TechRadar News

• OpenAI published the first Jalapeño benchmarks at Hot Chips, claiming 1.5 to 1.9x more throughput per kilowatt and up to 3.6x lower latency than Nvidia's GB200 and GB300 rack systems
• The chip's purported gains are at a reported 700W power draw and center around efficiency, with Nvidia's GB300 still leading on absolute throughput per package by 20-25 percent.
• The numbers are currently self-reported, and volume production of the chip is not expected to ramp up until 2027

OpenAI took the stage at Hot Chips on August 25 with the first published performance figures for Jalapeño, the inference accelerator it co-developed with Broadcom, and the numbers are designed to be read the way it flatters the former: efficiency.

The company reported 1.5 to 1.9 times more throughput per kilowatt and 1.7 to 3.6 times lower end-to-end latency across three open models than the Nvidia rack systems it tested against.

OpenAI's Jalapeño is currently rated at 700W, versus comparable Nvidia silicon that was rated for 1200W and 1400W, a key differentiator in a benchmark that already has limited information available to researchers looking to pick a clear winner.

AI efficiency takes center stage?

OpenAI's Jalapeño is an ASIC, or an Application-specific integrated circuit, which essentially means that it focuses primarily on and is great for very specific AI workloads; in this case, OpenAI's inference needs, which allow it to run multiple models with significant efficiency gains in tow.

Richard Ho, who runs OpenAI's hardware program, told reporters on a press call that the results show "a very, very significant performance advance over state-of-the-art."

OpenAI ran SemiAnalysis's public InferenceX suite on GPT-OSS 120B, DeepSeek R1 670B, and Moonshot AI's trillion-parameter Kimi K2.5, at a nominal 8,000-token input and 1,000-token output. It scored a 1.9x efficiency win vs. GB200 on its own GPT-OSS model, and 1.7x and 1.5x on DeepSeek and Moonshot's offerings against a GB300 system. Interestingly, the figures for GPT-OSS 120B running on a GB300 compared to OpenAI's Jalapeño are not published.

It is important to point out here that there is a certain degree of cherry-picking to flatter OpenAI's own results: by choosing to compare ratios on a per-kilowatt basis versus a per-chip basis, while efficiency remains consistent, it does paint Jalapeño as potentially a much more potent competitor to Nvidia's last-generation offerings than it actually is.

Nvidia's GB300 might not have an efficiency win versus Jalapeño, but it remains a much more powerful chip in all tests, at a time when Nvidia is already rolling out Vera Rubin. Curiously, OpenAI has not published any information about how its chip stacks up against an HBM4-touting Vera Rubin, which Nvidia has presented as an efficiency juggernaut.

It is important to point out that Jalapeño's results also use single-token prediction throughout, with no speculative decoding and no prefill-decode disaggregation. Nvidia's production deployments commonly use multi-token prediction, and when OpenAI pits Jalapeño against a GB300 configured that way, the peak efficiency lead drops to roughly 1.5x.

OpenAI says it built the chip to keep model state local, writing that it "designed Jalapeño to minimize data movement and communication delays." Cores and HBM are divided into slices, each core slice holding a low-latency view of its own memory, with synchronization pushed onto a dedicated collective network. Each package pairs a compute die with six HBM4 stacks for 216 GiB at 15.4 TB/s, which is less capacity than the GB300's 288GB of HBM3E but considerably more bandwidth, and roughly 50 percent more memory per watt of rated power.

Every number published currently comes from A0 silicon, also known as the initial, first-run version of the chip. A more efficient B0 stepping is already in the fab with roughly 25 percent better performance per watt, and production is scheduled to ramp gradually across 2027.

Although it may not hold a candle to Nvidia's Vera Rubin, it might not have to; Alexander Harrowell of Omdia told CNBC that "this is the biggest competitive threat to NVIDIA," noting that roughly half of AI infrastructure capital spending comes from firms that already run custom chip programs or could. Yole Group's Adrien Sanchez framed it as pressure on Nvidia's inference margins specifically, the fastest-growing part of the business.

The timing of this announcement is both awkward and potentially suspect at a time when Nvidia just agreed to backstop $105 billion in financing for OpenAI's upcoming Ohio facility, even as Richard Ho told Bloomberg that the company continues to need a lot of Nvidia's chips, with the latter being "a really good partner." This is hardly surprising, given Jalapeño's limitations as an ASIC useful mainly for inference, while Nvidia's chips are key to training new AI models.

From Nvidia's perspective, this can be seen as a blow to its plans for a high-margin inference industry where one of the two major buyers of inference hardware is not only looking for a homegrown alternative, but is already well on its way to getting the job done.

Walmart just launched a massive Lego 'Bricktember' sale, and I've already purchased two sets for my kids — the prices are just too good. You can save up to 60% on Lego favorites, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, and F1 cars, as well as seasonal sets like Advent calendars, haunted houses, pumpkins, and more.

• Shop Walmart's full Lego 'Bricktember' sale

I've listed my 12 favorite Lego deals below with prices starting at just $12. The two sets I personally bought for my Lego-obsessed sons are the fun Jack-O-Lantern Pickup Truck for just $12 (was $29.98) and the always popular 2026 Lego City Advent Calendar for $25 (was $34.99).

Keep in mind these are limited-time offers and the most popular Lego deals will sell out. Today's Lego 'Bricktember' sale is a great chance to grab one of your favorite sets and stock up on gifts for upcoming birthdays and holidays.

Walmart's 12 best Lego 'Bricktember' deals

Lego Jack-O-Lantern Pickup Truck

Lego Altar of the Dead

Lego Editions Olivia Rodrigo's Vinyl - Building Toy

Lego City Advent Calendar 2026

Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar 2026

Lego Creator 3-in-1 Wild Animals: Majestic Lion

Lego Editions Cristiano Ronaldo – Soccer Legend

Lego Technic Dodge Viper GTS-R Sports Car Toy

Lego Harry Potter Knockturn Alley Wizarding Shops

Lego Icons Mayor Manor

Lego Editions Lionel Messi – Celebration

Lego Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus Rex

• Meta continues to test data center robots for tasks like power cycling and network connections
• The company already has a number of models being tested at different campuses
• One worker worries robots could replace 80% of data center technicians

Meta is now said to be exploring whether it can perform some data center and server tasks with robots instead of human technicians, including power cycling devices and swapping network cables.

According to new Ars Technica reporting, the company has already deployed a simple, finger-like robot that can physically press the power button on hardware like Mac minis.

The company also demonstrated a self-driving robot in 2023 that was cable of moving heavy server racks, so it's not the first time Meta has been exploring how to automate its growing data center footprint.

Meta continues to look at ways to automate data center tasks

According to the latest reports, some of those earlier robots have already been deployed at its Iowa and Virginia facilities, and it's the Iowa campus that looks to be one of the company's biggest testing grounds. For the past year or so, the Facebook's parent company has reportedly been testing two two-arm robots for cable-related work, under human supervision.

