TechRadar News

• Google Earth is celebrating is 20th birthday this month
• It's just added a new historical Street View feature for time-traveling
• Pro users will also get AI-powered upgrades to help with urban planning

Google Earth has just turned 20 years old and the digital globe has picked up a feature that could prove to be an addictive time-sink – historical Street View.

Yes, we've been able to time-travel around our cities and previous homes for years now on Google Maps, but Google Earth feels like a natural home for the feature, given its more immersive 3D views and satellite imagery. And from today, Google Earth now offers Street View with that historical menu bar.

That means you can visit famous buildings and landmarks (like the Vessel building in New York City below) and effectively watch their construction unfold. To do that, find a location in Google Earth, drag the pegman icon (bottom right) onto the street, click 'see more dates', and use the film strip menu to choose the year.

Around major cities and landmarks, Street View images are updated so regularly now that their snapshots are often only months apart, but in most areas they're renewed every one to two years. That opens up some major nostalgia potential, particularly if the shots happen to have frozen someone you know in time.

Bringing history to life

(Image credit: Google)

To celebrate Earth's birthday, Google has also made timelapses of its favorite historical aerial views, which stitch together satellite photos over several decades. This feature became available in the web and mobile versions of Earth last year – to find it, go the the layers icon and turn on the 'historical imagery' toggle.

One fascinating example is the aerial view of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral (above), which Google made exclusively for us. It shows the gothic icon from 1943 through to its unfortunate fire in 2019, followed by its recent reconstruction.

But other examples that Google has picked out include a view of Berlin, from its post-war devastation to the Berlin Wall and its modern incarnation, plus the stunning growth of Las Vegas and San Francisco over the decades.

There's a high chance that Google Earth will, once again, send me down a hours-long rabbit hole with these Street View and historical imagery tricks. But it's also giving Pro users some new AI-driven features in "the coming weeks", with features like 'tree canopy coverage' and heatmaps showing land surface temperatures underlining Earth's potential for urban planning.

That perhaps hints at the Gemini-powered treats to come for us non-professional users in the future. But for now, I have more than enough Earth-related treasure hunts to keep me occupied.

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• Jensen Huang could sell six million Nvidia shares before the end of 2025
• Nvidia's CFO and Director are also preparing to sell stock
• Quarterly revenue continues to grow, so Nvidia isn't worried

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has started the process of selling off part of his vast cache of company shares, but don't get spooked - it's part of a 10b5-1 trading plan, which in this instance, allows Huang to sell off six million shares (worth around $865 million).

Huang, who has until December 31, 2025 to sell his allocation of shares, has already sold 100,000 shares for $14.4 million in a series of transactions on June 20 and June 23, according to a SEC filing.

Nvidia has not commented publicly on the sales, however they were not kept secret – the company disclosed Huang's intention to sell up to six million shares in its most recent quarterly report.

Nvidia execs are selling their shares

The same announcement confirmed Nvidia CFO Colette M Kress and company director A Brooke Seawell would also sell up to 500,000 and 1,153,049 shares respectively, though with different deadlines – March 24, 2026 for Kress, and July 31, 2025 for Seawell.

Huang is currently estimated to be worth $126 billion (via Bloomberg), and has sold a total shares totalling a value of over $1.9 billion to date.

However, unlike investor reactions to company ongoings, Huang's decision to sell up to $865 million in shares should not be a cause for concern. Rather, it's a common scenario seen among billionaires who want to get access to their cash.

In fact, Nvidia share prices have been steadily climbing for the past month. Now valued at $144.17 each, Nvidia is the world's second-most valuable company, trailing just behind Microsoft with a market cap of $3.515 trillion.

Nvidia's financial performance continues to impress investors, with first-quarter revenue up 12% quarter-over-quarter and 69% year-over-year.

Suggesting that the growth could continue for quarters to come, Huang noted: "Countries around the world are recognizing AI as essential infrastructure – just like electricity and the internet – and Nvidia stands at the center of this profound transformation."

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MobLand, the crime families drama with Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren in front of the camera and Guy Ritchie executive producing, is Paramount+'s second most popular original series ever – so Paramount+ has made its creators and stars an offer they can't refuse: MobLand will be back for a second season.

One of the best Paramount+ shows has spent five consecutive weeks in Nielsen's original streaming series top 10 and has racked up more than 26 million global viewers already, making it the second most-watched original series behind Landman.

Paramount Global CEO Chris McCarthy (one of the firm's three CEOs) says that the firm is "elated" to give season 2 the green light. It's a "global phenomenon" that has "dominated" domestic and international charts, including soaring to number one in the UK.

Is MobLand worth watching?

The setup isn't exactly out-there – two rival mob families clash, causing carnage – but the cast is great: in addition to Hardy, Brosnan and Mirren there's Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Lara Pulver, Anson Boon, Mandeep Dhillon, Jasmine Jobson, Geoff Bell, Daniel Betts, Lisa Dwan and Emily Barber.

Reviewing the first two episodes, Empire Magazine said: "Not even direction from Guy Ritchie – on more sophisticated form than normal – can entirely elevate a somewhat by-the-numbers story that will feel familiar to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the genre. Showrunner Ronan Bennett is on capable form here though, even if MobLand is yet to hit the heights of his other notable shows, including Top Boy and last year's The Day of the Jackal."

I love The Indian Express's description of it as "a soap opera for boys... derivative but decidedly entertaining" because that sums up the consensus: as NPR puts it, "This isn't a perfect crime drama... But the overly convoluted plot is spiced by glorious, scenery-chewing performances from Pierce Brosnan, as the family's profane, brogue-spewing patriarch Conrad Harrigan, and Helen Mirren." You know you want to see that.

I'll be honest: my quality bar for gangster dramas is pretty low, providing you make it entertaining – so for example I inhaled all three seasons of Gangs of London, which often struck me as a telenovela with assault weapons, because it's an undemanding, entertaining and often hilarious thing to watch after a long day. This seems to be very much in the same vein, and Empire isn't the only review to suggest at least some similarities with Top Boy. And that's enough to rocket it right to the top of my watch list.

The first season of Mobland is streaming now on Paramount+.

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• Code in watchOS 26 suggests that a new privacy setting is coming
• It would let you hide data in complications until your Watch is unlocked
• Health data will always be hidden on a locked Watch

Apple’s watchOS 26 update contains a bunch of useful tweaks, but not everything new has been announced by Apple – and it looks like a secret feature has been discovered in the watchOS 26 beta that could bring an interesting change to your watch faces.

MacRumors contributor Steve Moser has apparently uncovered code in the watchOS 26 developer beta that brings a new setting to your watch: the ability to show or hide data inside complications while your watch is locked.

