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It might be time to temper your expectations in terms of camera upgrades for the Samsung Galaxy S25, due in 2025, and Galaxy S26, due in 2026: the latest rumor is that these phones will come with the same main camera setup as the current Samsung Galaxy S24.

The rumor in question comes from recognized tipster Ice Universe, who has a strong track record when it comes to Samsung predictions. The main camera sensor in question is a 50-megapixel, 1/1.56-inch sensor.

In fact, Samsung has been using this sensor for the main rear camera since the Samsung Galaxy S22, which launched in 2022. If this rumor is accurate, that would mean no upgrades for the most important camera component for four straight years.

Samsung could well argue that software improvements make up for it, while the secondary cameras (currently a 10-megapixel, 1/3.94-inch telephoto sensor and a 12-megapixel 1/2.55-inch ultrawide sensor) may get upgrades separately – but it would still be a rather underwhelming roadmap for the series.

The upgrade cycle

Sadly, Samsung decided to continue using the same sensor on the S25 and even the S26. Desperate. https://t.co/wYAdxS98W1September 21, 2024

While significant phone camera upgrades year-on-year are something of a rarity now, if this does pan out as predicted, then Samsung risks being left behind on this particular spec. The new Google Pixel 9, for example, comes with a main camera sensor with a 50-megapixel rating and a 1/1.31-inch size.

The larger the sensor, the more light it can pull in, and the better the resulting photos (at least in theory). There's only so much AI trickery and manipulation you can do to improve the look of images beyond the limitations of the hardware.

Back in June, a different source suggested that there wouldn't be much change in the cameras for the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus next year. However, they may be fitted with more RAM to help with artificial intelligence processing.

If you're after better cameras in 2025, you may have to look to the Galaxy S25 Ultra instead. That particular model is rumored to be getting some new significant camera upgrades, albeit upgrades to the secondary rear cameras rather than the primary one.

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Zoom is cutting back on its stock-based compensation, according to a recent report by Bloomberg.

The move comes amid growing concerns about stock dilution, which negatively impacts the value of existing shares, and marks on ongoing trend across the industry with Salesforce and Workday carrying out similar measures.

In a memo to employees, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan said that the decision was made because the company had been issuing equity at an unsustainable rate.

Zoom to scale back stock-based compensation

The CEO confirmed: “We grant a significant amount of shares each year that has led to very high dilution. Put simply, we are granting too much equity and must proactively reduce it.”

Rewarding employees with stock and making shares available at a discounted rate has been common practice among tech firms for years, however it has now reached the point where alarm bells are ringing for investors and leaders who are concerned about dilution.

After hitting a $559 peak in late 2020 during the onset of the pandemic, Zoom stock has plummeted. Now at $67.53, prices fell as quickly as they rose with values dipping below $100 in early 2022.

To manage the dilution caused by widespread stock issuance, companies like Zoom, Salesforce and Workday have had to adopt tighter controls on stock-based compensation.

Yuan added: “This issue isn’t unique to Zoom; our peer group is facing similar challenges.”

More broadly, Zoom has struggled with the tough economic conditions that followed the pandemic. The company’s biggest pandemic-induced layoff, affecting around 1,300 workers, happened in February 2023. Since then, a series of other redundancies have followed including around 150 workers earlier this year.

The company continues to invest in AI in order to maintain its household name status as a worldwide provider of online collaboration tools.

TechRadar Pro asked Zoom to comment on the stock-based compensation decision. Any update will be posted here.

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When Microsoft introduced the Copilot key, all we could think was – this is a waste of precious laptop keyboard real-estate, frankly – and for those of you who have the key, and feel this way, here’s some very good news: you can now reconfigure it, at least in testing.

In the new Beta channel preview build 22635 for Windows 11, Microsoft has made it possible to remap the Copilot key to launch an app rather than invoke the AI assistant.

As Microsoft explains in a blog post, there’s a slight catch, though: “You can choose to have the Copilot key launch an app that is MSIX packaged and signed, thus indicating the app meets security and privacy requirements to keep customers safe.”

We’ll come back to discuss the exact implications of this momentarily, but the gist is that you can’t remap the key to any application you’d like – only MSIX apps.

There’s no change to the default behavior of the Copilot key as you might expect – when you first get your shiny new Copilot+ laptop, it’ll still summon the AI assistant when pressed. You’ll be able to reconfigure it in the Settings app, in Personalization > Text input, at least when this change comes to the release version of Windows 11 – and we can’t see why it would get cut in testing.

That MSIX configuration caveat

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

As noted, the caveat is that you must remap the Copilot key to launch an MSIX app, which is a Windows app package cooked up by Microsoft, with the aim of tighter security (among other benefits). In short, many Windows apps aren’t MSIX-packaged, and if any given application you want a shortcut to isn’t, then you’re out of luck.

This feature is just in testing at the moment, so it’s possible Microsoft could change this requirement – we shall have to see down the line. The reason for stipulating MSIX, as noted, is the better security provided in this installation format over and above MSI (its predecessor).

Those who are frustrated with the limitation can always redefine the Copilot key using third-party key mapping software, naturally, but that isn’t as convenient as having a native option. (If that native option has a full range of functionality when it comes to the apps you can link the key to, that is).

