TechRadar News

Windows 11 users who hook up their Samsung phone with their PC using the Phone Link app are in for a pleasant surprise thanks to the newest version of Samsung’s interface for its Android devices.

Windows Latest noticed that with the update to Samsung’s One UI 6.1.1 which is now rolling out to last-gen phones, including Galaxy S23 models and last year’s foldables, Phone Link now works more seamlessly with its mirroring feature.

For the uninitiated, the Phone Link app enables users to connect an Android phone to a Windows 11 (or 10) PC, with the experience being especially smooth for Samsung Galaxy devices, as Phone Link benefits from deeper integration and more features with Samsung handsets.

Windows Latest observed that after updating a Samsung Galaxy S23 to the latest One UI version, the device no longer asked for permission to start screen mirroring. When clicking to start screen mirroring in the Phone Link app, it automatically began without the S23 popping up a request to mirror the screen.

While this sounds like a pretty minor change, remember that previously, every time you start screen mirroring via Phone Link, the Samsung phone requests permission. So doing away with that is definitely a nice convenience, making firing up the screen mirroring feature a one-click experience.

(Image credit: TechRadar) Driving forward with Phone Link

Microsoft continues to improve Phone Link on a regular basis, and another interesting change we saw earlier this year (in testing) is Microsoft integrating AI into the app. The AI functionality provides suggested responses to messages in the Phone Link app, and in much the same vein as the automated responses in Gmail, you get a few possible replies to pick from.

Furthermore, we’ve heard whispers a few months back that Phone Link could be made into a Start menu ‘Companion,’ meaning it’ll be present in a floating panel docked off either side of the menu. The whole Companion interface change is still very much in testing, and there’s just a small clue that Phone Link will be part of this puzzle - if it ever comes to fruition. Still, that would put Phone Link right at the heart of the Windows 11 interface (should you want it there).

It’s clearly a pretty big deal for Microsoft, probably more so since Apple now has iPhone Mirroring in macOS Sequoia.

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The European Commission has started proceedings to help Apple comply with the interoperability obligations of its Digital Markets Act, a move that Apple warns could put European consumers at risk. 

The EC announced Thursday that it has started two specification proceedings "to assist Apple in complying with its interoperability obligations under the DMA." 

Specifically, the EC is taking action in two key areas. The second deals with how Apple handles interoperability requests made by developers and third-party apps so that they can interact better with Apple's ecosystem. 

However, it's the first initiative that has caught our eye. The EC is looking at "several iOS connectivity features and functionalities, predominantly used for and by connected devices." 

The block specifically names smartwatches, as well as headphones and VR headsets, as devices dependent on effective interoperability with smartphones and their operating systems.

The release says proceedings will "specify how Apple will provide effective interoperability with functionalities such as notifications, device pairing, and connectivity," implying that Apple is currently lacking in this area and needs to improve. This could be great news for users of Android smartwatches, but Apple doesn't seem impressed. 

Another EU headache for Apple

In a statement to TechRadar, Apple said, "We’re proud of the fact that we’ve built over 250,000 APIs that allow developers to build apps that access our operating system and functionalities in a way that ensures users' privacy and security. To comply with the DMA, we’ve also created ways for apps in the European Union to request additional interoperability with iOS and iPadOS while protecting our users." 

Taking aim at the EC, Apple said, "Undermining the protections we’ve built over time would put European consumers at risk, giving bad actors more ways to access their devices and data. We will continue to work constructively with the European Commission on a path forward that both protects our EU users and clarifies the regulation.”

The Commission will conclude these proceedings in six months, after which "it will explain the measures the gatekeeper should take to effectively comply with the interoperability obligation of the DMA." 

Apple is seemingly at the beck and call of the EU regarding interoperability and doesn't appear to have much wiggle room. The resulting changes could see Android smartwatches such as the Google Pixel Watch 3 given deeper access to iPhone functions such as notifications and connectivity.

The move could give iPhone users more choice when it comes to the best smartwatch to pair with their device; however, there could also be unintended consequences. 

The EC has heavily regulated Apple's iOS business model, introducing changes to the way Apple distributes apps on iPhone. It has opened up streaming apps, alternative app marketplaces, and even limited sideloading to iPhone, a net win for consumers. However, there's an argument to be made that the changes have eroded the polished experience of using Apple's handsets. 

More importantly, it has left Apple skittish about introducing new features in the territory. Most notably, Apple Intelligence is a glaring absence from iOS in the EU. The company notes it's concerned about the DMA's interoperability requirements, which "could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security."

Apple is banging the security and privacy drum again with this latest development. The company also told us that there's a risk of bad actors stealing data, exposing personal information, or even damaging their devices without the right protections in place for third-party interoperability. Apple even pointed to the recent global CrowdStrike outage as an example of this unchecked interoperability, citing Microsoft's interoperability agreement with the EC as the reason it can't wall off its operating system like Apple does. 

As Apple Intelligence's absence shows, continued EU pressure could see Apple increasingly reluctant to roll out new features, software changes, or even new products to the EU in the future. 

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Mojang Studios has announced that Minecraft will no longer support PlayStation VR next year.

Hidden within Minecraft's most recent patch notes, the developer confirmed that as of March 2025, updates will no longer apply to the PSVR version of the game (via VGC).

"Our ability to support PlayStation VR has come to an end, and will no longer be supported in updates after March of 2025," Mojang said.

"After you receive the final update, you will still receive updates on your PlayStation and be able to play without PlayStation VR."

Mojang continues, saying that users can still keep playing and building in their saved worlds and that Marketplace purchases, including Tokens, will continue to be available.

However, players will no longer be able to use their PlayStation VR with Minecraft "as it will no longer be supported in the latest updates."

It also looks like the studio has officially removed the Minecraft VR webpage as navigating to it will now result in an error message.