In practice, this would mean that you could disable complications on your watch face – such as weather info, your battery level, calendar info, and more – from appearing until you unlock your Watch. This is somewhat similar to an iOS setting that can obscure the content of notifications until your iPhone is unlocked.

The, err, complication here is that MacRumors has been unable to find where this setting is actually located. A Reddit user has supposedly been able to activate it, but they didn’t explain how they did so or where they found the setting.

Privacy protections

(Image credit: Future)

The one addendum to this purported setting is that your Apple Watch will never display your health data when your device is locked, regardless of whether you toggle the feature on or off. This is to protect your private health info from people who might otherwise be able to see it (and potentially misuse it).

One of Apple’s strengths is its commitment to user privacy, and this can be seen across many of its products and devices, from its iCloud Private Relay that obfuscates your internet activity to the Private Cloud Compute capabilities of its Apple Intelligence AI model. The company even fought, and won, a very public battle with the FBI over access to users’ devices, and has pushed back strongly against attempts to compromise its end-to-end encryption policies.

That means it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that Apple is adding more privacy features to the Apple Watch with watchOS 26.

We’ll likely come across similar instances over the coming weeks and months while Apple refines its software betas and gets them ready for the full release, likely in September alongside the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and the iPhone 17 lineup.

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• A now-amended Amazon listing hinted at a 6.3-inch iPhone 17 display
• The iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch screen
• All four iPhone 17 models could sport 120Hz ProMotion screens

Based on the iPhone 17 rumors we've heard so far, we were expecting the base-model 2025 iPhone to get a bigger 6.3-inch screen – up from the 6.1-inch display of the iPhone 16 – and the upgrade may now have been confirmed by a third-party case manufacturer.

An Amazon India listing spotted by GSMArena was showing an iPhone 16 Pro screen protector from Spigen as also being compatible with the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro. The listing has now been revised to remove any iPhone 17 mentions.

The implication is that the iPhone 16 Pro, the iPhone 17, and the iPhone 17 Pro are all going to have the same 6.3-inch screen size. It matches a leak that emerged last month, though it's possible that smaller bezels – rather than any increase in the phone's physical size – will be the reason for the larger screen.

As for the iPhone 17 Pro, all the indications have been that the phone will retain the same 6.3-inch display as its predecessor. That could make choosing between the standard and the Pro model a little trickier than it was last year.

Another display upgrade

The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Another iPhone 17 rumor that's doing the rounds is that all four models are going to come with 120Hz displays, which Apple describes as ProMotion. That means smoother effects and scrolling, and support for an always-on display.

Again, it would blur the line between the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro, so we'll have to wait and see what decisions Apple ultimately makes. It's possible that the standard iPhone 17 could stick with last year's chipset to provide a more affordable option.

It seems almost certain now that we'll also get an iPhone 17 Air handset, replacing the iPhone 16 Plus. The talk has been that the iPhone 17 Air will be just 5.5mm thick, front to back, though some of the benefits of it being so slim could be undone by the size of the camera bump around the back.

The series will be rounded out by the iPhone 17 Pro Max (or perhaps the iPhone 17 Ultra), which is said to be getting the same sized 6.9-inch screen as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The phones are expected to be launched in September.

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• From OLED_EX to META 3.0 OLED panels
• 3 or 4-sided Ambilight, depending on model
• Inbuilt Bowers & Wilkins speakers

Fancy getting a TV with the same panel as an LG G5 for less cash, and with Ambilight smart lighting and B&W audio? Then you're going to love the latest announcement from Philips.

The company has detailed the recommended retail prices for its 2025 OLED TVs in the UK and in Europe (thank you, FlatpanelsHD) and to say they're aggressively priced would be an understatement.

That's particularly true in the UK, where its OLED760 range starts at just £1,200 (which is around $1,635 or AU$2,510, although those are guesses based on the UK pricing, rather than anything official) for the 55 inches and where the range-topping OLED+950 is a very reasonable £3,400, for the 77-inch model.

Philips 2025 OLED TVs: pricing and key features

Let's start with the most affordable models: the Philips OLED760. Each TV has an enhanced OLED_EX panel with 1,000 nits of peak brightness, the seventh generation of the P5 AI processor, Titan OS with Game Bar 2.0 and Ambilight on the top and sides. I love Ambilight, especially for gaming, and it's much easier to have it inside your TV than to do what I did and stick a lightstrip to the back of it.

The OLED760 range goes on sale in late June and the prices are:

• 55” launch price £1,199
• 65” launch price £1,499
• 77” launch price £1,999

Ambilight is - literally - brilliant. The 2025 TVs have three- or four-sided Ambilight built-in (Image credit: Philips TV)

Next up there's the OLED810. This time the OLED_EX panels deliver up to 1,500 nits, the P5 AI processor is ninth-generation and there's an integrated 70W sound system with rear-mounted subwoofer. Once again these are three-sided Ambilight TVs. Availability is the end of June and there's just one size for now, the 77-inch at £2,199.

The Philips OLED+910 has LG's META 3.0 OLED with RGB Tandem panel delivering a whopping 3,700 nits peak, a 9th-gen P5 AI processor, Ambilight on four sides and an 81W Bowers & Wilkins 3.1 sound system. It's a real rival to the LG G5 and when it goes on sale in September 2025 the prices will be:

• 65” launch price £2,199
• 77” launch price £3,339

And finally there's the flagship OLED+950. Once again it's a META 3.0 OLED and RGB Tandem panel peaking at 3,700 nits; Ambilight is four-sided and the sound system is a 70W 2.1 setup with rear-mounted sub. That's coming in October 2025, will be exclusive to Richer Sounds, and the prices are:

• 65” launch price £2,799
• 77” launch price £3,399

That's the OLEDs taken care of. There will also be new Ambilight MLED TVs, which use miniLED and start at £1,099 for 75 inches, and there will also be QLEDs starting at just £369 for 43 inches and rising to a still-cheap £1,349 for 85 inches.

With the exception of the Richer Sounds exclusive OLED models, all of these TVs will be a vailable from Amazon, Currys and Richer Sounds; the QLEDs will also be available from Argos and the OLEDs from AO.

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• Salesforce unveils Agentforce 3, its latest and greatest AI agent platform
• Agentforce 3 offers more oversight and control over AI agents
• Also include MCP support and over 100 third-party service connections

Salesforce has revealed the next generation of its AI agent platform, promising more visibility and control over your systems going forward.

The company says Agentforce 3 marks another big step in the field of digital labor, allowing customers to create and deploy smarter and more powerful agents than ever before.