We don’t have a Copilot key on our keyboard, and don’t want one, as you can probably guess from how this article started – those on TechRadar who have been playing with this key have found it less than revolutionary, too.

All in all, having to introduce an option to reconfigure the key could be seen as a bit embarrassing for Microsoft, considering the fanfare when the Copilot key was revealed. If you recall, the move was trumpeted as the ‘first significant change’ to the Windows keyboard in some 30 years, and that the Copilot key would be a ‘core part’ of the keyboard on a par with the Windows key itself.

All that said, if the Copilot assistant itself becomes much more useful in Windows 11 in the future, maybe the dedicated key could yet carve out more of a genuine raison d’etre, as opposed to feeling more like a crowbarred-in addition, at least for us.

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As businesses tackle the complexities of a transformative technological landscape, changing workforce dynamics and the challenges of organizational design under such conditions have become focal points.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rewriting how business is done and businesses are pressing ahead with technology investment, despite being unclear on the business impact. Orgvue’s research shows that 82% of organizations have already invested in AI and 33% are planning to increase their investment by more than 50% in the coming year.

This situation is largely driven by a fear of missing out, as companies jostle to be seen as innovative and competitive. However, this rush to adopt AI can lead to many pitfalls, particularly when investments are made without a full understanding of how to deploy the technology effectively.

How will AI fit into the organization and its workforce?

AI's role in an organisation extends beyond automation. When deployed well, it can redefine job roles, streamline processes, and enhance decision making. To capture AI’s full potential, organizations should first undertake a thorough mapping and re-engineering of their business processes to accommodate the new technology.

By identifying tasks that are suited to automation and matching specific technologies that can fulfil them, businesses can avoid misplaced deployments that underperform or that are error prone.

To bring this to life, our research indicates that while 69% of organizations are confident AI will be embedded in core business operations by 2025, 39% admit they lack the organizational expertise to achieve this.

Furthermore, employee skepticism (36%) and a lack of regulation (33%) also stand in the way of effective AI adoption. Instead, a clear, data-driven approach is needed to distinguish genuine AI capabilities from conventional tools dressed up as AI.

Getting strategic AI deployment right

The cornerstone of successful AI deployment lies in strategic planning and data-driven decision making. Organizations are better off adopting a 360 degree view that takes into account not just the immediate benefits of AI but also the long-term impact on workforce dynamics and organizational structure.

Organizations that excel in workforce transformation are those that continuously review and adjust their business strategy based on data and insights. By doing so, they can anticipate challenges, mitigate risks, and unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.

AI washing and the fear of missing out

The practice of overstating the capabilities of AI technologies, known as 'AI washing', is usually driven by an organization’s fear of falling behind its competitors. Investment encouraged by AI washing can lead to the adoption of inadequate or misplaced solutions, which will ultimately hold back workforce transformation. Businesses caught in this cycle are likely to see a low return on their investment, wasted resources, and loss of opportunities for innovation.

Fear-driven decision making fosters a culture of reactivity rather than strategic proactivity. Such an approach will eventually stifle innovation and lead to organizational fatigue, as employees struggle to keep up with the constant changes brought about by poorly understood technology deployments.

To avoid this, businesses should prioritize organizational design to fully understand how to apply AI technologies appropriately. A simple process such as the following can help:

Analyze: gather, synthesize and examine data on your current workforce and organizational structure. Look at tasks and activities in detail to find automation hotspots based on the work.

Design: Model different organizational scenarios and test designs.

Plan: Apply data insights to your workforce plan to align with business goals, identifying gaps between workforce supply and demand.

Monitor: Continuously track organizational performance, repeat steps 1 to 3, and make adjustments as needed.

Understand your workforce to maximize investments in AI

A good starting point for any organization looking to deploy AI at scale is to understand workforce demand and supply in detail, and use this insight to see where AI can close gaps and automate low-value work.

This will be a more complex journey than many businesses realize, but a data-driven approach, underpinned by good planning, will enable more informed decision-making for faster deployment with higher return on investment.

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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

Potential spoilers follow for Thunderbolts.

The first official trailer for Marvel's Thunderbolts movie has appeared online – and it's giving me better Captain America: The Winter Soldier vibes than Secret Invasion ever did.

Just over one month (at the time of writing) after Thunderbolts' D23 Expo 2024 teaser leaked online, Marvel has seen fit to release a higher quality and longer version of said footage for Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans to pore over. Indeed, the near-three-and-a-half minute long teaser is packed with action, returning fan-favorite (and brand-new!) characters, and plenty of political/paranoid thriller sensibilities. Suffice it to say, the final Marvel Phase 5 film is looking very good from where I'm sitting. 

Just like the pirated trailer, Thunderbolts' official teaser opens with Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova visiting her estranged father Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (played by Stranger Things' David Harbour) and admitting she feels emotionally unfulfilled. Remember, the last time we saw Yelena – in 2021's Black Widow film and the Hawkeye TV series – she'd not only lost her sister Natasha Romanov/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) following the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, but also decided against killing Clint Barton in Hawkeye.

