TechRadar News

Digitizing physical records is more than just scanning files. It’s a complex task that demands precision and robust security measures. Businesses face challenges like handling vast amounts of paper documents, categorizing unstructured data, and ensuring that the digital versions are accessible yet protected.

AI offers practical solutions to these challenges. By employing advanced algorithms that analyze unstructured information, identify patterns and categorize efficiently, businesses can achieve far greater efficiency with document scanning. Unlike manual processes, AI systems can process information at scale, reducing bottlenecks and ensuring accuracy. These tools can also integrate data from multiple sources, streamlining workflows and making the digitization process more efficient and reliable.

Optimizing digital information management with AI

AI is doing more than making digital records accessible, it’s also turning them into business assets. One of the biggest breakthroughs is AI’s ability to intelligently parse unstructured data, which is crucial for organizations transitioning to digital systems. Instead of wading through a sea of documents, AI can automatically classify records, apply metadata, and create searchable databases.

More importantly, AI can extract insights that paper documents simply can’t reveal. By analysing patterns across records, AI helps organizations identify trends, predict behaviors, and make more informed, data-driven decisions.

For instance, an AI-powered system could highlight inefficiencies in supply chains or uncover customer preferences buried in years of archived correspondence. This level of analysis not only improves the efficiency of business operations but also enables strategic foresight, identifying potential risks or opportunities ahead of time.

How AI can strengthen cybersecurity

Digital information can still fall victim to cybersecurity threats, from ransomware attacks to phishing scams, posing significant risks to these valuable repositories. This is where AI can play a pivotal role, offering robust protection against threats.

AI-driven systems can detect anomalies in real time, flagging suspicious activities before they become breaches. If an employee logs in from an unusual location or a database query seems out of place, AI can demand additional authentication or block the action altogether, helping to prevent unauthorized access.

AI-powered Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) systems also provide a comprehensive shield. By continuously monitoring network traffic, user behavior, and application events, these systems identify patterns that signal potential threats. They also incorporate threat intelligence from external sources, predicting vulnerabilities before they’re exploited. Automated responses ensure that incidents are contained swiftly, minimizing potential damage.

The versatility of AI in cybersecurity is also evident in its ability to combat phishing attempts. AI tools analyze email content for suspicious elements, reducing the risk of employees falling victim to cleverly crafted scams. As phishing scams grow increasingly sophisticated, AI’s ability to adapt and evolve is critical to staying ahead of attackers. With cybercriminals increasingly using AI to outsmart traditional defenses, deploying AI on the frontlines of cybersecurity is quickly becoming an essential tool.

How can businesses utilize AI within digital information management?

For businesses looking at AI as a part of digital strategy, the path forward requires careful planning and execution. Start small with manageable AI projects that demonstrate clear benefits, such as automating repetitive tasks or improving data accessibility. These initiatives can build confidence and showcase the tangible advantages of AI integration.

For AI to deliver maximum value, businesses must identify specific pain points within their existing digital records ecosystem. Does the challenge lie in managing large volumes of unstructured data? Or is cybersecurity a more pressing concern? A targeted approach ensures AI solutions align best with the goals of the organization, whether that’s creating searchable databases, uncovering actionable trends in data, or safeguarding sensitive information from cyber threats.

When it comes to security measures, implementing AI-driven cybersecurity tools, like SIEM systems or advanced anomaly detection, should be a foundational step. Regular assessments of IT infrastructure, combined with employee training on recognizing threats, can further fortify defenses.

Collaboration with AI experts is also essential. AI technology evolves rapidly, and remaining informed about the latest advancements helps businesses stay ahead. Partnering with trusted vendors can provide access to cutting-edge tools while ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. Finally, investing in continuous education for all teams across the company will ensure they are equipped to make use of AI’s full potential while mitigating its risks responsibly. Encouraging a culture of vigilance within the workforce also supports AI’s technological defenses, making cybersecurity efforts more comprehensive.

A future-ready approach to information management

Whether it’s converting unstructured data into valuable insights or shielding databases from cyber threats, AI is proving to be an indispensable ally in information management. Its ability to categorize, analyze, and secure information has redefined how organizations manage their most critical assets.

With a clear roadmap for implementation, businesses can maximize AI’s potential, reaping benefits that extend well beyond efficiency gains. The challenge now is for businesses to embrace this technology with this clear strategy, ensuring their digital records are both valuable and protected.

We've listed the best document scanning app.

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

• Launch of 36TB Exos M happens a month after a new 32TB model emerged
• Seagate is now comfortably ahead of arch-rival Western Digital
• For the first time, 10TB-per-platter technology has also been mentioned

Seagate added a 36TB Exos M model to its growing family of datacenter hard disk drives, making it the largest hard disk drive currently available. The yet-to-be-named device is based on the company's mature Mozaic 3+ platform and has been shipped to select customers, most likely hyperscalers like Microsoft or AWS.

The US storage company added a 32TB Exos M last month, almost one year after it added its previous largest drive, a 30TB model. Rival Western Digital has a 32TB HDD in its line up but unlike Seagate, uses 11 platters (rather than 10) to reach this capacity. The same goes for Toshiba; the Japanese firm tested 31TB and 32TB models with 10 and 11 platters.

Platter capacity is something Seagate has been keen to tout as a unique selling point; its press release mentions that it is the only data storage company that can achieve areal densities of 3.6TB per platter with a pathway to 10TB in the future. That's a whopping 100TB hard drive in the pipeline.

60TB HDDs coming soon

Seagate's CEO, Dave Mosley, also disclosed that the company has successfully demonstrated platter capacities of over 6TB per platter in lab environments. That means that 60TB hard drives are within reach and should arrive before the end of the decade (or as in marketing lingo, depending on market conditions).

With this 36TB model, Seagate moves away from CMR and SMR to embrace HAMR technology exclusively; Heat-assisted magnetic recording, Seagate says, enables a 25% cost reduction per TB and a 60% decrease in power consumption per TB. That relentless drive towards cheaper storage is what will keep HDD relevant despite SSDs supremacy on performance, storage density and power consumption.

122TB SSDs are expected to go on sale later this year, targeting the same lucrative datacenter market but different tiers. At an estimated cost of $80 per TB, they would still be 4x or 5X more expensive than one 36TB HDD but will appeal to certain specific customers.

In a statement, a Dell spokesperson also explained that large capacity, affordable HDDs will play in AI workloads, supporting use cases like retrieval augmented generation (RAG), inferencing and agentic workflows.

The 36TB HDD is unlikely to ever go on sale in retail for the foreseeable future due to enterprise demand; the largest internal hard disk drive you can buy is a 26TB Western Digital Gold Enterprise HDD with larger capacities usually available only via partners or system integrators.

You might also like

• These are the fastest hard drives on offer today
• Someone reviewed a stealth HDD that's not supposed to exist
• Seagate claims its flagship hard drives could last more than 7 years

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 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 NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

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 #1093) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* 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 #1093) - 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 0.

Quordle today (game #1093) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1093) - 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 #1093) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• C

• V

• P

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1093) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1093, are…

• CHART
• VIGOR
• PRINT
• SPAWN

Even though I had a complete brain melt on my penultimate guess I’m still pleased that I completed today’s Quordle after eight tries, especially as it took me four lines before I got a correct word.

