TechRadar News

• Reddit Recap 2024 is here
• You can see recaps for yourself and your favorite communities
• Tap on the banana icon in the app to see them

As the year draws to a close, we don't just have the holiday season and Black Friday deals to get excited about. No, we can also reminisce on how we’ve spent 2024 with the help of the likes of Spotify Wrapped, YouTube Recap, and Reddit Recap.

The latter of those has just been released so you can see how many banana lengths you’ve scrolled while browsing Reddit when it isn't down – I’ve scrolled through 90,567 apparently – and see the posts and communities you engaged the most with. At the very end you’ll even get a little Reddit persona card that describes your 2024 experience – my visits to Marvel Snap, Balatro, and Magic The Gathering subreddits has seen me dubbed a ‘Game Knight’.

You can also find the stats for the communities you follow to look back on the posts and comments that garnered the most attention from members of the subreddit.

(Image credit: Reddit)

Of all the end of the year recaps, Reddit's is one of my favorites thanks to this huge community aspect.

Whether it’s looking back on one of my community’s biggest posts of the year – like reliving the news MatPat was retiring in r/GameTheorists – or seeing the biggest stories from a subreddit I frequent but haven’t joined – like the Moo Deng appreciation post on r/MadeMeSmile – I love getting to find the flavor of 2024 for my niche of the internet.

How to find your Reddit Recap

Accessing your Recap is easy. Simply open the Reddit app and tap on the pixelated banana icon next to your profile picture. This will take you to the Reddit Recap page.

At the top of this menu is your own personalized recap, while community recaps for the groups you’re part of – and others that are popular – will appear below. To view any of them just tap on one, and when you’re ready to view a different recap tap the X icon in the left corner, or tap it on the main recap page to return to Reddit proper.

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• Amazon Elastic VMware Service lets you run VMware Cloud Foundation on AWS
• The preview is set to launch at AWS re:Invent 2024
• VMware-aaS comes with “agility and cost-saving” benefits

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the preview launch of its new Amazon Elastic VMware Service (EVS) – a new VMware-as-a-Service offering allowing customers to run VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) within their Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).

In a blog post, General Manager of Commercial Applications with EC2 Steven Jones indicated the move was the next logical step after eight years of the companies working together.

“In the hundreds of VMware-related conversations we have had over the past year, customers and partners alike consistently tell us they are looking for more options that enhance the experience of running VMware-based workloads on AWS," Jones noted.

AWS launches VMware-aaS offering

Amazon EVS is designed to address customer demand for seamless migration and modernization of VMware workloads – customers can use their existing VCF licenses to set up and deploy a VCF environment directly on AWS.

Easy migration, no changes to IP addresses or operational processes and no need to retrain staff are highlighted as some of the service’s key benefits.

Jones added Amazon EVS “unlocks the agility, cost-savings and scale benefits of AWS,” without customers having to refactor or re-platform. Customers can deploy a VCF environment in hours with guided configuration and automated setup, and organizations can also benefit from native AWS capabilities to enhance their VMware workloads.

VCF’s license portability allows AWS customers to run their VMware-based workloads alongside other applications that they run in AWS, simplifying operations and management.

The preview is set to be launched at the company’s UPCOMING AWS re:Invent conference, but no word has been given about general availability.

However, although the two companies working together is a strong sign of interoperability, VMware has been the topic of debate since its acquisition by Broadcom 12 months ago, with customers unhappy about sharp price hikes and the expensive bundling of some products.

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• Arcane's co-creator has revealed which regions of Runeterra will be explored in the next League of Legends (LoL) adaptation
• Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia are set to take center stage
• Riot Games' co-founder Merc Merrill says they won't feature in three separate shows

One of Arcane's co-creators has finally revealed what's in store for future League of Legends (LoL) adaptations on Netflix – but isn't ready to confirm two big details just yet.

In an exclusive chat with TechRadar to discuss all things Arcane season 2 and future project plans, Christian Linke reconfirmed that Netflix, LoL creator Riot Games, and animation studio Fortiche would explore Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia in forthcoming movies and TV shows. These fan-favorite regions of Runeterra – the world that LoL and Arcane are set in – were first revealed by Linke in an extensive chat with League superfan Necrit on Twitch last Saturday (November 23).

The introduction of the six-eyed raven in season 2's final episode teased the arrival of another major Noxus-based character (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

However, while those reveals set tongues wagging among diehard LoL fans and Arcane devotees, Linke was keen to stress that any projects centered on Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia were still in the very early stages of development. That was to be expected, especially in light of Linke and fellow creator Alex Yee telling me that it'll be a long time before the next League adaptation makes its Netflix debut. This reveal, though, provides more questions than answers, including which iconic LoL champions will be part of proceedings and whether these regions are being focused on in individual movies and TV shows. [Update: an X/Twitter post from Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill confirms that these three regions won't be explored in three separate shows.]

With season 2's final three episodes teasing the arrival of a major League champion (Grand General Jericho Swain) who has ties to Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia – read more about these in my Arcane season 2 act 3 ending explainer – I couldn't help but ask Linke for more details on the above. Perhaps unsurprisingly, though Linke wasn't in the mood to confirm too much about the sequel (or, potentially, sequels) to one of the best Netflix shows.

"That's hard for me to say," Linke replied when I asked if Swain would be a protagonist or major supporting character in Arcane's follow-up. "Look, there's a presence throughout Arcane, as well as at its end... I mean, we gravitate toward the stories that our audience wants and we would be silly geese not to look at these really interesting and amazing regions of our IP [intellectual property]. I guess I can't really speak about specific characters yet. But, as I said to Necrit, we're really exploring these regions and there are essential characters that are attached to those regions."

As for whether Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia would feature in the same project or not, Linke added: "At this point, it really comes down to finding the right visionaries, storytellers, and people to shepherd and realize these. So, I really can't say anything too specific, but just know that we're working hard on them."