The launch includes a new Command Center tool to give users "complete observability" as well as some major upgrades when it comes to model support, and over 100 new prebuilt industry actions.

Agentforce 3 arrives

“With Agentforce, we’ve unified agents, data, apps, and metadata to create a digital labor platform, helping thousands of companies realize the promise of agentic AI today,” said Adam Evans, EVP & GM of Salesforce AI.

Salesforce says its new Command Center, part of Agentforce Studio, will offer users much more oversight into the work their AI agents are carrying out on a daily basis.

Previously, this had included observing technical issues around the safety and performance of models - however this will now be expanded to cover agent health, performance and outcome optimization.

This will allow users to monitor and analyze every interaction carried out by an agent, spotting trends and preventing issues before they happen, and offering natural language support for generating topics, instructions and case studies.

It will provide real-time contextual information pertaining to the specific agent's work tasks, and can also offer AI-powered recommendations for tweaks and edits to agents, hopefully making them even more effective.

Elsewhere, Agentforce 3 includes built-in support for the Model Context Protocol, providing much greater support for plug-and-play compatibility with a wide range of other agents and services without the need for custom code.

Customers will be able to connect to numerous third-party tools and resources, including Amazon Web Services, PayPal, Box, Cisco Systems, Google Cloud, IBM, Notion Labs, Stripe, Teradata and Writer.

“Over the past several months, we’ve listened deeply to our customers and continued our rapid pace of technology innovation," Evans added.

"The result is Agentforce 3, a major leap forward for our platform that brings greater intelligence, higher performance, and more trust and accountability to every Agentforce deployment. Agentforce 3 will redefine how humans and AI agents work together — driving breakthrough levels of productivity, efficiency, and business transformation.”

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• The release date for Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 2 has been leaked by Sony via the PlayStation Store
• It's revealed that the second major patch will arrive on June 30
• The update is also expected to include new events, two "fan-favorite" monsters, and more

Sony has accidentally leaked the release date for Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 2.

As reported by IGN, Sony mistakenly updated the game's PlayStation Store page ahead of schedule, revealing that the upcoming patch will be released on June 30.

Although it's now been rolled back, the website also revealed the contents of the update, which will include new events, Leviathan Arch-Tempered Uth Duna, layered weapons, a new armor set, as well as two "fan-favorite" monsters.

One of these monsters is likely Lagiacrus, which was revealed earlier this year, while the other is seemingly going to be Seregios, according to dataminers.

The new event rewards make me feel like an old man... from r/MonsterHunter

Capcom has confirmed that its next Spotlight showcase will air this week on June 26 at 3pm PDT / 11pm BST.

The broadcast will offer new details on Monster Hunter Wilds and Title Update 2, so we can expect the official release date to be announced then.

Last week, game director Yuya Tokuda also shared some additional details about the upcoming patch in Capcom's Director's Letter.

Tokuda revealed that the second major update will bring several quality of life updates, including improved navigation in the Grand Hub, "improved Seikret usability", photo mode adjustments, and the aforementioned layered weapons.

To stay up to date with all things Monster Hunter Wilds, you can check out our roadmap coverage, which includes release dates, confirmed downloadable content (DLC), what's to come, and more.

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• The second iOS 26 developer beta is out now
• It makes a change to Control Center that improves legibility
• It also includes various other tweaks and additions, such as order tracking and a Recovery Assistant

The second iOS 26 developer beta has already landed, and it includes a small change that could make a big difference for users.

With iOS 26, Apple is rolling out a new look to the interface, known as ‘Liquid Glass’, and a big part of that is the inclusion of more glass-like, transparent elements. But in the case of the Control Center the company arguably took the idea too far, as in the first beta the controls were hard to make out against certain backgrounds.

In this second iOS 26 beta the Control Center background and its icons are more opaque, as you can see in the comparison image below (shared by MacRumors). This shows the original design on the left, and the new, slightly less transparent version on the right.

Control Center in iOS 26 beta 1 on the left and beta 2 on the right (Image credit: Apple / MacRumors)

This should make it easier to find the controls you’re looking for, but this isn’t the only change in the new beta.

You’ll also find a new ‘Reduce Transparency’ option in the Accessibility menu, which lets you make the control backgrounds more opaque, and there’s now an Accessibility section in App Store listings, so you can see what accessibility features an app includes.

Order tracking and assisted recovery

The Wallet app can now use Siri to track orders, even if they weren’t made using Apple Pay, there’s a new ringtone (which is dividing opinion among users), a new Live Radio widget for Apple Music, and the ‘new tab’ button’s location has been moved in Safari’s tab management view.

There’s also a new ‘Recovery Assistant’ feature, which according to the beta release notes “is a new way to recover your device if it doesn’t start up normally. It can look for problems and attempt to resolve them if found.”

That’s the main stuff, but there are a few other small changes, like a new description for Low Power mode, and it’s likely that more adjustments and additions will be unearthed in the coming days.

If you’d like to try out these changes for yourself and you have a compatible iPhone then you can – just head to our guide covering how to download the iOS 26 developer beta for full instructions.

However, unless you really can’t wait for the final release (likely landing in September) we’d caution against installing beta versions on your primary device, as they’re inherently less stable than finished software.

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• Amazon's three-year plan includes £40 billion in UK investment
• "Thousands" of jobs set to be created across new and upgraded sites
• Most of the benefits will be seen in regions typically overlooked by such investments

Amazon has announced plans to invest £40 billion into the UK over a three-year period spanning between 2025 and 2027.

The multi-billion pound investment will fund the expansion of Amazon's operations within the UK, leading to more jobs, boosting national GDP and strengthening the infrastructure that Amazon relies on (and therefore other UK consumers and businesses).

The huge sum isn't insignificant – the UK is Amazon's third-largest market, after the US and Germany, two nations that have already seen billions in investments spanning both ecommerce infrastructure and sovereign cloud efforts.

UK Amazon investment

Boasting of its position as a top-10 private sector employer across the UK, with more than 75,000 citizens part of its workforce, Amazon said its latest investment would create thousands more jobs, the "vast majority" of which should be away from London and the South East.

Four new Amazon fulfilment centers are in the pipeline, including two in the East Midlands, one in Hull and a further one in Northampton - with the latter two anticipated to generate 2,000 jobs each.

The company also declared its investment would be nearly matched when it comes to boosting the UK's GDP, which Amazon anticipates adding £38 billion to the UK economy.

Besides adding further delivery stations across the UK, Amazon also plans to upgrade more than 100 operational buildings and open two more at its East London corporate HQ.

