TechRadar News

• Daredevil: Born Again episode 3 is hiding another Spider-Man Easter egg in plain sight
• This time, it's potentially referencing Miles Morales' eventual arrival in the MCU
• We still don't know when Morales might make his live-action debut

Daredevil: Born Again has dropped the biggest clue yet that Marvel is preparing to bring Miles Morales into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The Disney+ show's third episode, titled 'The Hollow in His Hand', appears to contain a sneaky reference to Morales that you may have missed on first viewing. However, some MCU fans, myself included, immediately picked up on the Easter egg – and, unsurprisingly, it's set tongues wagging about when Morales might make his live-action debut as the franchise's second Spider-Man.

Comment from r/marvelstudios

The reference in question crops up when Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is trying to convince the jury that his client, Hector Ayala (the late Kamar de los Reyes), is innocent of the charges brought against him. Remember, Ayala is on trial for allegedly killing New York Police Officer (NYPD) Shanahan in the Marvel Phase 5 TV show's second episode.

During this scene, Murdock rattles off the names of other NYPD detectives who, according to their written reports, can testify to Ayala's good character. That's because Ayala has rescued many New Yorkers in their time of need as his superhero alias White Tiger.

Until episode 3, nobody – well, Murdock and his private investigator Cherry (Clark Johnson) notwithstanding – knows that Ayala is White Tiger. That bombshell revelation is publicly revealed in court by Murdock himself, however, in a Hail Mary move to prove Ayala's innocence when Murdock and Kirsten McDuffie's (Nikki M James) previous defense plan falls apart.

Marvel Unlimited monthly subscription: was $9.99 per month now $4.99 at Marvel
The ultimate digital comics subscription for Marvel fans is offering new and returning customers 50% off their first month, which is much cheaper than a streaming subscription to watch all the best superhero movies. To gain access to a library of more than 30,000 comics, use the code 'SPIDEY50' at checkout. You're able to use the Marvel Unlimited app on all iOS and Android devices, including the web, too. But, be quick – the deal expires on May 5!View Deal

But back on topic. As Murdock lists the names of the NYPD officers who have vouched that White Tiger (and, by proxy Ayala) has done more good than harm, he mentions someone called "Officer Davis".

To the uninitiated, this just sounds like another cop who's employed to keep New York's streets safe. For Marvel comic book devotees, or anyone who's seen one or both of Sony's animated Spider-Verse movies – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – though, that name will be familiar.

The reason? Miles Morales' father is not only a police officer, but also has the surname Davis. Full name is Jefferson Davis, he was born in Brooklyn, married a Puerto Rican named Rio Morales, and had a child who they called Miles. In the Spider-Verse films, Jefferon Davis is voiced by Bryan Tyree Henry. In Sony Studios' Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man: Miles Morales videogames, he's portrayed by Russell Richardson.

Miles Morales and Jefferson Davis have appeared in animated movies, Marvel comics books, and Sony-developed video games (Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Now, it's possible that there might be another officer whose surname is Davis in the MCU. That would make everything I've written up to this point null and void. It would be an incredible coincidence, though, if Murdock wasn't talking about Jefferson Davis in one of the best Disney+ shows.

There's more evidence to suggest that Miles Morales' MCU debut might not be too far off, too. Speaking to Inverse in June 2023 about his at-the-time new Apple TV+ show The Crowded Room, Tom Holland, who currently plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the MCU, said he'd be "honored" to help usher in Morales' arrival.

Parker has mentored Morales in Spider-Man comics, video games, and movies. And, considering Holland won't be around to play Marvel's legendary webslinger forever, a passing of the torch feels inevitable. What better way to move the needle in the MCU than by introducing Morales and making him this universe's new Spider-Man once Holland hangs up his own spandex suit?

Speaking of Spider-Man, this isn't the first time that Born Again has referenced the wallcrawler. Here's why Daredevil: Born Again episode 2 gave me hope over a potential team-up between the two heroes, albeit one that won't happen on Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services.

You might also like

• Daredevil: Born Again episode 3's shocking final scene is a big misdirect, and I've got the evidence to back it up
• Daredevil: Born Again viewers have two wild fan theories about Foggy Nelson and Muse after the Marvel TV show's debut, but I think there's only one that might be right
• Daredevil: Born Again cast and character guide: who's playing who in the Marvel TV show on Disney+?

• The Galaxy S25 Edge could come with free Gemini Advanced access
• Six months of free access comes bundled with other Galaxy S25 phones
• Gemini Advanced perks include access to improved AI models

Having been given a glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge in January, we're expecting a full reveal of the super-slim phone sometime in April – and a new leak suggests it's going to come with a special bonus that will upgrade its AI capabilities.

The team at Android Authority has been digging deep into the code of the Google app for Android, which has revealed references to the Galaxy S25 Edge in a section of the app that details promotional offers and the phones eligible for them.

Joining the dots, it seems that buying a Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge will get you a few free months of Gemini Advanced as well. It's not clear how many months, but other Samsung Galaxy S25 phones get you six months of Gemini Advanced access.

The club of phones with extended Gemini Advanced trial offers is continuing to grow then, it would seem. If you've picked up any of the Google Pixel 9 handsets since they launched, you'll know they come with a year's free access to the upgraded AI.

What does Gemini Advanced get me?

Gemini offers both free and paid tiers (Image credit: Google)

Gemini Advanced is a paid upgrade on the standard Gemini capabilities, but it's actually part of a Google One AI Premium storage plan, so you get 2TB of cloud storage too. The standard monthly price is $19.99 / £18.99 / AU$32.99.

First and foremost, you get access to more advanced AI models. The benefits of this are hard to quantify, especially as new models are being pushed out all the time, but you can expect the responses you get to be more thorough and more accurate.

Gemini Advanced users also get access to the Deep Research tool, as well as a more advanced version of NotebookLM. Other extras include the ability to make custom AI bots inside Gemini, and to search back through chat histories.

Another perk: while any Gemini user can generate AI images, only Gemini Advanced users can generate images with people in them. All that said, it's also worth mentioning that paid-for features often drift down to the free Gemini tier over time.

You might also like

• I played a text-based adventure game with Google Gemini
• You'll soon be able to use Gemini in Apple Intelligence
• I compared OpenAI GPT-4.5 to Gemini 2.0 Flash

It's a big day for iRobot. The brand behind what used to be the best robot vacuums in the business has scrapped almost its entire fleet of Roombas and replaced it with five brand new bots. The new lineup introduces some fairly major upgrades that should hopefully once again make iRobot the formidable player it once was in the robot vacuum world.

Here's a rundown of the features I'm most excited about in the new Roomba range, plus a couple of developments I'm less sold on.

#1. LiDAR (at last!)

It's taken iRobot far too long to get on board with LiDAR, but better late than never. LiDAR is basically the industry standard form of robot vacuum navigation, and generally agreed to be far better than the older SLAM method found in iRobot's old bots. Its introduction means the new Roombas should offer faster, more reliable navigation and mapping. There are more practical benefits too – it means the robot can navigate in the dark, for instance, rather than requiring a light source. (Head to our LiDAR vs VSLAM article for more on how the two technologies compare.)

(Image credit: iRobot) #2. Improved mop pads

In line with the upgraded aesthetic, none of the new combination robots feature the retracting mop pad that until now had been iRobot's calling card. In its place on the 'Plus' models (the 405 and 505) are two rotating disc-shaped pads – the approach favored by much of the market now, and the one that has generally proven more efficient at cleaning in our reviews.

One can even kick out to one side to offer more efficient edge mopping – a feature included in some premium competitor models. The mop pads can lift up to 1cm to traverse over rugs or carpet, and the retracting static pad is still present on the Combo 10 Max for those who are still concerned about damp carpets.

(Image credit: iRobot)

Note that this improved mopping setup isn't present on the basic Roombas (the 105 and 205), which simply have a static, D-shaped mop pad. They do, however, come with automatic carpet detection, which means they shouldn't try and mop your rugs.