We're really exploring these regions and there are essential characters that are attached to those regions

Christian Linke, Arcane co-creator

I guess we'll just have to wait for more news from Linke and company when they have something official to share, then! Hopefully, the wait won't be too long, either – indeed, when Linke confirmed (in June) that Arcane's second season would also be its last, he implied that more information would be shared on the award-winning animated series' sequels before 2024 ends. Unless he's already revealed said information by confirming Noxus, Ionia, and Demacia's inclusion in the next project, then, I'd expect some more details in the weeks ahead. It would be a nice festive gift if more was unveiled, wouldn't it?

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• Trend Micro discovers brand new backdoor called GhostSpider
• It can exfiltrate sensitive data and tamper with the OS
• It was used by a Chinese state-sponsored threat actor known as Salt Typhoon

Infamous Chinese state-sponsored threat actor Salt Typhoon has been seen using a brand new backdoor malware to target telecommunication service providers.

A report from cybersecurity professionals Trend Micro analyzed the backdoor, called GhostSpider, noting it is used in long-term cyber-espionage operations, with its key stealth mechanisms include remaining exclusively in memory, and encrypting its communication with the C2 server.

GhostSpider is capable of a number of things, including uploading malicious modules into memory, activating the module by initializing necessary resources, executing the primary loader function (data exfiltration, or system tampering), and closing the module to free memory and remain out of sight. Finally, it can adjust its behavior to avoid getting detected, while maintaining periodic communication with the C2 server.

Abusing endpoint flaws

The Washington Post noted US authorities recently notified 150 victims, most of which were in the D.C. area, that Salt Typhoon was eavesdropping on their communications.

In its report, Trend Micro added besides telecommunications, the Chinese target government entities, technology, consulting, chemicals, and transportation sectors in the U.S., Asia-Pacific, Middle East, South Africa, and other regions. To breach the systems, Salt Typhoon would exploit a number of flaws in different endpoints, including bugs in Ivant’s Connect Secure VPN, Fortinet’s FortiClient EMS, Sophos’ Firewall, and others.

While GhostSpider took all the limelight, Salt Typhoon was also spotted using other, never-seen-before variants, including a Linux backdoor called Masol RAT, a rootkit called Demodex, and a backdoor named SnappyBee.

Known as one of the more dangerous threat actors, Salt Typhoon mostly focuses on data exfiltration and surveillance, often aimed at government agencies, political figures, and key industries in the U.S. and allied nations. Some of its notable victims include major U.S. telecommunications providers such as T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies.

Via BleepingComputer

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In an era of relentless technological advancement, AI integration isn’t merely an upgrade but a fundamental shift affecting every aspect of organizational operations. Unlike past tech shifts that required specific teams or experts to adapt, AI is a horizontal skill — demanding universal competency across entire organizations. For business leaders tasked with AI transformation, here’s the simple truth: every single employee needs to become an AI employee.

In the months and years to come, we will see the difference between companies that merely consider AI as a feature and those that fully integrate AI into their operations. This shift enhances productivity, security, and innovation, and it fundamentally alters competitive dynamics.

This transformation is evident when comparing the fluency of leading AI companies — primarily startups and tech giants — to more traditional companies. Top-tier AI organizations achieve Gen AI fluency with over 90% of their non-technical workforce proficient in AI; this is in stark contrast to the 28% average in firms outside of Tech. This widespread AI integration underscores that in cutting-edge organizations, understanding and utilizing AI is the norm, not an outlier. In these environments, AI fluency is not merely encouraged but is a fundamental expectation, fostering a culture of continuous adaptation and learning.

Setting a skills vision for your AI-ready workforce

To effectively integrate AI across their organization and ensure every employee is AI-ready, leaders should follow a clear, actionable playbook:

Begin by setting a skills vision and defining the AI competencies necessary for all employees. This vision should be dynamic, evolving with technological advancements and strategic business needs. It serves as the foundation for developing an AI-ready workforce.

There are different ways of structuring your skills vision. The easiest approach is AI Builders vs AI Users. The vast majority of employees will be AI users — using AI tools to augment and accelerate their existing workflows. Roughly 5% of employees will be responsible for building AI systems, platforms, products, language models, and evaluation tools — these are the experts that will equip your company with the tools it needs to succeed.

While the builders vs. users framework allows us to understand AI workforces in a broad sense, most organizations will need a more granular approach. An AI-ready workforce pyramid can be broken down into four levels: Center of excellence, “AI + X”, Fluency and Literacy.

- Center of excellence: Your center of excellence could be considered synonymous with “AI builders.” These are the data scientists, machine learning engineers, and software engineers you need to build an internal AI platform. They’re not applying AI tools to some other area of the company like sales or marketing — their entire role is to design, build, and refine AI tools for internal or external clients.

- “AI + X”: These are the subject matter experts whose roles can be transformed with the addition of AI. Employees at this level could come from every possible background — electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, financial experts. AI can help these employees become more well-rounded and build something truly meaningful in their specific area of expertise. While they don’t train foundational models or develop AI infrastructure, they need to use APIs, leverage retrieval augmented generation and prompt engineering methods, prototype solutions, call models, and sometimes even build end-to-end products. It’s worth noting that we’re already seeing talented individuals recognize the potential of becoming “AI + X” experts — in the deep learning class I co-created at Stanford, two-thirds of my students are not majoring in computer science.

- Fluency: At this level, you don’t necessarily need to know how to use AI tools or apply them to your workflows. Fluency is the required level for employees who are interacting with a technical counterpart. For example, a marketer selling a data product needs a certain level of understanding to be able to accurately and effectively market that product. A sales executive needs a degree of fluency to be able to answer questions from technical buyers, even if they’re not using the tools themselves.

- Literacy: This is the basic level of AI skills needed for front-line workers and individual contributors. For these employees, AI literacy could help them improve productivity depending on their role and responsibilities. But it’s equally important for these employees to be part of the broader cultural change and identify their own use cases: when every employee has achieved a standard level of AI literacy, that company is then in a much better position to innovate.

