TechRadar News

What a week this was, folks. Meta Connect 2024 introduced us to a new VR headset, its first AR glasses prototype and slew of Meta AI upgrades – including an in-development skill to live dub Instagram reels.

We also said hello to the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, reviewed the new Legend of Zelda title, and prepared ourselves for heartbreak in 2025 with the arrival of The Last of Us season 2's first teaser trailer.

In case you missed all that, we've rounded up all of these top tech news stories below so you can get up to speed on everything that happened in the last seven days.

7. Is there nothing Nothing can’t do?

(Image credit: Future)

On Tuesday (September 24), Nothing unveiled its inaugural set of open-ear buds and TechRadar’s audio editor couldn’t help but share her initial thoughts. She’d already said she thought it was the best idea Nothing's had in ages (questionable ‘Ear Open’ moniker aside), and after slipping them on for a few hours, they didn’t disappoint.

Ear Open are so very Nothing; their friendly praying mantis aesthetic is so very likeable. And just as the company's Nothing Ear (a) impressed for a competitive fee, these buds are likely to be a huge hit in the open-ear space. That's particularly true given that they cost just £129, ie. the same price as the flagship Nothing Ear (which means your US and Australian prices are almost certainly $149 / AU$249). Compare that to the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, with their $299 / £299 / AU$449.95 price-point. See?

Slip 'em on and they feel like nothing, too. The fit is excellent – even putting both on at the same time is a cinch. You get the trademark transparent-meets-monochrome-meets-titanium Nothing design language, plus on-ear pinch control, although there’s a knack to it now, purely because you need to locate where the old 'stem' idea is, to pinch. Oh, and the Advanced EQ setting? It's another level…

• Read more: Nothing's first open-ear buds are here, and they truly wow me

6. Echoes of Wisdom is here!

(Image credit: Nintendo)

We won't be surprised if not too many Nintendo fans are reading this, because right now they're probably all playing The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. This highly anticipated entry in the long-running Nintendo franchise is something of a landmark, letting players explore Hyrule through the eyes of Princess Zelda for the first time.

And the good news is that it's great. It combines elements from classic Zelda titles with a wealth of new mechanics for an adventure quite unlike anything that we’ve seen before.

Tasked with closing sinister rifts that threaten the kingdom, you journey through a charming open-world and experiment with a suite of magical abilities. These let you create copies of certain objects whenever you need, which is just as fun as it sounds; a summoned bed might be good for a quick nap in isolation, but makes for the perfect bridge over a perilous chasm when multiplied and stacked. You can even spawn friendly versions of enemies to fight on your behalf.

It’s all wrapped up in an adorable art direction, making everything from the characters to the world look like it was plucked straight from a cute diorama. Check out our review below.

• Read more: Here's our The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom review

5. The Last of Us season 2 was teased

This week we were treated to our first new trailer for The Last of Us season 2, and we’re convinced it's going to be as emotionally devastating as the videogame it’s based on. Released as part of this year’s The Last of Us Day celebrations (September 26 is the day the Cordyceps infection ravaged the world of the game/show) we got both a two-minute S2 teaser and a confirmation that it’s coming sometime in 2025.

The teaser gives us our first glimpse of characters players know from the games, including Abby and Ellie's love interest Dina, as well as providing hints at what Ellie and Joel have been up to following the 'five years of peace' that followed the events of season 1. Fans of the games know it’s not all sunshine and roses for the survivors, though, so we’re going to take these next few months to emotionally prepare ourselves for what The Last of Us has in store for us come 2025.

• Read more: The Last of Us season 2's unsettling first trailer is here

4. We spent some time with the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 FE alongside the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra this week, and the new phone looks like it’ll prove the cheapest route into Samsung’s Galaxy AI ecosystem.

Among the S24 FE’s hardware upgrades over the Galaxy S23 FE are a bigger 6.7-inch display, a new Exynos 2400e chipset, and longer battery life. But while that would be enough to make it a contender in the cheap flagship stakes, it's the phone's AI tricks that we're most excited about.

Chief among them are its AI-powered ProVisual photography engine, which it inherits from the standard Galaxy S24 and which should bring improved low-light performance and optical zoom quality.

In our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review, we described Samsung’s new device as “a great value phone for its power and features,” so here’s hoping it lives up to that billing once we’ve put it through our full review process.

• Read more: Here's our hands on Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review

3. Meta’s affordable Meta Quest 3S broke cover

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The least surprising announcement of Meta Connect 2024 was nevertheless an exciting one – the much-leaked Meta Quest 3S. This affordable alternative to the Meta Quest 3 still packs a solid punch with its Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chipset, and 8GB of RAM, but only costs $299.99 / £289.99 / AU$499.99.

In exchange you will have to accept a couple of downgrades – less sharp displays, a bulkier body, and the loss of the depth sensor – but by all accounts the Quest 3S is an impressive VR headset at its price, and looks like it could be perfect for people looking to dip their toes into XR as we head into the holiday season.

• Read more: Here’s our hands-on Meta Quest 3S review

2. Meta announced game-changing AR glasses, too

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

We also saw Meta’s first fully functional AR glasses – the Orion prototypes. These aren’t something anyone will be able to buy (though some are being given out as developer kits to help software creators make apps for the official specs), but from what we’ve been shown Orion looks amazing.

And it’s only set to get better, with Mark Zuckerberg promising the consumer pair will boast better displays, a more fashionable design, and a more affordable price. Although on that last point, Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth later clarified that Meta meant affordable in terms of smartphone and laptops rather than at “a Quest 3S price point, or even a Quest 3 price point.”

• Read more: Meta announces Orion, its first fully functional AR glasses prototype

1. PS5 Pro preorders went live

(Image credit: Sony)

It suddenly feels rather like 2020 all over again. That's because pre-orders for the forthcoming PS5 Pro and the limited-edition PS5 30th Anniversary Collection went on sale this week – with predictable results. Such as? Well, such as the official PlayStation Direct website quickly being inundated with would-be buyers all eager to get their hands on Sony’s upcoming consoles and kit. Many had to wait in digital queues for upwards of an hour, just to be in with a chance of pre-ordering the mid-gen refresh, and there were reports of crashes and timeouts and (inevitably) scalpers.

Most PlayStation Direct stock sold out completely that same day; the 30th Anniversary Edition bundle was gone in minutes across the US and UK, while the limited-edition PS5 Slim, DualSense Edge and PlayStation Portal models were quick to follow. Some stock still held on, however, and at the time of writing, Sony’s website still has PS5 Pro units available to pre-order.

• Read more: PS5 Pro pre-orders as it happened

Imagine a world where your smartphone charges itself simply by being exposed to sunlight, with no cords or power outlets required.

Researchers have long sought ways to integrate renewable energy into everyday objects, and this futuristic vision is now closer to reality, thanks to a breakthrough that could potentially allow devices to charge directly through their screens.