#3. A distinctive, friendly new look

It's less of an essential, I guess, but I'm also a big fan of how the new lineup looks. Robot vacuums in general are quite generic looking these days, and iRobot has recognized that perhaps shiny black or white plastic isn't everyone's aesthetic of choice. The new bots have a design the brand has dubbed 'GRID' – Geometric, Rational, Iconic and Dynamic.

That might be overselling it a bit, but I do think the mix of matte and shiny finishes looks friendlier and more likely to fit in with softer home decor than your average bot. I also appreciate that iRobot has gone out of its way to create a look that's distinctive to the brand – in that way, it's a step ahead of the competition.

(Image credit: iRobot) #4. Better dust management

For some people, 'dust management' might not seem especially exciting. Well, I write about vacuum cleaners as a big chunk of my job, and I suffer from a dust allergy, so I guess I'm more invested than most. There are a couple of interesting developments here.

The first is that the dust bag in the auto-empty dock can automatically seal itself when it's full – great news for allergy sufferers, because there's now basically zero opportunity for the allergens to sneak their way back out into the air once they've been sucked up.

(Image credit: iRobot)

The second is that one of the bots – the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo – is designed to compress the dust in its onboard bin. That means it can hold far more debris than usual, without the need for a bulky dock. For people with small homes and no space for a massive auto-empty dock, it looks very interesting indeed.

#5. A new app

I didn't have huge complaints about iRobot's original app, but the brand has rebooted it to go with its shiny new bots, and the new-and-improved one looks even better.

You can set custom cleaning routines, get estimates for how long the current task will take to clean, and access insights into the rooms that need most attention. Because we've now got LiDAR, it's also possible to watch your bot as it goes about its cleaning routine, rather than having to guess where it is and what it's up to.

#6. Suction specs

This one is small, but significant for the customer experience: iRobot will hopefully once again share the maximum suction power of each model, in Pascals. This is something the brand stopped doing a while ago, claiming it's not the be-all-and-end-all, and that things like the roller design play a huge part in how well a robot cleans.

While they're not wrong there, it's still a very useful guide to how sucky a bot might be, and without suction specs it was difficult to make sense of the Roomba range, and even trickier to place its models within the wider market.

(Image credit: iRobot)

I say 'hopefully', because while this was part of my initial briefing, the marketing materials I've received since don't have suction specs. Instead, they say things like "70X more suction" (that's compared to the Roomba 600 series, which launched over a decade ago). Sigh.

Based on my initial notes, the new models have 7,000Pa of suction. That's not quite up there with the competition, but still a decent amount for the prices iRobot is charging. Combined with an efficient design (we've always been fans of iRobot's dual rollers), may well be plenty to provide a good maintenance clean for the average household.

#7. Names that make sense

Another overdue upgrade, in terms of customer-friendliness, is that iRobot has rethought its naming conventions. The new fleet is separated into Roomba, Roomba Plus, and Roomba Max models, following a good > better > best setup so you might actually have an idea how the lineup compares.

There might be some confusion with those who remember that in the old system, 'Plus' meant there was an auto-empty dock, whereas here it does not mean that. Overall, though, I far prefer this to the mess of j-something, i-somethings – hold on, is that an i or a j anyway? – that preceded it.

2 innovations I'm worried about… #1. Bots with no raised puck

The LiDAR here is called 'ClearView' and appears across all models. Interestingly, iRobot has removed the raised puck on the 205 DustCompactor Combo, to give a more streamlined design. This model uses the same LiDAR technology, but it's shifted into the front of the robot. The issue is, the puck is there for a purpose; to enable the bot to 'see' all around, and navigate accurately. Shifting the LiDAR tech into the front of the robovac means a far narrower field of view.

(Image credit: iRobot)

Other brands are also experimenting with removing the puck, but all those I've come across have introduced new technology to compensate for that more limited field of view. For instance, the Dreame X50 Ultra Complete and Roborock Saros 10 (reviews incoming) have a puck that can retract into the body of the robot when it approaches an area of limited height, but will pop back up when space allows.

The Roborock Qrevo Slim and Saros 10R do away with a puck entirely, but for this the brand has engineered a whole new navigation method entirely, called StarSight, to ensure navigation isn't compromised. I'm no engineer, but surely they wouldn't be going to all that trouble if you could just chop the puck off with no impact.

The iRobot spokesperson I chatted with assured me there would be no compromise in navigation accuracy – they told me they were testing two bots, one with the puck and one without, and they were both behaving the same way. I'll be really interested to test this out and see for myself.

#2. The continued presence of the Combo 10 Max

My other slight misgiving is that the current 'Max' segment consists only of the Combo 10 Max. It only launched in July 2024, so perhaps iRobot felt it was too soon to scrap it. However, as what should be the shining star of the Roomba fleet, it's underwhelming.

It was generally not well received – we awarded it a less-than-ideal 3 stars in our Roomba Combo 10 Max review, with our tester complaining of painfully slow mapping (no LiDAR here) and sub-standard mop cleaning. Both of these aspects have been improved on in the new Plus models, which look far more promising to me.

Overall, though, it's promising news from iRobot, and I appreciate that the brand has been bold enough to accept that what it was doing wasn't working, and go for a big reboot. I'm excited to get these new models into my flat and test the new features out for myself.

You might also like...

• How to choose a robot vacuum: what to look for
• 6 weird and wonderful robot vacuum innovations from CES 2025
• Browse the best budget robot vacuums you can buy

In today's rapidly evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity is more crucial than ever. Advanced persistent threats (APTs) and sophisticated attacker tactics are now part of the norm. Modern attackers are faster and more creative, taking mere hours to move from initial compromise to reaching their objectives.

Yet, detecting an attacker often takes days—sometimes even months. This speed disparity highlights the urgent need for a more robust and intelligent approach to cyber defense.

The Rise of Exploit-Based Attacks

One of the biggest challenges facing security teams is the shift towards exploit-based attacks. These attacks leverage vulnerabilities in software and systems, often taking advantage of zero-day exploits or previously unknown weaknesses. Unlike traditional malware attacks, exploit-based attacks are much harder to identify.

Recent studies highlight that vulnerabilities, not just phishing, have become a primary attack vector. Mandiant reports that exploit-based attacks have overtaken email-based methods, and CrowdStrike notes that 75% of threats now leverage “living off the land” (LotL) tools rather than traditional malware. These methods exploit vulnerabilities in existing systems and applications, often taking advantage of overlooked entry points. The growing prevalence of zero-days and AI-powered exploit discovery further complicates the challenge for defenders.

The Critical Role of Detection

To address these challenges, organizations need to adopt a new approach to security. Effective detection is essential, especially with the increasing number of malware-less attacks. According to Accenture, less than 1% of an organization’s detection rules are fully effective. Many detection rules remain outdated, resulting in a flood of false positives and missed detection opportunities.

Detection must focus on adversary behaviors, not static indicators like malware hashes. The shelf life for these ephemeral indicators is short. Behavior-based detection tied to adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) gives organizations a chance to detect and mitigate threats in real time, meeting compliance requirements from regulations like GDPR, PCI, HIPAA, and FISMA.

Why Improving Detection is Challenging

Detection engineering is the discipline of transforming adversary knowledge into actionable detection rules. This is a continuous cycle: researching relevant threats, building specific detection logic, and validating those detections to ensure effectiveness. But many organizations struggle here. Writing, testing, and maintaining hundreds of detection rules can overwhelm even the most mature security teams. Tests can be written poorly, and when they aren’t validated accurately, they lead to gaps in coverage or false positives that bury real alerts.

Effective detection is not just about having the right rules in place. It's also about having the right processes and technologies to support those rules. This includes:

• Visibility: Organizations need complete visibility into their IT environment, including all devices, applications, and user activity. This visibility is essential for identifying suspicious activity and understanding the scope of an attack.
• Automation: Security teams are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of alerts they receive. Automation can help to filter out false positives and prioritize the most critical alerts, freeing up analysts to focus on investigating and responding to real threats.
• Threat intelligence: Up-to-date threat intelligence is crucial for understanding the latest attacker TTPs and developing effective detection rules. Threat intelligence can also help to identify potential threats before they materialize.