A separate scissor-lift-style machine with a robotic arm is also rolling around Meta's Ohio campus in a trial for jobs like reseating components.

However, the growing complexity of AI data centers also presents its own challenges for robots, making fine motor skills far more important for costly and vital components.

Naturally, worker feedback hasn't always been so positive. Besides one unnamed employee warning that robots could replace 80% of the human roles before long, many also complain that autonomous robots spend far too long charging their batteries – not working.

Still, robots are clearly still part of the company's plan. Robotics exec Eric Xu previously described a future where robots are used for incident response, environmental monitoring and preventative maintenance.

"America is in the middle of its biggest infrastructure boom since World War II, and there’s a major shortage of skilled workers to fill the roles; we need more workers, not fewer," company spokesperson Francis Brennan told Ars Technica.

• Huntress reports DPRK job seekers expanding beyond tech into healthcare, sales, and marketing
• North Koreans use stolen identities, forged documents, AI tools, and proxies to bypass detection
• Campaign dubbed “IT worker scheme” continues, posing sanctions risks and unique detection challenges

North Koreans looking to get hired by western companies are no longer focused exclusively on tech companies. According to security researchers Huntress, they have started applying for jobs in healthcare, sales, and marketing.

For US companies, employing North Koreans is prohibited under US sanctions, and the US government specifically warns about hiring IT workers from DPRK. As a result, these individuals are engaging in all sorts of fraudulent behavior to trick their potential employers and get hired.

That includes stealing other people’s identities, forging documents, and using pre-recorded or AI generated videos during calls and interviews. They’re also using ChatGPT to draft answers to questions and communicate without raising any alarms. Furthermore, they are deploying proxies and VPNs, often connecting to computers on “hardware farms” in China, and using personal, non-resident banking accounts to get paid.

IT worker scheme

"DPRK workers present a unique detection challenge for defenders: rather than compromising accounts or breaking in via gaps in the organizations' environments, they're tricking companies into remotely hiring them, and oftentimes actually doing the legitimate work they were hired to do," Huntress said in an analysis.

This is a campaign that’s been ongoing for years. Researchers call it the “IT worker scheme” and while some argue the scammers are using their earned salary to further North Korea’s weapons program, there is no evidence to point in that direction. For all we know, they might actually be desperate for a job - they’re just not allowed to do it remotely.

In its latest report, Huntress says it saw three people in an Australian healthcare company that turned out to be North Koreans impersonating the Chinese. It also saw an unnamed financial services firm whose employees used software that allowed them to work remotely through devices hosted on laptop farms.

Finally, it investigated a case of a sales and marketing employee using a stolen identity. The worker allegedly used the personal details of a legitimate individual (name, birth date, location) which had been published online by law enforcement following that person’s arrest. At the same time, they were using their own face during the hiring process.

Via The Hacker News

A near-total lunar eclipse occurred last week. I was on vacation at the time, with no serious camera gear for a few windy and soggy days camping on the southwest-facing Wales coastline in the UK. However, I had packed the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, together with its 300mm (13x) teleconverter lens.

The eclipse felt like a perfect test for the flagship phone's camera skills. Where I was and Europe, the maximum 96.2% eclipse took place an hour before moonset / sunrise, meaning the moon would be low in the sky, while in North and South America it was in the middle of the night with the moon higher up.

Having set my alarm for a horribly early hour, I poked my head out of my tent at 4:15am to check on the weather, and was greeted with an enticing view of the eclipse underway in its partial phase, ahead of its maximum.

Excitedly, I threw on some clothes, picked up the Oppo kit and a tripod, and hiked down to the beach to get set up ahead of the eclipse's maximum, which would take place about an hour later.

Clouds covered the moon before I was able to fire up the camera, but I patiently waited. And despite not being able to see much of the partial phase of the eclipse, fortunately, a break in the clouds meant that I got to see the moon's eclipse at its maximum — and I was able to see what the Oppo kit was capable of.

Recording a 4K video sequence with Dolby Vision of the lunar eclipse, teleconverter attachedTim ColemanAnd here I'm using the phone's 10x optical camera, with no teleconverterTim ColemanSetting up for photographing the eclipse with a phone

The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is the only current phone with a 10x optical lens (the Galaxy S23 Ultra was Samsung's only previous effort), with a 230mm effective focal length that works pretty well for moon photography by itself. However, for an even closer view, the teleconverter lens is a better bet.

The teleconverter is a proper add-on lens that's designed to work with the phone's better-quality 3x optical lens, providing a 300mm equivalent focal length. Oppo notes this as a 13x zoom in the dedicated 'Hasselblad Teleconverter' mode in the camera app, which can be increased to 30x (690mm) or 60x (1380mm) digitally.

You'll need to use a tripod to stabilize the phone, and to capture sharp shots of distant subjects, especially in low light — I used a Heipi 3-in-1 tripod, which includes a dedicated phone clamp within its ballhead.

I like taking manual exposure control for astrophotography, but sadly the phone's dedicated mode for the teleconverter is stripped back (I've previously tried it for sports photography and came away frustrated by the experience).

There are the three zoom settings, a 'stage' mode, ±2EV exposure compensation, and then a basic array of controls which includes Auto HDR, aspect ratio, timer and interval shooting modes. That's about it.

I missed having the option to shoot in RAW format, exposure bracket (to get more detail from the light and dark parts of the moon), increase resolution from 12MP to 50MP and manually set white balance, shutter speed and ISO, which would otherwise be possible in the phone's 'Hasselblad Master' mode (Oppo's version of a Pro mode).

An uncropped, unedited photo of the moon using the 13x teleconverter. By default, the exposure in the photo setting of the dedicated teleconverter mode was too dark, even with +2EV exposure compensation added. Tim ColemanHere I've punched in to 30x — a digital zoomTim Coleman

My desire for manual control was magnified when the phone completely underexposed the moon when in photo mode (see above), which felt odd given that when I switched to video mode — where 4K up to 60fps with Dolby Vision, Ultra Steady stabilization and focus lock are available — the exposure was fine.

It's actually possible to use the teleconverter lens in the Hasselblad Master mode with the 3x camera and gain those manual controls, instead of the simplified dedicated mode. However, the image is upside down (since the teleconverter's optical construction comprises mirrors, to keep its size down), plus you lose the digital zoom capabilities — so composing the shot was highly impractical when working in reverse.

The teleconverter is a serious bit of gear, but the mode that's designed to work with it would benefit from inheriting some of the serious controls the phone is capable of (which could be entirely possible with a firmware update).

Still, I found a workaround — with a quick response taking the photo immediately after switching from video recording to photo, I was able to snap shots of the moon before the exposure went too dark again. Not ideal, but it worked.