Executing your AI skills vision: challenges and strategies for leaders

Implementing your AI skills vision is often more complex than crafting it. Here’s how leaders can navigate these complexities effectively:

- Leveraging top talent: Your products will only be as good as your best contributors, and AI is no different. The experts that can come up with creative innovations will raise the bar for the rest of the organization. For this reason, at the Center of Excellence level, organizations must do everything they can to maximize the abilities of their strongest AI employees. These top performers set the standard for the entire organization. For example, I’ve seen a software company that transferred an expert in clean coding to a team struggling with maintaining clean code; within weeks, significant improvements were evident across the organization.

- Preventing a culture of “dangerous amateurs": The behavior of the company’s leadership also makes a huge difference in the adoption of AI. CEOs and other executives must be able to set the tone for the rest of the organization — if they’re not proficient in AI today, they should acknowledge it and communicate how they plan on closing that skills gap. If executives only pretend they know about AI, their employees will do the same. Organizations with “dangerous amateurs” (as my friend and collaborator Fernando Lucini calls it) — those who overstate their abilities — will find it much more difficult to begin productizing AI, and they will run the risk of getting overtaken by competitors.

- Leading by example: As companies upskill their workforces, their CEOs should be at the forefront of developing their AI abilities. Executives should be willing to share their experiences — and their scores in benchmarked AI assessments — with their employees to foster a culture of learning.

No time to waste

The rapid evolution of AI highlights the need for companies to become skills-based organizations. Innovation relies on adapting to quickly changing skill demands. In 2016, I frequently used the programming language TensorFlow; less than a decade later, TensorFlow has changed so much that I can no longer use it effectively without updating my skills. This demonstrates how specific technical skills can become perishable.

Innovation requires employees to master cutting-edge skills, but these skills are impossible to learn quickly without strong foundations. The creation of ChatGPT in 2022, which was built on the transformer architecture first introduced in 2017, underscores the importance of durable skills. The development team's solid foundation in mathematics, statistics, algorithms, data structures, coding, and English — skills that are durable — was critical. These durable skills, both technical and behavioral, are essential for long-term success. This illustrates why a T-shaped skills approach to employee development, blending a broad base of durable skills with narrow but deep perishable skills, is strategic for continuous growth.

The expiration date for perishable skills is coming faster than ever before, emphasizing the need for ongoing learning to stay competitive. If companies aren’t prepared to keep up with perishable skills, they’re going to get disrupted.

Innovation happens thanks to perishable skills but sustains thanks to durable skills. Organizations need to embrace the need for both or risk getting left behind.

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

• Bang & Olufsen has revealed its stylish new ANC wireless earbuds
• They offer upgraded microphones and improved transparency with ANC
• They'll be available to buy from December 17 for $499 / £429

We don't need to hear Bang & Olufsen's new ANC earbuds to know that we want them: the jewelry-inspired Beoplay Eleven are absolutely gorgeous, especially in their Copper Tone option (above).

But as ever with the brand, there's substance to match the style: these promise to deliver the most advanced ANC of any Bang & Olufsen earbuds along with a typically luxurious audio experience.

The new Beoplay Eleven come in two colors, Natural Aluminum and Copper Tone, with cases to match.

They're IP57-rated and promise up to eight hours of battery life; the batteries are removable and replaceable (albeit by service techs) so these buds should last for many years.

Beoplay Eleven earbuds: key features and pricing

(Image credit: B&O)

Bang & Olufsen says that the Beoplay Eleven earbuds deliver double the noise reduction at low frequencies, compared to their previous ANC tech, along with improved optimization across different ear sizes and shapes.

The six updated microphones are also apparently faster and more efficient, delivering a more natural-sounding transparency mode with less hiss.

The external microphones benefit from a redesign that’s put more holes in the stems to deliver a more open sound and reduce wind pressure; in conjunction with the B&O app's Wind Guard feature that should mean much better isolation from wind noise without also muffling essential sounds such as traffic.

(Image credit: B&O)

There are new microphones for voice calling and a new voice processing system to deliver clearer sound. Bang & Olufsen says that the result is the best voice call performance of any of its earbuds to date.

The new Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven earbuds will be available from 17 December 17 for $499 / £429 / €499 (or about AU$768). We're looking forward to testing them soon to see where they rank in our guide to the best wireless earbuds.

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• QNAP addresses 17 vulnerabilities with a variety of patches
• Among the affected products are Notes Station 3, QuRouter, and others
• Some of the bugs are deemed critical and highly dangerous

QNAP has released fixes for a number of security vulnerabilities, including several flaws deemed “critical”.

In total, QNAP addressed 17 different vulnerabilities, and the full detailed list can be found on this link. Since many of the flaws are critical and can be used to take over endpoints, steal sensitive data, and deploy malware, users are advised to apply the patches as soon as possible.

In its security advisory, QNAP said the vulnerabilities affected Notes Station 3, QuRouter, AI Core, QuLog Center, QTS, and QuTS Hero.

Patches and fixes

The most severe of the bugs is an OS command injection flaw that allows threat actors to run arbitrary commands on the target system. It impacts QNAP’s high-speed, secure routers QuRouter 2.4.x. It is tracked as CVE-2024-48860 and has a severity score of 9.5 (critical).

The second-highest, critical vulnerability, is tracked as CVE-2024-38645, and has a score of 9.4. It was found in QNAP’s note-taking and collaboration application Notes Station 3, and is tracked as CVE-2024-38645. This one is described as a server-side request forgery (SSRF) bug that enables threat actors with authentication credentials to send custom-built requests and ultimately expose sensitive app data.

Another Notes Station 3 flaw made the top three, CVE-2024-38643, with a severity score of 9.3. This missing authentication for critical functions bug allows crooks to gain unauthorized access and run different system functions, which can lead to credential theft and system compromise.