Last week, Mojang confirmed that it is currently working on a native PS5 version of Minecraft, but it's unclear if it has plans to port the popular survival sandbox game over to the PlayStation VR2.

Additionally, Minecraft will receive more frequent content drops in the future instead of providing one free update during the summer.

"A number of free game drops throughout the year" will be released in its place, with Mojang confirming it will now be focusing on "long-term initiatives to ensure we can continue to evolve Minecraft long into the future".

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Broadcom CEO Hock Tan has predicted that demand for AI clusters will continue for another three to five years as companies continue to battle with the resource- and power-intensive compute needs of AI.

Speaking with Jim Cramer in an interview on CNBC’s Mad Money, Tan outlined how customers plan to build increasingly larger AI clusters, doubling in size with each new generation of machines.

The prediction suggests a steady rise in demand for custom AI silicon and other advanced semiconductors, which Tan sees as beneficial for Broadcom.

Broadcom isn’t worried about the chip market

Tan explained that ongoing developments and advancements of large language models will mean that large-scale builds will be required annually in order to keep up with pace. As such, hyperscale AI clusters, which currently use 100,000 accelerators, may one day grow to include one million accelerators, believes Tan.

Looking to get a slice of the action, the company aims to design and deliver essential components, including custom-built XPUs, to meet the demand. XPUs are anticipated to grow faster than traditional GPUs in the future, and as has been proven time and time again, early entry to the market counts for a lot.

Nvidia, which was one of the first companies to invest heavily in AI chips for data centers, briefly spent some time as the world’s most valuable company. Currently occupying third place, it has a market cap of $2.78 trillion.

Broadcom’s recent AI revenue expectation was raised to $12 billion for fiscal year 2024, reflecting ongoing hot demand from the tech sector.

Moreover, Tan addressed the pandemic-induced chip shortage and the state of non-AI semiconductor production and demand globally, indicating that recovery for the segment could occur in 2025 or 2026. The CEO also noted strong demand for Wi-Fi and storage connectivity products.

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Huawei has officially unveiled two new tablets: the flagship MatePad Pro 12.2-inch PaperMatte edition and the “younger generation”-focused MatePad 12 X.

The MatePad Pro 12.2-inch comes equipped with – you guessed it – a 12.2-inch tandem OLED display, with a paper-effect outer screen that Huawei calls PaperMatte. The screen has a maximum brightness of 2000 nits, and works with Huawei’s M-Pencil stylus.

Huawei describes the MatePad 12 X as “a lightweight flagship model” designed for younger users – it features the same PaperMatte technology as its larger sibling, as well as a pearlescent rear panel.

Refreshingly, both new Huawei tablets include the Huawei Glide keyboard in the box, where rival companies like Apple and Samsung require you to purchase keyboards separately for their respective flagship tablets.

(Image credit: Huawei)

For reference, a Magic Keyboard for the 11-inch iPad Pro (2024) costs $299 / £299 / AU$499, and keyboard cases for Android tablets tend to hover at around two-thirds of that price.

Huawei does not sell consumer devices in the US due to ongoing political tensions, but the company is a powerhouse in China and seems keen to keep its presence felt in other Western markets.

In the case of these two new tablets, Huawei is offering a few sweeteners to customers in the UK – those who order a MatePad Pro 12.2-inch or MatePad 12 X from the UK Huawei Store between September 19 and October 22 will receive a £100 discount in the form of a Huawei coupon.

Furthermore, ordering under these conditions will net customers a free Huawei M-Pencil 3rd Generation, normally priced at £129.99.

(Image credit: Huawei)

The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2-inch PaperMatte Edition is available in two configurations. The 256GB storage option comes in black and costs £699.99. The 512GB storage option comes in gold and costs £799.

The Huawei MatePad 12 X comes with 512GB of storage as standard and is available in green or white for £549.99.

For more Huawei news, including news of the company’s groundbreaking Mate XT tri-fold smartphone, be sure to keep up with our Huawei phones coverage.

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Here’s one you weren’t expecting – if Wordle isn’t interesting enough for you anymore in plain ol’ 2D you can now take it into virtual reality with the dedicated Meta Quest 3 Wordle app (it’s also playable on the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro).

It’s completely free to download, and you can try it out right now. We’ve given it a go – even using the new app to solve Wordle today – and in a word the experience is ‘fine.’

The app works with zero hiccups, though there’s nothing special about this VR experience that warrants the move to 3D – it’s just Wordle floating on a window in a void.

More annoyingly, there’s also currently no way to link this with your account to keep your stats in sync across the VR and web-based version. So if you translate to VR Wordle you’ll lose your streak.

Perhaps some updates will arrive to the app in the future that expand its scope, but for now it’s simply one of those free VR oddities that isn’t super exciting – because it’s neither amazing nor awful.

A puzzling addition

Instead of Wordle there are a couple of alternative (though not free) puzzle games I’d recommend in VR.

The Last Clockwinder is easily my favorite VR puzzler, not least because its challenges require the perfect combination of using your brain to find a solution and your dexterity to make that solution come to life. Its story can be solved without too much difficulty, but the real fun comes from finding the optimal ways to grow and process fruit with as few robot minions as possible.

Then there’s the I Expect You To Die series, a trilogy (so far) of humorous James Bond-inspired VR escape rooms. Every entry is a delight and definitely worth picking up – especially if you can get them bundled together during a sale.

I also recently tried The Exit 8 VR, a horror-lite VR game of spot the difference that’s actually pretty darn hard. It is a tad unsettling at times but there’s no unavoidable jump scares, so even if you aren’t a huge horror fan this is one to check out.

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Anker makes some of the best power banks we've tested, but it seems to have increasing issues with manufacturing defects – with another recall hitting three more of its backup batteries for smartphones.