Here's an unedited photo using the 13x zoom and my quick reactions after switching from video mode, where I got the right exposure for the eclipsed part of the moonTim ColemanSince the previous photo is 12MP, I can easily crop for a tighter shot to give you a closer view hereTim ColemanMeanwhile, this is the same shot but taken using the 30x digital zoom setting. Detail is softer, but it's passable. Tim ColemanHow good are the images?

I wasn't able to compose a shot with the moon framed by landmarks or a point of interest but, simply put, the tripod-mounted Oppo Find X9 Ultra with teleconverter lens delivered the best-quality eclipse photos I've got of the moon so far with a phone.

The 13x setting of the teleconverter is best, but the 30x digital zoom setting is usable too. Detail using the 60x setting was too soft for my liking. But the fact that I've been able to get such a close-up image of the moon during a near-total eclipse, with a phone and teleconverter lens, shows how far smartphone cameras have come.

I'd still opt for my mirrorless or DSLR camera with telephoto lens for the best-quality moon photography but, having previously written off phones for the task, I could happily pack light with just the X9 Ultra instead.

• ViewX's 27-inch display shows 3D images without requiring any glasses at all
• An onboard AI chip converts ordinary 2D footage into spatial 3D content
• Eye tracking runs at 180fps to follow the viewer's head position

ViewX has introduced a 27-inch monitor designed to produce spatial 3D images without requiring users to wear specialized glasses during viewing.

The display belongs to a new range that also includes a 15.6-inch model, with both versions combining conventional and spatial viewing capabilities.

ViewX says its Liber displays use onboard processing and eye tracking to handle several three-dimensional functions directly within the hardware itself.

3D processing without specialized eyewear

The displays support native 4K resolution for conventional content, while maintaining lossless 2D output alongside native 3D refresh capabilities.

An integrated AI system-on-chip can process certain 3D tasks, including converting ordinary 2D content into spatial imagery without relying on another computer.

The company also provides software for computers, allowing compatible games and streaming content to undergo real-time conversion.

ViewX says its eye-tracking system operates at 180fps, allowing the 4K display to monitor viewer position while generating appropriate spatial imagery during use.

Native 3D content can reach the monitor through HDMI, while compatible content can also undergo processing directly through the display's internal hardware.

The system is designed to connect with computers, laptops, consoles, handheld gaming devices, tablets, and smartphones across several operating systems.

It supports Windows, macOS, Android, as well as additional device categories for broader usage.

For users relying upon computer-based processing, ViewX recommends Nvidia RTX 2060-class graphics hardware or equivalent Intel and AMD processing platforms.

The company claims its approach can reduce dependence on host-computer processing for certain applications, particularly when compatible 3D tasks run locally.

The software includes Spatial Gateway, 3D Playground LITE, Depth Transformer, and ViewX Control Tray for managing supported spatial functions and content.

ViewX says its software ecosystem already supports more than 100 games, with examples including God of War and Cyberpunk 2077 among supported titles.

It also lists compatibility with applications such as ReShade, Portval VR, Oku3D, and Geo-11 for additional 3D content and rendering functions.

Tencent partnership and pricing

ViewX developed the display architecture alongside software technologies supplied through a partnership with Tencent, particularly for AI-based 3D processing and content adaptation.

Tencent's technology has also been used with the Abxylute 3D-One gaming device for spatial gaming and conversion functions.

ViewX intends the displays for gaming, entertainment, creative work, healthcare, automotive applications, education, and spatial-computing uses across different environments.

The 15.6-inch model is scheduled to begin shipping in October 2026, while deliveries of the larger 27-inch version are planned for Q1 2027.

The Kickstarter campaign lists the 27-inch display at under $1,200, although specific backing tiers and final retail pricing can vary during development.

A comparable glasses-free 2D/3D display from Lenovo, the ThinkVision 27 3D, is listed at over $2,200 — though Lenovo is an established brand, while ViewX remains an unproven crowdfunding campaign.

As of the time of writing, the project had secured $50,657 against a $2,550 goal from 40 backers, with 31 days remaining.

Disclaimer: We do not recommend or endorse any crowdfunding project. All crowdfunding campaigns carry inherent risks, including the possibility of delays, changes, or non-delivery of products. Potential backers should carefully evaluate the details and proceed at their own discretion.

• Sony reveals 3 new party speakers: ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7, and ULT Tower Max
• ULT Tower 5, $449.99 / £349 / AU$549; ULT Tower 7, $649.99/ £499 / AU$799; ULT Max $1,499.99 / £1,299 / AU$1,999
• New circular woofers, multiple sound modes, 360-degree party sound

Sony has revealed three new party speakers and — hurrah! — I’ve had the chance to hear them for myself. The Sony ULT Tower 5, ULT Tower 7, and ULT Tower Max look to offer almighty audio output for parties, DJ sets, or even karaoke sessions, with various ways to play and connect.

These bass-conscious new speakers are built around newly developed large, circular woofers (a departure from Sony's almost rectangular X-Balanced woofer unit, typically seen across the ULT range), and according to Sony, the Max model specifically delivers the most powerful bass in the ULT Power series to date. Their bold designs — which also deviate a fair bit from previous ULT speakers — as well as their massive power outputs and broad connectivity options could make them a major rival for the likes of JBL’s PartyBox models, if the sound is right.

Just how good do Sony’s new ULT speakers sound? I attended an impressive demo and I’ll reveal what I thought shortly. First, let’s run through everything I learned about Sony’s Towers, from technical specifications to nifty new features.

Taking a closer look

(Image credit: Sony)

Let’s look closer at each of the three new ULT Tower speakers, and go through the key technical details.

The ULT Tower 5 is the smallest in the new line-up, but it still packs quite the punch. It contains a 230mm woofer and two tweeters with a 300W maximum power output. Meanwhile, the ULT Tower 7 boasts a larger 280mm woofer, alongside two mid-range units, and four tweeters — two front-facing, and two rear-facing. The rear tweeters are also angled for a wider soundstage. The ULT Tower 7 has a 420W maximum power output.

Finally, the ULT Tower Max is a true beast of a speaker. It has three woofers, two front-facing, one rear-facing. But it also comes with two-midrange units, and four tweeters, two of which are rear-facing. Its high-power amplifier delivers 2,150W of output, making it one of the most powerful party speakers I’ve ever encountered.

I want to focus in on the woofers for a moment, because Sony were really keen to stress the changes made for the new ULT Tower models. Unlike some previous models, the new Towers have circular driver units for the woofers, rather than the ‘X-Balanced’ alternative.

Sony Product Manager Mike Somerset told me: “X-Balanced is fantastic for a smaller, compact system and maximizing the surface area inside — let’s say, for a rectangular speaker unit, you know. And it also delivers a really great, impressive ‘attack’ bass. But with these, we really wanted to emphasize deep bass — and to be able to do that we’ve moved to this circular driver unit”.

The speakers also have large capacity cabinets and ULT Duct tech, which is intended to help each model produce “deeper, more powerful bass with greater authority”.