Even though I already had the letter “N” in yellow form before I solved SPAWN, I completely missed it when I guessed SWAPS. What's more, I entered a plural – even though I know that they are not included in the game. A wasted guess. Still it got me to SPAWN eventually, so nothing ventured, nothing gained.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1093) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1093, are…

• LOUSE
• FABLE
• DOWEL
• GIVER

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1092, Monday 20 January: SIXTY, THONG, TATTY, ROBIN
• Quordle #1091, Sunday 19 January: WREST, RINSE, SCOUR, CANNY
• Quordle #1090, Saturday 18 January: BLARE, ITCHY, BICEP, PIPER
• Quordle #1089, Friday 17 January: CATCH, WEARY, SWOON, LATHE
• Quordle #1088, Thursday 16 January: PARTY, BLUNT, TWEED, PLANT
• Quordle #1087, Wednesday 15 January: RISEN, PLATE, RURAL, ENVOY
• Quordle #1086, Tuesday 14 January: SWARM, SCRAP, ONION, BELCH
• Quordle #1085, Monday 13 January: EYING, GIDDY, CHEAP, PETAL
• Quordle #1084, Sunday 12 January: BRIEF, PETAL, WOMAN, FELON
• Quordle #1083, Saturday 11 January: ASCOT, FIBER, ROGUE, SMELL
• Quordle #1082, Friday 10 January: BIGOT, INLET, LEECH, TUNIC
• Quordle #1081, Thursday 9 January: RESET, HUMOR, TENOR, IMAGE
• Quordle #1080, Wednesday 8 January: MINCE, SADLY, RISEN, VOUCH
• Quordle #1079, Tuesday 7 January: CREED, FILET, ROUTE, TAPER
• Quordle #1078, Monday 6 January: PIVOT, WOOLY, GRUNT, GROOM
• Quordle #1077, Sunday 5 January: BORAX, JUDGE, CADET, SALON
• Quordle #1076, Saturday 4 January: CORER, CRATE, QUASI, EXIST
• Quordle #1075, Friday 3 January: PERKY, QUARK, NAVEL, SHEEN
• Quordle #1074, Thursday 2 January: UNIFY, SWORE, DEPOT, INTRO
• Quordle #1073, Wednesday 1 January: CLING, SUITE, WORRY, TONIC

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

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

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

NYT Connections today (game #590) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• MINIATURE
• OCTOPUS
• CRACK
• PEPPER
• SLIGHT
• SALT
• DIG
• SAND
• DOLL
• WHO
• SHOVEL
• FIGURE
• PLOW
• BARB
• MODEL
• NO

NYT Connections today (game #590) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Belittle
• GREEN: Tiny version 
• BLUE: Slush clearance 
• PURPLE: Famous docs

Need more clues?

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

NYT Connections today (game #590) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: PUTDOWN
• GREEN: SMALL LIKENESS 
• BLUE: USED TO CLEAR SNOW 
• PURPLE: DOCTORS IN POP CULTURE

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

NYT Connections today (game #590) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #590, are…

• YELLOW: PUTDOWN BARB, CRACK, DIG, SLIGHT
• GREEN: SMALL LIKENESS DOLL, FIGURE, MINIATURE, MODEL
• BLUE: USED TO CLEAR SNOW PLOW, SALT, SAND, SHOVEL
• PURPLE: DOCTORS IN POP CULTURE NO, OCTOPUS, PEPPER, WHO

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The second I cast eyes upon WHO and NO I knew that we were looking for DOCTORS IN POP CULTURE. PEPPER was an easy spot (easier than drinking it, anyway) but the fourth was trickier, not being a fan of the whole Marvel multiverse – but OCTOPUS sort of sounded like a villain of some kind.

Having got the Purple group first I thought that would make the Yellow group easier to solve; I came close to completing THINGS TO CLEAR SNOW, but instead found all four PUTDOWN words and the green SMALL LIKENESS quartet.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 20 January, game #589)

• YELLOW: TAKE ON, AS A RESPONSIBILITY ASSUME, BEAR, HANDLE, SHOULDER
• GREEN: CORNERS ANGLE, BEND, CROOK, ELBOW
• PURPLE: SHEET BALANCE, CHEAT, COOKIE, FITTED
• BLUE: ASSOCIATED WITH POPEYE ANCHOR, FOREARM, PIPE, SPINACH

What is NYT Connections?

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

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

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

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

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

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… You don't say …

NYT Strands today (game #324) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PAST
• LARD
• SLAM
• SEAT
• BULB
• TASTE

NYT Strands today (game #324) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Old skool speak

NYT Strands today (game #324) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 5th row

Last side: bottom, 4th column

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

NYT Strands today (game #324) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #324, are…

• CHERRY
• BOSS
• MAJOR
• PHAT
• FRESH
• RADICAL
• TUBULAR
• SPANGRAM: DATED SLANG

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 hints

As someone who still greets old friends with an impression of a 1990s Budweiser commercial, I’ve no truck with calling the “SLANG” included in today’s Strands “DATED” as if it’s lame or something. In fact I’m buggin about it. I’ve only just gotten over saying Cowabunga when my team score a goal.

Having said all that, I still struggled a little with today’s puzzle. Even though they were the last two words, it took me yonks to come up with RADICAL and TUBULAR – I mean, I’m sure RALUBUT is slang for something somewhere.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 20 January, game #323)

• HATTER
• RABBIT
• CROQUET
• DORMOUSE
• CATERPILLAR
• SPANGRAM: WONDERLAND

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.

• Vector FX simplifies vector graphics with AI-driven text-based prompts
• The subscription model offers exclusive tools, templates, and cloud storage
• CorelDRAW Technical Suite adds S1000D palette and CAD integration

Alludo has launched new updates to its popular CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2024 and CorelDRAW Technical Suite.

The updates include a range of enhancements such as Vector FX, Painterly Brush tool and new Pantone colour palettes all aiming to improve flexibility, efficiency, and creativity.

Vector FX is of particular interest - a standalone generative AI application which simplifies the creation of vector graphics, allowing users to input text prompts to generate unique, scalable graphics, which can then be edited and refined in CorelDRAW.

CorelDRAW new features

Beyond AI tools, the update also upgrades the Painterly Brush tool with the addition of new pixel-based brushes, exclusively available to subscribers. The brushes support customizable settings allowing users to modify parameters such as texture, density, smoothing, and glow.

The Painterly Brush now features a dedicated tab in the Properties docker/inspector, offering a streamlined interface for accessing and adjusting brush properties.

Another addition to the 2024 CorelDraw Graphic Suite is the integration of Pantone’s latest colour palettes, now available at no additional cost. It brings 175 new shades from the Pantone Dualities palette.

The new update also adds Brush Favorites, which allows users to save their most-used brushes for quick access, as well as Focus Mode which offers a a distraction-free workspace. With the new Print Merge feature, CorelDraw now supports QR codes, images, and Excel spreadsheet data, making it easier to create personalized print materials such as marketing brochures, invitations, or labels.

“The new updates to our Painterly Brush tool reflect our dedication to innovation and incorporating user feedback,” said Prakash Channagiri, Senior Director of Product Management for CorelDRAW.

“With the latest colour palettes from Pantone, users can discover 175 new colours, offering unparalleled colour matching, ensuring precise, vibrant designs. These advancements open up new opportunities for designers to work more efficiently and push the boundaries of their creativity."

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2024 is available in two purchasing options: a subscription model and a one-time purchase. Both options provide access to CorelDRAW's core applications, including Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Corel Font Manager, CAPTURE, and AfterShot HDR. However, it is important to note the key differences between the two versions before making a choice.