Belova isn't the only one struggling with their sense of self. John Walker, who readers may remember from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, isn't in a good place mentally after his reputation was tarnished in that Disney Plus show. Elsewhere, we see James 'Bucky' Barnes looking a little disillusioned as he enters a court room.

Clearly, this trio – plus Red Guardian and other returning minor villains, including Ghost and Taskmaster – have some issues to iron out. So, what better way for them to do so by being sent on the same covert mission to rescue or eradicate a... mysterious character named Bob? Yep, it seems some the aforementioned individuals are being played off one another by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the Machiavellian individual portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, to track down Bob for reasons unknown. Bob will be played by Lewis Pullman following his casting in January and, without spoiling too much, Bob and his superpowered Sentry alter-ego should play a big role in the plot.

Experience Marvel Studios’ #Thunderbolts* only in theaters May 2025. pic.twitter.com/j9iDjHOoc7September 23, 2024

What makes things even tastier is that these morally complex characters will have to team up at some point. Indeed, the anti-hero squad, which Belova seems to be leading, appears as if it'll be sent on other infiltration-based missions. Although, judging by the fact that Bucky attacks Belova, Red Guardian, and Walker towards the end of the teaser, it seems the uneasy alliances between them will be temporary for some individuals.

Thunderbolts' first trailer, not to mention the film itself has been a long time coming. The MCU's next team-up movie was rumored to be in development in June 2022 before Marvel officially announced it a month later. Since then, Thunderbolts has faced numerous setbacks, including multiple release date delays due to the 2023 Hollywood strikes, the departure of cast hires including Steven Yeun and Ayo Edebiri due to schedule conflicts, and the aforementioned teaser leak.

Thankfully, filming finally got underway in late March after Thunderbolts rode out its creative storm, with principal photography surprisingly wrapping in June. As mentioned, Marvel exclusively revealed the movie's first footage to D23 Expo 2024 attendees in mid-August, before revealing a first-look Thunderbolts image later that month as it battled the D23 trailer leak.

Thunderbolts will arrive in theaters worldwide on May 2, 2025 and, at the time of writing, will be one of three new movies from Marvel Studios that fans can enjoy next year – the others being Captain America: Brave New World and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

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The way we interact with our mobile devices is changing at a breakneck pace, and one of the most game-changing innovations driving this transformation is the eSIM. This isn’t just another incremental upgrade in mobile technology; it’s a revolution that fundamentally alters how we think about connectivity, mobility, and control. As we increasingly demand more flexibility, convenience, and seamless experiences from our technology, eSIMs are emerging not just as an option, but as the inevitable future of mobile connectivity. When we set out to build Slice, we wanted to create a product that anticipates and reflects the evolving needs of today’s mobile users and the eSIM was the perfect foundation for this vision.

The decline of the physical SIM card

Let’s be honest: the physical SIM card has long outlived its usefulness. What started as a necessary tool for identifying users on mobile networks has become a cumbersome relic in an era where everything else about our devices has become sleeker, faster, and more efficient. The transition from standard to micro to nano SIMs may have reduced their size, but it did nothing to address the core limitations of being a physical entity. They’re easy to lose, easy to damage, and unnecessarily restrictive.

eSIM technology marks the long-overdue decline of the physical SIM card. Embedded directly into a device’s hardware, eSIMs eliminate the need for a physical card entirely. This shift from hardware to software-based identification isn’t just convenient—it’s revolutionary. It’s time to move beyond the limitations of tiny plastic cards and embrace a future where connectivity is as flexible and dynamic as our lifestyles.

The demand for flexibility: How eSIMs fit modern life

Today’s mobile users are a far cry from the relatively passive consumers of the past. We’re more demanding, more informed, and more attuned to the possibilities that technology can offer. We don’t just want a phone that works; we want a phone that works exactly the way we need it to, wherever we are, and however we choose to use it. eSIMs are uniquely positioned to meet this demand, offering a suite of benefits that align with the needs of the modern user.

Control in the hands of the consumer

The days of being locked into long-term contracts with inflexible carriers are, thankfully, coming to an end. Consumers today want control over their mobile experience, and eSIMs deliver that control in spades. With eSIMs, switching carriers is as easy as downloading an app. No more waiting for a new SIM card to arrive in the post. No more being stuck with a network that doesn’t meet your needs. The power is finally where it belongs: in the hands of the consumer.

This isn’t just a nice-to-have feature; it’s a fundamental shift in the balance of power between consumers and networks.

For too long, mobile networks have dictated the terms of our connectivity. eSIM technology flips the script, allowing users to take charge of their mobile plans, switching carriers or plans as easily as they switch apps. We view our customers as co-owners, empowering them to actively co-create and shape the network and its features, ensuring it becomes the network they've always envisioned. Our ultimate goal is to establish a community where there is no distinction between ‘us’ and ‘them,’ but rather a single community of ‘us’.