A research team at the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed transparent solar cells which can be embedded into the glass surfaces of mobile devices, cars, and buildings, offering a seamless and efficient way to generate power from sunlight.

Eco-friendly future-energy

Led by Professor Kwanyong Seo, the transparent solar cell and module has a glass-like, colorless, and transparent appearance. The team achieved this by using an "all-back-contact" design, which places all the components of the solar cell on the back, ensuring that the front remains visually unobstructed. The researchers also developed Seamless Modularization technology, which eliminates gaps between solar cells and removes the need for opaque metal wires, both of which previously compromised the appearance of transparent solar cells.

The team's 16 cm² transparent solar cell module achieved high efficiency, with transmittance ranging between 20% and 14.7%, and successfully charged a smartphone using natural sunlight, demonstrating the potential for screens to serve as energy sources.

“This study fundamentally solved the aesthetic problem of the existing solar cell modularization method through the design of the new device structure,” researcher Jeonghwan Park and Research Assistant Professor Kangmin Lee noted. “It presents the possibility that transparent silicon solar cells can be used in various industries, such as small devices, as well as in buildings and automobile glass.”

Professor Seo added, “We have opened a new path for modularization research, which is essential for the commercialization of transparent silicon solar cells. We plan to continue further research so that transparent solar cells can become a key technology in the eco-friendly future-energy industry.”

The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

More from TechRadar Pro

• Researchers design tech that could 'potentially replace solar cells'
• Amazon has a solar way to power the infrastructure needed for AI
• Scientists develop RGB LED out of miracle material perovskite

AI may seem like it's everywhere now, but you'll see a lot more embedded in people's lives before too long, according to YoungJip Kim, the head of AI for Samsung Electronics. Speaking in the evening after the unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 and their many AI features, Kim shared his favorite aspects of the recent burst of AI interest and why it's only just beginning. Part of that is because of the rapid change in how people view AI assistants.

"These days, people's expectation of this technology is very high compared to the several months back. So that's why most, I think most of the tech companies are working on that part very hard," Kim said. "I think people will be able to find more advanced experiences to use [AI with] soon because the AI technology will bring another way to interact with an assistant. And then behind the scenes, the AI assistants and smart devices user experience will be very different from their previous experiences. That's the most interesting part I'm looking forward to."

Samsung's devices have been steadily adding new AI features and expanding their availability. The emphasis on some of the camera and photo AI tools matches up with some of Kim's favorite ways to employ AI. Though he's far from alone in enjoying how AI can enhance photography, it certainly doesn't hurt to have intimate knowledge of everything AI can do for a picture.  

"When I take a picture of my wife, I need to [refine] the picture and [use AI to improve] the quality of the picture. That's the way to stay alive. That's a cool function, I think," Kim joked.

Our AI Future

Kim pointed out that even the most mundane use of AI can change lives. He told an anecdote about a Samsung employee from South Korea working at an office in Poland who married a local woman and spent years having to act as a translator between his and his spouse's parents. Then, the Galaxy S24 with AI translation came out. He bought one for each set of parents, and suddenly, there was no language barrier.

Ultimately, Kim believes future AI tools will evolve to reflect how people use and think about AI as they get used to it and spend more time trying various features powered by AI models. He suggested there will be a lot of personalization as AI adapts to the needs of individuals and their way of engaging with the technology. 

"I think another shift that people can find out in the coming year is adoption. So today, people [have mostly] tried to use AI technology [only] from time to time. And in the coming year, I think that AI technology will be deeply integrated with every corner of life," Kim said. "So I think making a user's life easier is the best part. I think one of the examples is the communication, the translation, and the summarizing, and  all those kinds of language-based data. I'm excited about that kind of continuing innovation."

You might also like...

• Hands on: Samsung Galaxy S24 FE review: AI doesn’t come cheap … until now
• The Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 series have landed, with high-end specs and a whole lot of AI
• The Samsung Galaxy S26 is being tipped for major performance gains

OpenAI has enhanced ChatGPT's GPT-4o mini model with a bunch of new features, though surprisingly, it does not have any of the usual fanfare. The smaller, faster version of the GPT-4o model, GPT-4o mini, has lacked many of the features of its larger sibling until now – though by its nature, it has less power to complete the same tasks. 

The mini model's efficiency and speed were already attractive enough to many ChatGPT users. And here we're sharing four of the biggest upgrades that bring it closer to par with GPT-4o.

Image creation

(Image credit: Screenshot/ Eric Schwartz)

The 4o-mini model can now generate images based on text prompts like the full GPT-4o model. While functionally it is the same in terms of making visuals out of text on ChatGPT, the model's size might speed up the production a bit. Further, it's unlikely to matter when it comes to the output as they both rely on the DALL-E 3 image generation model from OpenAI. 

Browsing

(Image credit: Screenshot/ Eric Schwartz )

Arguably, one of the biggest limits of the GPT-4o mini model previously was its lack of internet access. Now, you can use the model through ChatGPT to conduct online research faster than with GPT-4o. That means you can get up-to-date information instead of relying solely on its pre-trained knowledge base. It's crucial to have that option when it comes to fact-checking and comparing information. That brings it up to par with the bigger model but is tied to the speed of the mini model.

Uploading and understanding

(Image credit: Screenshot/ Eric Schwartz )

One of the GPT-4o mini model's most significant limitations compared to the rest of the stable has been its lack of uploading options. Now, ChatGPT users can employ the model to analyze, summarize, and discuss uploaded documents and pictures. The model's visual processing features let it understand and explain the uploaded images just as it can any texts sent to ChatGPT. This capability makes it easier for users to work with complex visual data for educational or personal needs. 

Memory

(Image credit: Screenshot/ Eric Schwartz)

In case you can't remember all of the new features or forget one of them, the GPT-4o mini model can help, as it now accesses the memory feature available for other ChatGPT models. That allows it to remember previous conversations with specific users and tailor interactions accordingly. So even after ending a talk with ChatGPT through the 4o-mini model, you can come back and get more relevant answers, follow-ups on earlier discussions, and recognition of your preferences. In other words, being mini doesn't mean it can't handle long-term interactions.

You might also like...