QNAP devices are extremely popular targets for cybercriminals, and as such should be handled with care. Security experts advise these advices never be connected directly to the internet, but rather be protected behind a VPN.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Google Developer Program is now available with free or $299/year subscriptions
• “Benefits” include $500 in Google Cloud credits, 1:1 time with experts, and more
• Available now to personal users, except for customers in Europe/UK/Switzerland

Google has launched a new premium membership for its Google Developer Program in an effort to monetize the initiative, and has introduced a host of new features to justify those extra dollars.

The program was introduced earlier in 2024 as a free resource hub for developers, but hot on the heels of the free tier is a premium subscription set to cost developers $299 per year.

Paying customers will now get access to one-to-one consultations with Google Cloud experts, unlimited access to the Google Cloud Skills Boost training library and $500 in annual Google Cloud credits to sweeten the deal.

Google Developer Program paid tier

Jeanine Banks, VP and GM for Developer X at Google, and two of her colleagues described the new subscription as a “tailored suite of services to help developers throughout the learning, building and deployment phases of their journey.”

The company already counts “millions” of developers as users of the free tier that launched during Google’s I/O conference.

Banks and her colleagues wrote: “Building on the success of Cloud Innovators Plus program, this new offering is the next evolution of our commitment to streamlining the developer experience and presents the continued investment in the Google Developer Program as the hub of benefits and resources across Google’s many developer products and services.”

The additional features included in the $299 Premium subscription are being branded as ‘benefits,’ which are available to browse from a dedicated section of the Developer Dashboard. Subscribers also get access to the free resources already available in the standard Google Developer Program, like AI-powered documentation tools and enhanced workspaces in Google’s IDX app development platform.

Although the subscription is positioned as an option for individual developers, the small print indicates that the Premium membership is “restricted to business or professional use” only in Europe, the UK, and Switzerland, which raises questions about its accessibility in the region.

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DJI has unveiled its tiniest wireless mic, the Mic Mini, which weighs just 0.35oz / 10g and pairs easily with smartphones and cameras for better quality audio on-the-fly.

Rivaling the recently announced Rode Wireless Micro, which is just for smartphones, DJI has taken a different approach in creating a Bluetooth mic that'll work with cameras too, even if its receiver is chunkier (see the picture below showing it attached to a smartphone).

The mics, also known as transmitters, attach easily using a clip or magnetic mount, and are like a shrunk-down version of DJI's Mic 2, which we crowned the best camera accessory in the TechRadar Choice Awards 2024.

@techradar

♬ Storytelling - Adriel

DJI sells the components individually and also as kits, with the transmitters (mics) available in Infinity Black or Arctic White. One transmitter costs $59 / £49 / AU$69, a transmitter with receiver costs $89 / £79 / $AU125, and a kit which includes two transmitters, a receiver and a charging case, costs $169 / £145 / AU$245. The complete kit is probably your best bet if you're starting from scratch.

The receiver includes a USB-C connector, but if you're using an iPhone with Lightning port you'll need to purchase the adapter separately ($19 / £19 / AU$39). The list price for the kit is similar to the Rode Wireless Micro despite the Mic Mini's greater versatility, while it's around half the price of DJI's Mic 2.

(Image credit: DJI) DJI Mic Mini vs DJI Mic 2: which is right for you?

Both the Mic Mini and Mic 2 work with smartphones and cameras. They connect to your phone via Bluetooth, or to a phone or camera via a wireless receiver which connects directly through USB-C.

Where DJI's wireless mics differ is that the pricier Mic 2 features 32-bit float audio that can more ably avoid clipping when your audio suddenly gets loud, and internal storage for direct recording so you can use it independently of a camera or as a backup, while its receiver features a display to monitor audio levels.

The Mic Mini is a much simpler device, with its receiver offering ±12db audio level control, but otherwise it's a simple experience and, crucially, a reliable mic system. We've already been testing the Mic Mini for several weeks, and we'll publish our review very soon. Spoiler alert: DJI has knocked it out of the park again with a slick, glitch-free, and well-built mic.

Here you see the Mic Mini receiver attached to the underside of the phone and the mic attached magnetically to the person's clothing. (Image credit: DJI)

So which model is best for you? I'd recommend the Mic Mini to those who need a simple experience and mostly use their phone for creating content. It's half the price, and twice as simple to use.

The Mic 2 on the other hand offers seriously powerful audio features, and would hands-down be the better option for serious creators who care about audio quality. Both are excellent options for use with the best mirrorless cameras, and will make a perfect pairing with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, a top-rated vlogging camera.

It's a tougher call between the Rode Wireless Micro and Mic Mini. If you're only creating video with a smartphone, then Rode's offering makes more sense, because its receiver is much smaller and fits snuggly into your USB-C charging port, whereas the Mic Mini's receiver sticks out and can get in the way. However, you don't have the option to use the Rode Wireless Micro with a camera should you ever step up.

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If you've been a Netflix subscriber for a while, you'll be all too familiar with the name Harlan Coben. Many of his previous series can be found on one of the best streaming services, including Fool Me Once, Stay Close, and The Stranger.

There's always hype whenever another one of his shows drops, and it's easy to see why thanks to his gripping plots, great cast, and often very picturesque locations too. Getting sucked into a Harlan Coben world is always a wild ride and a welcome one too.

His latest series is called Missing You and arrives on Netflix on January 1. So, if you're stuck for things to watch over the holiday season, this is the perfect choice for New Year's Day. It's only five parts too, so you can easily binge watch that while you're relaxing. But will it make it onto our best Netflix shows list? Only time will tell.

Take a look at the trailer below.

What is Missing You about?

Coben's latest thriller series follows Detective Kat Donovan as she struggles to move on from the sudden disappearance of her fiancé Josh. But when she sees his face on a dating app 11-years later, his sudden reappearance forces her to dive back into the mystery surrounding her father’s murder and uncover long-buried secrets from her past.