The subscription model receives instant access to new updates and enhancements as they become available, including exclusive tools such as Vector FX and the 50 new Painterly Brushes. This version also supports a cloud-based template library, providing access to over 500 templates, more than double what is available in the one-time purchase version. Furthermore, the enhanced asset management system in the subscription version is cloud-based, allowing users to access and organize their design assets from anywhere.

On the other hand, the one-time purchase version, while lacking some of the advanced features of the subscription model, offers a more traditional approach to software ownership.

Users who opt for this model can use the software indefinitely without recurring fees - however, they will not have access to the ongoing updates and new features available to subscribers. The one-time purchase version includes over 200 templates and more than 100 brushes, which falls short of the expanded content provided in the subscription model.

Additionally, the subscription version includes enhanced support for AutoCAD DWG/DXF files and also features an enhanced Hints docker/inspector, which provides more personalized learning resources to help users get the most out of the software. These features are available in the one-time version, but they are not enhanced.

In addition to the updates to CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, the CorelDRAW Technical Suite has also received a new upgrade. This suite caters to professionals involved in technical illustration and documentation, offering specialized tools for creating precise, technical drawings.

The pricing for CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2024 varies depending on the purchasing option. The subscription model is priced at $269 per year, or €369 and £319 for European and UK customers, including VAT. Alternatively, users can opt for a one-time purchase at $549, €779, or £659.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2024 is available on Windows and macOS, as well as via web access for subscribers and maintenance customers. The software is offered in several languages, including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Czech, Russian, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Swedish, and Japanese.

You may also like

• Adobe releases Express for Enterprise
• Best drawing apps of 2024
• AI could terminate graphic designers before 2030

• Focal Utopia Main 112 and 212 studio monitors have landed
• UM 112 is a three-way monitor; UM 212 is a 3.5-way design
• This is a high-end audio brand, and Utopia Main's pricing reflects that

French audio specialist Focal needs no introduction from me (but see the phenomenal Diva Utopia or Aria Evo X floorstanding speakers if you'd like a refresher), and now the celebrated hi-fi brand is introducing something a little different. It's something the company is proudly calling Utopia Main, and it's a new range of studio monitors pitched specifically at engineers, musicians, producers, and other audio professionals – as long as they've got fairly deep pockets…

Focal tells me that each component in the two models (one a three-way pair; the other a 3.5-way option) has been carefully crafted for these models alone, and when Focal directs you to new technology such as an "M-shaped membrane" on the all-new 5-inch midrange unit, plus a "W-membrane Beryllium tweeter", it's worth taking note – this company has produced some of the finest-sounding audio equipment we've ever heard. (Have I ever told you about the Focal Celestee or Focal Bathys? I suppose I have now.)

The company also tells me that many elements within its Utopia range have been in development since 2017 and that Utopia Main marks "the most significant milestone" for Focal’s pro division since its inception.

Looking for Utopia, in the Main

The UM 112 above are the slightly less-expensive of the two models (Image credit: Focal )

Shall we dig just a little deeper into Focal's technical wizardry? I won't try to simplify the workings in the Utopia Main press release, which state: "Force submitted to a membrane is determined by the equation F=B*l*i, where B is the magnetic field within the voice coil, l the length of the coil and i the current". But I can tell you that for the first time ever, Focal's Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) technology has been integrated to the high-frequency driver. According to Focal, this halved the Total Harmonic Distortion – aka those pesky unwanted intonations in an audio signal – at 3kHz, a high-treble frequency.

As well as this, the voice coil diameter was increased to 25mm, for better heat dissipation. Then, there are the patented amplifiers of the three-way UM 112 and 3.5-way UM 212. These use a combination of lesser-seen Class H amplification (which typically modulates the supply voltage to the output devices, so that it's never higher than necessary to support the signal) with a current-mode amplification. Focal says that by controlling the current in the amplification stage (instead of the voltage), engineers have been able to directly control the force submitted to the membrane, and all-but-eliminate any additional unwanted audio articles and nasties.

I'll tell you one thing: I've heard the large, floor-standing Diva Utopia, and although they're too high-end for our dedicated buying guide, they're still some of the best stereo speakers money can buy. If the Utopia Main range can perform anywhere near as commandingly and insightfully in a smaller, studio-friendly package, they'd get my vote for reference recording.

Pricing? Of course, but get ready: Focal UM 112 is priced at $30,000 / £22,000 (so around AU$43,000), while the Focal UM 212 will set you back a cool $50,000 / £38,000 (or nearer AU$75,000). Two for the wish-list, then…

You may also like

• Wi-Fi wireless earbuds with 24-bit hi-res audio are coming 'very soon', confirms Qualcomm
• Campfire Audio's Alessandro Cortini collab IEMs are everything my Nine Inch Nails-loving heart needs
• I'd like to be, under the sea, with Ringo Starr's Studer 80 recorder, in the shade

• New Satechi hub simplifies storage and ports for Apple Mac Mini
• Offers to preserve wireless strength while cooling Mac Mini
• Users can enjoy high-speed storage with budget-friendly expandable solutions

Satechi has unveiled its latest innovation for Apple fans: the Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure, designed exclusively for the 2024 Mac Mini.

This new Stand & Hub supports up to 4TB of M.2 NVMe SSD storage as well as multiple SSD sizes, including M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280 while offering 10Gbps transfer speeds to ensure quick access to files and media.

This Stand & Hub is a cheaper option for storage upgrades compared to Apple’s built-in upgrades, and while the speeds may not rival Apple’s onboard SSDs, they should be more than sufficient for everyday use, making this a decent alternative for those on a budget.

Designed for the 2024 Mac Mini

The new Satechi Mac Mini M4 comes with an aluminium design that mirrors Apple’s design, but is also smaller than its predecessor, rendering older stands incompatible.

Modern Apple devices, including the Mac Mini M4, often omit older ports, leaving users reliant on adapters - the Satechi hub addresses this by reintroducing three USB-A ports, positioned on the front for ease of access.

Its front-facing ports make it easier to connect frequently used peripherals without reaching around the back of the device. The aluminium casing is paired with heat-dissipating vents which keep the device cool while preserving wireless signal strength, a critical factor for modern connectivity needs. It also incorporates a patented technology to ensure optimal airflow and heat dissipation.

Upgrading to 4TB using Apple’s internal storage upgrades could cost over $1200. Satechi’s hub provides a more affordable alternative, allowing users to purchase and install their own SSDs.

You may also like

• We've rounded up the best laptop docks for MacBook Air
• Check out our review of the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Pro Dock
• These are the best business laptops around today

• Silo Season 3 is going to be a lot less dark than season 2
• In the meantime, "crank the brightness up" on your TV
• Season 3 will include more locations and even sunshine

If – like us – you've just binged the second season of Silo, one of the very best Apple TV Plus shows, you'll be very familiar with its big problem: the darkness.

I don't mean darkness in the sense of bleakness or horror, although Silo season 2 did serve up some of that. I mean literal darkness, the darkness that made watching the second season feel for long periods like Apple had forgotten to pay the lighting crew and decided to go ahead and film entire episodes with nothing more than a candle and the torch app on an old iPhone.

The good news? The darkness is going away for season 3 – and we presume for future seasons that have been confirmed to be coming. Or at least, some of the locations aren't going to be in down deep in the dark.