Back in June, Anker announced that it was recalling its popular 321 Power Bank, alongside the Soundcore A3102 speaker and A3302 speakerphone, due to potential fire hazards from lithium-ion batteries. And now, as spotted by Android Police, the company has made a similar recall announcement for three other battery packs.

Those models are the Anker 334 MagGo Battery (PowerCore 10K), Anker Power Bank and Anker MagGo Power Bank. Anker says that while "only a small number of batteries may be affected by this issue" (a batch of products manufactured between January 3 and September 17), it's "reaching out to all customers to begin a Recall program".

The reason is because all three "may pose a fire risk due to a manufacturing defect" that causes overheating. If you're not sure if you own one of those models, you double-check on the battery's base for the model numbers A1642, A1647 or A1652. If you're unfortunate enough to own one, Anker has revealed the steps you should take. 

Firstly, you should stop using it and store it "in a safe location" and definitely not throw the power bank away in the trash or recycling. You can also fill out Anker's recall form to start the process towards getting a replacement. 

Anker's recall announcement also contains some region-specific advice on how you can safely dispose of your faulty power bank, depending on where you live. 

Feeling the heat

You can typically find the serial number of an Anker battery on the base or back of the pack (above), with Anker's advice above showing you how to pull it out from the text  (Image credit: Anker)

If you own a different Anker power bank from the models above, this news might still be a cause for concern – but Anker says there's nothing to worry about for owners of other models.

For those three affected models (A1642, A1647, A1652), Anker says "the issues originated from our previous supplier" and that "we have changed suppliers and are now conducting a thorough review of our quality assurance processes to prevent future occurrences."

For owners of other batteries, Anker says you "can continue to use your device with confidence". Another recall so soon after the company's previous one in June is still alarming, though fortunately none of the models in our guide to the best power banks has been affected. 

While we're happy to continue recommending those models for now, but if this news has given you cause for concern it could be worth considering options from alternative brands like Baseus, Satechi or Belkin.

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DevOps platform GitLab patched a critical-severity flaw found in its Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) solutions, which could grant malicious users access to restricted information.

The flaw, described as a “SAML authentication bypass”, is tracked as CVE-2024-45409, and carries the perfect severity score of 10/10. Short Assertion Markup Language (SAML), is a web-based authentication protocol facilitating, among other things, the single sign-on (SSO) feature.

It was discovered that the ryb-saml library wasn’t verifying the signature of the SAML Response properly, allowing threat actors to log in.

No evidence of abuse

"An unauthenticated attacker with access to any signed SAML document (by the IdP) can thus forge a SAML Response/Assertion with arbitrary contents," GitHub explained in a security advisory. "This would allow the attacker to log in as arbitrary user within the vulnerable system."

Those worried about compromise should make sure their Community Edition and Enterprise Edition solutions are upgraded to versions 17.3.3, 17.2.7, 17.1.8, 17.0.8, and 16.11.10. Those unable to apply the patch right now should enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for all accounts, and disallow the SAML two-factor bypass option.

While GitHub did not explicitly state if the vulnerability was abused in the wild yet or not, its wording in the security advisory is somewhat telling. In the document, the maintainers shared details on spotting both successful and unsuccessful exploitation attempts suggesting, at least, that the crooks might be trying their luck already.

GitLab is a web-based DevOps platform that provides tools for version control, continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), and software development lifecycle management. It helps teams collaborate on code, automate testing, and streamline deployment processes and has tens of millions of active users. As such, it is a high-profile target for all sorts of cybercriminals.

Via The Hacker News

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Just as the second season of Ryan Murphy’s Monster anthology series – Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story – arrives on Netflix today (September 19), we already have news on what notorious murderer the third installment of one of the best Netflix series will take on next, as well as who will play them. 

Following season two’s reimagining of the infamous Lyle and Erik Menendez story, Murphy announced at the Los Angeles season premiere that killer and body snatcher Ed Gein will be the center of the next season's plot. If you're not familiar with Gein, he's known as the Butcher of Plainfield and served as the inspiration for iconic horror villains in some of the best horror movies Psycho (1960), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and Silence of the Lambs (1991).  

Following the footsteps of Evan Peters who portrayed Jeffrey Dahmer in the show’s record-breaking first season will be Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, Rebel Moon), who’s lined up to play Gein with production set to commence next month. Netflix has yet to unveil more information about the next installment, however, we can imagine that the story will follow Gein’s series of heinous crimes between 1947-1957.

Charlie Hunnam will play Ed Gein in the third installment of the Monster anthology series.  (Image credit: Phillip Faraone/ Getty Images for Netflix)

When the show’s first season – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – premiered on the best streaming service in 2022, it became an immediate hit and, to this day, is the service’s third most-watched show ever. After a two-year gap, its second season, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, arrives on the platform today (September 19) and focuses on the brothers who were convicted in 1996 for murdering their parents, which is still a highly researched and followed case among true crime fans today.  

You can watch the full trailer for Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story below. 

Who is Ed Gein in Netflix’s Monster anthology series?  

Ed Gein’s name may not ring a bell for most, but lovers of horror movies will have definitely come face-to-face with iconic characters inspired by the body snatcher himself. Gein's crimes spanned a 10-year period during the late 40s and early 50s, including two confirmed murders, seven suspected, and nine corpses mutilated, which he robbed from graves. 

Following his conviction in 1957, Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to Central State Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he remained until his death in 1984. His crimes have since become inspiration for the creation of horror movie villains and their notorious crimes, most notably Leatherface and Buffalo Bill who conduct similar mutilation procedures. 

Although the case of Ed Gein has had significant influence in film, TV, and popular culture, it stands out differently to the cases of Dahmer and the Menendezes, which grabbed the attention of widespread media. With Gein as the focus of the next season, I’m curious to see how Murphy will execute his retelling of an early-mid 20th century true crime case during a pre-mass media period. 