The plot is, of course, quite vague but I'm very intrigued by the idea of someone disappearing for that long and going completely off the grid. I'm expecting plenty of twists and turns here, and I can't wait to see if my personal theories are correct (yes, I've already started speculating!).

The cast is led by Slow Horses star Rosalind Eleazar and she's joined by some great names including Top Boy's Ashley Walters, Fool Me Once's Richard Armitage, The Rings of Power's Sir Lenny Henry, and Inside No 9 co-creator Steve Pemberton. That's quite the line-up, right?

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• UK government has announced an AI research lab
• The lab is tasked with improving the UK's cyber resilience
• The lab will collaborate with academic and industry experts to counter AI threats

The UK has announced the establishment of a laboratory dedicated to security research in order to keep NATO and its allies ahead in the “new AI arms race.”

The Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR) was announced at the recent NATO Cyber Defence Conference, and is set to receive £8 million of initial government funding.

The lab will collaborate with experts from UK universities, allied intelligence agencies, and private industry to improve cybersecurity at home and abroad.

Assessing national security

“NATO needs to continue to adapt to the world of AI, because as the tech evolves, the threat evolves,” the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said to NATO allies at the Cyber Defense conference.

“The lab will pull together world-class industry, academic and government experts to assess the impact of AI on our national security. While AI can amplify existing cyber threats, it can also create better cyber defence tools and presents opportunities for intelligence agencies to collect, analyse, and produce more useful intelligence,” he added.

The new research lab is born amidst other new initiatives aimed at improving the UK’s cyber resilience, such as the incoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, and a £1 million cyber incident response project that was also announced at the NATO conference. The lab will seek additional investment and collaboration from industry alongside its initial £8.22 million in funding.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster also said one of the aims of the laboratory is to counter Russian aggression in the cyber world, warning that the Kremlin is ready to launch a cyber war against the UK at any moment earlier in the conference.

“We know from history that appeasing dictators engaged in aggression against their neighbours only encourages them. Britain learned long ago the importance of standing strong in the face of such actions,” he said, referring to Neville Chamberlain's appeasement plan in the 1930s, which allowed fascist Germany and Italy to expand unchecked.

“That’s why we support Ukraine in its fight to decide its own destiny. Putin is a man who wants destruction, not peace. He is trying to deter our support for Ukraine with his threats. He will not be successful,” the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster concluded.

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• Actor Troy Baker will star in Naughty Dog's next game
• The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann has confirmed Baker's involvement
• Naughty Dog has yet to officially announce its next game

The Last of Us star Troy Baker has confirmed he will be involved in Naughty Dog's next game.

The news comes from a recent GQ interview, where the actor best known for his role as Joel Miller in The Last of Us and Sam Drake in Uncharted: A Thief's End discussed his life's work and his upcoming projects.

In terms of what next, in 2025, Baker will star in Judas, the next game from BioShock creator Ken Levine, but the actor was also able to confirm that he will be reuniting with The Last of Us director and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann and be featured in the studio's next game.

GQ was also able to verify Baker's return with Druckmann, who said, "In a heartbeat I would always work with Troy."

At this time, we have no idea what role Baker will star in as Naughty Dog has yet to officially announce its new game.

Last month, new insider information about the secret project was reported by MinnMax founder Ben Hanson, who claimed a source "very in the know, who worked on the game" shared that fans "aren't ready" for the studio's next project and that it will feature "a lot of player freedom".

Neil Druckmann also confirmed earlier this year that there are "multiple single-player" projects are in development at Naughty Dog, saying, "I promise you, we will not be The Last of Us studio forever".

In December 2023, Naughty Dog canceled its The Last of Us Online game after concerns that it would impact the studio’s future single-player games, a project that was reportedly in development for four years.

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Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded is likely right around the corner, adding new maps, a new Zombies main mission, and more.

Even without extra Season One Reloaded content, we're having a blast with Black Ops 6, landing it a place on our list of the best FPS games to play in 2024. This upcoming midseason update will freshen things up somewhat, giving players a new shotgun, and sniper rifle to work towards.

While we don't yet have a confirmed date, there has been a tease of sorts which likely places Season One Reloaded in early December.

Here's what we know about Black Ops Season 1 Reloaded so far, including a look at the rumored release date, as well as what might be added. As we hear more from Activision, this page will be updated.

Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded release date prediction

(Image credit: Activision)

The Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded release date is rumored to be December 12, according to a tweet by Treyarch announcing the arrival of the new Citadelle Des Morts Zombies map.

Generally, all of the midseason content arrives at once in Call of Duty, meaning it's likely that Citadelle Des Morts will be a part of Reloaded.

#CitadelleDesMorts ⚔️ 2024.12.05 ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/XiCQqmUtk2November 22, 2024

Activision is yet to fully announce Black Ops 6 Season 1 Reloaded or its release date. Until then, we'll be keeping an eye out for a full blog post and will update this page once it goes live.

Black Ops 6 Season One Reloaded - what's being added?

(Image credit: Activision)

Activision has now announced the highlights for what'll be added to Black Ops 6 as part of Season 1 Reloaded. This includes new maps, a new Zombies mission, and new weapons. Here's a brief summary of what's being added:

• Maps: Racket, Hacienda, Nuketown Holiday, Citadelle Des Mortes
• Wildcard: High Roller
• Weapons: AMR MOD 4, MAELSTROM, Cleaver
• Modes: Prop Hunt
• Bundle: Brightmare
• Warzone: BR Ranked Play

For a full breakdown of Black Ops 6 Season 1, head on over to the Call of Duty blog. This includes some content marked as in-season, which is likely to arrive as part of Season One Reloaded.

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• TCL has revealed its first mobile projector, the Projector A1
• It's an affordable offering that has built-in Google TV smarts
• It also has 8W speakers with Dolby Audio and costs just $499

TCL, famed for its TVs, has moved into a new category: portable projectors. The new TCL Projector A1 is a low-priced mobile projector with built-in speakers, Wi-Fi and Google TV.