Promising a minimum salary of £28,000 for full-time workers (and £30,000 in London), robotics technicians, safety experts and mechatronic engineers will be among the more than 60 roles offered by the company as part of its huge investment.

"When Amazon invests, it’s not only in London and the South East – we’re bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, strengthening the UK’s economy and delivering better experiences for customers wherever they live," noted Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the "thousands of new jobs," which he described as offering "real opportunities for people in every corner of the country to build careers, learn new skills, and support their families."

“Amazon’s £40 billion investment adds another major win to Britain’s basket and is a massive vote of confidence in the UK as the best place to do business.," he added.

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The cybersecurity profession is always on high alert for new attack tactics as criminal groups adapt to overcome improved defenses against phishing and ransomware. But alongside the new innovations, some old-school tactics appear to be evolving making a comeback – or rather they never quite went away.

Document-borne malware is one such tactic. Once considered a relic of early cyber warfare, this method continues to pose a significant threat, particularly for organizations handling large volumes of sensitive information, such as those in critical infrastructure.

The appeal for attackers is clear. Everyday files - Word documents, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets - are inherently trusted and flow freely between businesses, often through cloud-based platforms. With modern security more focused on endpoints, networks, and email filtering, these seemingly mundane files can act as the ideal Trojan horse.

Understanding this evolving risk is key to stopping seemingly innocuous documents before they can wreak havoc.

Why are cybercriminals still using document-borne malware?

On the surface, attacks using malicious documents feel like a bit of a throwback. It’s a tactic that’s been around for decades at this point, however, that doesn’t make it any less dangerous for organizations.

Still, while the concept is nothing new, threat groups are modernizing it to keep it fresh and bypass standard security controls. This means the seemingly old-school tactic is still a threat even for the most security-conscious sectors.

As with other email-based tactics, attackers typically seek to hide in plain sight. Most attacks use common file types such as PDFs, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets as malware carriers. The malware is usually hidden in macros, embedded in scripts such as JavaScript within PDFs, or hidden with obfuscated file formats and layers of encryption and archiving.

These unassuming files are coupled with popular social engineering techniques, such as a supplier invoice or customer submission form. Email attack tactics, such as spoofed addresses or compromised accounts, further camouflage the malicious content.

The rise of cloud-based collaboration tools has increased the attack surface. We’re all used to receiving any number of emails throughout the day with links to SharePoint, Google Docs, and other common platforms. This makes it harder to detect malicious files before they enter networks.

What makes document-borne malware particularly dangerous for critical infrastructure?

Most attacks seek to breach networks unnoticed to maximize their impact and eventual rewards. The potential gains for exfiltrating sensitive data or shutting down a system means groups are willing to invest more time and resources in trying new tactics that can pass unnoticed.

Further, document-borne attacks are all about blending into the background. For example, in the financial sector, the ecosystem offers plenty of opportunities with the thousands of incoming documents from customers, suppliers, and partners daily. Most firms have a constant inflow of financial statements, loan applications, compliance paperwork, and myriad other files entering their system.

If opened, a single malicious document can spread malware across critical networks. Attackers leverage document-based threats to deploy ransomware, steal credentials, or exfiltrate sensitive data, so one wrong click can come with catastrophic consequences, especially for critical sectors that rely heavily on a reputation for trust and reliability.

Strict regulatory compliance demands can raise the stakes further and, depending on their region and function, firms could fall under the remit of the GDPR, DORA, NIS2, and more. Failing to meet these demands can result in severe financial penalties and a significant blow to the firm’s reputation.

Why are organizations struggling to defend against these threats?

From our experience, document security is often overlooked in favor of other areas like network perimeter and endpoint protection. Document-borne attacks are mundane enough to slip down the priorities list but advanced enough to defeat most standard security tools.

Security teams may lack the visibility or tools to inspect and sanitize every incoming file, particularly in fast-moving digital workflows.

There tends to be an over-reliance on signature-based antivirus solutions, which often fail to detect modern document-borne threats. While security teams are typically aware of malicious macros, formats like ActiveX controls, OLE objects, and embedded JavaScript may not be on the radar.

Attackers have also latched onto the fact there is a significant mental blind spot around documents seemingly delivered through familiar cloud-based channels. Even when employees have received phishing awareness training, there is a tendency to automatically trust a document coming in through an expected source like Google or Office 365.

What steps should businesses take to mitigate document-borne malware risks?

As with most evolving cyberattack tactics, a multi-layered strategy is the key to fending off document-borne threats.

One key step is adopting a multi-engine approach to malware scanning. While threat actors may be able to fool one detection engine, having multiple different tools will improve the chances of catching hidden malware and reduce false negatives.

Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR) tools are another important element. These sanitize and remove malicious macros, scripts, and active content while preserving document integrity. Suspect files can then be run through advanced standboxes to identify previously unknown threats by detecting their malicious behavior whilst in a contained environment.

The network should also be set with strict file policies, restricting high-risk file types and enforcing user authentication before document uploads. Setting file size limits can also help catch malicious documents where hidden code has made them larger than normal.

Efficiency and reliability are also key here. Organizations need to be able to identify malicious documents hiding in their typical incoming traffic, but without disrupting a workflow that customers expect to be fast and consistent.

Stronger email security measures will also help to detect and block malicious attachments before they reach users. Moving away from signature-based detection and towards behavioral analytics will improve the chances of catching out attackers posing as trusted contacts and services.

Including document-based threats in employee awareness efforts will also help staff spot signs like unexpected macros and spoofed invoices in case they make it through other measures. In particular, more scrutiny is needed for files shared through cloud platforms.

Companies should adopt a zero trust mindset, treating every incoming file as a potential threat until it has been scanned and sanitized.

We list the best document management software.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

The future of enterprise AI isn’t just about insights – it’s about a monumental evolution of how businesses buy and sell in the global economy.

AI agents are poised to take automation beyond any capabilities that we’ve witnessed to date, shifting from AI tools that assist decision-making to independently thinking entities that augment execution at scale.

Deloitte predicts that by 2027, half of all companies will use GenAI to launch agentic AI pilots or proofs of concept, marking a significant transformation in how businesses operate.

Challenges on the Path to Agentic Adoption

While agentic AI holds immense promise, organizations must first overcome multiple hurdles. Case in point: Another recent survey found that more than 85 percent of enterprises will require upgrades to their existing technology stack in order to deploy AI agents. Most businesses are still in the early stages of AI adoption, and scaling agentic workflows from initial investments to drive enterprise-wide ROI remains a major challenge.