Bringing Silo into the light

The news comes via TV Line, who spoke to Silo showrunner Graham Yost and presumably said, "hey Graham, how about making a season we can actually see this time, huh?" Because Yost has shared the welcome news that the lighting will be much brighter in the third season of Silo.

That's not to say he's sorry about making a show so dark my brother ended up upgrading to one of the best TVs to watch it. According to Yost, "it's just the way it plays" when you're making a season set largely underground in locations that are written as having limited or no power. "When we showed the first episode on a big screen in London, it looked fantastic, because motion picture screens are very bright. So I just encourage everyone to crank up the brightness [on your TV], and you’ll see a difference."

So what's changing for season 3? In a word, locations. The next season will also go into much more detail about the origins of the silos and the events that made them necessary. "We will be outdoors, and we will be in the world, and there will be sunshine." Sunshine! But don't expect to turn down the brightness too often, because Yost also confirms that – very mild spoiler ahead – we'll also be returning to Silo 17.

You might also like

• 7 big Severance season 2 theories after season 2 episode 1
• Silo season 2 showrunner on the dystopian series next chapter
• Everything new on Apple TV Plus this month

At CES 2025, Samsung unveiled its next flagship OLED TV, the Samsung S95F. While the fanciest feature may be the highly impressive OLED Glare Free 2.0 reflection-reduction coating, there were two other elements that Samsung shouted about: a new 83-inch size option (along with the 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch sizes already available); and the promise of dazzling brightness at up to 4,000 nits.

Given that in our testing of the best OLED TVs, we have yet to measure one that makes it past 2,000 nits of brightness, I had to know more about this, and I spoke to Samsung about exactly what to expect.

One reason I wasn't sure about it was that the new 83-inch model doesn't use the same Samsung QD-OLED screen technology as the other sizes; instead, it uses a W-OLED panel, made by LG Display. Samsung didn't confirm this, but given the brightness claims, it must be the latest-generation 'four-stack' OLED panel from LG.

Samsung says that every size of S95F will have the same level of performance, including the promise of hitting 4,000 nits of peak HDR brightness. However, Samsung specified that this claim is definitely an extreme one – something the panel is capable of doing in real life, but it's unlikely to happen much. The company told me this can be hit in a 3% HDR window for a few seconds, and will presumably require a particular image mode to achieve.

The more useful real-world measurement, and no less impressive in that context, is that Samsung says all models will be able to hit 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness in a 10% window, and this can be sustained.

(Image credit: Future)

That is still higher than we've measured from any OLED TV to date, and really brings OLED TVs into line with the best mini-LED TVs for peak brightness (at least, the mainstream ones – not the likes of the Hisense 110UX and its claims of up to 10,000 nits).

Fullscreen brightness for this year's OLED TVs seems to be improved as well – there's talk of the S95F jumping to just under 400 nits, from about 320 nits for the S95D. The LG G5 flagship OLED promises a 40% jump in fullscreen brightness, which would put it at about 350 nits.

However, those figures are still much lower than higher-end mini-LED TVs, which can hit 500-600 nits of fullscreen brightness, which is why we rate them as the best TVs for sport, where brightness across the whole screen is important, in order to make everything bright and vibrant at once, and to beat reflections (although that's what Samsung's Glare Free coating is supposed to help with).

Time to drop the old concerns?

In the past, when Samsung has mixed QD-OLED and W-OLED panels at different screen sizes, it's given us a big headache. Take the Samsung S90C OLED TV, which we rated at the best TV overall for a long time… at least, at most sizes. Just like the Samsung S95F, that set came in 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch and 83-inch sizes – and the three smaller sizes were made with a Samsung QD-OLED screen, while the 83-inch size was an LG W-OLED panel.

The problem was that, at the time, the mid-range QD-OLED screens were far brighter than LG's mid-range W-OLED screens, so we basically just had to say that we didn't recommend the 83-inch size, because we felt that the 83-inch LG C3 was better value given that it used the same panel.

So in the past, every time I heard that Samsung was using different panel types at different sizes for one of its OLEDs, I got an instant migraine. We knew the performance of these panels, and we knew they couldn't be equivalent.

But Samsung says that's not the case in the S95F. I was told very confidently that the promise of 4,000 nits of extreme peak brightness and 2,000 nits of sustained peak brightness will apply to the 83-inch W-OLED size as well as the QD-OLED size.

Obviously, we're aiming to measure and confirm this ourselves – I can only hope we're about to get our hands on it sooner rather than later, because the S95F is absolutely one of the most exciting TVs of 2025.

You might also like

• LG's most stunning OLED TV of all time made a surprise secret return at CES, with a wireless twist
• Forget OLED? LG is going all in on QNED TV tech for 2025, and it's dropping quantum dots
• Looks like Sansui will be your best cheap OLED TV option in a range of sizes in 2025 in the US

• Four models with up to 8 drivers
• Launching 21 January 2025
• $599 to $1,699 (about £499 / AU$965 to £1,399 / AU$2,739)

There's a new name in the high-end earbuds market: Dark Matter Audio Labs, or DMA Labs for short. And if its first four in-ear monitors sound as good as they look, they could be pretty spectacular.

The firm sounds a bit like an audio A-Team, a group of industry veterans from "multiple custom in-ear monitor brands" with many years of audio engineering experience and live music tours under their collective belts. And the promise here is "superior fit and exceptional sound signatures".

DMA Labs IEMs: key features and pricing

(Image credit: DMA Labs)

There are four models at a range of prices from $599 to $1,699. And they're certainly striking. The four models are:

• DM2H Hybrid Dual-Driver Custom IEM with 1x dynamic driver and 1x balanced armature driver – $599
• DMA3 Triple-Driver Custom IEM with 3x balanced armature drivers – $899
• DMA6 Six-Driver Custom IEM with 6x balanced armature drivers – $1499
• DMA8 Eight-Driver Custom IEM with 8x balanced armature drivers – $1699

We don't have more detailed specifications for details, such as frequency response and sensitivity, but we'd expect that to be available in a few days time when the IEMs officially launch and the official website goes live.

They look like strong competitors to more rarefied models in our list of the best wired earbuds based on looks alone – who doesn't want something that looks like a nebula in their ears?

You might also like…

• The best wired earbuds you can buy for every budget
• The best headphones and earbuds from CES 2025
• The best headphones of every kind

When you're stuck with deciding what new movie or TV show to watch next, you can always rely on Hulu to help you make those tough decisions. But there's nothing more frustrating when our favorite titles are removed from the platform, and there's another wave of titles lined up to leave one of the best streaming services in February 2025.

As it has been in past everything leaving Hulu lists, the platform is only removing movies in February 2025 so if you're a fan of the best Hulu shows, then you can rest easy this month – I wish I could say the same for movies fans. And though there's a mere 22 titles on the Hulu chopping block, these unfortunately include two of our best Hulu movies – the striking body horror flick Titane (2021), and the visually stunning Spencer (2021), which earned Kristen Stewart an Oscar nod.

The only upside is that there's still ample time for you to catch them before February arrives and Hulu's new monthly titles take their places. You can read all the titles leaving Hulu in February 2025 below.