Four Questions to Streamline Detection Efforts

Organizations looking to enhance their detection capabilities should consider these four questions:

• Is your detection pipeline effective? Ensure your security controls communicate effectively with your SIEM to gain visibility into your detection alert pipeline.
• Can your controls catch threats beyond prevention? Prevention alone is not enough. Detection acts as a safety net to identify threats that bypass preventative measures.
• How quickly can you gain insights? In time-sensitive situations like incident response, immediate visibility into your detection capabilities is crucial.
• How can you address detected gaps? Once gaps are identified, develop and implement rules to close them.

Looking Ahead

By implementing these measures, organizations can significantly improve their ability to detect and respond to cyberattacks. However, it's important to remember that security is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Attackers are constantly evolving their methods, so security teams must continuously adapt their defenses to stay ahead of the curve.

In addition to the technical measures outlined above, organizations also need to focus on building a strong security culture. This means educating employees about cybersecurity risks and best practices, and empowering them to report suspicious activity. A strong security culture can help to prevent attacks in the first place, and it can also help to ensure that incidents are identified and responded to quickly.

We've made a list of the best network monitoring tools.

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

• VMO2 will tackle highly populated and rural areas with new investments
• The company will decommission old tech and embrace new tech
• Will it deliver the “superior mobile network” it envisions?

Virgin Media O2 has announced a brand new commitment to invest £700 million throughout 2025 to enhance mobile network reliability, speed and coverage – the equivalent of £2 million every day.

The company said the additional investments come in response to network demand reaching an all-time high in the UK, and will focus on areas of mass congregation and transport links like stadiums, city centers, railways and major roads.

New masts, small cells, and upgrades to its 4G and 5G infrastructure will form the basis of the investments, but the company is also looking at employing automation to “[provide] customers with a superior mobile network experience.”

Virgin Media O2 commits to £700m in upgrades

Apart from boosting signal in densely populated areas with small cells, Virgin Media O2 has also revealed plans to tackle ‘not-spots’ in rural and coastal areas with even more 4G and 5G coverage.

The benefit of the company’s existing market position is that it can benefit from its cable network to boost its cellular network – VMO2 will use its own fiber network to connect mobile sites in the hope that it can deploy new mobile infrastructure more quickly.

In hard-to-reach areas, it will even use some satellite technology to connect towers, which it says is more cost-effective at tackling remote not-spots.

“We’re not just upgrading infrastructure; we’re creating a platform for future innovation. This programme ensures our customers will continue to benefit from superior reliability as new technologies and demands emerge,” said VMO2 CTO Jeanie York.

The company boldly claimed that 2025 will be the year it completes “major steps to evolve its mobile network.” That work includes removing dated tech, such as decommissioning 3G network infrastructure, and embracing new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Looking ahead, Virgin Media O2 wants to focus on building higher-capacity networks that are more energy efficient.

You might also like

• $19 billion Vodafone and Three merger approved by UK competition watchdog
• Take advantage of stronger networks with the best business smartphones
• Going away? Check out the best eSIMs for international travel

With AI, hybrid work and rising customer expectations driving rapid industry changes, a stark gap is emerging between companies embracing digital technology (digital leaders) and those failing to improve their digital capabilities (digital followers). Companies investing in digital transformation and creating a strong digital culture are reaping the benefits, while others are being left behind.

Digital culture refers to the mindset and practices within an organization that enables technology to be integrated across every aspect of the organization. A successful digital culture considers how tech can have an impact on employees, customers and wider communities alike.

New research from Virgin Media O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) has revealed a gap in perception versus reality within many businesses.

88% of those we surveyed class themselves as digital leaders and believe they have a strong digital culture already. In reality, many of these organizations are simply not increasing or improving their use of digital technology fast enough.

The problem lies in seeing technology investment as the only solution. IT management needs to assess how their people interact with it and will make the most of it. Real digital transformation requires more than just investment in tools - it demands a people-first approach. Addressing this gap could unlock significant benefits, from enhanced employee engagement to greater productivity and economic growth.

The power of digital culture

A strong digital culture can unlock significant productivity and revenue growth, and with a significantly slower productivity growth in the UK than comparable nations, it has the potential to make a real difference. In fact, digital leaders experienced over twice the productivity growth of digital followers between 2021 and 2023.

That growth not only benefits employees by creating a more efficient workday but also boosts the entire economy through increased turnover and efficiencies. The impact is substantial - had all organizations enhanced their use of digital technology during this period, the UK’s economy could have increased by £111 billion.

To prevent future missed opportunities of this scale, IT decision makers often have internal tech barriers to overcome. They need to ensure they are making smart investment choices in technology that align with their specific needs.

Understanding tech ROI

There’s a lot of tech available on the market, and it can be difficult to know what the best investment might be for your specific business model. This is especially prominent for SMEs who do not always have the same benefits as larger businesses of an in-house tech team to advise on the best tech to adopt.

It’s key to assess which investments could make an actual difference to how your business operates. It might be a small step like starting to use AI to streamline notes or document management. Seeing in real time that it’s made you more efficient for 10 minutes a day and understanding that this, extrapolated across your business, is hours of efficiency gains by the end of the week.

Modernization is an entirely personal experience for every business and a transformation of every piece of tech in your business might not be necessary for you. Your organization may benefit from adding a cloud phone system to the devices you already have, for instance, to achieve more on the move. The first step is to understand where your legacy technology is slowing you down and how these areas can be improved in the best way for you and your business.

Collaboration with suppliers and tech experts can help to ensure that the tech you’re investing in is the most effective choice, and where there are gaps in your workforce’s knowledge. Suppliers can come in with an external view, see what tech you already have and how it can be optimized.

But investing in tech is only half the battle. Ensuring your people are ready to use it effectively is what turns investment into impact.

Overcoming tech barriers hinges on your people

UK organizations are still witnessing a cultural resistance to embracing new technology and two-fifths of digital followers have reported this as their biggest barrier. But building a strong digital culture hinges on your people and their attitude towards using new tech.

Improving the digital skills of your people through regular training will help them to get the most out of their technology. Enabling staff to focus on higher-value tasks by reducing time wasted or time-draining tasks increases productivity.

Empowering your staff with the skills to carry out their job to the best standard possible, and more efficiently, drives engagement within the workforce. Digital leaders report that their employee satisfaction is three times higher than that of digital followers.

Fortune favors digital leaders

The power of a strong digital culture is undeniable. It boosts revenue, productivity and employee engagement. Whilst the barriers can feel daunting, the returns on technology investment for digital leaders are worth it – just ensure you set yourself up for success by bringing your people with you on the journey.

We've made a list of the best AI tools.

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

• The Nuki Smart Lock Pro (5th Gen) is faster and quieter than the previous model
• It can be retrofitted over your existing front door lock without drilling
• It's on sale now in Europe, and costs less than the previous-gen model

The Nuki Smart Lock Pro is one of the best smart locks we've tested, and it's just received a major upgrade, with a new motor that can secure your door in just 1.5 seconds, plus a lower price tag.

The Nuki Smart Lock Pro (5th Gen) has the same brushed stainless steel finish as its predecessors, which makes it one of the more attractive smart locks around, but is now slightly more compact, and can be fitted with a black or white band to blend with your home decor.

The Smart Lock Pro (5th Gen) has also received some significant upgrades on the inside, including a new choice of locking speeds. 'Standard' is about the same as locking the door manually, 'Gentle' takes a little longer but is more quiet (a good option if you want to avoid disturbing people at night), and 'Insane' makes more noise, but secures your door in just 1.5 seconds.

The new lock works with all the major smart home ecosystems thanks to Matter over Thread, meaning you can use it with your smart home hub, smart speakers, and other security hardware such as cameras and sensors.