• OpenAI has a new scale for measuring how smart their AI models are becoming – which is not as comforting as it should be
• OpenAI's GPT-4o ChatGPT assistant is more life-like than ever, complete with witty quips
• If you think GPT-4o is something, wait until you see GPT-5 – a 'significant leap forward'

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #978) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #978) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #978) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #978) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #978) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• C

• S

• E

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #978) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #978, are…

• BUSHY
• CIVIC
• SNOUT
• EQUIP

Yesterday I failed the main 'classic' Quordle; today it was the Daily Sequence that did for me. It was the same deal as yesterday, frankly – a failure on my part to allow for words that have multiple answers separated by only one letter. And so it was that I guessed TAMER and TAPER before TAKER, FROCK before CROCK and failed to reach SATYR. The classic version was a cinch in comparison.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #978) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #978, are…

• TAKER
• STEER
• CROCK
• SATYR

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL
• Quordle #976, Thursday 26 September: STAGE, VOGUE, CLUMP, HEATH
• Quordle #975, Wednesday 25 September: UMBRA, DADDY, GLAZE, PRANK
• Quordle #974, Tuesday 24 September: SPACE, INNER, SPAWN, BEGAT
• Quordle #973, Monday 23 September: GUILT, STERN, ANNEX, FIELD
• Quordle #972, Sunday 22 September: ZESTY, MEATY, ALIVE, DRAWN
• Quordle #971, Saturday 21 September: VITAL, FRAIL, SPEAR, EERIE
• Quordle #970, Friday 20 September: ELIDE, DITTO, SHAWL, BONUS
• Quordle #969, Thursday 19 September: MARRY, OWING, DICEY, LUCKY
• Quordle #968, Wednesday 18 September: CEDAR, VENOM, MIGHT, MEDIC
• Quordle #967, Tuesday 17 September: ETHOS, COUNT, PRINT, THREE
• Quordle #966, Monday 16 September: ROUGE, SWAMP, FUGUE, UNDUE
• Quordle #965, Sunday 15 September: VILLA, SMOKE, BULKY, THRUM
• Quordle #964, Saturday 14 September: ESSAY, GENRE, WIMPY, CHUTE
• Quordle #963, Friday 13 September: LEANT, ORGAN, FILLY, PLAIT
• Quordle #962, Thursday 12 September: ARBOR, STARK, LEAVE, GOOFY
• Quordle #961, Wednesday 11 September: ROUGH, CACTI, SAVOY, ODDER
• Quordle #960, Tuesday 10 September: PLUMB, SEIZE, EARLY, ASSET
• Quordle #959, Monday 9 September: CHIRP, BEADY, THETA, MINUS
• Quordle #958, Sunday 8 September: TEASE, AGATE, PRIDE, PLATE

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need clues.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Wordle hints and answers, Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #475) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• QUALITY
• BIRTH
• HOUSE
• PLANT
• REMOTE
• LODGE
• HYBRID
• COMPOUND
• CROSS
• CRUISE
• STICK
• HOTEL
• TOKEN
• BLEND
• WEDGE
• DEED

NYT Connections today (game #475) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• Yellow: Mix
• Green: Place deep
• Blue: Pass go
• Purple: Blank [switch or button?]

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #475) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: COMPOSITE
• GREEN: EMBED
• BLUE: ITEMS IN A MONOPOLY BOX
• PURPLE: ___ CONTROL

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #475) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #475, are…

• YELLOW: COMPOSITE BLEND, COMPOUND, CROSS, HYBRID
• GREEN: EMBED LODGE, PLANT, STICK, WEDGE
• BLUE: ITEMS IN A MONOPOLY BOX DEED, HOTEL, HOUSE, TOKEN
• PURPLE: ___ CONTROL BIRTH, CRUISE, QUALITY, REMOTE

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 mistake

My streak is now up to 23, a far cry from the days when I failed eight Connections puzzles in 15 days. This was, admittedly, a fairly easy one. I made one mistake, guessing HOTEL, HOUSE, LODGE and COMPOUND as places where you could live, but when that proved to be wrong I looked again and spotted the COMPOSITE connection that united BLEND, COMPOUND, CROSS and HYBRID.

HOUSE and HOTEL, meanwhile, went with DEED and TOKEN for a MONOPOLY-themed group, and I also solved the supposedly most difficult purple group, which was one of the NYT's favorite blank___ answers.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Friday, 27 September, game #474)

• YELLOW: AREA OF HIGH GROUND BANK, DUNE, HILL, MOUND
• GREEN: SIGNIFICANCE GRAVITY, IMPORT, SUBSTANCE, WEIGHT
• BLUE: ACTIONS IN FANTASY SPORTS BENCH, DRAFT, START, TRADE
• PURPLE: SCI-FI MOVIES, WITH “THE” ABYSS, FLY, MATRIX, THING

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #209) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Feeling good

NYT Strands today (game #209) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• VINE
• PINE
• PHOTO
• LAST
• DUST
• RUSE

NYT Strands today (game #209) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Inside out

NYT Strands today (game #209) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #209) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #209, are…

• HAPPINESS
• LOVE
• GRATITUDE
• PLEASURE
• EXCITEMENT
• SPANGRAM: EMOTIONS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

My only issue with today's Strands is that the theme clue and answers all fit nicely with the idea of 'good or pleasant emotions' – but the spangram is merely EMOTIONS on its own. It's not a major problem, but it mildly annoyed me.

It's not a difficult one, even bearing that in mind. I looked for HAPPINESS at the start of the game and found it quickly, and none of the other words provided any great problems. Once again I was done in only a few minutes. I'd quite like a more difficult game soon, as it happens.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday 27 September, game #208)

• MOAT
• WALL
• DRAWBRIDGE
• COURTYARD
• TOWER
• KEEP
• TURRET
• SPANGRAM: CASTLE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

While the Galaxy Watch FE only dropped a few weeks before the flagship Galaxy Watch 7 debuted in July of 2024, Samsung is already offering a sizeable update to the original, more affordable Galaxy Watch and is tossing in one new feature.

Alongside the new Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, and Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, Samsung sneakily unveiled the Galaxy Watch FE LTE, and proudly shared that a number of the Galaxy AI features from the Watch 7 would be trickling down.

Energy Score will arrive on Galaxy Watch FE

(Image credit: Future)

I noted this in our review of the Galaxy Watch 7, but it bears repeating and rings even more true here. To get the new features like Energy Score and Wellness tips – both tools that contextualize the data within Samsung Health and better compete with the likes of Oura and Whoop – you didn’t necessarily need to buy the Galaxy Watch 7, Ultra, or Ring.

Samsung introduced many of the new AI health features to previous Galaxy Watch models, and now they’re coming to the Galaxy Watch FE later in 2024, which is indeed a welcome addition. It also adds an extra bit of versatility to Samsung's most affordable smartwatch: remember, it’s just $199.99 / £199 and only comes in one size, 40mm.

That equates to a 1.2-inch touchscreen with a durable layer of Sapphire Crystal glass to protect against drops, scuffs, or scratches. Under the hood is an Exynos W920 processor with 1.5GB of RAM, which powers Wear OS with Samsung’s One UX customizations on top.

Most importantly, though, it has a BioActive Sensor on the back that enables activity, health and sleep tracking, and there were already some limited Galaxy AI features available in the form of a sleep coach.

Still, Energy Score will help give you a better sensor of your body’s recovery and its overall performance. It’ll be a nice addition that adds some more value here, and if you’ve been eyeing the Galaxy Watch FE but aren’t interested because there wasn’t a cellular LTE model, Samsung’s solving that.