The Projector A1 is a full HD 1080p offering that delivers 360 ISO lumens of brightness, with a screen size from 45 inches to 120 inches.

The LCD projector includes automatic focus and keystone adjustment for easy setup, and its dual 8W speakers let you use the device as a Bluetooth speaker as well as to providing the soundtrack to your streaming shows and movies.

Another bonus with the TCL Projector A1 is that it's powered by Google TV, including Google Assistant for voice search and smart home control, while the audio is handled by Dolby Audio processing.

Chromecast is supported too, and the Wi-Fi is 802.11a/b/g/n – not cutting edge, then, but fine given the display resolution.

A new potential bargain?

(Image credit: TCL)

There are some nice additional touches in the Projector A1, including a clever handle – TCL calls it VersaGrip – that is adjustable for comfort and also turns into a stand.

The projector is fairly portable too, coming in at 5.5lbs (about 2.5kg) with compact dimensions of 5.0in x 7.6in x 10.4in (or 127mm x 193 x 264mm).

As you'd expect from TCL, the new Projector A1 is priced keenly: it's available now with an MSRP of $499 (around £395 / AU$770).

That's significantly cheaper than our current budget pick in our guide to the best portable projectors, the LG CineBeam Q, although that model does have a higher specification and resolution than the TCL.

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• Automatic framing is coming to all Google Meet users
• The Feature will automatically position you in the center of the video frame
• Framing can be adjusted at any time, and will even work with virtual backgrounds

Looking your best on the morning team video call could soon be a lot easier thanks to a new update coming to Google Meet.

The video conferencing platform has revealed its automatic framing tool will be coming to all Google Workspace platform tiers, giving more users a better depiction of themselves whilst on a call.

The tool helps automatically center users in the middle of the screen when joining a video call or meeting, meaning they are properly framed and as visible as possible.

Google Meet framing

Automatic framing was launched by Google Workspace back in 2022, but until now has only been available on selected tiers. Going forward, it will be on by default for all users, and there is no admin control required.

"Depending on their camera placement, some meeting participants might be less visible than others," the company noted in a Google Workspace update blog post. "With automatic framing, Google Meet will automatically center your video before joining a meeting to help ensure equal visibility for all participants."

The feature kicks in before a user joins the call, but can be re-adjusted at any time during a meeting by the user if they want to refresh how they look, by hovering over the video tile and clicking reframe.

The tool will also now work better with virtual backgrounds, which previously may have affected how a user is framed while on a call. Google says Meet will, "continuously keep you centered when using a virtual background, ensuring your background is fixed and not constantly reframing which can be distracting."

The news is the latest in a series of recent updates for Google Meet in recent weeks as it looks to become more helpful and intuitive for users everywhere.

This includes a new picture-in-picture feed, which automatically opens when navigating into a different tab - useful for those who may have to search for relevant information or data from different sources.

Google's Gemini AI platform will also now automatically take notes during a meeting, letting users "drop the pen" and focus more clearly on the meeting instead of splitting focus between listening and taking notes on video conferencing calls.

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• OpenAI recently updated ChatGPT so it can search the internet
• This feature has now been added to Apple’s Shortcuts app
• It unlocks new superpowers for your iPhone automations

At the WWDC 2024 conference in June, Apple told us it would be integrating ChatGPT into its own Apple Intelligence system to bring powerful artificial intelligence (AI) to Apple devices. What you might not know is that ChatGPT’s brand-new search feature is also working its way into one of Apple’s best apps, bringing even more capable automation to the iPhone and iPad.

As spotted by MacRumors, Apple’s Shortcuts app includes a new “Open SearchGPT” option nestled among its other ChatGPT commands. This means you can use ChatGPT’s search capabilities to find relevant information online with just a few taps.

OpenAI enabled ChatGPT to search the web in late October, saying that this addition worked “in a much better way” than the chatbot’s previous lookup abilities. It can include links to relevant web searches, add useful context to your results, and it works with follow-up questions to supplement your results with more information.

Apple’s Shortcuts app, meanwhile, lets you create multi-step automations that can carry out a wide range of tasks for you, which can potentially save you a lot of time and effort if the actions are tedious to perform manually.

Shortcuts can also be activated automatically at specified times of day or when you arrive at certain locations. Combine that with ChatGPT’s new ability to search the internet and you could create some very potent workflows – and change the way you search on your iPhone entirely.

Coming to free users soon

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Ascannio)

Right now, you’ll need a paid-for ChatGPT Plus or ChatGPT Teams subscription in order to use SearchGPT.

That won’t be the case forever, though, as OpenAI says it plans to extend the feature to free users “over the coming months.” Note that you’ll also need to have downloaded the latest version of the ChatGPT app on your iPhone or iPad in order to get the SearchGPT function in Shortcuts.

You might be wondering where Siri figures in all this, since Apple announced at WWDC that Siri would be able to tap into ChatGPT if needed. Well, the iOS 18.2 beta lets Siri hand off to ChatGPT in certain situations – for instance, if you start your Siri request with the phrase “Ask ChatGPT,” you’ll go straight through to OpenAI’s chatbot.

However, iOS 18.2 isn’t expected to launch to the general public until early December. If you don’t want to wait that long to get ChatGPT built into your iOS experience, SearchGPT’s Shortcuts integration might be your best bet.

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• The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could switch from titanium to aluminum
• The upcoming Pro models might also have a larger camera bump than current models
• The iPhone 17 Air could be too thin for a SIM card slot

Apple might be taking a backwards step when it comes to the design of the iPhone 17 series, as a new report suggests the company will equip all four phones with an aluminum frame.

This report is a subscriber-only article at The Information, but it's been summarized by 9to5Mac, and this is one of many design changes detailed in it.

Apple already uses aluminum for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, but the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max instead have a titanium frame, which is generally considered to be a more premium material, so it seems odd that the company would switch them to aluminum.