The road to agentic AI requires rethinking IT infrastructure, ensuring seamless and quality data integration, addressing security and compliance risks, and fostering organizational trust in autonomous solutions – all while ensuring the right guardrails are in place. Without a well-defined strategy, companies risk inefficiencies, implementation barriers, reputational risk, and missed opportunities to harness AI's full potential.

Complexity in Scaling

Agents individually aren’t enough. They can’t be deployed in isolation and need to work in coordination across systems to execute complex multi-step processes – manifesting as agentic workflows. Unlike monolithic systems with predictable interactions, an agentic workflow orchestrates a network of AI agents to solve intricate and layered problems autonomously with machine-scale analysis and human in the loop decision making.

Businesses need advanced orchestration frameworks capable of managing these complex interactions, ensuring robust error handling and maintaining workflow continuity across teams. Developing a clear roadmap will be critical in helping organizations deploy and scale AI agents effectively.

Accountability and Governance

With multiple agentic workflows operating independently yet collaboratively, ensuring accountability is a major challenge. Without a well-defined governance model, businesses risk a lack of oversight, which can lead to noncompliance, financial discrepancies, and reduced trust in AI-driven processes. Agents need to understand the rules of business that humans follow – rules that are defined by legal frameworks, ethical practices, and captured in contracts between customers, suppliers, and partners.

By “gut checking” decisions against contractual terms before taking action and ensuring clear audit trails are in place across the business, agentic decision-making becomes transparent and traceable, and far less likely to result in unnecessary liability.

Ensuring Data and Privacy

In any enterprise system, it’s critical for organizations to handle sensitive information responsibly and securely. Before deploying agentic workflows, ensure that data is clean and structured so sensitive information may be used by multiple agents simultaneously without exposure.

This applies to bank account details that are necessary for supplier payments, employee personal information, and contract data, as prime examples. Businesses should also establish secure data pipelines and continuous compliance measures to mitigate risks while enabling AI agents to function effectively and responsibly.

Trust and Change Management

Adopting agentic workflows requires more than just technical capability – it demands cultural change. Many organizations struggle with trusting AI agents due to concerns about reliability, accuracy, bias, ethical implications, and lack of transparency.

In fact, a recent study revealed data output quality and security and privacy concerns are among the top 10 barriers to AI adoption. Resistance to change within organizations, combined with a lack of understanding of how AI agents work, can create obstacles.

For businesses to fully embrace agentic AI, increase AI literacy and awareness around how AI agents operate with internal training and a top-down call to action driven by leadership. Emphasizing security protocols and privacy protections will also help to build confidence.

The First Step Toward an Autonomous Enterprise

So where can businesses realize immediate value from AI agents and agentic workflows?

AI agents are only as good as the data they train on. If enterprises want to drive profitability and capture returns from their AI strategy, they should start by looking at the data that drives the flow of commerce. Commercial agreements and the critical data they contain are foundational to how enterprises buy and sell, while also providing the compliance constraints agents need to do their jobs well without adding layers of risk.

The path to agentic AI is not a straight line. Yet by strategically addressing challenges, businesses can unlock new levels of intelligence and operational efficiency to embrace their future as an autonomous enterprise.

We list the best performance management software.

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

• Samsung just set the date for its next Galaxy Unpacked
• The teaser says 'Ultra Unfolds' on July 9
• We're expecting the next Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, as well as a new Galaxy Watch

After numerous hints from Samsung and many rumors about the next Galaxy Z Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, and Galaxy Watches, you can now officially mark your calendars for July 9, 2025.

Samsung has set the date for its next Galaxy Unpacked event, and judging from the official event invitation and videos shared, we’re expecting at least two devices. One that resembles a standard candybar smartphone – though I’d bet it’ll be the Galaxy Z Flip 7 – and one that unfolds into something larger, likely the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The Galaxy Unpacked festivities will kick off at 10am ET / 7am PT / 3pm BST on July 9, 2025, and the event will be live-streamed. TechRadar will be on the scene in Brooklyn, New York, reporting live, so we’ll be breaking down err Unpacking everything that Samsung unveils.

This is a return to New York for Samsung’s foldable-focused Galaxy Unpacked. The devices were unveiled in Paris in 2024 and Seoul in 2023.

Samsung’s last few mid-year Galaxy Unpacked events have been all about foldables and wearables, and the shared invitation photos and videos really lean into this. The animated videos play a jazzy version of Samsung’s classic ringtone, and the main visual is a thin horizontal line that expands into two devices.

(Image credit: Samsung)

The device on top is a long rectangle, likely the Galaxy Z Flip 7 but possibly just the front of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but the bottom is a device that’s starting to unfold, revealing two sides. The bottom most resembles the Fold, which opens like a book into a larger-screen tablet.

Not to read too much into the event invite, but Samsung is using various shades of blue, as well as pops of bright white, which might mean we get a lovely shade of blue for the new Flip and Fold. After all, we saw a similar hint before Samsung’s Galaxy S25 lineup launched.

Further, in typical Samsung fashion, you can already pre-reserve ‘the latest Galaxy device’ and score a $50 credit. As with past promotions, you won’t need to commit to purchasing a device; you’re simply registering interest. That said, if you’re already interested in a new Flip or Fold, it’s worth signing up to score the $50 Samsung Credit.

Now that Samsung has confirmed its next Galaxy Unpacked for July 9, 2025, you can now pre-reserve the next Galaxy and score a $50 credit. As with previous Unpacked events, the entire offer is non-committal and doesn't cost anything – you'll fill out your name, email, and if you want a phone number to register your interest and unlock a $50 credit to Samsung. Additionally, Samsung says you'll unlock up to $1,150 additional savings, which is likely when trading in a device if you opt to preorder one of the new devices.View Deal

What to expect at Samsung’s July 9 Galaxy Unpacked

(Image credit: Samsung)

In several blog posts preceding these invites, Samsung has been teasing that its next devices will be “the next chapter of Ultra,” which leads us to believe that either the Galaxy Z Fold or Galaxy Z Flip (or both?!) will add “Ultra” to their names. Another theory is a new tri-folding device carrying the Ultra designation.

The animated version of the invite ends with 'Ultra Unfolds.' My money is on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra, but Samsung has already confirmed that an Ultra designation is coming to its foldable phones.

Both the Flip and Fold will now be in the seventh generation, and we’re expecting some pretty iterative but meaningful upgrades for both. Recent reports suggest a significant upgrade for what will likely be the star of the show, the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Much like the Galaxy S25 Edge, it’s expected to be even thinner when unfolded, and it will boast a larger internal screen, reportedly spanning 8 inches.