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DJI has announced its first action camera with the 'Pro' monicker and it comes with a raft of impressive new features that will, aptly, impress content creators and other pro users. These include four-hour battery life – that's double that of the GoPro Hero 13 Black, thanks to an industry-first 4nm chip; 20m waterproofing with pressure gauge (which is again double that of its rivals), and larger and punchier twin OLED screens.

We've already reviewed the Osmo Action 5 Pro, and we've been majorly impressed during our extended time with what is now one of the best action cameras. There are many other areas in which it outguns GoPro's finest action cam, the Hero 13 Black, including its effortless Bluetooth connection with mics including the DJI Mic 2 for better audio (think of the perfect marriage you get with an iPhone and AirPods), but this is still no one-sided battle.

DJI has doubled down on improving its 4K video footage rather than upping the resolution to match rivals – the Hero 13 Black shoots 5.3K video while the Insta360 Ace Pro shoots 8K video – and rumors suggest we'll see an Insta360 Ace Pro 2 soon. What we get instead, according to DJI, is 13.5 stops of dynamic range – that's the kind of performance that you'd expect from a professional mirrorless camera.

However, the sensor remains a 1/1.3-inch type as found in the Action 4, where many action cam fans were not-unreasonably hoping DJI would introduce a larger-still 1-inch sensor – after all, such a sensor features in DJI's own Osmo Pocket 3, which is our favorite vlogging camera.

(Image credit: DJI)

DJI has, however, added internal storage to the tune of 47GB in addition to micro SD, plus matched GoPro with Wi-Fi 6 to speed up image uploads to your phone. With all of these upgrades considered, the Action 5 Pro provides an all-round improved user experience, but at a 10% steeper price point than the Action 4.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro costs $349 / £329 / AU$599 for the Standard Combo – that's a little cheaper than the Hero 13 Black in the US and UK – or $449 / £409 / AU$769 for the Adventure Combo, which also includes the Quick-Release Adapter Mount, Multifunctional Battery Case, and 1.5m Extension Rod.

Has DJI dethroned GoPro as the king of action cams?

We've pitted the GoPro Hero 13 Black vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro in an article to help you further understand the differences between two of the leading action cameras.

There's no doubt who's improving faster, and that's DJI. Where the hardware in GoPro's flagship series of Hero Black cameras has remained largely the same for years, DJI has been chipping away with meaningful upgrades to each generation of its Osmo Action series.

The Action 4 saw a larger sensor than the Osmo Action 3, with class-leading low-light performance. However, that camera only shoots 4K video and 10MP stills, which means it lags behind rivals for outright detail in good light. DJI has upped the photo resolution to 40MP this time around, while also modifying the hardware for what is undoubtedly a better user experience.

That said, GoPro has shown us an altogether new path for action cameras in the Hero 13 Black: interchangeable lenses, which opens up its action cameras to a raft of new users, including vloggers who will appreciate the Macro Lens Mod and serious filmmakers curious about the new Anamorphic Lens Mod.

(Image credit: DJI)

With the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 rumored to be on the horizon with improved 8K video and AI features, we could soon have three very different takes on the action camera from three of the leading brands, and it's us users who are benefitting from the fierce competition.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro looks like the best option of the lot for those who want the absolute best-quality action camera together with effortless mic connectivity, and who are happy with being limited to (better-quality) 4K video.

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Last month Google quietly revealed Android 15 would be arriving in October as part of its release notes for the Android Beta Exit update – which is available to people who have been testing the OS ahead of its launch. Now a new report has revealed precisely when Android 15 might release for Pixel devices: October 15.

This comes via Android Headlines that reports that the Android 15 release date for Pixel 6 and later phones, is coming 42 days after the operating system’s source code went up on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). If correct, this would mark the longest delay between the AOSP release and the update being pushed to users, beating Android 12’s 15-day delay.

The hope is this extended wait time should lead to Android 15 being a lot less buggy and more stable when it finally comes out compared with previous versions.

While the date does match up nicely – a 15th of the month release date for Android 15 – it’s still worth taking it with a pinch of salt, as we recommend with all unofficial leaks. Android Headlines hasn’t revealed how it discovered the October 15 date, and it itself admits that the date could be pushed if Google’s bug-squashing efforts do not go according to plan.

The Google Pixel 9 (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

It’s also worth highlighting that October 15 is being reported as the Pixel launch date for Android 15. Samsung, OnePlus, and other Android OS device makers will still be preparing their own versions of Android 15 to roll out to their phones. Though given the long delay time since being released on AOSP there’s a good chance these non-Google rollouts could follow more quickly behind the Pixel launch compared with previous years.

The wait will be worth it, however. Based on the betas so far there have been some very neat features shown off, such as…

A battery life boost

Android OS updates also come with subtle tweaks and optimizations that can have a significant effect on how your phone operates. One such upgrade was revealed by VP of Engineering for the Android Platform Dave Burke on the Android Faithful podcast earlier this year; he explained that devices running Android 15 can switch to the low-power doze mode around 50% faster than devices running Android 14.

The upshot of this is that Google saw as much as three extra hours between device recharges. Not every user will see as much of a battery life boost, but even an hour – or just half an hour extra between charges could be a massive helper for users – especially as a free update.

Lock screen widgets

Widgets could soon appear on your lock screen (Image credit: Future / James ide)

Android 15 should see the return of lock screen widgets (we’ve not seen them since the Android 4 days), and the possible addition of a Communal Space that allows multiple users to share access to apps on the lock screen.

The downside is we expect the selection of apps that support this feature at launch won’t be the most widespread – perhaps limited to tools like Google Calendar and Google Clock – though the delay between the AOSP release and Pixel launch may mean a few other services are ready to support lock screen widgets at launch.