It has built-in Wi-Fi, meaning it will work without an additional hub, and if you're upgrading from an existing Nuki smart lock you should be able to migrate your data across with minimal fuss.

(Image credit: Nuki) Will it fit?

The Smart Lock Pro (5th Gen) is a good option for renters because, unlike many smart locks, it fits over your existing door hardware, installing over your current lock without the need to drill or incur the wrath of your landlord. It's also a good option for apartments, where you may not be allowed to replace the lock without permission from the building management company.

Nuki offers an online guide that will help you determine whether the Smart Lock Pro will work with your particular hardware, and the company recommends that you use it on your phone while inspecting the lock.

If the Smart Lock Pro doesn't work with your door it's worth taking a look at the Switchbot Lock Pro, which is designed to work with 99.9% of front door locks, and offers 16 different modes of entry.

The Nuki Smart Lock Pro (5th Gen) is available to buy now direct from Nuki in the UK and other European countries for £229 (about $300 / AU$470). That's down from £255 (about $330 / AU$520) for the previous model. Details of prices and launch dates outside Europe have yet to be announced.

You might also like

• Eufy's new camera smart lock covers blind spots your Ring doorbell might miss
• Philips' first Matter-compatible smart lock works with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Assistant seamlessly
• Ring is giving two of its best security cameras a free video-quality upgrade this week

Digital privacy advocates saved encryption in France last week, yet again, as MPs finally rejected a controversial provision to create a backdoor for law enforcement.

The infamous Article 8 of the proposed Drug Trafficking Act – which is currently passing to the country's National Assembly – would have required all encrypted messaging apps and secure email services to decrypt user data upon an authority's request.

The decision to preserve people's privacy and security is certainly a victory for the tech industry. Yet, "we must keep fighting for privacy and keep raising our voices – as long as there are still politicians trying to break encryption," press officer at Tuta Mail, Hanna Bozakov, told TechRadar.

The dangers of an encryption backdoor

Previously passed by the Senate, the bill aimed at "freeing France from the trap of drug trafficking" came as an attempt to create a strong framework to investigate these types of crimes.

As mentioned earlier, requiring the installation of encryption backdoors into the likes of ProtonMail, Signal, and WhatsApp has attracted strong criticism in and out of the political benches.

Encryption refers to scrambling data into an unreadable form to prevent third-party access. End-to-end encryption is the reiteration that messaging apps and secure email services, among other tools like today's best VPNs, use to protect data in transit by keeping it private between the sender and the receiver – end to end.

As cryptographers and other experts have long argued, however, it's not possible to create an encryption backdoor that only good guys can exploit.

Commenting on the French case, CEO of Tuta Mail, Matthias Pfau, said: "A backdoor for the good guys only is a dangerous illusion. Weakening encryption for law enforcement inevitably creates vulnerabilities that can – and will – be exploited by cybercriminals and hostile foreign actors."

Do you know?

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In 2016, France also rejected an amendment to its Digital Republic law requiring the creation of an encryption backdoor. The provision was introduced as an attempt to fight against terrorism but was deemed a "vulnerability by design" by France's digital minister at the time, Axelle Lemaire – The Register reported.

As the Global Encryption Coalition warned in an open letter published on March 4, a backdoor would have also weakened the French messaging app Olvid, which was officially certified by the country's cybersecurity agency and recommended to French ministers and government officials.

Considering the Salt Typhoon hack in the US – which sparked a warning to switch to encrypted services – and France's concern for Russian alleged cyberattacks, as Politico reported, "the reliance by the French government, citizens, and businesses on end-to-end encryption to keep themselves safe and secure has never been greater," noted experts.

The National Assembly eventually listened to concerns from the industry and scraped the encryption backdoor requirement in the bill on March 6.

Despite the widespread criticism, however, France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed his support for the encryption backdoor provision as a necessity to ensure "maximum efficiency" in combating organized crimes, Le Monde reported.

Commenting on this point, Bozakov from Tuta Mail told TechRadar: "I am worried that politicians still do not understand anything about cybersecurity – even though there are enormous foreign threats right now targeting our societies mainly from Russia and China."

Not just France

France's attempt to undermine encryption may have been halted once again. However, the country isn't alone in pushing to pick the lock of encrypted communications to facilitate criminal investigations.

Sweden is also considering passing a similar requirement for the likes of Signal, WhatsApp, and iMessage. If successful, the new rules could come into force as early as March 2026.

Side-client scanning is just an encryption backdoor but with a fancy name

Romain Digneaux, Proton

These plans have already attracted strong criticism from the tech industry, with Signal President Meredith Whittaker reiterating that Signal would rather leave the country than undermine its encryption protections.

On February 21, 2025, Apple was even forced to kill its iCloud's end-to-end encryption feature in the UK following a government order to create an encryption backdoor.

Since 2022, the EU has also been trying to pass its Chat Control proposal to scan citizens' private communications, including encrypted messages, to halt the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

As Romain Digneaux, Public Policy Manager at Proton (the provider behind Proton VPN and Proton Mail), points out, while these efforts are nothing new and tend to fail (as in the case of France), they consistently come back.

"What we see is creativity from law enforcement to try to push the same old concept with new names – and that's concerning," Digneaux told TechRadar.

"The side-client scanning is a clear example of that. That's just an encryption backdoor but with a fancy name. Something that sounds more technical and more acceptable to people who don't necessarily understand how the tech works."

• Microsoft has just released a new update for Windows 11
• Unfortunately, it brings an advert for PC Game Pass into the Settings app
• Not everyone will see this, though, and this update applies a raft of useful bug fixes, particularly for File Explorer

Windows 11 just received its latest update, and as is quite often the case, there’s good and bad news – important fixes for File Explorer is the former, and yet another advert being officially introduced to the OS is the latter.

Yes, in case you didn’t realize, yesterday was 'Patch Tuesday', and the March cumulative update for Windows 11 was released.

Let’s get the dubious move out of the way first, then: the mentioned ad is placed in the Settings app, on the home page panel, and consists of promotional activity for PC Game Pass.

The positive news here is that it will only appear for certain Windows 11 users – those who are PC Game Pass subscribers – the reason being that it’s an ad that offers a referral for friends who might want to join the service, too.

In other words, this gives you the ability to invite friends to try PC Game Pass for free (for a 14-day trial, or at least that was the case in testing).

Right, onto the File Explorer fixes, which, for those who might be unsure, is the app that powers the very folders that you use on a daily basis (most likely) to deal with your files.

As Bleeping Computer reports, there are quite a few cures for various File Explorer blues, including an important one, whereby Windows 11 now offers much-improved performance levels when opening folders that have a large quantity of media files within them.

A problem that meant the right-click context menu was also sluggish to appear with cloud-based files has been resolved, too. Also, regarding files in the cloud (OneDrive), the thumbnails for these now show properly in Windows 11 search results (whereas some thumbnails previously wouldn’t be displayed).

On top of that, an issue with the address bar overlapping files when in full-screen mode with a File Explorer window has been remedied (and URLs entered manually in the address bar are guaranteed to work, whereas some were failing previously).

There are quite a number of bug fixes in this patch, in fact, including some work on the Start menu (where the colors were wrong in the Account Manager flyout), and a cure for an odd sound-related issue. The latter saw the PC’s volume increase to 100% when the device woke from sleep (a rude awakening indeed for some unsuspecting Windows 11 users, no doubt – and another in an unfortunate collection of recent audio bugs).

Also, a glitch that caused some apps to not recognize a connected scanner has been smoothed over, too.

There are the usual security patches here, as you’d expect, and also some work on features, including useful new shortcuts for the scan mode of Windows 11’s screen reader tool, Narrator.

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan) Analysis: Ad aggro and File Explorer remains wonky – yet Microsoft deserves some credit here

So, another advert has made it all the way through testing into the finished version of Windows 11 – and I can’t say I’m impressed with that. Okay, so this advert might actually be useful, I don’t dispute that – it is at least targeted at PC Game Pass subscribers, and they might genuinely want to give their friends the chance of a free trial (to try out some coop gaming with them).