(Image credit: Future)

It’s also rumored to take a page from the Galaxy S25 Ultra and adopt an impressive 200-megapixel main sensor camera, which should significantly enhance the photography and videography capabilities of Samsung’s flagship foldable.

Of course, it should also get a speed upgrade thanks to new silicon inside and Samsung One UI 8, as well as more AI features. Expect the latter to arrive in the form of Galaxy AI, as well as through Samsung’s partnership with Google.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

With the Galaxy Z Flip 7, rumors suggest no major changes to the cameras – a less-than-stellar development, to be sure – but Samsung could roll out new software to make better use of the 50-megapixel main and 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras that we tested on the Flip 6.

In terms of what’s changing, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will reportedly be a bit larger, with a 6.8-inch internal display, but the real story is on the front.

Potentially matching Motorola’s latest Razr flip phone, Samsung might stretch the cover display to a full 4 inches on the Flip 7 - up from 3.5 inches on the Flip 6. That, paired with the new One UI 8 user interface and more AI features, might make that cover display a lot more usable and attractive.

Samsung's next two foldables will likely be the stars of the July 9 Unpacked, but considering the tech giant loves teasing upcoming devices, we wouldn’t be shocked if we get a look at a rumored tri-fold device. That would be pretty stellar.

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung didn't just use its last July 2024 Unpacked event to unveil the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6. We also got the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch 7, and Galaxy Watch Ultra, (oh, and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro), so it’s likely we’ll see some new wearables next month. However, if you’re expecting the Galaxy Ring 2 or Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, don’t hold your breath for a release this time around.

The Galaxy Watch 8 could be getting a screen upgrade and some new health features, but one surprise might be the return of the Galaxy Watch Classic with a movable bezel around the screen – a possible prototype of this device popped up on eBay not too long ago.

Either way, whether you’re excited about a new Flip or a Fold, an Ultra or a wearable, Samsung is set to unveil something that will make you curious on July 9.

TechRadar will be the place to be for our live reporting and analysis, but we’ll also make it easy for you to watch the event unfold. It’ll be the third Galaxy Unpacked of 2025, and hopefully an exciting one.

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• PCIe 6.0 coming to AMD platforms soon but not for consumers
• Most users won’t need PCIe 6.0 speed until much later
• Enterprise and AI will adopt PCIe 6.0 well before desktop and laptop PCs

AMD plans to support PCIe 6.0 starting in 2026, but SSDs based on the standard aren’t expected to appear in consumer PCs anytime soon.

Silicon Motion’s CEO, Wallace C. Kuo, told Tom’s Hardware that PC makers and chip vendors simply aren’t pushing for the technology yet.

"You will not see any PCIe Gen6 [solutions] until 2030," Kuo said. "PC OEMs have very little interest in PCIe 6.0 right now - they do not even want to talk about it. AMD and Intel do not want to talk about it."

PCIe 4.0 speeds are fine for most

That delay isn’t a surprise - as while PCIe 6.0 offers up to 32GB/s of bandwidth on a x4 connection, the complexity and cost of supporting that speed are much higher than for PCIe 5.0.

Enterprise systems and AI infrastructure, on the other hand, are where PCIe 6.0 will land first. These use cases can justify the need for faster interconnects, as they rely heavily on moving massive amounts of data quickly and reliably.

For everyone else, including gamers and content creators, PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 offer more than enough speed.

It’s worth pointing out there are very few laptops shipping with PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Most PCs today use PCIe 4.0, and that’s still fast enough for nearly all mainstream workloads. The real bottlenecks consumers face usually aren’t bandwidth-related.

Technical hurdles are also part of the problem. As PCIe speeds increase, the physical distance signals can travel shrinks dramatically.

A presentation by Astera Labs claims copper traces on a motherboard can reach up to 11 inches at PCIe 4.0 speeds, but that drops to just 3.4 inches with PCIe 6.0. That’s a real issue in desktops using riser cards or complex routing, especially for graphics cards.

Retimers can solve this in servers, but they’re too expensive for most consumer builds.

Making motherboards compatible with PCIe 6.0 also means more PCB layers and higher-quality materials, which pushes up costs. For now, the added expense and power draw just don’t make sense for most users.

PCIe 5.0 SSDs are likely to remain the top-end option for desktop PCs for the rest of the decade. The storage industry might be ready for the next step, but consumers probably won’t need or want it until well after 2030.

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I get it. Parents confronted with the exorbitant cost of a college education and the possibility that their progeny will also need a new laptop are disinclined to spend $1,000 or more on a Mac when a Windows machine could be had for hundreds less.

I also know that the decision is not that obvious or straightforward. A Windows computer that costs $450 is in no way comparable to, say, a $999 MacBook Air. That, I think, was the point of the nearly 8-minute-long YouTube ad Apple launched and then apparently made private within 24 hours (but other copies of it still exist – see below).

Titled "Convince Your Parents to Get You a Mac", the ad is set in a college pep assembly with an audience full of disinterested teens (or actors, it's hard to tell) and SNL's Please Don't Destroy's Martin Herlihy as presenter.

It's not what I'd call a clever ad. The premise...well, I'm not sure there is one. Herlihy is mostly just presenting Apple's "The Parent Presentation" Keynote template, which anyone can download and, ostensibly, modify to convince their parents why it's a good idea to invest in a Mac for their child's college experience.

Taken at face value, Apple's presentation is spot on. Yes, a Mac is more expensive, but still an excellent value because of things you don't need to invest in or worry about, like backup software, blue screens, and antivirus software. The best MacBooks are well-built and lightweight.

Like I said, solid argument.

I do not understand why Apple chose to promote it with an overly long video featuring jokes and bits that didn't land with me or the college prep audience, which sits in uncomfortable silence for most of the video. This may have been part of the joke, but I didn't see the humor in it.

Hard to watch

Herlihy gives it his all. The cringe humor fits in nicely with some of the work he's done on SNL with Please Don't Destroy castmates Ben Marshall and John Higgins. Without them to play off of, however, each joke floats lifelessly out over the audience before cashing in the aisles.

I wonder if someone at Apple, maybe CEO Tim Cook, happened to check out the "ad/infomercial" after it launched and immediately knew this was a misfire.

Essentially, Apple managed to take its most salient points and make them hard to listen to or sit through.

Obviously, Apple considers this a critical moment in the pre-back-to-school buying period. It's hoping with this ad or maybe others like it, to plant a seed, and preferably one in the heads of those who can make the laptop purchase. Enlisting teens who want new laptops in the efforts is smart, but this was not the way.

The video is too long, too weird, and too oddly earnest to be a shareable bit of content. If this were on TikTok, I would've swiped up within 12 seconds.