There is now a Galaxy Watch FE with LTE

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Arguably, the bigger news during Samsung’s “Galaxy AI for All” press event is that there is now a Galaxy Watch FE with LTE (aka cellular) up for preorder at $249.99 / £249. It’s set to begin shipping in early October and keeps all of the features of the Galaxy Watch FE but adds in connectivity when you’re out and about, assuming you add it to a plan with your wireless carrier.

This newer model will also receive an update by the end of 2024, adding Energy Score and potentially some other features. The Galaxy Watch FE with Bluetooth and WiFi and the Galaxy Watch FE with Bluetooth, WiFi, and LTE are available in black, silver, or gold. You can see them on Samsung's online store here.

You Might Also Like...

• Samsung Galaxy S24 FE hands on: AI doesn’t come cheap … until now
• Spotify's AI Playlist is now rolling out to more Premium subscribers 
• Roku's new Ultra streamer is its fastest one yet, and the first to support all HDR formats

Automotive giants Hyundai Motor Group and Kia have announced a new strategic technology partnership with Samsung Electronics to help them transition towards the future of Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs).

Speaking to TechRadar at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division, explained how the Hyundai and Kia were rapidly heading towards the era of SDVs, where constantly connected cars could do more than transport occupants from A to B, offering on-demand services, the ability to interact with partner apps and control elements of the smart home.

The recent partnership with Samsung cements this notion and will further integrate Samsung's SmartThings IoT platform with a future infotainment system that Chang Song’s department is busy developing.

This also means that Samsung's popular Galaxy smartphones will enjoy greater integration with future cars, allowing users to check key vehicle data, such as battery range, upcoming service intervals, and even the location of their vehicles, via their phones.

(Image credit: Hyundai )

In addition to this, Hyundai Motor Group also wants the vehicle to fit more seamlessly into everyday life, with the potential for one Samsung Electronics account to manage everything, including health care, pet care, and vehicle systems, in one convenient place.

Chang Song is also a founding member of 42dot, an innovative autonomous transportation company now part of the wider Hyundai Motor Group. 

His vision is to create a seamless mobility system that will see one app or piece of software take care of privately owned cars, as well as the ability to summon autonomous ride-share services and potentially electronic vertical take-off and landing craft (eVTOL) like those currently being developed by sister company Supernal.

Analysis: Will 'killer apps' kill off the car?

(Image credit: Kia)

The tie-up with Samsung proves Hyundai Motor and Kia's commitment to a future where the automobile as we know it becomes more a part of our digital lives than a mere method of transport.

Chang Song spoke of his plan to invite third-party developers to create 'killer apps' for his future systems, which would effectively do what Internet Explorer did for Microsoft computers in the 1990s, where customers flocked to the hardware purely to take advantage of the software.

Software Defined Vehicles - and to an extent, electric vehicles - are setting the automotive industry on a path toward cars becoming a commodity, where customers treat their vehicles like smartphones, chopping and changing depending on who offers the best digital experience.

The private ownership model as we know it today will likely change, as advances in technology allow companies like Hyundai and Kia to become transport service providers rather than mere car manufacturers.

Song's influence in software development, as well as Samsung’s recent integration, will bring more of the wider digital world into the car. Checking in on smart fridges, remotely activating the lights, and being able to locate a vehicle through a Galaxy phone is just the beginning.

you might also like

• A car that answers questions? Kia has an app for that
• Kia’s first affordable EV is here with an AI assistant and an impressive 372-mile range
• The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could be even more powerful than the iPhone 16 Pro Max

A tech-focused brand for kids has launched a new camera designed for children aged 5-12, the myFirst Camera 50. The Singapore-based myFirst touts its latest camera as a 'game-changing device, featuring AI-assisted photo and video editing' that intelligently curates and enhances your creations, adding personal touches such as stickers, drawings, and voice notes.

myFirst Camera 50 can recognize facial expressions, scenery, and color, and then utilize those elements to curate stories with minimal effort. It's equipped with a 20MP rear camera and 16MP selfie camera, with wide angle and macro lenses, meaning you can capture both broad scenes and intricate details.

Beyond its basic 20MP photo and 1080p video capture and intelligent editing capabilities, myFirst Camera 50 can connect to the myFirst Circle app, which is designed to provide a secure environment for kids to share their creations with their trusted friends and family. Parents have complete control over visibility, managing posts, and who can view them.

(Image credit: myFirst Camera)

myFirst Camera 50 is small and lightweight for little hands and features a warm light bar to illuminate selfies. It can connect to the myFirst Circle app on your phone through Wi-Fi and has 16GB of built-in storage that can be expanded to 128GB with a memory card.

Other tools include myDiary, which combines photography with journaling, providing a space for kids to express themselves, complete with prompts.

As a father of young children I like the concept of the myFirst Camera 50; an easy-to-use, connected camera with smart editing and a secure space to share multimedia creations. It could be as rewarding for grandparents and parents like me enjoying their kid's creations as much as it is for the child making them.

Whether myFirst Camera 50 is one of the best cameras for kids and can deliver its safe credentials we'll have to see – at the time of writing we're currently underway with a full review. It available now on the myFirst store in blue or purple (see above) and costs $129 / £109 / AU$149.

You might also like

• Best cameras for kids 2024: the best cameras for children and teens
• This retro digital camera doesn’t even have a screen and it’s exactly what you need
• The best cheap camera for 2024: finest budget cameras you can buy

With macOS Sequoia, Apple introduced a feature whereby users are asked to regularly approve access for apps to be allowed to record their screen - which has not gone down too well with some folks, although there’s now a solution (albeit a third-party one).

From Apple’s perspective, this move was made to improve security in apps like Zoom where you might share your screen (or indeed screenshot utilities). The recurring permission requests for such apps first started appearing early in beta testing macOS 15, and they were introduced on a weekly basis initially, but later (following many complaints) Apple revised that to monthly prompts. 

And to be fair, I could still see these pop-ups being bothersome, even on a monthly basis, and you might prefer not to see them at all (or just the once, rather, when you first use the app). Luckily, there’s now a workaround that MacRumors spotted in the form of an app called Amnesia.

Once installed, Amnesia can be used to stop the monthly screen recording permission requests on an app-by-app basis. The software is pay-what-you-want, so you can give the developer whatever you feel is an appropriate payment for the convenience of the app.

(Image credit: Future) There's another potential workaround - but will Apple do something itself?

The original version of Amnesia was for macOS 15 only, but since that release, support for macOS 15.1 (beta) has been introduced. You can check out Amnesia’s changelog (a record of updates made to the app) to see all the recent additions and adjustments for the software.

Alternatively, if you’re a little more of a techie, as MacRumors points out, you can also achieve the same result as Amnesia via the Terminal app by following instructions provided by tech blogger Jeff Johnson. Just as with Amnesia, this workaround makes it so that the screen recording reminders are turned off on an app-by-app basis.