Private Space

Taking a page out of Samsung’s book with its Secure Folder feature, Android 15 is adding a native version called Private Space. It’s a folder for apps that requires a password, PIN, or biometrics to open. Any apps in this folder will be completely hidden from anyone who can’t open it.

Gemini upgrades

Gemini upgrades are coming in 2024 (Image credit: Google)

Google’s Gemini AI is also getting a few Android 15 improvements as well. Ask Photos makes it easier to find old snaps using more natural language, and even use it to answer questions based on pictures you’ve taken.

Then there’s a new Gemini overlay that can answer questions about what it sees on your screen. While Gemini Nano will be an on-device version of Gemini that doesn’t need to share your information with a cloud – making it more private.

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With the Pixel Buds Pro 2 hitting retailers in just a few days time, users of the Pixel Buds Pro have discovered a significant change to the way the earbuds handle notifications – and Google has now confirmed that the change is permanent.

The change applies to the touch-and-hold feature of both the first and second generation Pixel Buds Pro. And it's interesting when you consider that Apple has just added hands and voice-free notification handling to its AirPods, because Google has basically just taken one of its own silent features away.

So what's going on?

Why Google has changed the Pixel Buds Pro's Touch and Hold feature

Touch and Hold enabled Pixel Buds Pro to get the Google Assistant to read out notifications without having to give the chatbot a verbal command. But just over a week ago, Pixel Buds Pro owners started posting to Reddit about the feature suddenly stopping. Instead of the usual notifications, Touch and Hold responded with "Touch and Hold won't read notifications any more" and asked the users to say "read notifications" instead. 

Calls to Google support didn't shed any light, because the support techs weren't aware of any change. But Google has now confirmed that the option has indeed been changed – but it's okay, because it's gone to live on a farm where it can play all day with Google Reader, the Goo.gl URL shortener, Google Podcasts and YouTube Stories.

It seems that the feature has indeed ceased to be, and that more changes may be coming. As spotted by 9to5Google, Google has now updated its Community pages with a notice explaining the change. "Based on your feedback, we are here to announce that we will be making the following changes to your Google Assistant notifications on Pixel Buds while we evaluate further changes to notifications," Google says. "Assistant will no longer read unread notifications when using the press Assistant feature. Assistant will also no longer read unread notifications automatically and allow you to reply."

The change is likely to be part of Google's move towards Gemini, its AI assistant; as we said in our Pixel Buds Pro 2 hands-on, "Similar to how Google Gemini is unashamedly front-and-center within its latest phones, you'll be able to use Gemini on Pixel Buds Pro 2, and it will effectively be the smart assistant here."

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A network of devices has been seized by the western intelligence alliance, Five Eyes, taking control of a 260,000 device botnet. The network was reportedly in development since 2021, and was likely used to help Chinese actors breach critical infrastructure and government agencies in the US, Taiwan, and elsewhere.

The Five Eyes alliance, which is composed of the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, carried out the operation to dismantle the network. More than half of the devices were in the US, and consisted primarily of malware infected PCs and servers.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that it was ‘all hands on deck’ when agents gained control of the network. The Chinese team then reportedly launched a DDoS strike to disrupt the Five Eyes efforts, but abandoned ship when it realized the efforts were futile, as they instead ‘burned down’ the infrastructure.

Just one round in the fight

It’s no secret that there have been tensions in the cyber security sphere between China and the US in recent years, and Wray confirms that whilst this was a successful operation, it is far from the end of Chinese efforts.

Despite this disruption, the risks remain prevalent from malicious actors who look to target western infrastructure. Efforts to stop Chinese cyberattacks have been officially named as the top priority for US security forces, and OPSWAT’s Eric Knapp confirms the vulnerabilities exposed by the operation,

“The recent advisory [PDF] from the NCSC highlights a clear supply chain risk—specifically how compromised hardware, often sourced from particular countries of origin, can be leveraged for nation-state cyber-espionage activities,” he said. “This is an example of how vulnerabilities in the supply chain can lead to widespread malicious activity such as DDoS attacks and anonymous malware delivery.”

Via The Register

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Intel’s Lunar Lake processors are really going to deliver on the battery life front, according to some new info from Lenovo.

Tom’s Hardware flagged up that Lenovo has apparently broken an NDA and published battery life figures for one of its new Yoga laptops with a Core Ultra 200V (Lunar Lake) CPU, and they are nothing short of astonishing.

If the claims are right – and take any internal benchmarking with a little seasoning, as ever – the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is capable of almost 24 hours of video playback (with a 1080p H.264 video clip running at 24 FPS).

The laptop packs one of Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V processors, showing off the efficiency of this second-tier Lunar Lake model.

Interestingly, Lenovo also provided comparative battery longevity results for Apple MacBook laptops with M2 and M3 silicon, and the Yoga Slim 7i outperformed both by over five hours (the M3 MacBook lasted 18 hours and 32 minutes, and the M2 laptop 18 hours and 19 minutes).

Brightness was uniform, with Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting turned off (and sound muted) in this testing, we’re told. Check out Lenovo’s demo yourself in the YouTube clip below (which is still live at the time of writing – it may not stay that way, though).

Analysis: Lunar eclipse of Apple and Qualcomm?

Intel has said it has concentrated in a big way on efficiency with Lunar Lake, and this would appear to very much back up that idea. The comparison to MacBooks shows that Lunar Lake, a traditional x86 processor, can outdo Apple’s Arm-based chips, and quite comfortably too – and Arm silicon is famously strong for laptop battery life.

Tom’s also reminds us that this battery testing isn’t even the beefiest longevity we’ve seen a laptop maker boast about for an incoming Lunar Lake notebook. There are claims of more like 26 hours in other cases, and Asus has boasted about a battery life of up to 29 hours at the most eye-opening end of the estimates here.