Sustainability: eSIMs and modern life habits

In today’s world, sustainability is no longer an afterthought—it’s a key consideration in how we live and consume technology. The environmental impact of traditional SIM cards is surprisingly significant. Each year, approximately 6 billion SIM cards are produced globally, contributing to plastic waste and carbon emissions from manufacturing and shipping.

eSIM technology offers a more sustainable alternative. By eliminating the need for physical SIM cards, eSIMs reduce the environmental footprint associated with mobile connectivity. The carbon footprint of a plastic SIM card is roughly 46% higher than that of an eSIM, making the latter a much greener choice. Moreover, as the world shifts towards reducing single-use plastics and embracing digital solutions, eSIMs align perfectly with these modern life habits.

True global connectivity

The world is more connected than ever, and our mobile technology needs to keep up. Traditional SIM cards are woefully inadequate for the global traveler, who doesn’t have the time or patience to hunt down a local SIM card in every new country they visit. eSIM technology solves this problem elegantly. With an eSIM, you can download and activate a plan in a matter of minutes, without ever leaving your hotel room. This isn’t just a convenience; it’s a necessity for anyone who values their time and connectivity.

Moreover, as 5G networks become the standard, the ability to switch networks quickly and easily will be crucial. eSIMs provide a future-proof solution for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve. Want to switch to a 5G plan? Do it in seconds from your phone. No more waiting in line at a store, no more fiddling with tiny SIM cards.

Conclusion: A future shaped by eSIM technology

The eSIM revolution represents more than just a new way to connect; it’s a fundamental shift in how we interact with our mobile networks. As our lives become increasingly digital, the need for seamless, flexible, and secure connectivity will only grow. eSIMs are uniquely positioned to meet these demands, making them the future of mobile technology.

As more consumers across Europe and the UK discover the benefits of eSIMs, we’re confident that this technology will become the standard for mobile connectivity—one that is more flexible, more secure, and more in tune with the way we live today. The physical SIM card had its moment, but that moment is over. It’s time to embrace the future with eSIM technology—a future that Slice is proud to be a part of.

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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

California-based chipmaker Qualcomm has announced that it will lay off more than 200 workers in San Diego as part of its ongoing strategy to optimize running costs.

The layoffs, affecting 226 employees, are set to take effect from November 12, and were spotted in a California Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) – a compulsory notification for companies operating in the state.

Although the company claims to have around 10,000 local workers, and 50,000 globally, the widespread nature of Qualcomm’s layoffs is concerning.

Qualcomm will lay off hundreds of workers

The job cuts are anticipated to affect workers from 16 different facilities in the San Diego area, including the company’s headquarters.

In a statement, a company spokesperson explained that the layoffs align with the company’s broader goal of business diversification: “As part of a normal course of business, we prioritize and align our investments, resources, and talent to ensure we are optimally positioned to take advantage of the unprecedented diversification opportunities in front of us.”

The latest round of layoffs comes less than a year after the company made 1,250 workers redundant, more than 1,000 of whom in the San Diego area. Alarmingly, the latest cuts are believed to affect roles in operations, finance and senior engineering, including five VPs of engineering and one VP of technology.

Despite the workforce reductions, Qualcomm reported a strong financial quarter for the three months ending June 23, with revenue of $9.4 billion, up 11% year-over-year. Quarterly profits also rose, by a healthy 18%.

At the time, company CEO Cristiano Amon praised Qualcomm’s performance: “Our third quarter results reflect strong execution of our growth and diversification strategy, with QCT quarterly revenues and EBT margins at the high end of guidance.”

TechRadar Pro has asked Qualcomm to comment on the layoffs, but we did not receive an immediate response.

Via San Diego Union-Tribune

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The age of AI is thrilling. Everyone is racing to implement new tools to improve security, reduce costs, increase productivity, and more. It’s a technological gold rush. And the timing couldn’t be better with organizations standardizing hybrid work models. AI is banging on the door to conference rooms everywhere. It's what we in the UCC industry call the perfect storm of AI and AV.

The truth is hybrid work isn’t perfect. Remote workers have been dealing with poor audio and video quality from their in-office collaborators.

We've learned the hard way how much poor image clarity diminishes gestures, expressions, and all the other nonverbal cues during a meeting. Not surprisingly, this has had a negative impact on productivity.

So, how can AI in AV help bridge the gap between remote workers and in-room participants?

Visual AI Is the Answer

Intelligent video systems offer an elegant solution, dramatically improving the experience for remote viewers and in-room participants. They deliver broadcast-quality video automatically, with no need for manual video switching or camera operation. Intelligent video — driven by “Visual AI” — can capture all the gestures, expressions, and nonverbal cues from every active speaker, anywhere in the room.

Visual AI systems provide a number of experiences, including group framing, presenter tracking, speaker tracking, and more.

Group Framing

Karin M. Reed, CEO of Speaker Dynamics and co-author of the book “Suddenly Hybrid,” shared an experience on the Crestron blog that is probably familiar to many people:

“I was leading a meeting from within a conference room, but the only technology available was an extra laptop, which was situated on the table. There was no monitor to allow the in-room attendees to see the online attendees and vice versa. There was no way for them to interact at all.”

“While in-room attendees can usually see their remote counterparts’ faces well, sometimes it’s hard for virtual attendees to see the faces of the in-room attendees, especially if the room is large,” she notes.

Group framing overcomes many of these issues by keeping everyone in the frame. As people enter, exit, or move around the room, this feature ensures that everyone stays in the shot.