Do it your way

(Image credit: Sony)

As well as talking up the outrageous power of the ULT Towers, Sony was keen to share the impressive customizability of the speakers. That’s because there are a number of sound modes, all of which are designed for specific situations and genres.

There are two ULT modes. The first, Sony says, is intended to enhance deep bass for “a rich, low frequency sound that makes your heart tremble,” with the second made to ramp things up even further for “even greater power, delivering body-shaking bass and strong sound pressure”.

What’s perhaps more interesting, though, are the ‘Flat’ and ‘Live’ options. As you’d expect, Flat is designed to make a track sound as it was intended to at the mixing desk, with a more neutral, balanced approach. Live, however, is focused on delivering a more spacious sound, with a strong emphasis on vocal clarity.

The speakers were tuned with the help of a number of "Hip-Hop sound creators," including producer, songwriter, and DJ, Dready, who spoke with me about the EQ adjustment process. On the Flat tuning, he said, “That’s how I would have it on a DJ set, because obviously on the controller you have the lows, mids, and highs, and we just gave it a nice blend… so, you know, when people take it, they can express themselves how they want”.

Of course, if you want to personalize things even further, you can connect to the speaker with the Sony Sound Connect app and make use of the multi-band custom equalizer instead.

So…how good do they sound?

(Image credit: Sony)

Do the ULT Tower speakers sound any good? Allow me to go through them one by one.

The ULT Tower 5 arguably impressed me the most, relative to its size and cost. Sure, it leaves out the 360-degree Party Sound feature that the larger models adopt (presumably due to its lack of rear-facing drivers), but its raw power and regimented sound were hard to ignore. When listening to Luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, the speaker showed its considerable versatility. The vocal sample in the intro sounded textured and resonant, but then the drive and power of deep bass hit with surprising impact. Bass, though the clear star of the show, sounded controlled yet powerful, and never shrouded vocals in the mids or drums up high.

We cycled between the various sound modes, and the switch between an ‘attack’ bass and deep bass mode was pretty striking. It was incredibly seamless to sift through the different modes using the ULT logo — which also happens to be a button. It’s too early to say if it’s a sure-fire hit, but for £349 (around $470 / AU$660, but these are guesstimates based on the UK pricing right now, since Sony hasn't disclosed official pricing for these regions at the time of writing), the ULT Tower 5 sounded far more impressive than some rivals I’ve tested in its price and size class.

Things got even louder when we switched to the ULT Tower 7. We tried listening to Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa, and low-frequency sounds were full-bodied, agile, and striking. Treble sounded pretty forward to me, with higher-pitched percussion seeming highly prominent, while vocals sounded clear and well-weighted in the mix.

We also tried out Money by Pink Floyd, which is a great testing track for any speaker. The 360-degree sound seemed pretty effective here, and when pairing two ULT Tower 7s together in stereo mode, the spaciousness of the track was brilliantly recreated. Vocals and guitars sounded tonally accurate and well-separated, but that low-end still came through with immense drive.

Finally, we hopped over to try out the behemoth that is the Sony ULT Tower Max. I’m no stranger to a rave, and the Max made me feel like I was listening to a set at my local venue. I was able to pick a track of my choosing, so I threw on Breather by Chris Stassy. And this perfectly showed off the huge sound of the ULT Tower Max.

The pumping, deep bass was genuinely earth-shaking, and I could almost feel it vibrating through my soul. But spacey sounds in the mid-range still came through cleanly, and were provided plenty of room to express themselves. If you want truly mesmerizing power at a relatively moderate cost (all things considered), then the ULT Tower Max could be one to keep an eye on.

We also tried pairing ten of the ULT models together, and… as you can probably imagine, the results were palpable. Auracast technology allows multiple models to chain together, and even the LED lighting syncs up across each speaker, making for an especially immersive listening experience.

Final thoughts: enticing new designs and competitive pricing

(Image credit: Sony)

The new ULT Towers feel like Sony’s attempt to genuinely take on JBL in the party speaker arena, with the latter being particularly dominant in this field. The party speaker segment has increased in popularity as of late, and we’ve even seen new entrants like Marshall releasing its Bromley 450 and Bromley 750 speakers.

But could the ULT Towers rival the likes of JBL’s Partybox models? Well, at a glance, I think they could. They offer incredible power, more than a lot of mainstream competitors, they have a new design with attractive lighting, refined sound with rounded woofers, and plenty of ways to make them sound right for you. And that’s not to mention the wide connectivity options, including Bluetooth, RCA, XLR, and USB-C.

For the power and features on offer, they’re also priced relatively modestly, with the Tower 5 coming in at $449.99 / £349 AU$549, the Tower 7 at $649.99 / £499 / AU$799, and the ULT Max at $1,499.99 / £1,299 / AU$1,999.

I was also impressed to see the battery life of the speakers, with 30 hours on the ULT Tower 7 and 20 hours on the Tower 5 — that’s quite a lot of playtime given the power demands. And although features such as 360-degree audio and sound modes are exciting, Sound Field Optimization (which analyzes speaker placement and surround noise levels to offer the best sound possible) are even better. That’s something that could really set this model apart.

We’ll have to test the ULT Tower models out for a bit longer to determine whether they can compete with the best, but so far, it’s fair to say that they’ve impressed me.

If you're looking for a good opportunity to upgrade your home office without paying over the odds, I've picked out 12 terrific deals in Amazon's Labor Day sale that will tick most boxes. I've focused primarily on products that combine useful features with decent discounts rather than simply choosing the cheapest options available.

My choices cover everything from keyboards, mice and monitors, to power banks, headphones, Bluetooth speakers, photo printers, and other office accessories. Whether you want to boost your productivity, add some useful new tech, or finally replace something that's been annoying you for ages, there's plenty here to choose from.

TP-Link Deco 7 Pro Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 BE10000 Whole Home Mesh System

Anker Zolo 20,000mAh Power Bank

Dell 27" 240Hz Monitor

Nothing Ear (3a) Noise Cancelling Earbuds

Logitech Ergo K860 Wireless Ergonomic Split Keyboard With Wrist Rest

Aurzen Roku TV D1R Smart Portable Projector

KYY Triple Screen Laptop Monitor Extender

Terramaster D4 SSD NVMe Enclosure

Liene M100 4x6'' Photo Printer

Bose Quietcomfort Bluetooth Headphones

Anker Soundcore Portable Bluetooth Speaker

Anker 65W Wall Charger

• Shop all of Amazon's Labor Day Sale
• Show Best Buy's Labor Day sale

If you're currently on the hunt for your next gaming laptop, then you'll definitely want to check out this week's early Labor Day sales. Even though we're less than a week away from the big day, major retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, HP, and others have already started their annual events.

I've been scanning through all the big sales today, and I've found some excellent price cuts. While the Labor Day sales are traditionally known for grills or the sort, there are a couple of highlights today that really stand out as good value picks.