There may be some salvageable parts from this marketing misstep, but I kind of doubt it. Don't worry, though, Apple is good at this stuff and I'm sure they'll be back soon enough with a TikTok-length ad that all your friends will want to share with each other and, eventually, their parents.

If there's a lesson in this, it's that Apple might just want to leave the whole effort to teens who, it seems, are already earnestly sharing their presentations on TikTok.

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• Klarna wants to be your bank, your store, and now your phone network too
• It’s new mobile plan offers unlimited 5G, but it's unclear how support will work
• Unlimited data sounds great, but what happens when you need help or travel abroad?

Klarna, the fintech company known for reshaping the buy-now-pay-later space and once using an AI bot to do the job of 700 staff, is moving into a very different line of business: mobile connectivity.

The company is launching a mobile network that promises unlimited 5G data, talk, and text for $40 per month in the United States.

Klarna’s new service is being rolled out in partnership with Gigs, a company that describes itself as the “operating system for mobile services.”

Klarna moves beyond banking

“Klarna’s push into the mobile space marks the beginning of a new era for connectivity. Now, consumers can expect a seamlessly integrated mobile experience that bundles premium connectivity with financial tools, all through the apps they already know and love,” said Gigs CEO, Hermann Frank.

The plan includes unlimited 5G data that reportedly won’t be throttled, with coverage on AT&T’s nationwide network.

Klarna claims there are no hidden fees, no contract lock-ins, and a setup process that happens in minutes through the Klarna app.

But questions remain about long-term service reliability, especially when services like customer support and international roaming haven’t yet launched.

For now, only a basic unlimited plan is available, with premium options expected later.

“Klarna has saved consumers time and money, and reduced financial worry for over 20 years. With mobile plans we’re taking that one step further, as we continue to build our neobank offering,” said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and co-founder of Klarna.

“Consumers already know and love Klarna’s super smooth services and now, with one tap in the Klarna app, they’ll be up and running with their new phone plan, no hassle, no hidden fees, just great value.”

The offer seems to address common frustrations among US mobile users. Klarna’s internal research suggests half of Americans "believe switching phone plans is too difficult.”

The company touts its 25 million active users and high Net Promoter Score as reasons why it could disrupt telecom just as it did digital payments.

With N26 and Revolut already venturing into telecom, Klarna’s entry is part of a larger trend where neobanks try to wrap financial and connectivity tools into one platform. Surely it's only a matter of time before PayPal joins the fold.

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• Asus ProArt P16 beats most laptops in its price and size class
• You get RTX 5070 graphics and OLED visuals in a surprisingly slim 4-pound frame
• Bundled AI apps like StoryCube and MuseTree boost productivity for visual creators and editors

Asus has introduced the ProArt P16 (H7606), a laptop which pairs AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 GPU, targeting content creators and professional users.

The new addition joins the wave of Copilot+ PCs built to support advanced local AI tasks and aims to rival some of the most premium creative laptops on the market.

At $2,499.99, the ProArt P16 also undercuts competitors like the Razer Blade 16, which retails for $2,799.99 but offers a similar target user experience.

Asus ProArt P16 bundles AI tools and software for creatives

The ProArt P16 features a 16-inch OLED display, a premium visual specification often reserved for machines priced higher.

It also supports up to 64GB of RAM, which is nearly unheard of in this segment, and up to 2TB of internal storage.

These specifications position it as a contender for the best laptop for graphic design, especially those working with high-resolution files and complex color spaces.

At just 0.59 inches thick and weighing 4.08 pounds, the Nano Black chassis keeps things portable despite the raw horsepower inside.

Asus bundles in additional creative features through its exclusive apps: StoryCube and MuseTree. The former is pitched as a digital asset management tool that utilizes AI to automatically categorize and generate clips from user content, while the latter turns graphical prompts into images while intelligently organizing creative inspiration.

At just 0.59 inches thick and weighing 4.08 pounds, the Nano Black chassis keeps things portable despite the raw horsepower inside.

This pairing of hardware and software seems designed to capture those looking for the best laptop for video editing without committing to a desktop setup.

Asus has also partnered with CapCut, giving new users an exclusive six-month membership that includes access to premium features and AI-driven editing tools.

In addition, the laptop comes with a three-month Adobe Creative Suite subscription, further appealing to professionals working across photography, video, and design workflows.

These bundled tools offer value for those searching for the best laptop for photo editing, as they come integrated into the buying experience.

That said, Asus will release a more powerful model featuring the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 in late 2025, which will likely push the price higher. This model will be available for purchase at the ASUS official store after launch.

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• Tesla unveiled its “public-facing” Robotaxi service this weekend
• The service is currently an invite-only affair
• Reports suggest it is still behind Waymo and other rivals

In a surprising turn of events, Tesla has stuck to its recent timelines and actually kick-started a “public-facing” autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, Texas this weekend.

Despite Texas lawmakers asking Musk to postpone proceedings until it had finalized and introduced new laws surrounding fully autonomous taxis, the controversial CEO has ploughed ahead anyway.

As a result, reports are surfacing on various social media networks that show the first few VIP invitees enjoying their debut Robotaxi experience.

However, this is a far cry from the futuristic Cybercab scenario that Tesla showcased at its Hollywood-spec 'We, Robot' event in October of last year, where bespoke Cybercabs ferried folks around a film set and the company’s Optimus humanoid robots served drinks to party-goers, only for the world to find out they were actually tele-operated.

It is a similar story with Tesla's recent robotaxi endeavor, as the “fleet” of 10-20 Model Y vehicles (sporting some Robotaxi branding) are strictly limited to a small and relatively uncomplicated area of Austin, Texas.

They also only operate between 6am and 12am and have a remote operator in the passenger seat to manually verify riders' ID and take control should a problem arise.

The Verge reported that some of Tesla’s driverless vehicles are also followed by 'chase' vehicles, presumably packed with engineers ready to jump in should there be an issue that both the in-car and remote operators can’t handle.

So far, only a select number of invites have gone out to predominantly “pro-Tesla” influencers, according to The Verge, with the initial invite list of test pilots reading like a who’s-who of the Musk sycophant contingent – renowned Tesla stock hype-man Sawyer Merritt being among those names.

Just like the 'We, Robot' event, this initial launch phase feels very much like a massive PR stunt, with the company essentially inviting the “general public” (read Tesla content creators) along for a ride during the very early testing phase, rather than during the widespread deployment of a legitimate, paid-for service.

Why Waymo is way ahead

(Image credit: Waymo)

It’s impossible to talk about Tesla’s robotaxi service without mentioning its closest competitor Waymo, particularly when Musk reportedly said after this successful initial launch phase that there could up to a thousand robotaxis on the road in a few months.