Do we have a new champion CPU for the engine of the best thin-and-light laptops in Lunar Lake? It’s looking that way, and Apple – as well as Qualcomm, with its Arm-based Snapdragon X SoCs for Windows 11 laptops – should be rightly worried by the look of things.

The other question is how much performance has been traded off for better power efficiency with Intel’s new mobile CPUs, but from what we’ve seen recently at the IFA show, the compromise looks more than palatable in this respect. Don’t forget that Lunar Lake has some pretty cool hidden tricks, too, one of which will delight gamers and creatives, and the chips offer enough grunt on the AI front to qualify for Copilot+ PCs.

Ultimately, we’ll need to test Lunar Lake machines ourselves to uncover the full picture, and how performance and battery longevity are really balanced – but it won’t be long before that happens. The first laptops packing Lunar Lake CPUs go on sale next week, on September 24, although it’ll likely be a modest trickle of releases to begin with, if past history is anything to go by.

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Apple's new $179 / £179 / AU$299 AirPods 4 brought ANC to Apple's more affordable true wireless earbuds (or you could have the $129 / £129 non-ANC set). But Audio-Technica just unveiled an even more affordable noise-nixing rival: the new ATH-CKS30TW+ true wireless earbuds are just $99 / £89 / AU$199.

These new buds have active noise cancelling with hear-through and talk-through options, IP55 dust and water resistance, plus very decent battery life. And they come in the lightest charging case Audio-Technica has ever made, making them even more portable.

Audio-Technica ATH-CKS30TW+ earbuds: key features and specs

The drivers here are a quite large 9mm and promise to deliver impressive bass. There are five equalizer presets – Bass Boost Deep, Bass Boost Beat, Dynamic, Vocal, and Clear – and there's an Apple-esque Soundscape function that can replace the outside world with soothing sounds from nature or other ambient audio to help you "concentrate, meditate and rejuvenate". 

Battery life is a claimed 7.5 hours or 6.5 with ANC enabled (versus 5 in AirPods 4), and the charging case takes that up to 17.5 hours with ANC and 20 without. The app enables you to adjust the touch sensor features, find missing earbuds, switch into a low latency mode and change presets. 

Bluetooth is the only slightly disappointing 5.1 (so no scope for Auracast, since that requires 5.2 or later) and the supported audio codecs are AAC and SBC – so no higher-resolution wireless codec support such as aptX or LDAC. Then again, these are budget-friendly buds vying to be some of the best budget wireless earbuds on the market, so it's a very acceptable compromise. 

Each earbud weighs 4.5g (0.16oz) and the case is 28g (0.99oz); Audio-Technica promises that the buds fit securely even when you're exercising or dancing.

There are four colors to choose from: Black, Beige, Translucent Black and a sage-like Evergreen. All four are on sale now from Audio-Technica's own website and the usual retailers.

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Full spoilers follow for Agatha All Along's two-episode premiere.

Agatha All Along has made its enchanting debut on Disney Plus – and, apart from the big mystery surrounding Joe Locke's Teen, there's another pressing question on fans' minds: who are the Salem Seven?

Well, you've come to the right place, dear reader, as I'm here to answer that very question about Marvel's latest team of villains. In this guide, I'll delve into the group's comic book history, including their ties to Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff, and then propose my own theory about why they're hunting Agatha in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) latest TV show. 

Full spoilers follow for the dark comedy musical's first two episodes, so don't walk down, down, down the Witches' Road with me unless you've watched them. Before you do, however, be sure to read our review of Agatha All Along!

The Salem Seven's Marvel comic book history, explained

This isn't creepy at all... (Image credit: Marvel Television/Disney Plus)

The first thing to note about the Salem Seven is that, in Marvel's source material, the group's official title is slightly different to the one used in Agatha All Along. Indeed, in the comics, they're known as Salem's Seven.

Created by Len Wein and George Perez, and making their literary debut in September 1977's The Fantastic Four #186, Salem's Seven are a team of dark magic wielders who initially fought Marvel's First Family and Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch. Later on, though, they become firm allies of Wanda and the iconic quartet.

Anyway, as the team's name rightly points out, seven individuals – Vertigo, Brutacus, Gazelle, Hydron, Reptilia, Thornn, and Vakume – are part of the villainous outfit. They're not only the grandchildren of Agatha, but also the children of Nicholas Scratch, a powerful sorcerer who isn't to be confused with the Devil himself. Indeed, 'Old Nick' and 'Mister Scratch' are just two of many aliases used by various cultures to call the Devil.

Anyway, in the comics, each member can shape-shift into a different animal and, subsequently, their powers are based around each creature's unique characteristics. Hydron, for instance, can turn into a fish-like being who controls water, while Brutacus can transform into a lion and is imbued with super-strength. The only one of the seven who can't take on a different form is Vertigo, Scratch's eldest daughter whose sole ability is to disrupt an individual's sense of balance.

How does the MCU's Salem Seven differ from its comic book counterpart?

Has anyone lost a coyote? (Image credit: Marvel Television/Disney Plus)

Like many characters and superteams before them, Salem's Seven have undergone something of a narrative and creative revision for the purposes of the MCU.

Aside from the slight tweak to the group's name, the most obvious difference relates to the animal forms that the Salem Seven can take in Agatha All Along. We only see three of them in the Marvel Phase 5 series' first two episodes – or, more specifically, its second chapter, title 'Circle Sewn With Fate, Unlock Thy Hidden Gate'. And, even then, the two creatures we see – a crow, coyote, and rat – aren't part of Salem's Seven's animal-based lineup.