You can check out the full list below, but I'd particularly recommend these Gigabyte A16 laptops for $1,159 (was $1,299) and $1,499 (was $1,849) at Best Buy and Walmart, respectively. If you're looking for outright bang for the buck, these are both listings that really buck the trend we've been seeing recently of inflated prices.

Another great, albeit high-end option, is this Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S for $1,899 (was $2,199) at Best Buy. While a little pricey, this is one of the better sub-$2,000 listings I've seen recently with its RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, Intel Ultra 9 chipset, and 240Hz OLED display. If I were on the lookout for a machine that can play all the latest games smoothly, this is the one I'd go for this week at this budget.

Labor Day gaming laptops - quick links

• Best Buy: gaming laptops starting at $699
• B&H Photo: up to $1,000 off Lenovo, Acer, Asus
• Dell: up to $600 off premium Alienware laptops
• HP: 34% off HP and HyperX Omen laptops
• Lenovo: 10% extra off with code GAMERDAYS10
• Walmart: up to $600 off MSI, Gigabyte, Acer

This week's best Labor Day gaming laptop deals

Cyborg 15.6: was $1299 now $899
Graphics card: RTX 5050
Processor:  Intel Core i5-13420H
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

It's tough to find a good cheap gaming laptop these days, really tough, in fact. This MSI Cyborg at Walmart is a rare example of a sub-$1,000 machine that doesn't suck, however. With a Core i5 and RTX 5050, it's good enough to tackle a wide range of games, granted you're modest with your expectations. The RTX 5050 is capable of playing the latest games, but you'll likely have to tweak your graphical settings down a little on the most intensive titles.View Deal

Graphics card: RTX 5060
Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

This Gigabyte Gaming A16 is one of the cheapest machines I've seen in recent months to feature 32GB of RAM - something that used to be commonplace on most mid-range gaming laptops. That's a massive boon for smooth frame rates, and the RTX 5060 graphics card and Core i7 chipset should pair nicely, even if the processor is a little older now. View Deal

Gaming A16: was $1849.99 now $1499.98
Graphics card: RTX 5070
Processor: Intel Core i7-13620H
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

Here's another great value listing on a Gigabyte A16, this time over at Walmart. This machine is essentially the same as the Best Buy deal above, but you swap out the RTX 5060 graphics card for the slightly higher-end RTX 5070. That should get you a nice little bump in performance, although this machine does still have an older chipset, so it's not as capable as the higher-end machines with RTX 5070 graphics cards. View Deal

Predator Helios Neo 16S: was $2199.99 now $1899.99
Graphics card: RTX 5070 Ti
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-275HX
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

For a no-compromise option, I'd recommend this Acer Predator Helios, which is currently on sale at Best Buy. The savings aren't huge, but I think the price is right here considering you get an RTX 5070 Ti, Ultra 9, 32GB of RAM, and a high-end OLED display. You'll have no issues with all the latest titles with this machine - and everything will look fantastic thanks to the OLED display.View Deal

Graphics card: RTX 5080
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9-290HX
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB

Looking for the ultimate gaming laptop? Dell's currently got a price cut on its high-end Alienware 16 Area-51 model, a machine that we claimed as 'one of the best gaming laptops ever made' in our review. As you can see, this is a very, very pricey laptop, but you do get excellent performance courtesy of an RTX 5080 and Intel Core Ultra 9 chipset, as well as an OLED display and mechanical keyboard.View Deal

If you just need extra storage without paying for features you won't use, this is worth a look. The WD 6TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive has dropped to $260 (was $320) at Amazon.

WD Elements strips out the backup software and encryption tools you get on WD's My Passport line, which keeps the price down and the setup dead simple: plug it in, and it works.

6TB WD Elements: was $319.99 now $258.37
6TB of storage in a compact 4.35 x 3.23 x 0.83in enclosure weighing about half a pound. Connects via USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) at speeds up to 5Gbps, is backwards compatible with USB 2.0, and is bus-powered, so there's no separate power adapter to carry around. Comes formatted for Windows out of the box and can be reformatted for Mac.View Deal

Why we recommend it

WD Elements drives have been a reliable, bloat-free choice for external storage for years, and this 6TB model continues that.

The USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection is plenty fast for backups and media transfers, and the compact, half-pound enclosure makes it easy to toss in a bag or leave connected to a desktop as an always-on backup target.

Because it skips the bundled software and encryption of WD's My Passport series, this is squarely a budget-focused pick: you're paying for capacity and reliability, not extras.

For anyone who already has a backup workflow in mind, whether that's Time Machine, File History, or a NAS-adjacent setup, that's a sensible trade-off.

Price Context & Historical Value

A $60 drop from $319.99 to $259.99 works out to about 19 percent off, a solid but not blowout discount. It's in line with what we've seen on other capacities in WD's Elements Portable line during recent sales, and puts this 6TB drive at a competitive cost per terabyte for anyone who needs bulk storage.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the WD 6TB Elements Portable if... you need a lot of extra storage for backups, media libraries, or overflow files; you want something that works out of the box with no software to install; or you're after the lowest cost per terabyte in WD's portable lineup.

❌ Skip the WD 6TB Elements Portable if... you want built-in backup software or hardware encryption, you need SSD speeds rather than a traditional hard drive, or you're carrying it around daily and want something more rugged.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This is a traditional hard drive, not an SSD, so transfer speeds and durability won't match solid-state storage, and it's more sensitive to drops and knocks if you're moving it around often. It also doesn't include bundled backup software or hardware encryption, so you'll need your own backup plan and, if data security matters to you, your own encryption solution.

• See all hard drive deals at Amazon.

• The FarseerTech RocXZoom is raising funds on Kickstarter
• You get a 50x hybrid zoom and 20x optical zoom from the camera
• Dual-stabilization technologies mean everything stays still

The FarseerTech RocXZoom stands out for a number of reasons: it's been developed by ex-DJI engineers, it solves some of the most persistent pain points for taking photos at high zoom levels, and it can recognize more than 300 bird species thanks to on-board AI.

It's also soared past its original goal on Kickstarter (via PetaPixel), raising more than 25x its target at the time of writing thanks to 350 willing backers. The campaign will continue to be open for contributions until Saturday, September 28.

In the words of the creators, the RocXZoom is "a compact long-range optical assistant integrating recognition, tracking and zoom" with "robotic precision to break the limitations of traditional long-lens tripods" to give you extremely smooth recordings at extremely high zoom levels (which are usually notoriously difficult to stabilize).

You get a 50x hybrid zoom, 20x optical zoom, and 40mm-2000mm equivalent reach with the camera, plus the bird recognition we mentioned, plus human and object detection too. Dual stabilization is provided by an integrated gimbal and electronic image stabilization, and the demo shots and hands-on tests all look suitably impressive.

Extreme zoom solved

The RocXZoom can be attached to a more conventional camera too (Image credit: FarseerTech)

"At extreme zoom, every heartbeat creates motion blur, yet RocXZoom turns challenging long-distance shots into controlled, trackable handheld captures — ideal for birding, wildlife, outdoor observation and distant action moments where lengthy setup time would make you miss the shot," reads the sales pitch.

