ‘Saudi Made’ products.”

Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang commented: “Through this powerful strategic collaboration and investment, Lenovo will have significant resources and financial flexibility to further accelerate our transformation and grow our business by capitalizing on the incredible growth momentum in KSA and the wider MEA region.”

Alat’s CEO, Amit Midha, added: “With the establishment of a regional headquarters in Riyadh and a world class manufacturing hub, powered by clean energy, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we expect the Lenovo team to further their potential across the MEA region.”

In its most recent financial report, Lenovo confirmed that its Intelligent Devices Group (IDG), which comprises PCs and tablets among other devices, saw revenues rise 15%, exceeding expectations. Its Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) revenue saw an even bigger 65% year-over-year increase thanks to continued support for AI.

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• Nintendo has finally commented on the latest Nintendo Switch 2 leaks
• It described the mockup shown off by Genki at CES 2025 as "unofficial"
• The company has also backtracked on its claim that the mockup was based on an actual unit

Unless you’ve been living under a particularly resilient rock for the last few weeks, you’re going to have inevitably seen at least a couple of the recent Nintendo Switch 2 leaks.

It seems like we know almost everything about the console in advance of its official reveal, including its alleged overall design, name, and even some of its potential features.

It’s an unusual situation and I certainly can’t remember the last time that there was this much information out in the wild about an upcoming hardware release. If all that wasn’t enough, third-party accessory manufacturers have been brazenly posting their own Nintendo Switch 2 renders.

Case maker Genki was even showing off a mockup of the system on the CES 2025 show floor which, if accurate, gives us a good idea of the dimensions to expect. It seems like this is what it finally took for Nintendo to issue a statement though, but its words have honestly just left me with even more questions.

In a comment provided to CNET Japan which we have machine translated, a Nintendo representative stated that “the gaming hardware that Genki claims to be Nintendo hardware at CES 2025 is unofficial and not provided to the company by Nintendo”.

On the face of it, this is a pretty unremarkable answer. It was already very obvious that the mockup was unofficial, though Genki did claim that it was based on an actual Nintendo Switch 2 unit. According to IGN, the company has now backtracked by admitting that it was created with rumors and leaked information rather than anything more concrete.

Still, this statement doesn’t touch on the abundance of other information out there today. It also doesn’t suggest that Genki’s mockup was in any way inaccurate, which could be quite revealing. Either way, we’re going to have to wait for the console’s official reveal, or at least some more reliable leaks, in order to find out.

The company has previously confirmed that it will unveil the system before the end of its fiscal year (that's March 31), so there might not be that long to wait.

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• Nvidia's RTX 5090 laptop GPU shows inconsistent Geekbench 6 performance scores
• Fails to score higher than the RTX 4080 or 4090 laptop GPUs in Vulkan
• It hasn't launched yet, and there aren't any official drivers available

CES 2025 finally gave us a look at Nvidia's new RTX 5000 series of graphics cards, and the flagship RTX 5090 GPU's performance capabilities compared to the last generation's RTX 4090 - but early benchmarks for its laptop GPU don't look very promising.

This comes from BenchLeaks on X, which claims to have leaked Geekbench 6 results of Nvidia's RTX 5090 laptop GPU using Vulkan (graphics API used in plenty of games), with its highest score of 114,821. Tom's Hardware highlighted this as the fourth benchmark among five different tests, with the lowest score sitting at 51,831 and the final test scoring 77,989.

Each benchmark score points towards wildly inconsistent performance for Team Green's flagship laptop GPU, which failed to score higher than the RTX 4080's 145,067 and the RTX 4090’s 167,655 Geekbench scores in Vulkan (both of which are for the laptop versions of those GPUs). While these results might be cause for concern, it's far too early to draw any conclusions.

(Image credit: Nvidia) Should we be worried about these early benchmarks?

While these tests are almost certainly not great to see, it's absolutely not a reason to panic. Aside from the fact that these benchmarks are not official, but are claimed to be leaked, the RTX 5000 series hasn't even officially launched yet (the RTX 5090 will be available at the end of the month), which means the necessary drivers and optimizations have not been made yet.

It's also important to note that in-game benchmarks are what matter most - while Geekbench 6 can be accurate for measuring the performance capabilities of a GPU, scores are never going to be the same as each test will often vary drastically or closely. Despite the inconsistent scores here, we should wait to see how the RTX 5090 laptop GPU fares across multiple games once Nvidia makes the necessary adjustments and official drivers have been released.