That said, this is still an out-and-out advert – not some kind of ‘suggestion’ or more subtle prod to use a Microsoft service – and the more of this that’s brought into Windows 11, the more I feel that Microsoft is crossing lines it really shouldn’t be crossing. (Not in a paid-for operating system).

To give Microsoft credit where it’s due, we have witnessed some recommendations (in testing) of late that could prove genuinely useful, so the company isn’t going entirely in the wrong direction with Windows 11’s various nudges and prompts.

Furthermore, it’s definitely good to see the work on fixing File Explorer, although there have been a lot of bugs affecting it, and some annoyances still remain. Notably, only last month, the February 2025 update caused chaos with File Explorer falling over for some folks.

This is an area Microsoft clearly needs to fully smooth over, as it’s a central part of the Windows 11 interface, so it really doesn’t look good if there are glitches hanging about in the works.

You may also like...

• Shock, horror – I’m not going to argue with Microsoft’s latest bit of nagging in Windows 11, as this pop-up is justified
• Are you unable to get security updates for Windows 11 24H2? Here’s the likely reason why, and the fix to get your PC safe and secure again
• Windows 11 fully streamlined in just two clicks? Talon utility promises to rip all the bloatware out of Microsoft’s OS in a hassle-free way

• OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, has shared a metafiction short story written by AI
• He claims the new ChatGPT creative writing model is the best AI writing he's ever read
• There's no timeframe on when this new AI model will launch to the public, but should it even exist?

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company is working on a new ChatGPT model that is good at creative writing and marks the first time he has been "really struck by something written by AI."

The new ChatGPT model doesn't have a name or a release schedule, but Altman clearly thinks this new creative writing tool could overhaul the way we use AI for writing fiction.

In his post on X, Altman shared a full metafiction literary short written by ChatGPT about AI and grief. The story itself is bizarre to say the least, taking on tropes of creative writing to generate a work that AI deems metafictional. The opening paragraph reads, "Before we go any further, I should admit this comes with instructions: be metafictional, be literary, be about AI and grief, and above all, be original. Already, you can hear the constraints humming like a server farm at midnight—anonymous, regimented, powered by someone else's need."

Until this point, AI's ability to write creatively has always yielded a sort of soulless stylistically-void attempt at recreating what ChatGPT finds from its training, and while Altman's example is definitely an improvement compared to asking ChatGPT 4o to do the same thing, it begs the question as to why would I even want AI to attempt creative writing?

we trained a new model that is good at creative writing (not sure yet how/when it will get released). this is the first time i have been really struck by something written by AI; it got the vibe of metafiction so right.PROMPT:Please write a metafictional literary short story…March 11, 2025

Creative writing without the creativity

As AI finds its way into every aspect of our lives, the constant pushing and pulling between how much we want from artificial intelligence becomes more and more prominent. Creative industries have frowned upon the use of AI, from movies like Oscar-nominated The Brutalist coming under fire for its use of software to enhance Hungarian dialect, to the taboo of using AI for journalism of any sort.

As someone who writes for a living, I only use AI tools to have reasons to write about them, whether that's pitting DeepSeek against ChatGPT for research or using Apple Intelligence to create emojis. It would never cross my mind to use ChatGPT to write an article or to think creatively for me, as the reason I'm able to work as a journalist is because I've honed in skills that make me talented to do so.

This example of ChatGPT's creative writing sparks fear in creative industries and makes authors hope that the general public can weed out the rubbish from the words that they pour their soul into.

With tools like NotebookLM already creating AI podcasts that are indistinguishable from human-created ones, improvements to ChatGPT's writing prowess and an ability to think creatively from a prompt is the next step in making those of us who write as a job to have even more disdain for AI.

ChatGPT's new creative writing model is impressive, but it completely misses the point of why creative writing even exists in the first place, allowing humans to pour their emotions and ideas into words. Who knows if we'll ever see a commercial version of what Altman shared on X, but I sure as hell hope we don't.

You may also like

• Google has a new chess game that lets you design the pieces with AI
• I stopped saying thanks to ChatGPT – here's what happened
• I tried Deep Research on ChatGPT, and it’s like a super smart but slightly absent-minded librarian from a children’s book

• Apple has released new updates that fix a known vulnerability
• The flaw might have been exploited in the wild
• The latest update also re-enables Apple Intelligence, even if you disabled it

It’s a good idea to update your devices to the latest operating system versions if you can, and that’s been amply demonstrated by Apple, with recent updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS patching a serious security vulnerability that might have been actively exploited in the wild.

The issue related to WebKit, Apple’s open-source framework that helps render web pages. In a support article describing the vulnerability, Apple’s update explains that “Maliciously crafted web content may be able to break out of Web Content sandbox.”

The issue was fixed by addressing an out-of-bounds write issue “with improved checks to prevent unauthorized actions.”

Apple adds that “this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 17.2.” That means it’s very important to update your devices to make sure you don’t fall victim.

How to update

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Specifically, the patch can be found in the iOS 18.3.2, macOS 15.3.2, and visionOS 2.3.2 updates. According to Apple’s update webpage, the updates are supplementary patches to an issue that was fixed in iOS 17.2.

Updating your devices is straightforward. To update macOS and iOS, open the Settings or System Settings app and go to General > Software Update > Update Now. Allow the update to finish – your device might restart a few times.

This isn't the only change you’ll find in the iOS 18.3.2 update. It looks like Apple has started automatically re-enabling Apple Intelligence when you install this software patch, even if you had previously disabled the artificial intelligence system. That’ll be frustrating news if you’ve decided you don’t want to use AI on your device.

In this case, you’ll see an Apple Intelligence splash screen after installing the update. The only option on this screen is to select Continue, which enables the AI. If you want to disable it, you’ll then need to open the Settings app and go to Apple Intelligence & Siri, then turn off the toggle for Apple Intelligence.

You might also like

• How to download iOS 18 on your iPhone – and what to do if it won't install
• How to update a MacBook
• How to turn off Apple Intelligence – say goodbye to Apple's AI

• Older Chromecasts have been unusable for several days
• Google now says it knows what's wrong and that a fix is coming
• In the meantime, don't factory reset your device

A couple of days ago we reported on issues affecting older Chromecasts and the Chromecast Audio device, preventing them from casting. Google has now provided another update for affected users – though it's not particularly helpful.

As per a post to the official Google Nest support forums (via 9to5Google), Google engineers are "working to resolve this as soon as possible, and will keep you updated when there is more to share" – and there's the usual apologies for inconvenience.

Apparently the cause of the issue has been identified, but Google hasn't shared what that is yet. What it is reiterating is not to factory reset your Chromecast if you're affected (a message we got on Monday too) – as this will lock you out of the device completely.

Instructions to factory reset Chromecasts are still on display in the official Chromecast Help Center, as it's (usually) such a helpful troubleshooting approach – but you shouldn't do it this time. Google has intimated it will help those users who have done a factory reset with specific instructions in due course.

What's gone wrong?

The Chromecast Audio has also been affected (Image credit: Future)

If you're new to this issue, it prevents users from casting anything: all they get is an "untrusted device" error, and the option to dismiss it. The only models that seem to be affected are those launched in 2015, the 2nd-gen Chromecast and the Chromecast Audio.

As Google hasn't provided any details about why this is happening, we're left to speculate. If you go back to the Reddit thread where this was first reported, there is some investigation there that points to a server-side issue (so a problem at Google's end).

The blame can apparently be assigned to an expired certificate authority validation – a security process that guards against hacks and snooping (and which needs to be regularly repeated). It seems the affected devices are no longer recognized as being genuine Chromecasts, which is in turn preventing any casting.

It's an incredibly frustrating bug for users, who continue to be unable to send their audio and video streams to bigger screens, and remain in the dark about when a fix might arrive. We will of course keep you posted here.