Presenter Tracking

Crestron’s Rony Sebok, director of product management — intelligent video, created the first presenter tracking solutions to record lectures at colleges and universities. The goal was to keep a lecturer in the frame of a video recording — no matter where the presenter moved about the stage.

Now, this technology is even more powerful. Presenter tracking detects when people enter a presentation area, frames them, and continues to track them in real-time. It’s ideal for rooms with presentation areas — lecture halls, training venues, large conference rooms, and so on.

Speaker Tracking

This experience switches the view as the conversation moves from person to person in the space. Multi-camera speaker tracking solutions are superior to single-camera options here, as primary and secondary cameras allow for clean cuts between speakers.

A Future-Proof Solution

Visual AI-powered intelligent video systems are not only a low-risk option to increase productivity, they’re also a great foundation for your future AI technology stack. So, you can start having better meetings today while assuring stakeholders that you're preparing for the future.

Computer manufacturing giant Dell is looking into claims that its infrastructure was breached and sensitive data on thousands of employees stolen.

Late last week, a threat actor with the alias ‘grep’ posted a new thread on the infamous dark web forum BreachForums. In it, they offered a large Dell database for sale, allegedly containing sensitive employee information.

“In September 2024 Dell suffered a minor data breach that exposed internal employees data,” the thread reads. “Were affected over 10 800 employees belonging to Dell and their partners. Compromised data: Employee ID, Employee full name, Employee status, Employee internal ID.”

No word from Capgemini yet

If the database turns out to be legitimate, this could be quite a problem for Dell, since the information can be used in identity theft and phishing, potentially compromising Dell further. Crooks could impersonate company employees to communicate with other workers and have them disclose secrets, grant access to restricted areas of the infrastructure, or even deploy ransomware.

To make matters worse, the database can be obtained quite easily. A small sample has been available for free, and the entire database can be purchased for 1 BreachForums credit (roughly $0.30).

Now, Dell told BleepingComputer that it is investigating the claims of the breach.

"We are aware of the claims and our security team is currently investigating," the company told the publication.

Earlier this month, grep claimed to have breached French tech and consulting giant, Capgemini. They said they obtained 20 GB worth of sensitive data, including databases, source code, private keys, credentials, API keys, projects, employee data (including names, email addresses, usernames, and password hashes). The archive also contains backups, and Capgemini clients’ internal configuration details for cloud infrastructure.

The crook even shared alleged T-Mobile virtual machine logs. But a T-Mobile US representative debunked the claim, saying the data does not belong to that company. "This is not T-Mobile US," they told us. "From what we can tell, we believe this may be a T-Mobile brand outside of the US."

Via BleepingComputer

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The PS5 30th Anniversary Edition may have had its price revealed ahead of an official announcement, thanks to a recent leak.

The report comes from notable leaker billbil-kun, via Dealabs, who states that the PS5 30th Anniversary Edition model (specifically the PS5 Slim version of the special edition) will cost $499.99 / £449.99. That's a clean $50 hike over the standard PS5 Slim model.

That said, the PS5 30th Anniversary Edition will not come bundled with a disc drive. It will, however, come bundled with a vertical stand, special edition faceplate, a DualSense wireless controller, a bespoke PS1-style USB-C cable, and a set of collectible stickers.

Dealabs' billbil-kun also suggests that the 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense controller will retail at $79.99 (around £69.99). That's a $5 jump over the standard DualSense which recently saw a price increase of its own.

With all that in mind, the price of the PS5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition remains unknown, with no word from Sony nor speculation from billbil-kun. The standard PS5 Pro will cost $699.99 / £699.99. If billbil-kun's report is correct, then the 30th Anniversary Edition PS5 Pro will likely cost even more, potentially anywhere between $749.99 / £749.99 to $799.99 / £799.99.

The PS5 Pro's price has been a point of contention for many, with plenty of gamers balking at the idea of spending that much on a mid-gen refresh that may not provide a wholly transformative experience and especially one that doesn't ship with a disc drive or a vertical stand. On the other hand, many have welcomed additions like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) for better overall image quality and a 2TB SSD for significantly more storage.

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‘Hotpatching’ - the ability to install important patches without needing to restart the endpoint - is coming to Windows Server 2025.

The news was confirmed on the Windows blog late last week, when Windows Server Director of Product, Hari Pulapaka, announced the feature in preview.

“You asked and we delivered: Standard and Datacenter edition server hotpatching - security updates without reboots - is ready for your evaluation in Windows Server 2025 Azure Arc-enabled Hotpatch public preview,” the blog reads. “This feature will be a game changer; simpler change control, shorter patch windows, easier orchestration… and you may finally get to see your family on the weekends.”

General availability soon

Being able to install important updates without the need to restart the device is a big deal, since the patches will be deployed faster, with fewer resources used. Furthermore, fewer reboots also mean less workload impact, and better security.

"Instead of 12 mandatory reboots a year on 'Patch Tuesday,' you'll now only have quarterly scheduled reboots (with the rare possibility of reboots being required in a nominal Hotpatch month)," Pulapaka added.

The feature will be available through Azure Arc, which will enable management and allow the Windows Server internal licensing service for Hotpatch to run and deliver updates to users.