We should be getting both the desktop RTX 5090, alongside gaming laptops with the mobile version, in for review, so make sure you check out our full reviews when they are live for reliable and independent verdicts on just how good (or not) these new GPUs from Nvidia really are.

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• Model Y receives many of the updates seen on recent Model 3
• Faster acceleration and improved range among the upgrades
• Exterior styling is cleaner, with a full-width light bar at the front and rear

Tesla has responded to leaked images of the updated Model Y surfacing on Chinese social media recently by revealing full details of the refreshed EV, which has long been codenamed ‘Juniper’.

As with the Model 3 last year, the new Model Y receives a fairly major exterior overhaul, complete with front and rear full-width light bars, as well as a subtle but easily spotted refresh to the front and rear bumpers.

The sleeker exterior has improved the vehicle’s drag co-efficiency that, alongside improved sound-proofing, new acoustic glass, greater insulation and the latest casting methods, has reduced the number of body gaps and will lead to a quieter cabin. It will also have a positive effect on battery range.

Inside, Tesla has introduced ventilated seats and myriad ambient interior lighting extras to the refreshed Model Y, while the turn signals are now activated via a traditional stalk on Asia-Pacific models, rather than buttons on the steering wheel.

However, it is yet to be seen whether the controversial button controls will remain on vehicles that make their way to other markets.

There is also a new eight-inch touchscreen in the rear, in addition to the 15.4in touchscreen on the dash, which allows occupants to play games and binge their favorite movies and television while on the move.

(Image credit: Tesla China)

Currently, only the Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) and Long Range All Wheel Drive (LR AWD) models have received the ‘Juniper’ updates and, as a result, have also received reworked estimated range and acceleration specification.

But bear in mind that the WLTP cycle tests are typically more generous in their range estimations than the EPA figures used in North America.

The 2025 Long Range AWD model is said to be capable of 551km / 342 miles on a single charge, while 0.7 seconds has been shaved off the 0-60mph sprint time, so it can now manage it in just 4.3 seconds. Tesla claims it also charges slightly faster.

A cheaper Rear Wheel Drive model (RWD) is also on offer, which can manage 466km / 289 miles on a single charge and a 0-60mph acceleration time of 5.9 seconds. Customers will likely have to wait for a Long Range RWD model, as well as the top spec Performance versions to arrive.

Analysis: Tesla needs fresh stock to boost sales

(Image credit: Tesla China)

Currently, customers in China can order a Launch Series Model Y in either a RWD or Long Range AWD variant, with the former costing ¥263,500 – or around $36,000 / £29,000 / AU$58,000. The more expensive AWD model costs ¥303,500, which converts to around $41,300 / £33,600 / AU$66,900 at the current exchange rates.

There has been no word on European and North America specification and pricing, but with the outgoing Model Y starting at $31,490 in the US and £46,990 in the UK, it is likely to be more expensive than the aging model. Electrek claims the figures equate to a 5% increase on the previous Chinese pricing, for example.

It is highly likely that Australia will be the next market to receive the refreshed Model Y, with key European markets likely following soon thereafter. However, current uncertainty around tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles in the US will impact the speed at which the North American market receives refreshed cars.

Arguably, the updated model can’t be rolled out fast enough for Tesla, seeing as the company posted its first sales drop since 2011 at its recent Q4 2024 earnings call, according to CNBC. Musk predicted earlier in the year that this would likely happen, citing ageing models as one of the key reasons for slowing sales.

The recent refresh of Model 3 has highlighted just how staid Model X and Model Y now look, while the range offered by their respective battery packs, which was once the talk of the EV industry, now lags behind rivals from the Volkswagen Group, Hyundai, Kia and Peugeot.

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• The Galaxy S25 Slim has leaked again
• A Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU and 12GB of RAM are expected
• The phone could launch later in 2025

Among the many Samsung Galaxy S25 leaks we've heard over the past few months, there have been consistent rumors of a fourth 'Slim' model that's joining the range – and benchmark scores for said phone have just appeared online.

As spotted by well-known tipster @Jukanlosreve, the phone is listed as having a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and 12GB of RAM. The stated operating system is Android 15 – which will be Samsung's One UI 7.

The single-core and multi-core scores for the handset are somewhat underwhelming, but that's to be expected: work on software and hardware optimization is likely still ongoing, so the phone's actual performance will be several levels above what's shown here.