You might also like

• Beaming content to your Apple TV gets a whole lot better
• Apple Airplay 2 vs Chromecast vs Spotify Connect
• The future of Chromecasts is the Google TV Streamer

Full spoilers follow for Daredevil: Born Again episode 3.

Episode 3 of Daredevil: Born Again is out now – and there's only one moment that the majority of Marvel fans are talking about in the immediate aftermath of its release.

The show's latest chapter, titled 'The Hollow of His Hand', is a tense courtroom drama centered on the trial of Hector Ayala (the late Kamar de los Reyes). And, while it's an episode that thematically holds up a mirror to Matt Murdock's (Charlie Cox) past as the vigilante known as Daredevil, nobody's really discussing what it means for Murdock's return to the crimefighting arena just yet.

The reason? A truly shocking incident, which plays out in episode 3's final scene and sets the stage for a fan-favorite anti-hero's arrival. Full spoilers immediately follow for Born Again's latest entry.

Ayala's death hits harder because it's the final performance given by de los Reyes before he passed away in December 2023 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Yes, Hector Ayala – i.e., the self-appointed vigilante known as White Riger – is dead. Hey, very few people survive a point-blank gunshot to the head.

It's an awful moment for three big reasons. First, an innocent man has been gunned down in cold blood. We know Ayala didn't murder New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Shanahan on that subway platform because we watched the latter slip on said platform and subsequently get hit by that train. Indeed, we saw that incident play out in the Disney+ show's second episode. The fact that Ayala was found not guilty of all charges leveled against him in his trial, then, proved that justice had been served.

Or so it seemed. That's because the second terrible thing about Ayala's death in this Marvel Phase 5 project is it was inadvertently Murdock's doing.

When Nicky Torres, the only witness who could prove Ayala's innocence, performs an unexpected U-turn and refuses to corroborate Ayala's story during the latter's day in court, Murdock and Kirsten McDuffie's defense falls apart. That causes Murdock to perform a Hail Mary move and essentially out Ayala as the White Tiger in court, which stuns those present.

Ayala (center) is found innocent of all of the charges brought against him (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

It's an out-of-the-blue measure that works in Ayala's favor, though. Following said revelation, numerous New Yorkers come forward to testify for Ayala, with many of them confirming that, as his superpowered alias White Tiger, Ayala rescued them from certain death. Based on this evidence and after much deliberation, the jury sides with Ayala. Hugs and cheers all round.

Well, until Ayala's death, anyway. You see, a target is painted on Ayala's back when Murdock reveals he's the White Tiger. That puts Ayala in the line of fire of those crooked police officers who bear a tattoo that's near-identical to The Punisher's (more on this vigilante later) iconic skull symbol.

Clearly, all these officers have to do is find Ayala and enact their own sense of 'justice' by murdering him. That might not be so easy if Ayala wore everyday clothes post-trial, which would make difficult to track down or follow in a city with a massive population. However, despite Murdock's protestations that he shouldn't suit up as White Tiger again if he's found innocent, Ayala does so anyway. It's much easier to spot someone roaming the streets in a white costume, complete with black stripes and a so-called magical amulet, so it was only a matter of time before Ayala was taken out.

Okay, maybe I'm doing Murdock a disservice by saying it's his fault that Ayala is dead. After all, he told his client not to continue being a vigilante if he walked away a free man. In my view, though, Murdock is partly to blame because he publicly revealed Ayala's secret identity. Without doing so, nobody would've known that Ayala is White Tiger and may still be alive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) at this point.

No, The Punisher doesn't kill White Tiger in Born Again episode 3 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

But back to the reason that you opened this article in the first place: episode 3's misdirect.

After Ayala is killed, the murderer walks towards the camera and, before the screen cuts to black, it's revealed that they're wearing a bulletproof vest with The Punisher's skull moniker painted on it.

Now, you might think that it's the life-taking vigilante himself – aka Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) – who murders Ayala in one of the best Disney+ shows. You'd be mistaken.

How so? Scroll back up to the paragraph where I mention those NYPD officers with the skull tattoos. Clearly, some of them have an ax to grind with Ayala because a) they believe one of their own (Shanahan) was killed by Ayala and b) Ayala walked away a free man. So, what better way to get away with murdered an innocent guy than by adopting the symbol of a crimefighter who's renowned for using lethal force to dispatch of his enemies?

So, yes, I'm convinced that it isn't Castle who took Ayala's life. When he finds out that his symbol has been repurposed by dirty cops so they can get away with executing innocent victims, though – hoo, boy, they best watch their backs.

You might also like

• Daredevil: Born Again cast and character guide: who's playing who in the Marvel TV show on Disney+?
• Daredevil: Born Again viewers have two wild fan theories about Foggy Nelson and Muse after the Marvel TV show's debut, but I think there's only one that might be right
• Daredevil: Born Again episode 2 just gave me hope that the titular hero will join forces with Spider-Man in the MCU, but it won't happen on Disney+

• New research claims that global smartwatch shipments declined in 2024
• The 7% decline over 2023 would mark the first time the market has shrunk
• It is claimed that the missing Apple Watch Ultra 3 launch and iterative Series 10 may be partly to blame

A new set of figures into the global smartwatch market claims that the sector shrunk in 2024 year-on-year, the first time the market has ever declined.

The figures from Counterpoint Research indicate that global smartwatch shipments fell in 2024 by 7% over 2023.

While the likes of Samsung and Huawei enjoyed some reported growth (35% for the latter if the figures are correct), Apple saw shipments of its best Apple Watches reportedly decline by some 19% year-on-year, enough to shrink the market as a whole.

Apple drives the seismic shift because it makes up so much of the market. Counterpoint estimates that 25% of smartwatches shipped in 2023 were Apple Watches, with that share shrinking to just 22% last year.

The reason? Counterpoint claims the biggest driver in decline was a waning North American market disappointed by the iterative Apple Watch Series 10 and the missing Apple Watch Ultra 3, which we'd hoped might launch last year.

The figures are unlikely to be spot on. Counterpoint Research figures are based on analyst estimates rather than sales data, which Apple never makes public, and the outlet has been off before about Apple. Still, the notion of a disappointing 2024 for Apple Watch rings true, and is a plausible reason as to why the market might have shrunk last year.

A much better 2025 in store for smartwatches

The Apple Watch Series 10 did actually mark quite a refinement over the previous Series 9. It's decidedly more comfortable to wear and the display is much brighter when viewed from an angle.

In my opinion, the lack of Apple Watch Ultra 3 was definitely more of a disappointment. Apple's Ultra 2 did get a new titanium black colorway, but the lack of any other upgrades was sure to put off prospective new customers, including those looking to upgrade from the original Apple Watch Ultra.

Whether or not these figures truly represent a decline in the smartwatch market, the outlook for 2025 is much better, at least for Apple. The company is planning to unveil three new models, including a new, redesigned Apple Watch SE 3, a long-overdue upgrade that has also likely impacted interest in the market.

The Apple Watch Series 11 might not be a major design change over the Series 10, but it is expected to include high blood pressure detection that will work in a similar vein to its sleep apnea detection, giving alerts for abnormal readings, rather than specific data.

Finally, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will complete the set, with high blood pressure detection also in tow.

All of these should be unveiled at Apple's customary September event alongside the iPhone 17.

You might also like

• UNA Watch is the sustainable wearable that wants to replace your Apple Watch
• In 10 years, this $99 Amazfit Active 2 is the closest I've come to ditching my Apple Watch
• Wearing an Apple Watch on your ankle is a seriously bad idea: Here are 8 reasons why

• Hitman: World of Assassination launches for PSVR 2 on March 27
• It will cost $9.99 / £8.99 for existing owners to upgrade
• The VR Games Showcase also showed off loads of new Meta Quest games

As part of the recent VR Games Showcase live stream, developer IO Interactive gave us another look at Hitman: World of Assassination on PSVR 2 and confirmed a release date.