While there does seem to be some trade-off in terms of image quality (a small 1/2.5-inch type sensor and a lens ranging from f/1.8 to f/3.9), the promise is that anything you're looking at long-distance through the RocXZoom will remain stable and in the frame, even if it's moving or you're moving (or both).

As always with crowdfunded projects, there's no guarantee that putting your money down will ultimately get you a product. The specs of the camera, its shipping schedule, and its final price could all change as the campaign continues.

The camera has already been shown off at CES 2026, however, which gives it more credibility. If you've decided you want in, the cheapest early bird level sits at $499 (that's about £370 / AU$700 with a straight currency conversion).

• Pentagon adopts two new AI models for use by DoD as part of plans to adopt AI technologies
• ChatGPT Mil fills the role of a day to day AI assistant, while Grok for Government provides military users with "immediate productivity gains"
• Both systems will be offered through the Pentagon's GenAI.mil platform

In order to carry out the Department of Defense’s mission of securing the United States, the Pentagon has rolled out two AI models for its staff that are specifically adapted to “warfighter needs.”

The models are custom variants of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok. The platforms are now available for use by the DoD’s 3 million civilian and military staff.

The AI models, called ChatGPT Mil and Grok for Government, are an extension of the Pentagon’s mission to improve productivity and efficiency without having the data input into AI systems analyzed by the same systems as their consumer counterparts.

Pentagon continues mission to procure secure AI

The Pentagon is already operating a ‘secured’ version of Google Gemini as part of the GenAI.mil platform. Of the 3 million staff, 1.7 million are actively using GenAI.mil, with that number likely to increase as more AI models are added.

The Pentagon’s press release states that ChatGPT Mil will be used in much the same way as anyone else would use the consumer version. To that end, it will offer support for routine work and document-heavy tasks, alongside other uses and integrations with chats and files.

As for the secured Grok variant, the press release states, “Starshield AI’s Grok for Government will provide the warfighter with immediate productivity gains, stronger knowledge continuity and more secure and efficient collaboration.”

This allows staff “to execute missions faster and with greater precision across numerous operational contexts, ranging from market research analysis for acquisition professionals to supply-chain management for logisticians.”

The Pentagon’s adoption of AI technology hasn’t been without issues however. Anthropic was designated a supply chain risk for refusing to allow the Pentagon to use Claude for autonomous weapon systems and mass domestic surveillance. That designation was recently overturned.

Other AI providers that work with the Pentagon have taken heed of the example made of Anthropic, with both Google and OpenAI allowing the Pentagon to use their models for “any lawful government purpose”.

There aren't many internal SSDs that score the full five stars in our reviews, but this one did it - and smashed all our expectations in tests. Right now, the Samsung 2TB 990 Pro SSD is at $390 (was $640) at Amazon.

That's a near record-low price for a drive that's been the default answer to “which NVMe should I buy” for the better part of two years. And it undercuts most 1TB competitors on a per-terabyte basis. Speaking of, both the 1TB and 4TB models are also on sale, but for my money, of the three the 2TB drive offers the best value for money.

For more demanding professional workloads, I recommend upgrading to the Samsung 9100 Pro SSD for $400 at Amazon.

SSD 990 PRO 2TB: was $639.99 now $389.99
PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD with sequential read speeds up to 7,450MB/s and write speeds up to 6,900MB/s, plus 2GB of LPDDR4 cache for sustained performance on large file transfers. Compatible with PC, laptop, and PS5 builds that support PCIe 4.0, and backed by a five-year warranty.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The 990 PRO is still one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 drives you can buy, and TechRadar's own testing backs that up. We called it an absolutely stellar M.2 SSD for both professional users and gamers, and praised how quickly it handled large file saves in our benchmarks. That combination of proven real-world performance and Samsung's five-year warranty is hard to match at this price.

Samsung builds its own NAND flash, DRAM cache, and controller in-house, which is part of why the 990 PRO has held its position at the top of the PCIe Gen 4 hierarchy for so long in a market where flagship drives usually get leapfrogged within 18 months. With over 12,000 reviews and a 4.8-star average on Amazon, it's a well-proven choice for gaming rigs, content creation machines, and general-purpose PC builds alike.

Also consider

9100 Pro SSD (2TB): $399.99
If you're a professional, I recommend spending the extra $10 and grabbing the 9100 Pro. This SSD delivers up to 14,700MB/s read speeds, features hardware encryption, advanced thermal control, Magician Software support, and excellent performance for creative workloads, AI applications, and demanding mult-itasking.View Deal

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB if... you want a proven, high-performance PCIe 4.0 SSD for gaming, video editing, or general PC builds, you're upgrading a PS5 and want a heatsink-compatible drive, or you want 2TB of fast storage without paying flagship Gen5 pricing.

❌ Skip the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB if... your motherboard supports PCIe 5.0 and you want to make full use of it, you don't need anywhere close to 2TB of storage, or you're on a tighter budget and could make do with a 1TB drive instead.

Price Context & Historical Value

The $639.99 list price shown on this listing is an inflated reference that doesn't reflect what this drive has typically sold for. Street pricing on the 990 PRO 2TB has more realistically run $420 to $480 even during major sale events, so treat the $639.99 figure as a nominal anchor rather than a genuine recent price. Even against that more realistic street price, $389.99 is a meaningful cut and lands close to this drive's lowest price in months.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This is a PCIe 4.0 drive, not PCIe 5.0, so if your motherboard supports the newer standard, you won't get the full speed a Gen5 drive like Samsung's own 9100 PRO can offer. It also doesn't include a heatsink in this configuration, so if you're installing it in a system that runs hot or you want PS5 compatibility out of the box, budget for one separately. For most desktop and laptop builds without dedicated M.2 cooling requirements, that's a minor caveat rather than a dealbreaker.

Poco has officially launched the Poco F9 Ultra and F9 Pro, two performance-focused phones that deliver “all-round upgrades in display, imaging, and battery life.”

Notably, the Xiaomi sub-brand doesn’t actually name-drop ‘performance’ in that list of F9 Series improvements, no doubt because the F9 Ultra, specifically, arrives with the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset as its predecessor, the Poco F8 Ultra.

Poco flagships have historically launched with the latest Snapdragon chipsets, so this year’s F Series marks something of a strategy shift for the Chinese company — and Poco hasn’t been shy about disclosing the reasons for this change.

In short, Poco has decided against equipping the F9 Ultra with Qualcomm’s new (and as-yet-unannounced) flagship chipset because 1) rising RAM prices have increased the cost of doing so, and 2) it believes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 remains powerful enough to deliver the level of performance Poco users expect. And I wholeheartedly agree with this take.