There's no doubt the Snapdragon 8 Elite is an impressive piece of silicon, and will be powering numerous flagship Android phones this year – head to our OnePlus 13 review to read about the first of them.

How slim is slim?

S25 Slim Geekbnech (US version)SD 8 Elite12GB RAM pic.twitter.com/X47mAIHSAnJanuary 9, 2025

As the name suggests, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim is expected to be slimmer than the other models in the range. Previous leaks have suggested we're looking at something between 6-7mm in thickness, front to back.

That's significantly thinner than the 7.6mm thickness of the Samsung Galaxy S24, though of course we don't know the dimensions of the standard Galaxy S25, the Galaxy S25 Plus, or the Galaxy S25 Ultra just yet.

Despite the thinness, the phone could well pack some high-end specs: we've heard that the phone could have a better rear camera setup than the standard Galaxy S25, while this benchmark leak hints at a very decent processor and RAM combination.

Samsung has confirmed its next Unpacked event will be happening on Wednesday, January 22, and the invite shows four phones – though there have been rumors that the Slim model will go on sale later than the others.

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• The Linux Foundation launches new initiative to look after Chromium browsers
• It’s meant to give a “neutral space” for developers to contribute without barriers
• Google, Meta, Microsoft and Opera have already joined

The Linux Foundation has declared its support for open-source Chromium-based browsers with the launch of a new initiative.

The ‘Supporters of Chromium-Based Bowsers’ program is designed to help support open source contributions and improve the sustainability of Chromium projects to “drive technological advancement.”

Its goal is to create a “neutral space” where industry leaders, academia, developers, and the broader open source community can come together to contribute to open-source browsers without barriers.

Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers

“This project will provide much-needed funding and development support for open development of projects within the Chromium ecosystem," Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin commented.

Google, Meta, Microsoft and Opera have already committed to supporting the initiative, which is hoped to foster collaboration and distribute resources across Chromium projects.

Like other Foundation initiatives, the Chromium program will focus on transparency, inclusivity and community-driven development to “[meet] the needs of the wider Chromium community.”

The Foundation, which of course supports the Linux operating system, has been spreading its support and positive messaging across the entire tech industry since its inception as a nonprofit in 2000.

In late 2022, it launched the Overture Maps Foundation to create an interoperable mapping data set for the likes of autonomous driving and data visualization, with founding partners including AWS, Meta, Microsoft and TomTom.

Then, in April 2024 it announced the LF AI & Data Foundation to improve the state of generative AI for enterprises.

Speaking about the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers initiative, Chrome VP Parisa Tabriz commented: “We believe the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers is an important opportunity to create a sustainable platform to support industry leaders, academia, developers, and the broader open source community in the continued development and innovation of the Chromium ecosystem.”

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• ESR has launched an Apple Pencil alternative that costs $30
• The Geo Digital Pencil can fast charge and has Find My support
• It lacks many Apple Pencil features, but costs less than half the price

The Apple Pencil is a superb accessory for all the best iPads, but it doesn’t come cheap thanks to its $79 / £79 / AU$139 starting price (which stretches up to $129 / £129 / AU$219 if you want the Apple Pencil Pro). If you’re looking for an alternative pen for your iPad that won’t break the bank, ESR has just introduced a much more wallet-friendly option.

The ESR Geo Digital Pencil is a $30 pen for the iPad that can replicate many of the Apple Pencil’s features. For instance, it comes with tilt sensitivity that lets you easily adjust the thickness of your output by adjusting the pencil’s angle.

As well as that, you can tap the Geo Digital Pencil to quickly interact with your iPad and see the pen’s battery level. That’s similar to the Apple Pencil Pro’s ability to change tools when you tap it and is something that isn’t available on the entry-level Apple Pencil.

ESR says the Geo Digital Pencil is compatible with a range of iPads, including the iPad Air with M2 chip, the M4 iPad Pro, the 10th-generation iPad, and the iPad mini with A17 Pro chip.

What's missing?

(Image credit: ESR)

One of the Geo Digital Pencil’s most useful features is its Find My integration. This will allow you to connect it to you iPhone and locate it using the Find My app. Find My is an incredibly useful tool for Apple devices, so it’s encouraging to see ESR built it into its iPad pencil.

To charge the pen, you can connect it to a power outlet using a USB-C cable. This enables fast charging, which will get it to full battery power within 30 minutes. You can also magnetically snap the pencil to your iPad, but doing so will not charge it, which is something you can do with the Apple Pencil Pro (but not the regular Apple Pencil).