Okay, so who are the Salem Seven in the MCU? And which actors are playing them? I can certainly answer the latter, as their character identities, plus the actors portraying them, are mentioned in the show's end credits sequence. Read the list below for more details:

•  Okwui Okpokwasili as Vertigo
•  Chau Naumoya as Coyote
•  Bethany Curry as Snake
•  Athena Perample as Fox
•  Alicia Vera-Bailey as Owl
•  Britta Grant as Rat
•  Marina Mzepa as Snake

As for the first question, I have a theory on why they're gunning for Agatha and what role they'll play in this spin-off of WandaVision, aka one of the best Disney Plus shows.

Why are the Salem Seven hunting Agatha Harkness?

Agatha will give you something to crow about, erm, Crow! (Image credit: Marvel Television/Disney Plus)

To answer that, we need to cast our minds back to WandaVision episode 8, which was titled 'Previously On'. That episode opened on an Agatha Harkness flashback, with the witch accused of practising dark magic by her own mother Evanora and the latter's coven of magic users. As a result, the group prepare to execute Agatha as part of the MCU's take on the Salem Witch Trials. However, long story short: Agatha ends up killing them all.

So, what does this have to do with the Salem Seven? Well, Evanora's coven comprised eight witches: herself and seven other female magic wielders, all of whom were slain by Agatha. I don't think I need to spell it out but, for anyone who's struggling to follow: the Salem Seven must be the children of the other seven witches that Agatha murdered. The fact that they were killed in Salem, Massachusetts, the most iconic of all witchcraft-centric locations in the real world, further underlines the group's decision to name themselves after the infamous US town.

I can't say when we'll see the Salem Seven again but, with a de-powered Agatha – with Teen and her hastily assembled coven of magic misfits – traversing the Witches' Road in a bit to regain her abilities, it seems nailed on that the group will follow the show's devious protagonist to the life-threatening realm. After all, they'll want to enact revenge on Agatha before she reacquires her dark magic abilities and poses a grave threat to their existence. Bring on a full-blown witch showdown, I say.

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It looks like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is officially happening as a new leak confirms a PS5 and PC release.

The ESRB website is still currently live and confirms that the long-rumored remaster of Guerrilla Games' action role-playing game will soon be making its current-gen debut.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was first leaked back in 2022, but over the past couple of years, the PS5 version has continued to crop up.

The ESRB website also confirmed that the game is rated as Teen and currently has an extensive summary, which you can read below:

"This is an action/role-playing game in which players assume the role of a hunter (Aloy) surviving through a post-apocalyptic world. Players guide Aloy as she learns to hunt robotic creatures and animals in the wild. Aloy uses arrows, spears, and explosive traps to injure and kill machines, boar, and occasional human enemies. Animals and humans emit small puffs of red blood when struck; one sequence depicts an abandoned camp with large blood stains on rocks and trees.

"The game contains a brief reference to sexual material (e.g., 'Eighteen months hard labor in exchange for thirty years lounging around Elysium watching porn?'). In text/audio files, characters sometimes reference fictional drugs, overdoses, and getting high: '...not even out of junior high and already a drug addict'; '...I ran across a pusher who was selling Razorwing for eight bucks a tab'; 'I'd spend a few days getting high, then OD on Overcast.' The word 'sh*t' appears in the text/dialogue."

The latest ESRB rating is the most recent leak for the game and seems to verify that it will be launching soon, but we don't have a release date just yet.

However, Giant Bomb reporter Jeff Grubb recently claimed that Sony's next State of Play livestream will air next week on September 24 - two days before PS5 Pro pre-orders start - where the company will officially announce Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered.

If the rumored State of Play does in fact broadcast next week, this is where we'll likely receive a launch date for the game.

With the recent reveal of the PS5 Pro, it's also a possibility that Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will be playable on the upcoming mid-generation console, which is set for a November 7 release.

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AMC Networks has canceled Orphan Black: Echoes, the sequel series to one of the best sci-fi shows, after one season.

The news comes just weeks after the Orphan Black follow-up aired its series finale on August 25, concluding its first and now only season on AMC Plus (those in the UK can find it streaming on ITVX, while it's available on demand on Stan in Australia). While the exact reason for the show's cancelation is unclear, we can guess that it's because Orphan Black: Echoes failed to spark the same cult following as the original Orphan Black series. 

Orphan Black: Echoes has an above-average 60% Rotten Tomatoes score, scoring lower than Orphan Black, which has 93%. Considering Orphan Black's stellar reputation of being one of the most popular sci-fi shows, the sequel was obviously going to be faced with tough expectations from audiences, especially since Tatiana Maslany won an Emmy for her role as the series' clones, something that was incredibly unique on TV. 

As a result of this, Variety wrote in their review: “Echoes doesn’t stand out, making it a middling spinoff. From the beginning, this new series, which oddly aired in its entirety in Australia last year, doesn’t quite possess the urgency of its predecessor."

What is Orphan Black: Echoes about?

In 2052, 37 years after the original series, Orphan Black: Echoes explores the scientific manipulation of human existence. It follows a group of women as they embark on a gripping journey to unearth the mystery of their identity, exposing a harrowing story of love and betrayal. It's been said to draw similarities to one of the best Apple TV Plus shows Severance. 

Orphan Black: Echoes centers on the life of now-adult Kira (Keeley Hawes), the daughter of Sarah (Maslany) from the original show, and her wife Eleanor (Rya Kihlstedt) as they help amnesiac Lucy (Krysten Ritter), a woman with an extraordinary origin story.

The original series has five seasons and developed a devoted fanbase known as the "Clone Club". Throughout the five seasons, Orphan Black created a spectacular futuristic world where cloning technology is capable of creating life and raises moral questions of these activities.

While Orphan Black: Echoes is set within the same world as the original, it serves as both a sequel and a stand-alone project for new and old Orphan Black fans by bringing in a new cast and having a time jump, so I'm surprised the sequel didn't bring in a bigger audience to the franchise.

Orphan Black: Echoes isn't the only show to be axed this week, with one of the best streaming services Apple TV Plus canceling the fantasy series Time Bandits after one season. 