I hope Apple considers revising this repetitive request for permissions. I’m not saying that the company has to get rid of it entirely, but maybe give macOS 15 users the option to switch to quarterly or biannual requests instead. I understand that Apple is trying to cover itself and its customers from a security perspective, but I think there’s more give here in terms of striking a balance that satisfies keeping macOS a safe environment, while annoying users less.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

• PSA: macOS Sequoia is reportedly causing frustrating USB problems for some users
• macOS 15 Sequoia problems: how to fix the most common issues on your Mac
• You can now use Apple’s best iPhone Mirroring feature on your Mac and iPhone

Excessive heat can severely affect the performance and lifespan of smartphones and tablets, causing them to throttle processing power or even shut down to prevent damage. Users often experience how hot their devices can get during demanding tasks, such as playing graphically intense games, and it's a problem that's only going to get worse as AI makes its way into our devices.

To address this issue, xMEMS Labs has introduced the XMC-2400 µCooling chip - the first all-silicon, active micro-cooling fan designed for portable devices like smartphones, tablets, external SSDs, wireless chargers, and laptops.

Mike Housholder, xMEMS' VP of Marketing and Business Development, explained to EE Times that current solutions, such as heat spreaders and vapor chambers, "just spread the heat throughout the real estate of the device, but there is no physical means to expel the heat."

Changing how people perceive thermal management

The XMC-2400 functions as an actual fan, and a single XMC-2400 chip can move up to 39 cubic centimeters of air per second against 1,000 Pa of back pressure and is IP58-rated for dust and water resistance.

The silent, vibration-free, solid-state chip measures just 9.26 x 7.6 x 1.08mm and weighs less than 150 milligrams, making it 96 percent smaller and lighter than non-silicon-based active-cooling alternatives. It comes in both top-venting and side-venting packages to fit various system form factors.

"Our revolutionary µCooling 'fan-on-a-chip' design comes at a critical time in mobile computing," said Joseph Jiang, xMEMS CEO and Co-Founder. "Thermal management in ultramobile devices, which are now running more processor-intensive AI applications, is a massive challenge for manufacturers and consumers. Until XMC-2400, there was no active-cooling solution because the devices are so small and thin."

"With µCooling, we are changing how people perceive thermal management. The XMC-2400 is designed to actively cool even the smallest handheld devices, enabling the thinnest, most high-performance, AI-ready mobile devices. It's hard to imagine tomorrow's smartphones and other thin, performance-driven devices without xMEMS µCooling technology," Jiang added.

More from TechRadar Pro

• Zotac mini PC that comes with innovative silent cooling chip
• Metal foams promise 90% improved heat exchange for data center cooling
• Cooling system helps Micron unleash SSD solution that tops 45GBps

Meta Connect 2024 wrapped up earlier this week, and with it came big announcements. One such reveal was easier interoperation between the Meta Quest VR headset and Windows 11. In his keynote speech Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed that pairing your Meta Quest headset with your Windows PC will happen simply by looking at your keyboard.

“Soon you’re going to be able to connect to any Windows 11 PC,” he said. “You just look at the keyboard, and it’ll start pairing.” The pairing will allow you to work on one or more giant virtual displays, making Quest a “natural extension of your PC.”

You can already get this kind of feature in Meta’s Horizon Workrooms app, and in third-party apps like Immersed, but the proposed Remote Desktop integration means you won’t have to use new software or launch apps - it'll be as simple as staring down at your desktop for a moment to engage the link. Considering how much Apple has been pushing its own Vision Pro headset for mixed-reality workflows on Mac devices, this feels like a logical next step for Meta and Microsoft.

Meta is putting its money behind augmented reality

The annual Metaverse-focused event also announced its new high-quality mixed reality Meta Quest 3S VR headset, costing $300 (£290, AU$500) for the 128 GB version and $400 (£380, AU$670) for the 256 GB version; there's also the 512 GB Meta Quest 3, which costs $500 (£650, AU$1,050).

Meta AI will be getting a shiny new upgrade, with its smarter open-source language model Llama 3.2. One of the LLM’s innovative features is that it can understand images as well as text.

The Metaverse will be seeing a new AR experience, photorealistic spaces called Hyperscapes. Zuckerberg said, “You’ll be able to use your phone to scan a room and then recreate it, or you can step into a room that someone else has scanned and shared.”

Other notable announcements: Batman Arkham Shadow will be a Meta exclusive, and included in all purchases of a Quest 3 or 3S. The Meta Quest 2 and Quest Pro will cease sales by the end of 2024.

No date has been specified for when the Remote Desktop integration will happen; all we know is: “soon”.

You might also like...

• Meta Connect 2024: the 6 biggest announcements from a packed keynote
• Meta’s game-changing Orion AR glasses could launch sooner than we thought, but they might cost as much as a smartphone
• And it’s gone – discontinued Meta Quest 3 model already selling out online

Xiaomi has launched the Mix Flip foldable phone in the UK, Europe, and other global markets following two months of China exclusivity. 

The company revealed the Mix Flip in a surprise announcement at the launch event for its latest midrange flagships, the camera-focused Xiaomi 14T and Xiaomi 14T Pro. 

The Mix Flip, as the name suggests, follows the clamshell folding design popularized by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Motorola Razr Plus.

The phone features a 4.01-inch cover screen in an almost-square 1:1.15 aspect ratio, which covers nearly the entire surface available and wraps around the two rear cameras in a similar manner to the Motorola Razr Plus 2024. 

This outer screen plays host to several interactive wallpapers featuring animated pets, as well as a downsized home screen with customizable apps and widgets. 

The unfolded inner display is a 6.8-inch panel – slightly larger than an iPhone 16 Plus  –  with a resolution of 2912 x 1224, an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and a peak brightness of 3000 nits.

(Image credit: Xiaomi / Future)

The phone is available in either black or purple, and comes with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

The Xiaomi Mix Flip is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, with an octa-core CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU, and Qualcomm AI Engine for neural processing. 

In terms of AI, the Mix Flip comes loaded with features developed by both Google and Xiaomi, such as Google Gemini, Circle to Search, and proprietary image editing and translation tools. 

Like the Xiaomi 14T and 14T Pro, the Mix Flip’s camera system was developed in partnership with Leica, and boasts an impressive specs sheet. Specifically, the phone comes equipped with a 50MP main camera and 50MP telephoto camera, and is capable of recording 8K video at 24fps and 4K video at 60fps.

The Mix Flip can take selfies using the rear cameras thanks to the cover screen, but it also has a 32MP punch-hole selfie camera inset in the inner display, which can record 4K video (albeit only at 30fps).

As for battery, the Mix Flip’s 4,780mAh cell supports wired charging at up to 67W, with no wireless charging. 

As with all other Xiaomi phones, it’s extremely unlikely that the Mix Flip will be available in the US. It is available in the UK, however, at a price of £1,099, as well as other markets internationally. For reference, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 starts at $1,099.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,799.