Here’s Poco’s full comment on why the F9 Ultra has an unchanged chipset, which was given in a press conference for the F9 Series by the company’s Senior Product Manager, Kang Lou, and Global PR lead, Olivia Jiang:

KL: I’d like to explain this. The overall situation is that rising memory costs are putting a lot of pressure on all of us [in] the smartphone industry. Poco is not escaping [these costs]. From our end, we believe performance is not always about chasing the latest chipset — of course, that’s important – but operationally speaking, having the latest chipset will cost [us] a lot more on the latest phone. We believe performance is a combination of everything: a powerful chipset, a powerful cooling system; the gaming experience is important too — gaming is a proving ground for us, to prove that overall performance is great.

OJ: For Poco, it’s not just about any single factor or any chipset roadmaps. Our product timing isn’t something we see as fixed; we continually evolve our launch plans based on what’s best for our users. We don’t make launch decisions based on the next generation of hardware, and we deliver [products] when we believe they are ready to deliver the performance our users expect. The Poco F9 Ultra remains highly competitive, and the price is competitive, too. So we’re confident that this generation will deliver the flagship experience that users need.

Despite shipping with an unchanged chipset, the Poco F9 Ultra does cost more than its predecessor — it starts at $799 / £899, where the F8 Ultra launched for $729 / £749 — but Poco evidently believes this price remains “competitive” given the other upgrades on offer.

The Poco F9 Ultra (left) and Poco F9 Pro (right) on a yellow background feature Bose-tuned audio (Image credit: Poco / Future)

The F9 Ultra ships with the brand’s new display-focused VisionBoost D8 chip, which facilitates a max display refresh rate of 185Hz for gaming — at the time of writing, more than 20 titles can make use of this enhanced frame rate, including Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. Elsewhere, the phone gets a hefty 8,050mAh battery (vs 6,500mAh in the F8 Ultra) and a predecessor-beating 200MP wide camera.

It’s worth remembering, too, that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is the same chipset that powers the flagship Xiaomi 17 Ultra, OnePlus 15, and many more of the best Android phones in 2026. We also described the Poco F8 Ultra’s performance as “immense” in our review; you’d have to be running NASA-level simulations on your phone to be left wanting for more power than the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 already provides.

From our end, we believe performance is not always about chasing the latest chipset

Kang Lou, Poco Global

As Poco acknowledges, equipping phones with the latest chipset is “important” when performance is compromised by using a weaker chipset, but that’s just not the case with the F9 Ultra. We’re very much in ‘diminishing returns’ territory when it comes to mobile chipsets, and if Poco had decided to equip the the F9 Ultra with Qualcomm’s next chipset and charged even more for the phone as a result, it may as well have been called the Xiaomi 18 Ultra, which is expected to use this chipset, and cost significantly more than the F9 Ultra.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether those aforementioned display, battery, and camera upgrades justify the F9 Ultra’s $70 / £150 price hike — we’re currently reviewing the phone, and will give our verdict on its value for money proposition soon. In any case, at least where the chipset is concerned, I’m certain that Poco has made the right call.

Although Amazon recently raised prices on its own tech gadgets because of the global RAM and storage crisis, the retailer is giving customers a break by discounting them in its Labor Day sale.

• Shop Amazon's full Labor Day sale

The retailer launched its Labor Day sale last week and is slashing prices on its best-selling devices, including up to 64% off Fire TV Sticks, Blink security cameras, Ring Doorbells, Echo speakers and more.

Amazon has some favorite gadgets on sale, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Select for a record-low $17.99 (was $49.99), the Blink Doorbell 2K for $41.99 (was $69.99), and the Echo Spot alarm clock for $69.99 (was $109.99).

Keep in mind that Amazon has raised its device prices by up to 60%, which makes today's Labor Day discounts very welcome. These limited-time offers end on Labor Day proper (September 7).

Amazon Fire TV Sticks

Amazon Fire TV Stick HD

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus

Amazon Echo speakers

Amazon Echo Dot

Amazon Echo Spot

Amazon Echo Dot Max

Amazon Echo smart displays

Amazon Echo Show 5

Amazon Echo Show 11

Amazon Echo Show 15

Amazon Blink security cameras

Blink Mini 2K+ Security Camera

Blink Battery Doorbell 2K+

Blink Outdoor 4 Security Camera

Amazon Ring Doorbells

Ring Wired Doorbell 2K

Ring Battery Doorbell 2K

Ring Ring Battery Doorbell 2K Plus

• Proofpoint observed PackClient RAT sold on Telegram, used by group TA4922
• Attack spoofed tax authority emails in China and India, delivering PackClient installer
• RAT offers advanced features; researchers warn broader adoption likely beyond Asia

For almost three months, Chinese hackers have been distributing an advanced Remote Access Trojan (RAT) called PackClient, against organizations in mainland China and India.

According to security researchers Proofpoint, PackClient is being actively sold on Telegram channels. It is a rather advanced RAT, capable of file theft and management, remote shell execution, screen capture and remote desktop management, webcam access, keylogging, privilege escalation, system administration, and a myriad of other things.

Even though it’s actively sold on Telegram, so far just one hacking group was spotted using it - TA4922. This is not a state-sponsored group but rather a financially motivated one.

Picking up the malware

Since late May 2026, this group has been mailing organization, first in China, and later in India, as well. In the emails, they spoofed local tax authorities, claiming that the recipients were needed to conduct “self-inspection”, a process which included downloading and filling out paperwork shared in the attachment.

The “paperwork”, however, was nothing more than the PackClient installer.

In its report, Proofpoint did not say how many organizations fell victim to the attack, nor did it discuss in which industries most victims operated.

However, in earlier reports, the researchers said TA4922 typically targets small and medium-sized organizations located primarily in Japan. Other notable mentions include Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, and India, while in newer times, they also started targeting European organizations, as well as those in the UK.

Proofpoint also stressed that the advanced capabilities of PackClient might see it getting picked up by many more threat actors, and see it getting deployed against more organizations, particularly in the western part of the world.

“Given that PackClient is marketed through Telegram making it broadly available, it is likely other threat actors are currently using, or will use, this malware in future campaigns,” they said. The researchers also shared a full list of Indicators of Compromise (IoC), in case you’re suspicious of an infection.

If you're after a compact four-bay desktop NAS with modern networking for work and media backups, the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro NAS system has dropped to $680 (was $800) at Amazon

We've tested this exact configuration, and found it's a genuine upgrade over its predecessor with dual 5GbE and a third M.2 slot. But it's not for everyone.

F4-425 Pro NAS: was $799.99 now $679.99
4-bay NAS powered by an 8-core Intel N350 processor and 16GB of DDR5 RAM (expandable to 32GB), with three M.2 NVMe slots for caching alongside the four SATA bays. Dual 5GbE LAN ports deliver up to 1,010MB/s with link aggregation, and TOS 7 introduces the OpenClaw AI assistant for natural-language system administration. Sold diskless; drives are purchased separately.View Deal

Why we recommend it

In our review, we awarded this NAS device 4 stars, praising the move to dual 5GbE over the previous generation's 2.5GbE as a real, tangible upgrade for large file transfers and multi-user environments. The third M.2 slot gives more flexibility for caching than most four-bay NAS units in this price range offer. The new N350 processor also runs cooler and more efficiently than its predecessor, which matters for a device meant to run 24/7.