"When Windows Server 2025 becomes generally available, you will be able to run the edition you want, where you want - whether on-prem, in Azure, or elsewhere," Pulapaka concluded.

"You'll have an option to hotpatch Windows Server 2025 physical servers or virtual machines, and those VMs can run on Hyper-V, VMware, or anywhere else that supports Microsoft's protection-focused Virtualization Based Security standard."

Those interested in enabling the Hotpatching feature on their Windows Server 2025 Datacenter and Standard edition evaluation machines should activate the service through the built-in Azure Arc agent setup. They also need to run Windows Server 2025 Datacenter evaluation, Virtualization Based Security, have the KB5040435 July Security update installed, and connected to Azure Arc.

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Recently published images reveal some hidden details on the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition.

The Verge briefly saw the limited edition PS5 Pro in person and, while not allowed to touch the console, were able to take some interesting photographs. This includes a close-up of the upcoming 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense Wireless Controller included with the console, which we can now see has a unique pattern on its grips.

If you weren't aware, each DualSense grip is adorned with tiny PlayStation symbols. They’re so small that you almost need a magnifying glass to see them, but it’s a great little secret that many enjoyed discovering around the PS5 launch. On the 30th Anniversary Edition DualSense, the pattern now seems to include the number 30 in addition to the usual symbols - a reference to the anniversary.

There are also some secrets on the console itself. This includes a small “30th Anniversary” line of text accompanied by a model number on one of the fins in its middle portion. You can also see a colorful, retro style PlayStation emblem on the top left-hand side of the console’s gray face plates plus a special 30th anniversary logo towards the bottom .

It’s a fantastic looking console overall and seems like it will be a real treat for long-time PlayStation fans and dedicated collectors. The PS5 Pro was originally announced and officially revealed earlier this month. It will retail for $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,200 with PS5 Pro pre-orders opening soon.

30th anniversary PS5 and PS5 Pro designs were then unveiled at the end of last week. This special edition PS5 Pro console will only be available as part of a bundle, which also includes a limited edition DualSense Edge, DualSense Charging Station, and a few collectible goodies.

Stock will be limited to just 12,300 units and there’s been no word on an official price quite yet. It’s fair to say that it’s likely to be expensive, though, potentially even close to $1000 / £1000. If you want to secure one for yourself, be warned that they will likely sell out extremely quickly. Visit our guide on where to pre-order the PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection consoles and accessories in order to maximize your chances.

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Intel has apparently reshuffled its desktop CPU plans and there’s no longer an Arrow Lake Refresh in the cards, if a fresh piece of speculation is correct.

If you recall, Arrow Lake is the next generation of processors from Intel that’s about to launch (in October, rumor has it), and the word from the grapevine in the past has been that next year’s generation of silicon from Team Blue would be an Arrow Lake Refresh.

However, according to leaker Panzerlied – a regular contributor of hardware-related theorizing from the Chiphell forums – Arrow Lake Refresh is now canceled (as flagged on X by Everest).

ARL-S Refresh is cancelled pic.twitter.com/NncQl3lDJSSeptember 23, 2024

So, what’s going to replace it? Absolutely nothing, according to Panzerlied – Intel will just not bother with a new generation of desktop silicon in 2025.

Instead, Team Blue will simply look to launch entirely new Nova Lake CPUs in 2026, if the leaker is right – and obviously, take this with a whole lot of seasoning.

Typically, Intel launches new desktop processors on a yearly cadence (or thereabouts), and even if there isn’t an entirely new range, it’ll push out a simple refresh of some kind – just as was the case with the current generation, Raptor Lake Refresh.

So, rumors of an Arrow Lake Refresh seemed to fit in terms of Intel’s past plans, as a stepping stone to the true next generation, Nova Lake – but seemingly this isn’t the way it’ll play out.

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler) Analysis: Are desktop CPUs sliding down the priority list for Intel?

This is a briefly worded assertion and something of a bolt out of the blue, so we must be very cautious here. Of course, the fact that Intel was planning to refresh Arrow Lake next year was only a rumor in the first place, so this may simply have been a notion which has now been abandoned. Maybe there isn’t much room to maneuver in terms of juicing up Arrow Lake meaningfully to get more performance out of the chips – who knows.

We can indulge in all sorts of theorizing, really, but taking this latest rumor at face value, what it means is that Arrow Lake is all Intel will have on the table, desktop-wise, for two years now. Nova Lake will be the next stop for the desktop train, as noted, in 2026.

We previously figured Nova Lake – which was supposed to be the debut of Intel’s big Royal Core project, though supposedly now that’s not happening – would arrive later in 2026, but if there’s no new desktop CPU line-up in 2025, that presents the possibility that Intel would want to usher in Nova Lake earlier in 2026.

Intel will, of course, need a major improvement in the works to take on AMD’s Zen 6 processors (Ryzen 10000? – or perhaps a rejig of the naming scheme will be in order). Mainly because Zen 6 is expected to be a huge leap forward for AMD in a similar vein to Zen 2 (Ryzen 3000), which was a big step on going to 7nm from the original Zen’s 14nm process – and Zen 6 is expected to debut in 2026.