According to this report though it’s not just the frames that will be aluminum – in the case of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the top half of the back will also be aluminum, with the bottom half being glass, as wireless charging doesn’t work through a metal back.

That sounds like a huge change from the all-glass rears of the current models, and the report adds that the Pro and Pro Max models will also have a larger rectangular camera bump, and that this too will be aluminum rather than the '3D glass' of current models.

A larger camera bump also doesn’t sound appealing, but it could be a sign that improved cameras are planned for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Current leaks suggest a new 48MP telephoto camera could be included, so perhaps that’s the reason.

The rumored move to aluminum is more baffling, especially since this would give the Pro models one less differentiator from the standard ones. But perhaps it’s for cost or environmental reasons.

The iPhone 17 Air could also sport a questionable design

The iPhone 17 Air could be a lot slimmer than the iPhone 16 (Image credit: Future)

The report also details the rumored iPhone 17 Air, and those details have been summarized by 9to5Mac in a separate article. In any case, the report says that Apple is aiming for this to be between 5mm and 6mm thick, which would make it a lot slimmer than the 7.8mm iPhone 16.

However, Apple is apparently “finding it hard to fit the battery and thermal materials into the device.” That chimes with an earlier leak, though that report stated that as a result, the iPhone 17 Air would be thicker than 6mm. So we’re not sure which leak is right, or if either of them is.

This new report adds that current prototypes have just one earpiece speaker, while other iPhones have two, and that – as other leaks have suggested – the iPhone 17 Air will have just one rear camera. This will apparently be housed in a “large, centered camera bump.”

Interestingly, the report also says that Apple hasn’t found a way to fit a physical SIM card slot into the iPhone 17 Air, so if it is this slim at launch then it might be eSIM-only. Apple has already made that move with other iPhones in the US, but units in some countries such as the UK include both an eSIM and a SIM card slot. The bigger issue would be China, where eSIMs aren’t supported.

Finally, current prototype units of the iPhone 17 Air apparently use Apple’s in-house 5G modem, and this is said to be slower and less reliable than the Qualcomm modems that current iPhones use. It also apparently doesn’t support faster mmWave 5G, though it’s possible that by the time the iPhone 17 Air launches, Apple will have improved its modem.

Still, for now this sounds like it could be an enormously compromised device if this report is accurate. We should find out how accurate it is in September, as that’s when the iPhone 17 series – including the iPhone 17 Air – is likely to launch.

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• One of Arcane's co-creators has responded to a big season 2 finale fan-theory concerning Jinx
• Christian Linke wouldn't confirm if Vi's sister is still alive
• However, while Linke's words said one thing, his reaction said something else

Full spoilers immediately follow for Arcane's season 2 finale.

Arcane co-creator Christian Linke has implied that, despite what happens in the season 2 finale, Jinx is still alive.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar after the Netflix show's final episodes aired last Saturday (November 23), Linke suggested that Arcane's deuteragonist didn't die. While Linke said he could "neither confirm or deny" that this was the case, the fact that he shuffled nervously in his seat and raised a wry smile all but confirmed that Jinx didn't perish in this season's ninth and final entry.

Did you spot the purple, Shimmer-like streak heading for one of the Hexgate tower's air ducts before Jinx's bomb went off? (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

There's plenty of evidence to suggest that Jinx lives to fight another day, too, which I previously covered in my Arcane season 2 act 3 ending explained piece. For starters, as Jinx detonates her Hextech bomb to kill Warwick and seemingly sacrifice herself, Jinx appears to use her Shimmer-based super-speed powers to avoid the explosion. Indeed, a unmistakable streak of purple, i.e., the color of Jinx's Shimmer abilities, can be seen in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment mere milliseconds before the bomb goes off.

Her whole story is about turning from the bumbling, little sister into someone who takes responsibility

Christian Linke, Arcane co-creator

In one of the best Netflix shows' final few scenes, Caitlyn is seen combing the Kiramman family archives while she fidgets with the monkey head of another of JInx's homemade explosive devices. As she browses these records, she finds the schematics for Piltover's Hexgate tower, which Jinx and Warwick fell down before the former detonated her bomb. Zooming in on the blueprint's air duct and cooling system section, Caitlyn raises a smile. Clearly, Caitlyn was trawling through the archives to find the tower's designs to work out if Jinx could have survived. Based on her smirk, it's evident that she believes Vi's younger sibling did.

The last two pieces of evidence come in Arcane season 2's final scene. The most obvious one is the Jinx-style 'The End' title card that flashes on the screen before the end credits roll, and which indicates that Jinx's story isn't over. Even more importantly, though, the series' final shot shows an airship flying to an unknown region of Runeterra. Why is this significant? In Arcane's very first episode, the child version of Jinx – then known as Powder – sees an airship and says "one day, I'm going to ride one of those things". Considering that the airship in season 2's final episode is identical to the one that Powder sees in the animated show's premiere, it doesn't take a genius to deduce that Jinx is flying the airship in the League of Legends (LoL) adaptation's final chapter.

I'm convinced Jinx is the individual who's flying this airship (Image credit: Netflix/Riot Games/Fortiche Production)

Armed with these clues, I asked Linke if he could confirm whether Jinx was alive, and if she was the individual who was flying the airship. As I mentioned, Linke didn't give me a definitive answer, with Arcane's co-showrunner choosing instead to speak about Jinx's redemption-based character arc that was teased in season 2's final trailer. His body language, though, practically confirmed that Zaun's self-appointed 'big, fat hero' is not only alive, but also managed to break the cycle of violence she was trapped in and walk (or, rather, fly) away to start a new life.

"I can neither confirm or deny [the Jinx is alive]," Linke coyly replied. "I will say this: her whole story is about turning from the little, bumbling sister into someone who is able to take responsibility and do what a big sister needs to do.

"Isha is really that example for Jinx. She [Jinx] is starting to understand what it's like to be responsible, and to be able to grow and be stronger. Even in that scene [involving Vi, Jinx, and Warwick], there's something where VI is incapable of kind of sacrificing the ones she loves and leaving them behind. Jinx has a moment where she has grown and she's capable of stepping in, and it's a big decision that's important for her. So, that's I guess, where I'll leave it."