We’re keen to get our hands on the Xiaomi Mix Flip to see if it's worthy of a place on our lists of the best folding phones and best Xiaomi phones. For general Xiaomi updates, be sure to check out our general Xiaomi phones coverage. 

You might also like

• Xiaomi 14T Pro review: one small step for value, one giant leap for quality
• Samsung Galaxy S24 FE: price, cameras, AI, and everything you need to know
• It looks as though another Motorola Razr flip foldable is about to launch

Dell is ramping up its return-to-office policy as it battles with rising costs and worker productivity, ordering its global sales teams to work onsite five days per week unless otherwise engaged with customers or partners.

The shift marks a considerable change over Dell's previous policy, and the wider industry norm, of three office days per week.

The policy’s effects are likely to be widespread, as Dell has around 120,000 workers, even after mass layoffs affecting around 13,000 workers earlier in 2024, and potentially even more unconfirmed redundancies.

Dell’s RTO policy jumps up to five days

The full extent of the workforce affected remains unclear; Dell has declined to specify how many employees are subject to the new mandate.

“The announcement was to our sales team stating that we expect them to come into the office or be together with customer and partners five days a week," a company spokesperson stated.

“We continually evolve our business so we’re set up to deliver the best innovation, value and service to our customers and partners. That includes more in-person connection to drive market leadership.”

A staff memo (via The Register) shared by Bill Scannell, president of global sales and customer operations, and John Byrne, president of sales for global regions with Dell Tech Select, confirmed. “Starting Monday, Sept 30th, the expectation is that ALL global sales team members who can work from a Dell office be onsite five days a week, regardless of role.”

The two execs reportedly cited internal data proving that sales teams thrive in a collaborative environment.

As is the case with other companies pushing for more office-based working, pushback from Dell’s workers is to be expected. The company had previously said in March 2024 that remote workers would not be put up for promotion opportunities, causing widespread backlash.

TechRadar Pro asked Dell to share more context about its revised RTO policy, including details of the types and quantity of workers that will be required to work from the office five days per week. Any update will be shared here.

More from TechRadar Pro

• Check out the best job sites and best recruitment platforms
• It's official - the "return to the office" boom is dead, this academic believes
• Here are the best hybrid working tools

The Common UNIX Printing System, or CUPS, can be abused to run malicious code on vulnerable endpoints remotely, experts have warned.

CUPS is an open-source printing system developed by Apple for Unix-like operating systems, including Linux and macOS. It provides a standardized way to manage print jobs and queues, supporting both local and network printers. CUPS uses the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) as its primary protocol, allowing seamless printer discovery and job submission across networks. It also includes a web-based interface for managing printers, print jobs, and configurations.

Cybersecurity researcher Simone Margaritelli of Evil Socket discovered a problem in the system’s ability to discover new printers. As the researcher explains, CUPS has four vulnerabilities: CVE_2024-47076, CVE-2024-47175, CVE-2024-47176, and CVE-2024-47177. These vulnerabilities, when chained together, allow threat actors to create a fake, malicious printer, and have CUPS discover it.

Roadblocks to exploitation

The moment a user tries to print something using this new device, a malicious command gets executed locally on their device.

While it sounds like a major vulnerability, Red Hat deemed it ‘important’ rather than ‘critical’, and this is mostly because there are many hoops to jump through, before the flaw can be exploited for RCE.

The first, and biggest one, is that the component named cups-browsed daemon, which looks for shared printers on the local network and enables them for printing, needs to be turned on. The researcher said that sometimes it’s turned off by default, and sometimes it’s turned on.

The second major hoop is making the victim pick the new printer that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, instead of their usual machine.

Red Hat is currently working on a fix, so a patch is not yet available. However, the easy fix is to stop the cups-browsed service from running, and to prevent it from being started on reboot.

Via BleepingComputer

More from TechRadar Pro

• Microsoft says Russian hackers are exploiting an ancient printer security flaw
• Here's a list of the best firewalls around today
• These are the best endpoint security tools right now

With the right tools, creative people can produce magical things – and if you like to create digitally, the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 12.2-inch and MatePad 12X are tools made just for you. Whether you're a creative professional or an enthusiastic amateur, these tablets combine cutting-edge technology, innovative design and premium materials to delight, excite and inspire you every day.

The perfect canvas for your biggest ideas

Let's start with the most powerful tablet for pros, the new HUAWEI MatePad Pro. Its large 12.2-inch display is the perfect canvas for big ideas – and because the MatePad Pro is the lightest tablet of its size on the market, you'll want to take it with you everywhere so it's ready when inspiration strikes. 

The MatePad Pro isn't just a creative tool, although it's packed with power. It's also a work of art in its own right, with a design inspired by the silky textures of traditional Chinese paintings. Its golden silk rear cover is unlike anything else on the market and sets a new standard for artistry on an electronic device – and it's as much a technical triumph as it is an artistic one, because that cover is made from ultra-thin aviation-grade glass fibre that's been polished over 1,000 times to produce that luxurious, silken feel.

One of our very favourite features of the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 12.2-inch is its beautiful OLED PaperMatte display, which uses industry-leading technology to deliver an incredibly lifelike visual experience. It delivers extraordinary brightness – up to 2,000 nits for astonishing HDR visuals – with superb contrast and colour. And its anti-glare properties with not just anti-glare but anti-sparkle and high frequency dimming mean it's ideal for all-hours entertainment, creation and communicating.

The display is designed for creativity and productivity with a stunning 2.8K resolution and a panel free from distractions such as invasive notches and camera cut-outs. And with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and a sky-high touch sampling rate it's as silky as the paintings that inspired it.

(Image credit: HUAWEI)

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro 12.2-inch has another great option for professional creators: the brand new HUAWEI Glide Keyboard with its built-in stylus slot, skin-soothing materials. Made with aerospace-grade materials, the Glide Keyboard is the lightest tablet keyboard/touchpad combination, weighing just 928g including the MatePad Pro 12.2. 

That makes it the perfect combination for travel, mobile working and last-minute trips when creativity strikes. And it's the perfect partner for the third generation HUAWEI M-Pencil, the first ever consumer product with HUAWEI NearLink technology and the first tablet stylus to support a staggering 16,384 pressure levels. With incredibly low latency, pixel-level accuracy and astonishing precision it delivers a truly exceptional drawing and writing experience.

The combination of the MatePad Pro 12.2's cutting-edge display and the M-Pencil's incredible sensitivity is particularly impressive in the newly updated HUAWEI GoPaint app, which delivers 10 powerful editing tools including new additions such as magic wand selection, layer location, grid points and guidelines to help you push the boundaries of creative expression. And if you're using your MatePad Pro for work, HUAWEI Notes powers productivity with a range of useful tools including Note Replay, which can automatically transcribe meetings while recording audio.