Everything leaving Hulu in February 2025

Leaving on February 3

Beans (movie)
The Beta Test (movie)

Leaving on February 7

Flee (movie)
Spencer (movie)

Leaving on on February 11

Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday (movie)
Rogue Agent (movie)

Leaving on February 14

Oscar Peterson: Black + White (movie)
Venus As a Boy (movie)

Leaving on February 15

Titane (movie)

Leaving February 17

Hold Your Fire (movie)
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (movie)
The Feast (movie)

Leaving on February 18

Spin me Round (movie)
To Catch A Killer (movie)

Leaving on February 24

The Last Rite (movie)

Leaving on February 25

Watcher (movie)

Leaving on February 28

Moby Doc (movie)
The Big Scary 'S' Word (movie)
Savior for Sale (movie)
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (movie)
Shit & Champagne (movie)
Show Me the Picture (movie)

You might also like

• Dune: Part Two has just been added to Netflix - here are 3 other gripping sci-fi movies with over 87% on Rotten Tomatoes
• Star Wars: Skeleton Crew ending explained: is Jod a Jedi, is there a post-credits scene, will there be a season 2, and your biggest questions answered
• 3 movies leaving Hulu in January 2025 with over 83% on Rotten Tomatoes

• An iOS 19 leak suggests the iPhone Camera app will get a big redesign
• Mock-ups based on the leak point to a simplified, Vision Pro-inspired look
• iOS 19 is expected to get a full launch in September

The iPhone's Camera app has been treated to a generous helping of new features over the past few years, from Photographic Styles to Apple ProRaw. But one thing Apple forgot to do is organize them in a way that makes intuitive sense. Fortunately, a new iOS 19 leak suggests it'll finally be rectifying that later this year.

iOS leaks are quite rare, so I'm treating this new one with caution. But the source, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech, isn't known for outlandish, unsourced rumors. And talking about its mockups (based on inside contacts at Apple), the channel says “I can say with 100% certainty that what I showed you is real”.

So what exactly is new? Well, if the iOS 19 leak is true, Apple will soon be replacing the confusing mess that is iOS 18's cluttered Camera UI with a cleaner, simplified look that's inspired by the Apple Vision Pro.

For me, the Vision Pro influence is less interesting than the simple fact that Apple appears to have finally tidied up the cluttered interface. Gone is the thumb-tiring row of eight modes for photos and videos, with those lists instead hidden inside a simple photo and video toggle.

(Image credit: Front Page Tech)

This does mean that some camera features will be a little more out-of-sight – for example, did you know that the QuickTake feature lives inside the shutter button for one-touch burst shots and video? But that's definitely the direction the Camera app needs to move in. Hopefully, iOS 19 also fixes the arrow at the top of the app, which confusingly opens a draw of icons at the bottom of the screen. I'd wager that a lot people don't even know those settings exist.

The Camera app's cluttered top bar also seems to have been given a welcome makeover, according to this iOS 19 leak. It seems we'll be getting a more obvious way to choose video specs like resolution and frame-rates. Presumably, Apple will still find somewhere for shortcuts to Action Mode and focal lengths, which seem to be missing from this mockup. But overall, I'm fully onboard with the refresh – apart from one thing...

The missing link

The mockup from Front Page Tech (above) shows how Apple might be splitting the current long row of options into separate Photo and Video lists with a toggle. (Image credit: Front Page Tech)

I've been hoping that iPhones might get a Pro photo mode for a few years now, but there's unfortunately still no sign of one in these iOS 19 leaks. Apple has shown signs of moving in that direction with video, but only with separate apps like Final Cut Pro for iPad.

To be fair, Apple has added a lot of pro-friendly photo features to iOS, many of which are hidden in its Settings menu. I've rounded up a lot of those tweaks in my guide on how to set up your iPhone 16 (or iOS 18 phone) to take great photos in 2025.

But one simple solution to hiding the Camera app's clutter would be to have a toggle that flips it between 'point-and-shoot' and 'Pro' mode. The iOS 19 redesign looks like a solid point-and-shoot experience, but a Pro mode (perhaps mapped to the Action button) could quickly turn it into something like a Fujifilm X100VI by bringing up extra controls like manual focus or focus peaking.

That would be my ideal Camera app setup, effectively making the iPhone two cameras in one. But it's possible that Apple is concerned about 'Sherlocking' some of the best camera apps like ProCamera, Halide or Camera Obscura, which could be seen as a faux pas considering many have starred in its annual App Store Awards.

Still, even if Apple resists adding a full Pro mode to its Camera app, the refresh illustrated in this iOS 19 leak looks like a step in the right direction. And who knows, maybe it does hint at a wider iOS refresh that would see it get its biggest visual makeover since iOS 7 back in 2013...

You might also like

• New leak says if your iPhone can run iOS 18, it should be able to run iOS 19 too
• How 2025 could make or break Apple Intelligence and Siri
• The Apple Intelligence launch is a mess – don’t buy the iPhone 16 or install iOS 18 based on the promise of what’s to come

• Phishing websites impersonate trusted brands to deceive users
• Advanced obfuscation techniques evade traditional security measures
• Real-time detection is crucial for mobile security defence, experts warn

A coordinated mobile malware campaign has been found targeting financial institutions worldwide, experts have warned.

Zimperium's zLabs research team found the campaign leveraged two dangerous malware families, Gigabud and Spynote, to compromise mobile devices and target banking apps.

More than 50 financial mobile apps, including 40 banks and 10 cryptocurrency platforms, have been targeted in this sophisticated malware campaign.

Global malware campaign

While Gigabud primarily focuses on stealing banking app credentials through phishing websites and malicious apps, Spynote allows attackers to take full control of infected devices, and is capable of stealing data, recording media, tracking locations, and remotely controlling devices.

Domains distributing Gigabud were also found to be spreading Spynote, indicating a coordinated, large-scale effort to exploit mobile device vulnerabilities. Together, these malware strains pose a serious risk to both personal and corporate data, signalling a more complex mobile cyber threat.

The campaign’s reach is global, affecting financial institutions in several countries, as Zimperium discovered 11 command-and-control servers and 79 phishing websites impersonating brands such as Ethiopian Airlines, Vietnamese financial platforms, popular ecommerce sites, and even government services.

The attackers have specifically targeted mobile banking apps to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, including login credentials, banking details, and transaction histories.

The Gigabud - Spynote campaign makes use of advanced obfuscation techniques to evade traditional security measures. The malware is packed using Virbox, a tool designed to conceal malicious code, making it harder for traditional detection methods to identify and analyze the malware.

Though the campaign primarily targets consumer-focused mobile banking apps, the level of access that Gigabud and Spynote achieve raises concerns for corporate security. Many users have both personal and work-related applications on the same mobile devices, so if a personal device is compromised, sensitive corporate applications and data, including credentials and two-factor authentication methods, could also be at risk.

Given the global scale of this campaign and the heavy focus on financial apps, Zimperium urges both consumers and organizations to take immediate steps to protect themselves.

Companies need to ensure that they have real-time, on-device mobile security measures capable of detecting and stopping advanced threats, and need to educate employees about the risks of downloading apps from unofficial sources, clicking on suspicious links, and granting unnecessary permissions is crucial to mitigating the risks of mobile malware.

“The connection between Gigabud and Spynote demonstrates the growing complexity of mobile malware attacks. Our latest research highlights the critical importance of real-time, on-device detection to protect against these rapidly evolving threats," noted Nico Chiaraviglio, Chief Scientist at Zimperium.