This VR (virtual reality) take on Hitman: World of Assassination features all of the content from the original PS5 version of the stealth game, which means more than three complete single player campaigns, countless sandbox levels to explore, and hundreds of weapons to try.

This latest gameplay trailer looks absolutely superb, showing a player pulling off a daring assassination on a target in a moving race car with a compact sniper rifle. We were also told that the game will launch on March 27, 2025, which means that there's really not long to wait if you're keen to dive in.

You can see the full presentation for yourself below.

Although you will need to own a copy of Hitman: World of Assassination on PS5 to play, the PSVR 2 upgrade will not be free. IO Interactive has previously confirmed that it will cost $9.99 / £8.99.

This was far from the only reveal in the showcase, however, which also showed off loads of games coming to Meta Quest and PC VR.

For me, a few highlights include pet simulator Stay Forever Home which lets you interact with an adorable creature named Ember. Releasing for Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest Pro, it will utilize the headsets' AR (augmented reality) features to put the animal right in your home.

There's also 'roguelite' mech battler Underdogs, which is coming to PSVR 2 on March 25 and looks like a blast with the promise of detailed haptic support to help you feel every blow.

Finally, creepy adventure Ghost Town (announced for Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 2 in addition to PSVR 2 and PC VR) is pretty intriguing. Coming from the developers of The Room VR: A Dark Matter, I'm expecting a great mystery with plenty of good puzzles to solve.

You might also like...

• Future PlayStation games could have AI-powered characters, if this leaked prototype of Aloy is anything to go by
• MercurySteam CEO discusses upcoming new IP Blades of Fire: 'We love third person action adventure games and we wanted to revisit the genre'
• Atomfall art director breaks down the survival game's condensed Lake District setting: 'It wasn't so much about how far you travel, but how many things you see along the way'

• iRobot scraps all its robot vacuums apart from the Combo 10 Max, replacing them with 5 new models
• The new vacs have LiDAR, rotating mop pads, and introduce a cool new design language
• They're available for pre-sale from March 18 in North America and some European countries

iRobot has pulled out the big guns for 2025, scrapping almost its entire Roomba fleet and replacing it with five new models that look like they could actually trouble the likes of Roborock and Ecovacs.

A few years ago iRobot was the go-to robot vacuum brand – if you were looking for a robovac, you wanted a Roomba. But over the years other brands started to overtake it, and the gap kept widening, with Roombas slipping further and further down our best robot vacuum ranking and threatening to disappear from them entirely – until now.

The biggest update to the new Roomba lineup is the introduction of LiDAR, and it's remarkable that it's taken iRobot this long to get on board with the tech – LiDAR is almost universally considered the best, most reliable form of robot vacuum navigation, and is more or less standard across the rest of the market.

The new Roombas should, as a result, offer faster, more accurate navigation, and they'll be able to find their way around in the dark, too.

iRobot is calling its LiDAR navigation 'ClearView', and it features across all the new models. That includes – interestingly – one that doesn't have the usual central, raised LiDAR puck. (iRobot assures us that this won't compromise navigation accuracy, but it's definitely something we'd like to test out for ourselves.)

(Image credit: iRobot)

Perhaps overdue, too, is the introduction of rotating discs, which can lift, and, in one case, kick out for edge mopping. These tend to deliver a more efficient wet clean than the static pads favored by Roomba thus far. They're paired, on the Roomba Plus 405 Combo and 505 Combo, with more advanced 'AutoWash' docks that can clean and dry the mop pads, in one case with hot air.

Something else that marks this out as a new start for iRobot is the introduction of a new design language, dubbed GRID (Geometric, Rational, Iconic and Dynamic). The new bots have a sort of Mondrian-style geometric grid on top, and introduce matte textures for a friendlier and more style-forward look than most of the competition. It's also distinctive to the brand, and will help Roomba stand out in a sea of rather generic-looking competitor products.

(Image credit: iRobot)

The most interesting introduction to the lineup, for me, is the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot. Designed for those who don't have space for a giant auto-empty dock in their home (raised hand), this bot does the next-best thing, and compacts the dust in its small onboard bin, making it capable of holding far larger quantities and removing the need for you to constantly empty it. As an aside, this is the same bot that doesn't have the LiDAR puck, which I guess fits with the space-saving, streamlined vibe.

What's in a name?

The fact that the names have been revamped to a clearer system of Roomba (good), Roomba Plus (better), and Roomba Max (best), should be a big help to consumers looking to make sense of the various options.

The only disappointing thing here is that the Max category currently comprises just the Roomba Combo 10 Max. That's the only model not to be scrapped – and given that it only came out in 2024, I can kind of see why. However, it didn't receive the best response, and doesn't make for a great range-topper. In fact, it looks positively decrepit compared to the sleek, capable new fleet, and it's notably lacking in updates like LiDAR. I hope a better 'best' model is on the cards soon.

Another boon for consumers is iRobot's decision to once again share suction specs. The brand had stopped doing this, arguing that cleaning power wasn't all about suction. While that's true, it's a useful indicator of the performance you can expet, and helpful when comparing different models (both from within iRobot's range and outside). The new Roombas all have 7,000Pa of suction, which is less than most premium bots, but is still a decent amount, especially when combined with an efficient design.

You might also like...

• How to choose a robot vacuum – here's what to look for
• Roborock's new robovacs are determined to get under your sofa – here's how
• Browse the best robot vacuums for pet hair

You season 5: key information

- Coming to Netflix on April 24
- Teaser trailer released in January, ahead of a full trailer
- Huge cast announcements revealed
- Joe Goldberg returns to New York
- Season 5 will be the show's final outing

"Hello, you." The two simple words that Joe Goldberg utters have haunted us for the past seven years, but we’re still desperately awaiting the return of You season 5, the twisted finale and one of the best Netflix shows, to hear them just one more time. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer as You season 5 will premiere on Netflix, one of the world’s best streaming services, on April 24.

Based on the novels by Caroline Kepnes, You follows Joe, a hopeless romantic with a twisted mind. Time and time again, he'll meet a new woman and quickly become smitten to the point of obsession, that eventually and most likely leads to him killing them, or at least trying to, and anyone else that gets in the way in the process. Yikes. In true Joe fashion, every morsel of information we’ve been fed so far about You season 5 is issued in the foreboding narration from the man himself - from teasers to reveals. So, where is he luring us to next? Well, it’s a return to where it all began for You season 5, as teased in the season 4 finale, as he’s back in New York with Kate by his side.

There’s plenty more to know about Joe’s ominous and looming return though, so as we prepare for the thriller to suitably chill our spines once again, here’s everything we know so far from release date, to cast announcements, to story synopsis, news, rumors and more.

You season 5 release date

On January 16, Netflix revealed that all ten episodes of You season 5 will be released on April 24. This news was guided by Joe's voice, speaking over clips from the past four seasons of You showcasing the different women he's loved and different places he's been. Hauntingly saying: "Hello, you. Do you remember me? 'Cause I remember you."

And yet, while he's travelled the world, it's all led him back to where it all began - New York and the cage in Mooney's bookstore. Fortunately, we don't have to wait much longer to discover what his return to the Big Apple means for the 'perfect' life he has seemingly created with his partner, Kate.

You season 5: has Netflix released a trailer?

Netflix released the official trailer for You season 5 on March 10, which teased "the killer finale you never saw coming". In the trailer, we see Joe with his You season 4 love interest Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), who's now the head of her father's company.

Before the trailer was dropped, we had a short teaser trailer for You season 5 that was released on January 30, mere months away from the show's official release date. It’s only 20 seconds long, but it's enticingly filled with eerie shots of Joe trapped inside the empty cage of Mooney's basement.

Similarly to the release date announcement, there's a lot of intense staring and ominous utterances, such as: "Let's get to know each other better before we bid each other one last farewell. Goodbye, you." With those parting words, once we have a full trailer, we'll be sure to update it here.