Of course, there's no point in having all these creative and productivity tools if your tablet doesn't have enough stamina to keep up with all your ideas. That's why the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 12.2-inch has a long-lasting 10,100mAh ultra large capacity battery that outperforms the iPad Pro 11-inch (2024) by a spectacular 30%. And with 100W HUAWEI SuperCharge support, smart battery optimisation and an industry-leading 380 days in standby mode, it's always ready for new creative challenges.

The HUAWEI MatePad 12 X makes every day exceptional

(Image credit: HUAWEI)

The new HUAWEI MatePad 12 X delivers many of the incredible features of the MatePad Pro 12.2-inch including that astonishing PaperMatte display, M-Pencil support and silky-smooth screen. And it feels as special as it looks thanks to one of the most innovative displays ever put into a tablet. HUAWEI's Nanoscale Anti-Etching Technology looks and feels like paper, especially when you're writing or drawing with the HUAWEI M-Pencil: in a world where so many people write or draw on glass, the MatePad 12 X delivers a beautifully natural, tactile and joyful experience. By delivering the feel of paper with the convenience of digital it really does deliver the best of both worlds.

Like its Pro sibling, the MatePad 12 X also comes with the creator-acclaimed GoPaint App and its ultra-realistic brushes and textures. It's a game-changer for digital painting, combining exceptional user-friendliness with serious painting power: over 150 brushes and 80 adjustable parameters including Fluid Brushes, Splatter Brushes and Dual-effect brushes. Take the Fluid Brush for example: it renders your strokes in real time, its intelligent algorithms mimicking the real-world behaviour of ink spreading out and into paper. Whether you're using watercolours or calligraphy, you can use the Fluid Brush to achieve the most delicate, detailed and lifelike effects on every kind of artwork.

(Image credit: HUAWEI)

The Splatter Brush is just as impressive, with real-life painting techniques including spray paint, Pollock splatters, lettering and so on. It's incredible fun, too: simply hover the stylus above your tablet's screen and tap twice to activate a mesmerising ink splatter. It's particularly fun for children and inexperienced painters, but in the hands of a pro it's also a wonderfully intuitive and interesting way to unlock new creative possibilities. 

Whether you go for the astonishing power of the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 12.2 or the everyday excellence of the HUAWEI MatePad 12 X, you're getting the most beautifully designed, lifelike and powerful drawing, writing and productivity tablets ever made – and of course they're ideal for sitting back and relaxing too. 

Click here to discover the incredible HUAWEI MatePad Pro 12.2-inch and HUAWEI MatePad 12 X with their beautiful PaperMatte displays, art-inspired designs and the incredible HUAWEI GoPaint App.

Watch the Bundesliga handball lives streams for what most handball fans consider as the domestic handball league in the world, and for good reason. Some of the best players in the world compete there. Now in its 60th season, the 2024-25 Bundesliga handball competition should be as exciting as ever. Even better, some games are available for FREE. Read on to find out how to watch Bundesliga handball live streams from anywhere.

• Just want to get watching? Watch on HBL TV (may require a VPN)

Bundesliga live stream 2024/25

Date: September 5, 2024 - June 8, 2025

Live stream: watch on HBL FTV

Use NordVPN to watch from anywhere

The handball Bundesliga features 18 teams who all play each other twice as they fight for the title. SC Magdeburg are the reigning champions. It was their third title in five seasons and they are expected to challenge once again. Füchse Berlin were runners-up and join SC Magdeburg in the EHF Champions League.

Domagoj Duvnjak and THW Kiel are also expected to be strong. VfL Potsdam and SG BBM Bietigheim have been promoted from 2 Bundesliga and will be looking to remain in the top tier.

Keep an eye out for Magnus Saugstrup, last season’s MVP. He has been joined at SC Magdeburg by last season’s top goalscorer, Manuel Zehnder. The Swiss netted 277 times for ThSV Eisenach last season.

Read on to find out how you can watch all of the Bundesliga action and handball live streams.

How to watch the Bundesliga Handball live stream for FREE

Some Bundesliga handball games are available in Germany for FREE. Broadcasters ARD and ZDF will show up to 12 live matches per season, with the former also showing a semifinal and the final of the REWE Final 4. Both ARDand ZDF can be streamed online too.

If you are away from Germany when one of the games is on, you can use a VPN to access your usual service.

How to watch a Bundesliga Handball live stream from anywhere

NordVPN – try it risk-free for 30 days
Use NordVPN to watch your usual live streams from abroad. We test all the providers and we rate Nord as the best VPN. There's 24/7 support available, a money-back guarantee and, best of all, there's currently up to 69% off with this deal.View Deal

• How to watch EHF Champions League handball live streams 2024/25

How to watch Bundesliga Handball 2025/25 on HBL TV

The 2024/25 Bundesliga handball has made it super easy to tune into the German handball action in most regions with live streams of all the 2024/25 Bundesliga handball games on its HBL TV streaming service.

All you need to do is register with HBL FTV, buy a subscription to the HBL TV World package and away you go. It costs €3.99 per month or $39.99 for the year.

If you have a subscription but can't access the service in the country you're in, you can use a VPN to watch as if you were at home.

Bundesliga Handball 2024/25 teams

• Vfl Potsdam
• FRISCH AUF! Goppingen
• Fusche Berlin
• Handball Sport Verein Hamburg
• HC ERLangen
• HSG Wetzler
• MT Mesungen
• Rhei-Neckar Lowen
• SC DHfK Leipzig
• SC Magdeburg
• SG BBM Bietigheim
• SG Flensberg-Handewitt
• TBV Lemgo Lippe
• ThSV Eisenach
• THW Kiel
• TSV Hannover-Burgdorf
• TVB Stuttgart
• VfL Gummersbach

Bundesliga Handball September 2024/25 Schedule

[All times BST]