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Amazon, Microsoft and Google are all defending their business practices, which are under investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), by subtly point the finger at one another.

By blaming each other, the three companies are hoping to deflect attention and avoid further investigations and punitory action from the CMA.

Key to the investigation are factors like licensing practices and egress fees, which have led to widespread criticism from customers finding it technically complex and expensive to change provider.

Industry leaders are blaming one another

Google has positioned itself as the underdog in the British cloud market, citing a much smaller market share of around 5-10% compared with AWS and Microsoft’s combined 60-70%. The Alphabet business claims that Microsoft’s software licensing practices have limited customer choice – customers can reuse licenses on Microsoft’s own Azure cloud, but they need additional licenses when using rival clouds like Google’s.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has dismissed the CMA’s concerns, arguing that the cloud market continues to be “highly dynamic and rapidly evolving.” Interestingly, the company has also spoken out about retaining egress fees, stating that they’re not a significant issue for most companies.

The three cloud providers each introduced egress fee exemptions and discounts to comply with European mandates some months ago.

AWS has mirrored Google’s criticisms of Microsoft’s licensing practices, however the company insists that the cloud market remains healthy and competitive. Amazon also noted that eliminating egress fees could disrupt future investments.

Despite pointing out what rival companies are doing wrong, neither of the three are keen for significant regulatory action within the UK cloud market, however jointly accounting for around two-thirds of the sector, little room is left for competition from other companies.

Over the coming months, the CMA is set to make a provisional decision before giving a final decision before the April 2025 deadline.

Via TheRegister

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As a tech-savvy generation, we embrace new technologies with excitement, enjoying convenience among other benefits. However, before these technologies reach us as consumers, businesses undergo an adoption process that can seem tricky. As a CEO, I'm well aware of the resistance to change that might arise within a company. Misconceptions, perceived high costs, shifts in habitual workflows, and fear of the unknown are just a few of the reasons.

From my standpoint, forward-thinking leaders need to understand the profound benefits these technologies bring and maintain a helicopter view of their impact. In addition, hiring the right people to lead and guide change management is vital. Transformation managers listen before they speak, work with stakeholders to shape the future, build trust through honesty, and tackle difficult issues head-on. They see change as a new skill to build, not a problem to fix.

With this in mind, let's see how adopting certain technologies can address common business challenges, drive long-term growth, boost agility and efficiency.

AI and Machine Learning: Precision

Let's say a healthtech company struggles with accurately diagnosing diseases due to the vast amount of patient data. By integrating AI, the company can analyze information more effectively, identifying patterns and deviations that human eyes might miss. Precise diagnoses lead to customized treatment plans, and better patient outcomes overall. At the end of the day, the company gains increased service quality, higher patient satisfaction, and reduced operational costs.

Similarly, Machine Learning can address specific issues in the same company, such as predicting patient visits to manage hospital resources. Through adopting ML, the company can analyze historical admission data to forecast future patient inflows, allowing for better resource allocation and staffing. This results in more efficient hospital operations, reduced waiting times for patients, and optimized use of medical resources.

Cloud & 'As a Service' Computing: Capacity

For instance, a gaming company faces problems with server scalability and maintenance during peak times. By adopting cloud gaming services, this company can dynamically scale its server capacity based on demand, ensuring smooth gameplay without lag or downtime.

Players stream games directly from the cloud, eliminating the need for high-end hardware. After all, this gaming business benefits from reduced IT infrastructure costs, improved player experience, and the ability to reach a broader audience.

Internet of Things: Oversight

Supply chain companies tend to have a hard time tracking shipments and managing inventory without human error. By implementing IoT solutions, this company can integrate real-time visibility into its supply chain or operations. The tech has shown its efficiency, specifically, in warehouse management. Smart sensors monitor the condition and location of goods during transit, alerting managers to any potential issues like temperature changes or delays. This real-time data allows for quick adjustments, ensuring products arrive in optimal condition and on time. In the long haul, this company wins thanks to reduced losses, improved efficiency, and better customer satisfaction.

5G: Connectivity

Picture a collabtech business where connectivity and real-time communication are challenging, especially for remote teams. With 5G technology, this company can achieve faster and more reliable connections, allowing for seamless video conferencing, instant file sharing, and real-time collaboration without lag. This advanced connectivity enhances teamwork, making virtual meetings as effective as face-to-face ones. Ultimately, this company sees improved communication, increased productivity, and more connected team members wherever they are.

And to be frank, nowadays, connectivity is the spine of any business or industry.

Cybersecurity and digital trust

According to the McKinsey Tech Trends 2024 report, digital trust is essential for managing tech and data risks, boosting innovation, and protecting assets. It's all about taking care of client data safety. Building trust in data and tech governance not only enhances performance but also strengthens client relationships. This includes technologies like digital identity, privacy-enhancing tools, blockchain, you name it.

As companies embrace new technologies like the ones I mentioned above, the need for solid cybersecurity grows. Despite hurdles like integration issues, organizational silos, and talent shortages, achieving digital trust requires strong leadership and strategic changes across the board. Implementing these changes can be challenging, but the rewards are immense.

Final thoughts

While it's quite possible to handle all these adoptions in-house, I’m positive, understanding the nuances is crucial. For implementation, a specialized team is needed, but it’s often more cost-effective to partner with an external vendor. A digital partner brings experts who understand the specific industry inside out, often having firsthand experience including from on-site visits. Also, an external partner offers flexibility and focuses on unique needs.

With a digital partner, you get certified experts, quick response times, and top-notch quality at flexible pricing. Expertise in cloud migration and infrastructure ensures smooth transitions and continuous access to critical systems and data. This approach not only keeps your systems up-to-date and compliant but also leverages specialized knowledge to drive your business forward with confidence.

We list the best cloud optimization service.

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