Even if Jinx is still kicking around, it's unlikely that we'll see her again. Arcane's second and final season wraps up Jinx and Vi's story, as well as that of Piltover and Zaun. That's in spite of rumors that Arcane was supposed to run for five seasons, too – with Linke and fellow creator Alex Yee telling me it was "never the plan" for Arcane to last that long.

Regardless, there are plenty of other LoL movies and TV shows in the works that will explore more regions of Runeterra and focus on other LoL champions. I'll have more to share on that front in another exclusive later today, so be sure to check back with TechRadar soon. For now, see why Arcane's creators have insinuated that it'll be a long time before the hit series' follow-up projects are released.

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• The Nothing Phone 3 may have been spotted in a new leak
• Benchmark stats point to a new mid-range handset
• The phone is due to launch sometime in 2025

It's been quite the wait for the Nothing Phone 3 – with the phone pushed back to 2025 to allow more time for additional AI features to be developed – but a new benchmark leak suggests the handset will be turning up sooner rather than later.

The Geekbench listing was spotted by GSMArena, and based on the scores and the internal spec references, the Nothing Phone 3 could be more of a mid-range phone than a flagship: it looks as though the processor inside is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3.

That would be a step down from the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 3 fitted inside the Nothing Phone 2, but this could just be one of several variants. It's very possible that more powerful, higher-end versions of the Nothing Phone 3 are in the pipeline too.

The listing also tells us there'll be 8GB of RAM here, with Android 15 and Nothing OS 3.0 for the software – though as always with these benchmark leaks, don't assume anything is confirmed until Nothing gets around to making the handset(s) official.

What comes next

The Nothing Phone 2a (Image credit: Future / James Ide)

You can catch up on the recent history of Nothing phones by reading our Nothing Phone 2 review, Nothing Phone 2a review, and Nothing Phone 2a Plus review. Those phones came out in July 2023, March 2024, and July 2024 respectively.

The Phone 2a and Phone 2a Plus are very much mid-range handsets, so it would be something of a surprise if the Nothing Phone 3 (or one of its variants) was too – it seems more likely that we'd get a Nothing Phone 3a as a follow-up.

We haven't heard too much about the Nothing Phone 3 so far, beyond that it'll feature plenty of AI. A couple of codenames have leaked, and according to insiders the Nothing Phone 3 will in fact offer performance close to flagship levels.

The GSMArena article does predict that a premium Nothing Phone 3 Pro is indeed on the way, so that might be the true successor to the Nothing Phone 2 – rather than the model referenced in this benchmark.

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• Windows 11 24H2 has run into yet more bugs
• They affect Ubisoft games and cause them to freeze up in a nasty way
• There’s also a bug with an encryption app hitting Dell’s laptops

Windows 11 24H2 seems to run into more and more problems as the update continues to roll out, and here’s another bunch of fresh issues which upgraders have encountered.

For starters, one of the most recent bugs to rear its head represents a spot of trouble for PC gamers (again), as flagged up on Microsoft’s release health status dashboard.

This one relates to problems with Ubisoft games whereby some titles can become “unresponsive while starting, loading or during active gameplay” with this resulting in a black screen crash in some cases.

The games affected are as follows:

• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
• Assassin’s Creed Origins
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
• Star Wars Outlaws
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

We’re told that Ubisoft has released a patch for Star Wars Outlaws that means the game will no longer freeze up, but players might still encounter technical hitches in terms of unspecified ‘performance issues,’ so we can guess that means some bouts of sluggish frame rates, perhaps.

On top of that, there’s another gremlin causing havoc in 24H2 for some USB devices, mainly USB standalone scanners, as Microsoft again explains in its dashboard.

Windows Latest also spotted that Dolby Digital sound won’t work in Windows 11 24H2, with a fresh install, that is, as the Dolby Audio decoders aren’t preinstalled in the OS as of 24H2. So, in this case, you’ll need to manually install them.

Finally, the tech site also noticed that there’s a bug with Dell PCs with a certain app that means they won’t hibernate or shut down, a pretty major clanger it has to be said.

This happens when Windows 11 24H2 is installed on a Dell machine with an older version of the Dell Encryption app, as confirmed by the laptop maker itself.

In a support document, Dell tells us: “Dell Encryption v11.9 and earlier are not compatible with 24H2 and should not be installed to those computers.”

Note that this app is something you’ll see in a business setting, so the odds are that this isn’t one you’ll have to worry about – but it’s still something to be aware of, given the impact here, if you have a Dell notebook for working from home, for example.

(Image credit: Ubisoft/LucasFilm Games) Analysis: Hell for Dell, and Ubisoft too

So, for those who do have such a Dell laptop, you need to be careful here, as failing to shut down the PC is a pretty critical bug. What’s more worrying here is that as Windows Latest observes, Microsoft hasn’t yet placed a hold on the 24H2 update for PCs running Dell Encryption v11.9 or earlier – normally, these systems should be blocked from the upgrade due to this incompatibility problem.

At least this was the case at the time of writing, and the current advice is to make sure you have Dell Encryption v11.10 (or better) installed before you grab the 24H2 update. Your Dell PC may have already updated that app, with any luck, but we wouldn’t take that for granted.

The good news is that the bug more likely to affect our readers – with the Ubisoft games – does have an upgrade block in place. So, if you have the mentioned games installed, the 24H2 update won’t be offered to you. Also, don’t try to fudge your way around that compatibility block by manually installing 24H2 (by using, say, the media creation tool), as that will end in tears (or your PC games crashing, rather).

As mentioned at the outset, there are a growing number of problems with the 24H2 update, so we can’t imagine the rollout will be opening up to a lot more PCs anytime soon. Microsoft has a lot of fixing to do here, work that’s already happening to be fair.

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