You may also like

• These fake websites are just spreading malware
• Zimbra servers attacked following email compromise
• Hacker arrested for selling bank details of several accounts

• BYD built more EVs than Tesla for the first time in 2024
• Cheaper Chinese vehicles are catching on in emerging markets
• EVs will outsell gas cars in China this year

Tesla has been the undisputed king of electric vehicles for well over a decade now, producing more cars and out-selling rivals by a considerable margin during that time.

But the threat from Chinese rivals has been looming on the horizon, with Build Your Dreams – or BYD, to most – rapidly catching up to Musk’s successes.

According to The Washington Post, BYD built more electric cars than Tesla last year, the first time it has achieved such a milestone.

Although the margins are relatively small, with BYD producing 1.78 million electric vehicles, compared to Tesla’s 1.77 million, it shows that more affordable alternatives hailing from China are rapidly catching on in numerous emerging markets around the globe.

According to the Financial Times, more affordable electric vehicles are slated to outsell petrol and diesel cars in China for the first time this year, with the appetite for cut-price EVs on the rise.

BYD’s cars have long been almost half the price of Tesla’s top performing models, with the likes of its diminutive Seagull undercutting Tesla’s smallest Model 3 by almost $30,000 (or around £25,000 / AU$50,000).

A better comparison would be the more recent BYD Sealion, which takes the form of the brand’s large SUV offering and costs around $26,000 (around £22,000 / AU$42,000) in China, almost half the cost of a similar Model Y.

With the Biden Administration introducing hefty tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports, as well as seeking a flat-out ban on any vehicle that includes connected Chinese technology, the likelihood of BYD catching on Stateside looks slim.

Instead, the Chinese manufacturer has sought to gain traction in the fruitful Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America markets.

Gernot Wagner, a climate economist at Columbia Business School, told The Washington Post that there is “not a single attractive, affordable [all-electric car] made in the U.S. that would stand a chance against a Chinese-made one in a developing market,” sparking concern that North America could lag well behind its Chinese counterparts and lose its reputation as a global automaker in the coming years.

Analysis: the gap between East and West is closing

(Image credit: BYD)

There was a time when vehicles hailing from China were considered cheap, basic and badly-built alternatives to what the ‘legacy automakers’ of the world have been producing for decades. But times are changing.

The quality of BYD’s more recent products has been applauded by both professionals and customers alike, who have heaped praise on the generous levels of equipment offered for the affordable price tags, in-car technology that works and a battery range that eclipses that of far more expensive rivals.

On the other hand, Tesla has received flak for the often questionable build quality of its cars, with the most recent Cybertruck among those that have suffered numerous recalls and issues that have had customers heading to the forums to vent.

What's worse is that Tesla's battery technology doesn't seem to be moving at the same sort of pace as MG, BYD and several other top-performing Chinese companies.

The most recent Model Y 'Juniper' update, for example, added around 10 miles of additional range, whereas MG has said it will release a vehicle with Solid State Battery technology this year that will boast a range in excess of 600 miles.

But perhaps more worrying is the fact the North American car industry doesn’t seem to be answering the threat from China, despite the government doing everything it can to level the playing field.

Instead, the likes of Ford and GM have resorted to hybrids or returned to the production of gas-powered vehicles, rather than keeping up pace with global EV innovation, meaning those brands could soon have little to offer a world that has moved on from fossil fuels.

You might also like

• I’ve tried the new AI-powered MotorMia app – and it drags classic car mods into the 21st Century
• These powerful in-wheel motors could spawn the next generation of affordable high-performance EVs
• Android Automotive is my favorite car infotainment system – and it's finally going to get a lot more apps soon

Only Murders in the Building season 5: key information

- Officially renewed for season 5
- No confirmed release date or trailer yet
- Show’s main cast to return
- No new guest stars unveiled, but very likely to appear
- Plot details scarce, bar speculation on season 4’s finale
- Co-creator John Hoffman hopes for more seasons

While the murder-solving, podcast-making trio of Only Murders in the Building may be hoping for a moment’s peace, they’ve got no such luck. The luck is granted instead to fans of the show as the incredibly popular murder mystery will be returning for season 5. With the backdrop of the luxurious apartment complex, The Arconia, and fronted by Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, it’s the perfect recipe for one of the best Hulu shows.

In Only Murders in the Building season 4, the show that’s about a podcast, became about said podcast becoming a movie. But, that wasn’t the most puzzling thing about it - instead, it was the onslaught of murders that kept occurring, notably of Charles' beloved stunt double, Sazz Pataki. You’d think, given the trio's success rate at solving these heinous crimes, that the offenders would pick a different place. But, as Only Murders in the Building season 5 is lined up, the killing spree is far from over. Here's everything you need to know, including cast, plot, and when it could be released on Hulu (US) and Disney Plus (internationally).

Full spoilers follow for Only Murders in the Building seasons 1-4.

Only Murders in the Building season 5 release date prediction

A post shared by Only Murders in the Building (@onlymurdershulu)

A photo posted by on

Only Murders in the Building season 5 is officially on the way. During an exclusive interview with TheWrap in September 2024, showrunner John Hoffman revealed: “We’ve been keeping a secret for about a week and a half now. It’s very exciting. We’ve been in the writers room for season 5 for two weeks now. So it’s pretty fast and we’re already in.” We also know that it’ll be a ten-episode run, like the rest.

The renewal came only a week after the season 4 premiere and the leading trio headed to Instagram to divulge more. Quipping, Steve says: “So, when would that be on? It would be 2025.” To which Selena replies: “Well, we don’t know. We don’t have the date. We’ve got to shoot it.”

2025 seems quite likely though. Given the Hulu show’s previous release schedule, we’ve had a summer release date every year since 2021. So, to solve our very own mystery, we predict that season 5 will follow suit with a summer 2025 release date.

Only Murders in the Building season 5 trailer: is there one?

Only Murders in the Building season 4 only wrapped at the end of October, and the cast were discussing in September that they hadn’t started filming season 5 yet, so there’s no trailer to share. We’ll update this section once the trailer drops, which historically has come out mere weeks before the show’s return. So, hold tight until we’re solidly into 2025.

Only Murders in the Building season 5 confirmed cast

(Image credit: Disney)

It wouldn’t be Only Murders in the Building without the charismatic and endearing trio of Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin, who will all be returning. We also have a confirmed guest star for season 5 - Téa Leoni - who appeared in the season 4 finale, which we'll discuss more in the plot speculation below.

Despite already having a star-studded main cast to lead the show, Only Murders in the Building has proven that it will always bring in an incredible list of guest stars - from Tina Fey in season 1 to Meryl Streep in season 3. Although Streep has since become a recurring cast member. Not forgetting, there’s the Charles, Mabel, and Oliver of the season 4 movie adaptation, played by Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, and Zach Galifinakis.

While only the trio and Téa Leoni are confirmed, here’s who we expect will appear in Only Murders in the Building season 5:

• Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage
• Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora
• Martin Short as Oliver Putnam
• Meryl Streep as Loretta Durkin-Putnam
• Téa Leoni as Sofia Caccimelio
• Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Detective Donna Williams
• Jackie Hoffman as Uma Heller
• Ryan Boussard as Will Putnam
• Michael Cyril Creighton as Howard Morris

Only Murders in the Building season 5 story rumors

(Image credit: Hulu/Disney Plus)

Major spoilers follow for Only Murders in the Building season 4.