At $30, it’s unsurprising that ESR’s device lacks some of the Apple Pencil’s features, and it also goes without the hover feature that lets you preview a pen mark before you make it with Apple’s device. You also don’t get the barrel roll, haptic feedback or squeeze functionality of the Apple Pencil Pro, although that pen does cost over four times the price of the ESR Geo Digital Pencil.

Still, at less than half the price of the standard Apple Pencil, you might decide that it’s worth taking a punt on ESR’s alternative – we've certainly had some joy previously with more affordable rivals.

We don’t yet know how it compares to the Apple Pencil in terms of precision and latency, but if it turns out to be a solid device, it could take its place among the best Apple Pencil alternatives.

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• The date for your diaries: April 12, 2025
• Over 270 indie shops in the UK and thousands more worldwide
• Exclusive releases from established and emerging acts alike

Record Store Day is Christmas for music fans, with a whole host of exciting new releases as artists raid the vaults for interesting ways to celebrate the joys of independent record retailers. And now Record Store Day has a date and a slogan: you can "celebrate the culture" on April 12, 2025.

This year's RSD, the eighteenth such event, will be supported by long-term sponsor Bowers & Wilkins as well as Miraval wine and the DEYA brewing company, and it'll be happening in over 270 record shops in the UK as well as thousands more worldwide. And as before, it's likely to see a whole host of re-releases, rarities and special editions that'll be worth queuing out the door (yes, at your local bricks and mortar store!) for.

Why Record Store Day is magic for music fans

One of the things we love about RSD, other than the goodies on offer, is that it gives us an excuse to spend tons of money with a clear conscience: it's all about celebrating and supporting indie retailers as well as artists. In the era of Spotify streams and struggling high streets that feels more important than ever.

Last year's RSD line-up featured everything from 100 Gecs to 10,000 Maniacs, Black Sabbath to Boogie Down Productions, U2 to Ultramagnetic MC's and many, many more as record companies re-released classics on heavyweight vinyl and artists went rooting around the vaults for classic cuts and covers. And only some of those releases ended up on eBay for silly sums immediately afterwards…

We'll be covering RSD 2025, of course, but don't forget that indie stores aren't just for vinyl Christmas: many artists release exclusive records to indie shops every month, and this month's crop includes Maribou State, Manic Street Preachers, Anna B Savage, Mogwai and Lambrini Girls, among others. You can stay up to date with those exclusives on the RSD website. Until then, happy crate rummaging!

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• New research has revealed the top-search fitness trends as we enter 2025
• There was a 414% surge in searches for remote personal training between July and September last year
• Other big winners include Hyrox and the viral 30-30-30 TikTok challenge

A new study into the biggest fitness trends we can expect to see in 2025 has revealed a staggering uptick in searches for remote personal training, as well as popular new fitness trends like Hyrox and the viral TikTok 30-30-30 challenge.

Data collated by UK fitness outfit PureGym analyzed the Google search interest for more than 200 fitness trends, comparing interest between Jul-Sept 2023 vs Jul-Sept 2024.

While you might have expected AI, smart tech, and biohacking to be the buzzwords of 2024 and beyond, the biggest surge in interest is in good old-fashioned personal training, buoyed by a relic of the pandemic: the humble Zoom call.

Could remote connection save personal training?

Push is an AI-powered fitness app, the likes of which has eroded reliance on face-to-face personal training. (Image credit: Future / PUSH)

When you look at the fast-moving sweep of technology and fitness, it's hard not to imagine that 2025 could be the year that sees a deluge of AI-powered apps, smart rings, and biohacking that could render the personal trainer obsolete.

Why would the average person fork out on costly hourly training when they can rely on apps and algorithms? The best fitness apps, like PUSH, can use AI to provide progressive overload tracking and rounded fitness plans to help you build muscle and burn calories.

Perhaps, the power of remote technology could remove the physical barriers of personal training such as travel costs or the requisite access to an expensive gym. It makes training more flexible, and means trainers can work with anyone in the world, not just the catchment of their local gym. It could be an obvious and easy solution as personal trainers try to keep up in a world that's increasingly powered by personal tech and algorithms.

As mentioned, the other big emerging trends appear to be Hyrox, the popular fitness competition that combines running and functional workouts, as well as the 30-30-30 TikTok trend. The latter is the hilariously simple (yet effective) art of consuming 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up, before cranking out 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise, a method first touted in the 2010 book The Four Hour Body.

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