TOS 7 is the most polished version of TerraMaster's operating system yet, with solid Docker and VM support, a comprehensive backup suite, and the TRAID hybrid array mode that lets you mix drive sizes more efficiently than standard RAID.

Our review was direct about where it falls short compared to competitors, calling it a NAS hamstrung by PCIe lanes, since both the M.2 slots and networking share a limited nine-lane PCIe budget. If you don't need to push past those limits, it's still a capable, efficient NAS for the price.

Price Context & Historical Value

This deal cuts the 16GB configuration's $799.99 list price by $120, about 15 percent off. That's a modest but genuine discount rather than an inflated anchor price, and it narrows the gap with TerraMaster's own store, which has periodically discounted this same configuration to around $640 to $670 during promotions.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro if... you want a flexible four-bay NAS with modern 5GbE networking and don't need 10GbE speeds, you value low power consumption and quiet, cool running over raw compute power, or you like the idea of experimenting with AI-assisted NAS administration.

❌ Skip the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro if... you want a 10GbE port or Thunderbolt/USB4 connectivity, you plan to fill all three M.2 slots with fast NVMe drives for local storage, or you want to run demanding local AI workloads on the NAS itself.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The three M.2 slots are limited to PCIe Gen 3 x1 bandwidth, capping NVMe performance at roughly 1GB/s regardless of the drives you install, so there's little benefit to using expensive high-end SSDs here. There's no 10GbE port, not even as an upgrade option, and no Thunderbolt or USB4 for fast external expansion. The single RAM slot also means upgrading beyond the included 16GB requires removing it entirely rather than adding a second module. On top of that, the drive trays still lack physical locks or number labels - a longstanding TerraMaster quirk our reviewer has flagged across multiple generations.

• Google Messages now lets you customize your chats
• You can change bubble colors and wallpapers for each chat individually
• RCS must be enabled to do this

Despite having been around for a long time, Google Messages hasn’t let you properly customize chats in the past. But now this feature has finally rolled out.

As announced in a Google blog post, you can now change both bubble accent colors and the wallpaper. For the latter, you’ll be able to choose from curated options in categories like ‘animals’ and ‘space’, or you can choose an image from your gallery.

And while you can manually change the message bubble colors, you can also have them automatically adjust to match your wallpaper changes.

(Image credit: Google)How to customize your chats

Making these changes is simple. Just open Google Messages, and then select the chat you want to customize. Then either tap the name of the person or group in the top bar, or tap the three dots in the top right corner.

From that screen, tap ‘Chat theme’, where you’ll find a color palette to select a shade for the chat, and a wallpaper option, where you can either browse through Google’s selection or tap ‘Choose a photo’ to upload one from your gallery.

Once you’ve chosen a wallpaper, tap ‘Next’ to preview it and then tap ‘Apply’. Then just do the same for any other chats you want to customize.

Note, though, that RCS must be enabled to access these customization options, and that the changes you make will only be visible to you — not the people you’re chatting with.

It's goodbye to Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, and hello to Thomas Holland, James Engelsman and Frances Bourgeois. The three viral content creators are the new faces of The Grand Tour — and they've been given the Clarkson seal of approval.

While the format of the Prime Video series is largely remaining the same, our three new faces are bringing something different to what we already know. I can only speak for myself when I say I'm hoping to learn just as much about trains as I am about cars.

But making TikToks and YouTube videos isn't the same as making a TV show for an international streaming service. All eyes are on the boys, so when does The Grand Tour season 7 arrive on Prime Video?

What time can I watch The Grand Tour season 7 on Prime Video?

We're expecting The Grand Tour season 7 to be available on September 4 at 12am PT / 3am ET in the US.

Internationally, look out for the below times:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 12:30pm IST
• Singapore – 3pm SGT
• Australia – 5pm AEST
• New Zealand – 7pm NZST

When do new episodes of The Grand Tour season 7 come out?

(Image credit: Prime Video)

All six episodes of this season will be released at the same time. This is a huge change from the usual Prime Video reality TV format (such as Clarkson's Farm), which would air weekly.

As for the series' future, there's currently no public word on whether another season has been greenlit. Hopefully, we won't be made to wait much longer to find out.

PC memory prices remain seriously high, making even a straightforward 32GB DDR5 upgrade far more expensive than it would have been just a year ago.

Sadly, I don't have a time machine, so there's nothing I can do about that, but there are still decent discounts to be had. I've found one on a 32GB (2 x 16GB) kit of Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 RAM for $490 (was $605) at Newegg when you use code LDSF234.

It's already got a small discount, but the code knocks even more off the list price.

32GB Vengeance DDR5-6000 RAM: was $605 now $490
This 32GB dual-channel kit combines two 16GB DDR5-6000 modules with CL30 latency, 30-36-36-76 timings, 1.40V operation, Intel XMP 3.0 support, onboard voltage regulation, and low-profile aluminum heat spreaders for broad compatibility.

For the full discount, use code LDSF234View Deal

Why we recommend it

It combines DDR5-6000 speeds with 30-36-36-76 timings and a CAS latency of 30. The two 16GB modules give you 32GB in dual-channel mode, which is a good capacity for everyday work, creative tasks, and more demanding applications.

Intel XMP 3.0 support also makes getting the advertised performance relatively straightforward on a compatible motherboard. Corsair uses a low-profile aluminum heat spreader, so the modules should also play nicely with larger CPU coolers.

There’s no RGB lighting, which could actually be a plus if you prefer a clean build without turning your PC into a miniature nightclub.

Price context & historical value

The regular Newegg price of $605 is very high, but with a discount and the promo code, $490 is a much more affordable option and works out at $15.31 per GB. This obviously is nowhere near an all-time low. The same kit was available for $229.99 in November 2025 and dropped as low as $99.99 in July 2023, showing just how dramatically memory prices have risen.

For more savings, we've picked out this week's best RAM deals.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM if...

You need 32GB of fast DDR5 memory now and have been waiting for a decent discount. DDR5-6000 and CL30 make it worthwhile and the low-profile design and XMP 3.0 support add to its appeal.

❌ Skip the Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM if...

You already have 32GB of reasonably quick DDR5 memory. Unless your existing RAM is particularly slow, replacing it with this kit probably won’t produce enough of a noticeable everyday performance improvement to justify the upgrade.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This is a decent deal for someone building or upgrading now, but if you're not in any rush, it's worth waiting for memory prices to come back down. You should also check your motherboard and CPU compatibility before ordering. This particular kit supports Intel XMP 3.0 rather than being marketed as an AMD EXPO kit.

• See all desktop memory at Newegg