While we don’t know the Only Murders in the Building season 5 story synopsis yet, there’s a lot to unpack from season 4 that should give us some idea. While the trio successfully solved yet another murder - this time of Charles’ stunt double, Sazz Pataki - it felt once again like they’d finally be free to relax. But, it wouldn’t be a show without another murder.

As the trio enjoyed the fact that Oliver’s wedding day to Loretta (Meryl Streep) had gone unspoiled, they’re quickly brought back to reality as they find Lester, The Arconia’s doorman and beloved recurring star of the show, dead in the fountain. As has been the case with previous seasons, this cliffhanger ending sets up the tale for the next investigation - and season 5.

But, that’s not the only investigation hinted at as season 4 wrapped up. A mysterious woman, who introduces herself as Sofia (Téa Leoni), asks Charles and Mabel to find her husband, Nicky ‘The Neck’ Caccimelio. Now, we heard this name on a news report in episode nine saying Nicky, the dry-cleaning King of Brooklyn with links to the Caputo crime family, had disappeared. A report that Mabel reacts to. Sofia says she’ll pay them well to help her, to which they explain they only investigate murders in the building. Her reply, his disappearance has everything to do with the building. Though they turn her away, she leaves her card and the hint that her story will very much be intertwined in season 5.

A hint that has since been confirmed by co-creator John Hoffman to Deadline: "I think she's the great tease at the end of the finale and a little bit of an intriguing bump forward." Adding: "But beyond that, it's a world opened up potentially that we haven't talked about too much yet in New York, so she holds a lot of intrigue."

There’s even more to discuss though - murders aside. The finale saw Oliver and Loretta wed, though Loretta’s TV show has relocated to New Zealand, and so did she. Leaving Oliver behind at The Arconia with his friends, they agree that they’ll make their unconventional relationship work, even with distance. Given this, we’d assume this won’t be the last we see of the newlywed, Loretta Durkin-Putnam.

Then, there’s the shocking return of Jan Bellows (Amy Ryan), who despite being imprisoned in season 1, saves the trio by shooting and killing Marshall P. Pope, aka Rex Bailey, aka Sazz’s killer. Though she appeared earlier in the season, Charles was also hallucinating Sazz, so it wasn’t clear whether he had imagined Jan, too. Fortunately, she wasn’t a pigment of his imagination and consequently killed to avenge Sazz, her friend after a visit in prison in season 2, and save Charles (and Mabel and Oliver). But, as the police took her away in handcuffs, Jan said: “It’s not goodbye, Charles. It never is with us. We’re endgame.” To this, we’d predict, that we haven’t said farewell to Jan after all.

Only Murders in the Building season 4 also concluded with the movie still filming. So, a return of Eva Longoria, Zach Galifinakis, and Eugene Levy could well be on the cards for season 5. Plus, with another murder in the building, we’d expect the return of the usual stalwart Arconia residents (who haven’t been murdered, yet) returning to aid in whatever way they can, especially now it involves a man who has helped them all before.

While we also met some of the unusual residents of the West Tower in season 4, it’s not clear whether they’ll be returning to help with Lester’s death, or return to their lesser-known side of The Arconia.

And when it comes to the recurring role of Paul Rudd - first as actor Ben Glenroy in seasons 2 and 3, and then as Ben’s stunt double, Glen Stubbins in season 4, co-creator John Hoffman told TVLine: “ The fact that he likes the show as much as he does, and keeps at it with us, moves me to the point of making terrible choices. Dramatically, I can’t take anything off the table for him or for Jane Lynch. Or anyone else, frankly.”

The trio doing what they do best, returning guest stars, new guest stars, a deeper look into New York and The Arconia's history, and hopefully the resolution for poor Lester appear then to be the enticing construct for Only Murders in the Building season 5.

Only Murders in the Building: future seasons?

(Image credit: Hulu)

Back in season 3, showrunner John Hoffman told Screen Rant he was very eager to return for many seasons: “This is one of those shows where everyone involved in it is so happy doing it – and I know I speak for the trio and everyone else.” Continuing: “I hope it gives it a good long life.” While three seasons have now turned into five, we can only hope for more.

Hoffman certainly has ambition for more, if Hulu wants it. During an interview with Variety, he said: “Once you get over the hump of how many murders can happen in one building, you’re really stepping back and looking ultimately at the true original concept, which is three lonely people in New York City brought together by a common interest in true crime. Hopefully, we’ve tethered out our stories and hit reflections of things that we all recognize about life and death — and being that close to it and examining and investigating and following that, and then reflecting back. All of that feels very fertile always, so I’ll go as long as they’ll have us.”

There’s no official news past season 5 though. With a swift renewal in the midst of season 4, if we’re going to hear more, we imagine it’ll be nearer the time of season 5’s release in - we predict like Steve Martin himself - 2025.

For more Hulu and Disney Plus-related coverage, read our guides on The Bear season 4, Shōgun season 2, and X-Men 97 season 2.

• US DOE seeks to purchase 20MW super computer to maintain its nuclear stockpile better
• ATS-5 is expected to launch in 2027 and will take over HPE Intel's based ATS-3
• It will have at least 10PB of compute memory, the largest amount ever seen in a single device

The US Department of Energy is preparing to deploy a massive supercomputer called ATS-5 in 2027.

The system, which is designed to advance national security efforts by supporting nuclear stockpile management, marks a shift into what the DOE describes as the “post-exascale” computing era.

It will be installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and replace the existing 30-petaflop Crossroads (ATS-3) supercomputer. The Cray HPE Crossroads debuted at number 24 in the Top500 list in November 2023, but is now ranked 43.

Hero simulations

ATS-5 will be capable of handling massive 3D simulations essential for the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) stockpile stewardship program, and help to manage the US nuclear arsenal - hopefully with a better sense of caution than WarGames' WOPR supercomputer.

The system will feature a staggering 10 petabytes of compute memory in a single machine, and is projected to run within a 20-megawatt power envelope.

Designed as a mixed-architecture machine, ATS-5 will feature a combination of CPUs and GPUs, with the DOE pushing for architectural diversity. Flexibility is reportedly central to its design, with a modular architecture enabling hot-swappable compute modules, memory, and accelerators to keep up with ever-evolving technologies during the machine's lifetime.

A key goal for ATS-5 is reducing "time-to-solution," the time required for complex simulations to deliver meaningful insights. The system will tackle some of the largest-scale 3D simulations, known as "hero" simulations, reducing the completion time for tasks that previously took months to just days.

ATS-5 will also have the capacity to run multiple such hero simulations simultaneously, improving efficiency for critical defense analysis tasks such as modeling aging warhead materials, production techniques, and flight dynamics.

The DOE has already set performance milestones for ATS-5, reportedly seeking a 10x improvement over Crossroads in both single-node and system-wide scaling for critical workloads. This does not mean raw power but rather faster simulation scaling and greater efficiency. Memory performance, in particular, is a key focus, with the system aiming to overcome the "memory wall" by improving bandwidth and latency.

ATS-5 will be delivered in late 2026, with full benchmarking expected by the third quarter of 2027. It will run a Linux-based operating system with open-source software at its core, although HPCWire reports support for CUDA will be considered if Nvidia is selected as the vendor.

Other potential contenders to help build ATS-5 include HPE, which has experience in supercomputing projects with its Slingshot interconnect technology, used in Frontier and El Capitan, and Intel, which has an ongoing quantum project at Argonne National Laboratory.