Perhaps Intel feels comfortable enough relying on Arrow Lake desktop for the next two years (or maybe year-and-a-half), or perhaps this reflects what seems to be Team Blue’s increasing focus on the laptop world, and pushing on the efficiency front with mobile processors (Lunar Lake sounds pretty awesome), rather than looking to raw performance. Or this could be meaningless chatter from the rumor mill that turns out to be false, of course – take it with plenty of salt as we’ve already said.

Via Wccftech

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When it comes to the age-old iOS versus Android debate, messaging has long been a point of contention. Apple’s recent adoption of the RCS messaging standard – allowing more seamless and feature-rich interactions between iOS and Android users – has helped settle things a little now that iOS 18 has launched, but it looks like there are still plenty of problems with how RCS works on Apple’s iPhones.

According to the Washington Post, the biggest problem right now is that of security. For instance, when you send messages between iOS devices using the iMessage protocol, everything is end-to-end encrypted. Yet that’s not the case when messages are sent between iOS and Android users with RCS. And if there’s just one Android user in an RCS group chat otherwise populated by iOS users, end-to-end encryption isn’t used at all.

The issues aren’t just limited to security. Stickers sent by iOS users to Android devices will disappear after a few seconds on the recipient’s phone. As well as that, you’ll also struggle to send a text to an Android user when your Wi-Fi connection is weak. And if you want to schedule an RCS message from your iPhone, you can only do it when texting other Apple devices. That means the system is far from perfect.

Upgrading RCS

(Image credit: Apple)

The whole idea of Apple adopting the RCS standard on its iPhones was that it would enable feature-rich, secure messaging whether you’re texting an iPhone user or an Android fan. It works in some ways, but it’s clear that there are still teething problems with the new system.

It’s been suggested that Apple could fix these difficulties by simply “adding on” the missing functionality in the way apps like WhatsApp and Signal already have done. Instead, though, both Apple and Google are reportedly working to fix these issues by upgrading the RCS standard itself.

That might be a more laborious fix, but it could ultimately be the right one, as it would mean any app or device using RCS would benefit from the changes, without the companies who make them having to come up with their own solutions.

The drawback is that this process could take longer, as Apple and Google’s improvements will need to go through a lengthy approval process before they can be implemented. Until then, Apple fans might want to use a secure app like Signal or WhatsApp to ensure that their messages are always encrypted, as Apple’s implementation of RCS isn’t yet up to scratch from a privacy and security perspective.

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I’ve had a glimpse of how AI will change the world, and it’s filling me with both fear and wonder in equal measure.

The source of my consternation is Google NotebookLM. NotebookLM takes an article, blog post, or web page, and with just one click produces an audio file of a conversation between two people about it that sounds so natural and realistic that there is no way you’d believe you weren’t listening to two real people talking. They talk with passion and authority about the subject, sound engaged and interested and riff off one another in such a natural way that it takes your breath away. There are even the little sniffs, slight mispronunciations, slurs, and little giggles that all make it sound completely human.

Here's what happened. In my spare time I write a blog about Tai Chi called the Tai Chi Notebook. So, having heard about NotebookLM (the 'notebook' in the name is just a coincidence) I thought I’d throw one of my Tai Chi articles at it, just to see what it did.

Creating the audio is easy. It took it a few minutes to think about it, but it very quickly generated a .WAV file that I could download to my desktop. The audio clip lasted around eight minutes and after I’d listened to it, the world simply wasn’t the same anymore; I no longer had confidence that I could tell what was real and what wasn’t.

The AI had taken my article and explained the key concepts via the 'presenters' having a conversation. It had even expanded on it in new and interesting directions that I hadn't thought of, drawing analogies about what I was saying to other areas of life. The presenters had even introduced practical examples of what I was talking about, and these examples weren't taken from my article but from their wider knowledge of the subject. And, most importantly, it didn’t get any of it wrong.

See what you think:

The dawn of the AI-age

Obviously, we’re just at the start of the new AI-age at the moment, with key players such as ChatGPT, Gemini and more recently Apple Intelligence only just getting started. NotebookLM doesn’t have that many options right now – you can speed up or slow down playback and that’s about it – but it won’t be long before it lets you choose the type of presenter you want, their accent, their expertise, their political leaning, their personality and, once we move into AI-generated video as standard, how they look. As I wrote recently, AI is already being used in films, and we can imagine a world where a movie is generated on the fly, with the plot changing to suit your whims.

Yes, this will sound terrifying to some, but movies are already flights of fancy that exist in the world of the imagination. It’s when AI intrudes on the real world that I get most concerned. I’ve got a friend whose daughter is applying for university right now, and he tells me that many institutions are saying they don’t require a personal statement anymore because so many are doctored using AI that there’s little point to them.

All of which brings me back to NotebookLM. It can already produce a fantastic podcast out of one of my articles at the click of a button, and it feels like we're on the dawn of a very big change in the way media is produced. I'm not sure I know what's real anymore, and that's something I'm just going to have to get used to.

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Lenovo has released the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, a new notebook that comes equipped with Zen 5 core and RDNA 3.5 chips.