As a reminder, Waymo currently has a fully operational fleet of 1,500 vehicles on the road in four major cities in the US, with the areas in which it operates constantly expanding inside those cities. Anyone can summon a driverless cab with a simple app interface and they won't see a human inside the vehicle.

By the end of 2026, it hopes to have added another 2,000 vehicles according to a blog post by the Alphabet-owned company released in May this year, as it continues to ready a fleet of Jaguar i-Pace cars for autonomous driving.

Waymo also announced that it will be the first major client of Hyundai’s mass-produced Ioniq 5 robotaxi, which will help it scale even faster.

To think Musk will be able to reach this stage a couple of months after what is basically an initial testing phase is pure fantasy, especially as he insists on using a camera-only Full Self-Driving system that lacks the radars, Lidar and myriad other sensors that its rivals say is mandatory for a reliable and safe service.

Scaling up is the true test

(Image credit: Hyundai)

Already, a number of videos have already surfaced on Reddit that appear to show Tesla Robotaxis behaving erratically, swerving at busy intersections and slamming on the brakes for parked police cars that aren’t even stopped in the road.

Granted, it’s impossible to verify the authenticity of a Reddit video, but there is a growing list of very public cases where Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system has been active during an accident.

The first few reviews of the experience seem largely positive, with most riders describing the drive as “smooth” or “human-like”, but these are still very early days.

Things will get far more complicated if and when Tesla legitimately has thousands of vehicles on the road, it removes the operator sat in the passenger seat, and it builds out its app so the general public can genuinely use it. I predict that being at least two years away.

Alongside Waymo, there are companies in China that are also racing ahead with active fully autonomous ride-hailing services. Baidu, WeRide and Pony.ai are already racking up hundreds and thousands of miles.

Just last year, Baidu reportedly sparked anxiety among taxi drivers, automotive brands and the working public after it launched a driverless service in Wuhan that offered rides of around six miles (much further than the reported four or so miles Tesla can currently travel) for around 50 cents.

It undercut journeys with a human driver at the wheel by around two bucks and naturally proved very popular, according to CNN, leading to panic that many jobs could soon to be at risk.

Once the legal framework is in place for the widespread rollout of autonomous vehicles, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to think that the Chinese could swoop in and dominate the market... just like they have done with EVs.

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• Tronsmart Fiitune X30 is out now for $179.99 (about £154 / AU$322)
• 80W output with built-in subwoofer and up-firing "sky driver"
• IPX6 water resistance and 14 hour battery life

The Tronsmart Fiitune X30 is a direct rival to the Sonos Era 300, and it has one particularly appealing quality: it's less than half the price of the Sonos.

Where the Sonos Era 300 has a list price of $449 / £449 / AU$749, the Fiitune X30 is launching with a price tag of $179.99 / €179.99 (about £154 / AU$322).

As you'd expect, there are a few differences in spec to achieve that much lower price. And if you're serious about spatial sound, one of those differences may be a deal breaker.

(Image credit: Tronsmart)Fiitune X30: key features

The Fiitune X30 has six driver units, including an upward-firing illuminated "sky driver" to throw some audio towards the ceiling, a down-firing active subwoofer, dual tweeters, and dual mid-range drivers. There are four passive bass radiators and total power output is 80W. Frequency range isn't specified beyond "an ultra-wide 40kHz bandwidth".

It's a portable design with an integrated handle, dual-device connection, and IPX6 water resistance, and it promises 14 hours of playback between charges – that's fairly low compared to the best portable speakers, though there are lots of speakers to handle here, to be fair.

You can tune the audio with the companion smartphone app for iOS and Android, and Android users can stream audio to the speaker in LDAC for the highest possible sound quality. The speaker can be used solo or as half of a stereo pair.

It's not a bad spec for the money, but there's one important caveat: the spatial audio here isn't native, because the speaker doesn't support Dolby Atmos (or rival spatial audio formats, but Atmos is the crucial one for music right now).

Any spatial effect will be from 'upscaling' the music to have virtual extra height using that top-mounted speaker, and any 3D placement beyond stereo will also be added by the speaker.

That means it's targeting a very different market than the Sonos, and I suspect its real rival isn't the Era 300 but the Sonos Roam 2. The littlest Sonos is nowhere near as loud as the Fiitune X30 – it's 10W rather than 80W and has far fewer speakers – but it's priced identically at $179 / £179 / AU$299.

The Tronsmart could be a juicy set of speakers anyway, with lots of power for a low price, but this might be a case where there's no point putting the extra effort of spatial speakers in unless you're going to go the whole way and include Atmos.

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• Most people are polite to AI even when they’re frustrated, Tidio survey finds
• Cursing at chatbots doesn’t stop people from saying thank you
• Politeness toward AI feels normal even when the tech fails often

Are you someone who always says “please” and “thank you” to AI tools, or do you let rip when it doesn’t get what you mean or give you what you want?

New research has suggested users of AI chatbots can be both polite and rude, often in the same conversation.

A new report from Tidio found most people have cursed at a chatbot at least once, but that hasn’t stopped them from saying “thank you” afterward, highlighting the contradiction in how people interact with AI.

Avoiding AI chatbots

Nearly 70% of users admitted to swearing at chatbots out of frustration, but the service we’re getting from our future AI overlords can’t be that bad since 75% said they were satisfied with their most recent interaction.

Although people can be quick to vent when things don’t go their way (something human customer service workers know all too well), politeness still seems to be a habit people carry into conversations with AI, even when the experience isn’t totally smooth.

A previous Future study found 67% of Americans and 71% of Brits are nice to AI. That includes saying “please,” “thank you,” and even apologizing to digital assistants like ChatGPT or smart speakers.

It may sound silly, but some people say being respectful helps them get better answers. TechRadar’s Becca Caddy tested this by removing polite words from her prompts to ChatGPT and said the quality of responses dropped.

Even OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, weighed in on the cost of politeness. When asked how much it costs to power responses to polite prompts, he replied, “Tens of millions of dollars well spent.”

Although AI is now part of our daily lives, a good portion of people aren’t wholly convinced by it.

Around 30% of respondents to Tidio’s survey said they’d prefer to wait for a human even if a chatbot is ready to respond. And 26% said they’d rather trust a Magic 8-Ball than AI support.

Some users are even willing to pay to avoid it. About 11% would spend extra just to talk to a human.

Yet in practice, most people are prepared to use AI for help with basic tasks. The most common purposes include technical support, general questions, billing issues, and product information.

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