• Thursday, September 5:
  TSV Hannover-Burgdorf vs VFL Gummersbach (6 p.m)
  TBV Lemgo Lippe vs MT Melsungen (6 p.m)
  Rhein-Neckar Lower vs THW Kiel (7:30 p.m)
• Friday, September 6:
  FRISCH AUF! Goppingen vs HSV Hamburg (6 p.m)
  SG Flensberg-Handewitt vs HC Erlangen (7:30 p.m.)
• Saturday, September 7:
  SC Magdeburg vs HSG Wetzlar (5 p.m.)
  THSV Eisenach vs Fusche Berlin (7 p.m.)
• Sunday, September 8
  SC DHK Leipzing vs TVB Stuttgart (2 p.m.)
  VFL Potsdam vs SG BBM Bietigheim (3:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, September 12
  MT Melsungen v 1. VFL Potsdam (6 p.m.)
  THW Kiel vs FRISCH AUF! Goppingen (6 p.m.)
• Friday, September 13
  HC Erlangen vs THSV Eisenach (6 p.m.)
• Saturday, September 14
  SG BBM Bietigheim vs Rhein-Neckar Lower (6 p.m.)
• Sunday, September 15
  HSV Hamburg vs SC Magdeburg (2 p.m)
  VFL Gummersbach vs TBV Lemgo Lippe (3:30 p.m.)
  HSG Wetzlar vs TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (3:30 p.m.)
  TVB Stuttgart vs SG Flensberg-Handewitt (3:30 p.m.)
  Fusche Berlin vs SC DHK Leipzing (5 p.m.)
• Thursday, September 19
  TBV Lemgo Lippe vs HSG Wetzlar (5 p.m.)
  THSV Eisenach vs SG BBM Bietigheim (6 p.m.)
• Friday, September 20
  HC Erlangen vs TVB Stuttgart (6 p.m.)
  1. VFL Potsdam vs HSV Hamburg (7 p.m.)
• Saturday, September 21
  Rhein-Neckar Lower vs MT Melsungen (6 p.m.)
  SG Flensberg-Handewitt vs FRISCH AUF! Goppingen (7:30 p.m)
• Sunday, September 22
  TSV Hannover-Burgdorf vs Fusche Berlin (2 p.m.)
  SC DHK Leipzig vs VFL Gummersbach (3:30 p.m)
  SC Magdeburg vs THW Kiel (5 p.m.)
• Wednesday, September 25
  TVB Stuttgart vs VFL Gummersbach (6 p.m.)
• Thursday, September 26
  SC DHK Leipzig vs Rhein-Neckar Lower (6 p.m.)
  THW Kiel vs MT Melsungen (6 p.m.)
• Friday, September 27
  FRISCH AUF! Goppingen vs TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (6 p.m.)
  THSV Eisenach vs SG Flensberg-Handewitt (7 p.m.)
• Saturday, September 28
  HSV Hamburg vs TBV Lemgo Lippe (6 p.m.)
• Sunday, September 29
  SG BBM Bietigheim vs VFL Gummersbach (2 p.m.)
  TVB Stuttgart vs HSG Wetzlar (3:30 p.m.)
• Fusche Berlin vs HC Erlangen (3:30 p.m.)
  

What is the Bundesliga Handball?

The Bundesliga is Germany's domestic handball league. Like it's footballing namesake, it is considered one of the best in both Europe and the world and features many of the top players in the sport. It is now in its 60th season.

Who is the best Bundesliga Handball team?

THW Kiel are the most successful Bundesliga handball team, boasting a total of 23 titles. SC Magdeburg are the current reigning champions. They picked up their 3rd title when they won the 2023/24 title.

Can I watch Bundesliga handball on my mobile?

Unfortunately, HBL TV does not have a dedicated app. However, you can still head to the website where you can access HBL TV and all the latest information about the competition.

LG's next generation of OLED TVs will support Bluetooth ultra-low latency for split-second gaming performance. The firm has collaborated with chipset maker MediaTek and gaming hardware experts Razer to create the world's first Bluetooth ULL (Ultra-Low Latency) controller, which it says delivers "game-changing" input lag of just 1ms (via FlatpanelsHD).

That doesn't mean the next LG G5 will be a PS5 in disguise; even the best TVs lack the hardware horsepower for high-end gaming. But the controller will improve responsiveness in cloud-based gaming, such as in the Nvidia GeForce Now and Amazon Luna apps that are both currently available for LG's webOS. 

LG showed off the controller at this month's webOS summit, where it was demonstrated in cloud games including fighting, racing and first-person shooter titles. And the technology it uses will be part of the MediaTek MT7921 chipset that LG intends to use in next year's faster TVs.

Now here's the intriguing question: LG shared an image of a prototype TV running the new hardware, so are we looking at an early version of the LG C5 or G5 here?

(Image credit: LG)

TechRadar's Managing Editor for TVs, Matt Bolton, says he thinks it's more likely that they paired the new MediaTek chip with an existing screen. The design of the TV above – particularly the little 'chin' in the center – looks very much like the LG C4. Here's a C4 pic for reference.

(Image credit: LG)

However, that doesn't rule out this being a C5 – LG may keep the same physical design for next year's models (it wouldn't be the first time). But for now, we're taking the stance that this mystery TV is probably a Frankenstein-ed creation rather than a very early peek at a full 2025 model.

LG TVs are getting better for gamers

In addition to its own controller, LG is also launching a certification program for third-party game controller manufacturers. That means you'll be able to select from multiple controllers that are certified to work seamlessly with webOS TVs. Razer, unsurprisingly, is the first such firm to get the certification. 

LG says it wants to make webOS "the ultimate gaming platform for every type of gamer", and the Bluetooth ULL technology will be coming to its gaming-focused 2025 OLED and QNED TVs with refresh rates of 120Hz or higher. The same chipset that features Bluetooth ULL also includes Wi-Fi 6 for speedy, stable and low-latency streaming.

LG isn't the only TV firm in this market, of course: Samsung is there too with its Samsung Game Hub, which currently has one big name that LG doesn't: Xbox. At the moment there's no Game Pass app for LG's webOS TVs, although Microsoft has made apps for Samsung Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TVs. That's likely to change: Microsoft has made it clear that it sees cross-platform cloud gaming as a huge part of the Xbox's future.

You might also like…

• Your LG TV will now show screensaver ads, even on OLEDs – but here’s how to turn them off
• Roku's new Ultra streamer is its fastest one yet, and the first to support all HDR formats
• Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar: all the rumored price, features and leaked images info, with our analysis

NVIDIA Container Toolkit and GPU Operator were carrying a critical vulnerability that allowed threat actors access to the underlying host’s file system, experts have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers at Wiz discovered and reported the flaw, tracked as CVE-2024-0132, and carries a vulnerability score of 9.0/10 - critical, to Nvidia on September 1, 2024.

It is described as a Time-of-Check Time-of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability. To be abused the tools need to be set up in default configurations - then, a threat actor could craft a special container image that grants them access to the host file system.

Different environments at risk

"A successful exploit of this vulnerability may lead to code execution, denial of service, escalation of privileges, information disclosure, and data tampering,” the company said in a security advisory.

The bug affected all NVIDIA Container Toolkit versions to v.1.16.2, and all NVIDIA GPU Operator versions until 24.6.2, which were the first ones to have addressed the flaw. It is also worth mentioning that the vulnerability does not work when Container Device Interface (CDI) is used.

“The urgency with which you should fix the vulnerability depends on the architecture of your environment and the level of trust you place in running images,” the researchers said in their technical write-up. “Any environment that allows the use of third party container images or AI models – either internally or as-a-service – is at higher risk given that this vulnerability can be exploited via a malicious image.”

They stressed that single-tenant compute environments could be at risk if a user downloads a malicious container image from an untrusted source, giving the crooks access to the workstation. In orchestrated environments such as Kubernetes (K8), an attacker with permission to deploy a container could access data and secrets of other applications running on the same node or cluster.

Via The Hacker News

More from TechRadar Pro

• A Google Kubernetes security flaw could let anyone with a Gmail account compromise your business
• Here's a list of the best firewalls around today
• These are the best endpoint security tools right now