You might also like

• AMD-powered El Capitan becomes the world’s fastest supercomputer
• HPE chooses AMD to power El Capitan supercomputer
• Intel says its unfinished supercomputer broke the exascale barrier

• iFixit gives the Beoplay Eleven one out of ten
• Says the batteries are no more replaceable than AirPods'
• Beoplay Eleven are "far behind" Apple in terms of tech

One of the big selling points of Bang & Olufsen's gorgeous Beoplay Eleven earbuds was their replaceable batteries, which promised a longer lifespan.

As we noted at the time, that replacement was only via service techs, and now iFixit has taken a look and concluded that they're going to need to be very special service techs.

Giving the earbuds a "dismal" one out of 10 for repairability, iFixit says that "these earbuds are so unrepairable, in fact, we don't even think they'll meet the upcoming 2027 EU Battery Regulation" – and B&O gave meeting sustainability rules as a key reason it offered the battery replacement service.

So what's the problem?

Why iFixit is slamming B&O's "replaceable" batteries

According to iFixit's Shahram Mokhtari, you won't just be able to take your buds down to the local electronics shop to get the batteries swapped out. And you definitely won't be able to do it yourself.

"The batteries are serviceable only at B&O centers, and the design makes DIY repair nearly impossible", iFixit says. Replacement requires "specialized jigs, heating, prying, and tackling soldered and welded components."

Not only that, but "our teardown shows that the Beoplay Eleven is nearly identical to the three-year-old Beoplay EX, with minor microphone and software updates". Some interior components are even labeled 'Beoplay EX'.

To say that the iFixit article is scathing would be an understatement. And there's one bit in particular that B&O is going to be really unhappy about: iFixit suggests that the Beoplay Eleven are not premium earbuds. "From the control board to the wiring, a side by side comparison of the Beoplay Eleven buds and the AirPods 4 buds show how far behind the Beoplay Eleven is in terms of hardware design."

TechRadar has contacted Bang & Olufsen for comment, and we'll update the story when we hear back.

You might also like

• The best earbuds you can buy today
• The best wireless headphones of all kinds
• Our earbuds and AirPods buying guides

• TikTok wasn't the only Bytedance app to be banned
• CapCut was taken down, and Meta out of nowhere announced Edits
• Edits sounds a lot like CapCut as a free editing tool for smartphones

TikTok’s short-lived (for now) US ban might have ended but several other apps that were caught in the crossfire are still yet to make a comeback at the time of writing due to their Bytedance affiliation. Marvel Snap was taken out, to everyone’s surprise, popular TikTok alternative Lemon8 was removed, and video-editing software CapCut also got cut. And in completely unrelated news, Meta took the opportunity to announce Edits, its own CapCut clone.

For the uninitiated, CapCut is a free photo and video editor from Bytedance that you can use on your phone, tablet or PC to edit your content. While it’s ideal for cutting together shortform content for platforms like TikTok, you can also use its tools and AI features to create longer-form videos complete with captions and effects.

With that in mind, let's look at the Edits announcement from Adam Mosseri, and Meta’s head of Instagram. Taking to Threads Mosseri calls Edits a free smartphone video editor for Instagram and other platforms – sounds kinda similar right? Well there are a few differences.

For one it sounds like Edits will be entirely focused on the smartphone experience rather than also having a PC launch. For another, Mosseri paints Edits as a place to not only edit content but as a one-stop shop for creatives to draft and store ideas, to capture video using an improved camera app, and to get access to info on trends to help inform your next short.

The TikTok ban affected more than one app (Image credit: Getty Images)

Though to return to the CapCut similarities, just like its rival, Edits isn’t available to download right now either – with the software currently up for preorder on iOS (an Android release is planned too) with a scheduled launch date of March 13, 2025.

It does seem a little suspect that Meta would have this announcement ready to go the day of TikTok and CapCut’s apparent demise, we’re just surprised it didn't take this opportunity to actually roll its rival out – though given the initial issues it had rolling out Threads when Twitter seemed to be on death's door, we aren’t surprised it’s taking things more slowly.

What’s up with other banned apps?

As for Bytedance’s other banned apps, TikTok is steadily making its comeback. You can now access your favorite creators via the app without using one of the best VPNs to spoof your location, though US users are still unable to install the app via app stores.

Marvel Snap will make a comeback soon (Image credit: Nuverse)

It’s unlikely that TikTok will be restored in full until Donald Trump signs the executive order he has promised that will extend the timeline within which TikTok must be sold. While he has vowed that there would be “no liability” for companies that support TikTok, and that he will sign the order on his first day in office, until he signs such an order we expect Apple and Google will hold fire in case he does yet another 180 on whether he wants to ban or save the social media platform.

Marvel Snap, the most surprising ban from over the weekend (even its own creators, Second Dinner, didn’t realize the app would be banned) is looking to return soon too. It’s still down in the US but in a post made on Sunday January 19 at 8:38pm ET / 1:38am GMT Second Dinner says it hopes to "have it back online within 24 hours.” It’s unclear if this is because it’s rejigging things on the backend so they’re no longer associated with Bytedance, or if the unbanning will be as part of the promised Trump unban but hopefully it’ll return soon so players can get back to playing the current Dark Avengers season.

Lemonade is still offline too. We expect it’ll return properly when TikTok does, though given its status in the US as simply a TikTok alternative which users only flocked to in the face of a ban, we expect it’s not Bytedance’s top priority – certainly not as much of a priority as TikTok.

You might also like

• TikTok is no longer available in the US, but the ban could soon be reversed
• I gave up my TikTok addiction for a month
• The TikTok ban pushes users to Red Note

• Newly established Belsen Group is leaking a 1.6GB archive
• It contains IP addresses, passwords, and more, reportedly from FortiGate devices
• The data was pulled two years ago, using a zero-day

Sensitive information on more than 15,000 FortiGate devices has leaked online after a new threat actor, calling themselves “Belsen Group”, posted the archive on a dark web forum in an attempt to promote their operation and make a name for themselves.

The group says the data includes IP addresses, passwords, and configurations, and to make analysis easier, it categorized the targets by country names.

“At the beginning of the year, and as a positive start for us, and in order to solidify the name of our group in your memory, we are proud to announce our first official operation,” the thread on the forum reads.

Authentic, but old, data

As part of its data leak effort, the group set up a dedicated Tor site, as the archive is 1.6GB large.

“Will be published of sensitive data from over 15,000 targets worldwide (both governmental and private sectors) that have been hacked and their data extracted," it noted.

“And the biggest surprise: All this sensitive and crucial data is absolutely free, offered to you as a gift from the Belsen Group.”

Multiple security analysts confirmed the data breach is actually two years old, but was never released to the public.

The data was pulled by abusing CVE-2022–40684, while it was still a zero-day flaw. It affected FortiOS 7.0.0-7.0.6, and 7.2.0-7.2.2.

"I've done incident response on one device at a victim org, and exploitation was indeed via CVE-2022–40684 based on artefacts on the device,” one of the researchers, Kevin Beaumont, said in a blog post. “I've also been able to verify the usernames and password seen in the dump matches the details on the device.”

"The data appears to have been assembled in October 2022, as a zero day vuln. For some reason, the data dump of config has been released today, just over 2 years later."

Via BleepingComputer

You might also like

• Microsoft slammed over security flaws that led to Chinese attack on Exchange systems
• Here's a list of the best antivirus tools on offer
• These are the best endpoint protection tools right now