This thin and lightweight device measures just 16.9mm in thickness and weighs only 1.3kg, making it an excellent choice for business users on the move.

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD is equipped with a maximum of 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM, operating at a speed of 7500 MHz. Additionally, it supports storage options of up to 1TB through PCIe Gen4 SSDs.

Dual display options to suit different needs

Lenovo provides two display options with the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD, both 14 inches in size with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 88% screen-to-body ratio.

The first option is a WUXGA IPS Low Power Anti-Glare display with 100% sRGB coverage and 400 nits of brightness. The second choice is a WUXGA IPS Touch Anti-Glare display with 45% NTSC coverage, also offering 400 nits of brightness. This option includes Eyesafe technology and 3M DBEF5, which reduces blue light exposure, ensuring comfort during long working hours.

Under the hood, this device comes with the next-generation AMD Ryzen AI PRO processor, which Lenovo says, “offers exclusive AI experiences with a 3X performance boost" as compared to its predecessor.

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD features the advanced Zen 5 core and AMD Radeon integrated graphics, delivering responsiveness, smooth multitasking, and efficient content creation. Powered by the next-generation AMD Ryzen AI PRO processors, it includes a built-in AI Engine (NPU) and will support Copilot+ PC experiences.

The AMD Radeon Integrated Graphics provides solid performance for everyday tasks, making it suitable for productivity, video streaming, and light photo or video editing. While it may not be ideal for intensive gaming or 3D rendering, it offers enough for standard business applications and moderate multimedia workloads.

The inclusion of AI in the processor ensures that users experience smart power management, enhanced performance for demanding applications, and better overall efficiency.

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD offers up to 64GB of LPDDR5x RAM, clocked at 7500 MHz. On the storage front, the laptop supports up to 1TB of PCIe Gen4 SSD. Also included are stereo speakers powered by Dolby Atmos.

On the camera front, the laptop is equipped with a 5MP + IR camera, complete with a webcam privacy shutter for added security. The IR functionality enables facial recognition for secure login, while the 5MP camera ensures high-quality video for conferencing.

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD comes powered by a 58Wh battery, and also packs Microsoft Pluton or Firmware TPM 2, Ultrasonic Human Presence Detection (HPD), and a Nano Kensington lock slot for enhanced security. The device features a matte black finish and is constructed from a combination of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, aluminum, and magnesium.

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 AMD connectivity package includes Wi-Fi 7, 5G sub-6, and Bluetooth 5.3. For wired connections, the laptop offers a couple of ports including two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 certification, an HDMI 2.1 port, an audio jack, and a SIM card reader for mobile data.

This device will be available starting October 2024, with a starting price of $1699.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Gnaw-it-alls

NYT Strands today (game #204) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PINE
• LANE
• CHIC
• STUD
• STUDIO
• MAST

NYT Strands today (game #204) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• House of mouse!

NYT Strands today (game #204) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: right, 4th row

Last: left, 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 #204) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #204, are…

• HAMSTER
• MUSKRAT
• SQUIRREL
• CHINCHILLA
• PORCUPINE
• SPANGRAM: RODENTS

• My rating: Easy
• My score: 1 hint

I'm rather annoyed at myself for not getting a perfect score today, because this is another fairly easy Strands puzzle from the NYT. But I needed another hint to get going, with no answers standing out despite the (in hindsight) relatively obvious theme clue. The frustrating thing is that 'Gnaw-it-alls' did suggest an animal to me, and I looked for beaver – which seemed the most obvious example. But that wasn't there and I used a hint to get started.

Once I had that first word (HAMSTER) it all became a lot easier. MUSKRAT and SQUIRREL were simple, the spangram even more so, and though the final two were more difficult, in large part due to their spellings, I completed the game in only about five minutes.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday 22 September, game #203)

• BRAIN
• LIVER
• HEART
• KIDNEYS
• STOMACH
• LUNGS
• SPANGRAM: INTERNALORGANS

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.

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 #973) - 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 #973) - 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 #973) - 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 #973) - 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 #973) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• G

• S

• A

• F

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

Quordle today (game #973) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #973, are…

• GUILT
• STERN
• ANNEX
• FIELD

For the second day in a row my Quordle game nearly fell foul of an uncommon letter. Today it was X that tripped me, with ANNEX staying frustratingly out of reach of my brain until the last possible minute, when I'd tried (I think) every other possible letter combination left to me at that point. The double N in the word didn't help either, and nor did the inclusion of GUILT elsewhere; the fact that BUILT also fit meant I had to use up another narrowing-down word to find the correct one.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #973) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #973, are…

• AMPLY
• CRAWL
• HORSE
• WORLD

Quordle answers: The past 20

• 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
• Quordle #957, Saturday 7 September: LASSO, TILDE, BUNCH, PRONG
• Quordle #956, Friday 6 September: FARCE, WOOLY, LOCAL, NIGHT
• Quordle #955, Thursday 5 September: SNIDE, EGRET, AMONG, SHINY
• Quordle #954, Wednesday 4 September: POINT, WITTY, GAFFE, ABUSE
• Quordle #953, Tuesday 3 September: ATOLL, ANGER, OCEAN, SWEEP