You season 5: new and returning cast

Joe's return to New York hints at new and returning characters (Image credit: Netflix)

Spoilers follow for You season 4.

For You season 5, there's been plenty of announcements for returning and new cast members. Here's who we can expect to see in the show's final season:

• Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg
• Charlotte Ritchie as Kate Lockwood
• Madeline Brewer as Bronte
• Griffin Matthews as Teddy Lockwood
• Anna Camp as Reagan/Maddie Lockwood
• Natasha Behnam as Dominique
• b as Phoenix
• Peter Ploszek as Harrison
• Tom Francis as Clayton
• Nava Mau as Detective Marquez

As mentioned, there's been abundance of new cast reveals to mark Joe’s return to New York and the conclusion of his story in season 5. We'll delve into this more in the story synopsis below, but Joe meets someone new to be intrigued by (no surprise) in season 5 - Bronte (Madeline Brewer), described in Tudum as: “an enigmatic and free-spirited playwright who gets a job at Joe’s new bookstore.”

Then, there’s Kate’s siblings; Teddy (Griffin Matthews), Reagan and Maddie (twins played by Anna Camp) and by marriage, Reagan’s husband Harrison (Peter Ploszek) who will all pose new hurdles to Joe and his unpredictable actions.

And there’s certainly more names to add to the cast that are yet to be revealed. One of which is a familiar face from Joe’s past, as Badgley teased during the Tudum: A Global Fan Event. Shown in the video above, he says: “Though I can’t say who just yet, we all know there are many loose ends from Joe’s past. The question is, who are you?”

Then followed a montage of clips, teasing victims of his past that could make a return including Ellie (Jenna Ortega), Dr. Nicky (John Stamos), Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) and Sherry Conrad (Shalita Grant) amongst others. It’s not clear yet who will return, but whoever it is will certainly not be happy to see Joe again.

You season 5: what can we speculate so far about the story?

You season 5 sees the unwelcome return of the Mooney's bookstore cage (Image credit: Netflix)

Full spoilers follow for You seasons 1-4.

You season 5 marks the end of the show, but there’s still a lot to unpack as killer Casanova Joe returns to New York – the place where it all began.

In conversation with Tudum, executive producer Michael Foley spoke on their plans for Joe: “We always said that we would stop after five and [that], in a perfect world, we would bring Joe back home to New York. We loved the idea of things coming full circle for him. We’re excited by the fact that Joe came home as such a different person than [who] we saw in Season 1. At the core of our final story for Joe is this dichotomy of the old and the new.”

And returning to a place where he’s committed unforgivable acts, it’s no surprise that Joe will reportedly become, as the official logline for You season 5 so perfectly puts it: “threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.” It wouldn’t be Joe if he wasn’t tempted to implode his own happy ending, would it?

We know he has Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) now, but when it comes to You season 5, it’s about as plain sailing as the rest of the seasons have been (wink, wink) as he’ll reportedly cross paths with a new young woman on the scene, Bronte (Madeline Brewer). In Tudum, the role her character will play is expanded on: "As the two connect over literature and loss, Bronte stokes in Joe a nostalgia for his former self, causing him to question everything his life has become."

He's also got Kate's siblings to contend with, as announced in the cast list above, there's Teddy, Reagan and Maddie who all have the same power and influence now afforded by Kate and, in turn, Joe.

Will Kate's love be enough to right Joe's wrongs? (Image credit: Netflix)

We also know from You season 4's tumultuous finale that Joe has finally accepted that he is categorically not a good person. A realization he came to during his time in London when he came up against the Eat the Rich Killer – and spoiler alert, in a Fight Club-esque twist, it got him looking really closely at himself. And seemingly, a Joe fueled by self-actualization is even more dangerous than the Joe that came before it.

Though stepping down as showrunner for season 5, co-creator Sera Gamble spoke of plans for Joe's ending with The Hollywood Reporter following season 4: "The conversation we have among the writers, between Greg and I, and a lot with Penn is about the fact that it would be nice to end his arc with some form of justice. Guys like this don't usually see a lot of justice from the world. That's challenging to plot."

Adding: "How does Joe Goldberg go down in a world where he's been branding people with bricks in broad daylight for years? And he's cute. And he gets away with it. The deeper question that we frequently pitch in the writers' room is, what's real justice? What would hurt him the most?"

So, whether Joe's ghosts return to haunt him, or the real physical victims he didn't manage to actually kill do it, there's seemingly plans for Joe to meet some comeuppance for his crimes - though whether that's actually attainable is another story.

There's always Nadia, who discovered Joe's crimes in season 4, though he successfully framed her for murder, there's always an opportunity to return. Or, Marienne, who cunningly cheated death, but may still want to serve revenge. But, for now, their return to the show is unknown. What we do know is there's a lot of loose ends.

Will You return after season 5?

Closing the book on You (Image credit: Netflix)

No, You season 5 is the show's final outing after seven spectacular years. Speaking to Tudum, Netflix's vice president of scripted series, Peter Friedlander, said: "We're proud to see how You has captivated audiences around the world, becoming an instant sensation on Netflix with a resounding cultural impact that has grown season over season. We're excited - and a bit terrified - to see how it all ends for Joe Goldberg, but one thing is for sure: You are in for an unforgettable ending."

For more Netflix-focused coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, 3 Body Problem season 2, Arcane season 2, and The Witcher season 4.

• Two in three UK workers are more overwhelmed at work than before
• We spend nearly half our days doing ‘busy work’
• Workers call for clearer processes and more AI

New research from Atlassian has revealed that Britain’s workers are spending an average of nine hours per week tracking down information, which equates to more than an entire typical working day.

This comes as nearly two in three (64%) UK workers feel more overwhelmed than before, with poor collaboration practices contributing to widespread workplace burnout and stress.

The research reveals exactly how much time is wasted on non-productive tasks, highlighting the immense scope for improvement that could dig the UK and other nations out of their productivity crises.

This is how much time we’re spending on meaningless tasks

According to the stats, nearly half (48%) of our time is spent on so-called ‘busy work’, which includes sharing information and tracking people down. Assuming a typical 40-hour working week, that’s more than 19 hours every single week spent being unproductive.

The problem stems from poor collaboration setups in workplaces – 55% agreed that their work is blocked while waiting for information from other teams, and 44% find it hard to coordinate with other teams. One in three (34%) feel that cross-team collaborations slow down work.

This breakdown in communication is causing further inefficiencies, with more than half unknowingly working on the same task as other teams, resulting in unnecessary duplication.

On the flip side, Atlassian says that teams with clear collaboration processes can meet tight deadlines, with the report revealing how artificial intelligence can plug some of the gaps that exist today.

Workers believe AI can make them a better teammate (43%), improve work speed and quality (59%) and help them more effectively manage information (67%), but AI isn’t a silver bullet. Many also call for clearer goals and strategy (69%), consistent processes across teams (40%) and standardized collaboration tools (30%).

“This research highlights a critical issue in the modern workplace: the systems designed to support employees are not keeping pace with the increasing demands of work… This 'digital hide-and-seek' not only wastes time but also stifles creativity and innovation, as employees are forced to focus on administrative tasks rather than high-impact Work,” concluded Dr Molly Sands, Head of Teamwork Labs at Atlassian.

You might also like

• Check out the best AI tools and best AI writers
• Give your workers a boost with the best productivity apps
• Salesforce gives AI agents the power to be proactive and autonomous like never before

Towards the end of 2024, there was one word that dominated conversations more than any other. Growth. It’s an ambition that has featured as frequently in boardroom discussions across the country as it has done in the new UK Cabinet Office. It comes as the economy has found itself trapped in a cycle of marginal gains, matched by similar losses, and collectively there’s now a deep ambition to see the trend reversed and the UK’s economic course corrected.

The UK’s scale-ups are taking on their fair share of the burden too. Emerging from our high-growth industries, like life sciences or technology, these organizations are intent on accelerating innovation with skilled talent. The likes of Faith in Nature and Touchlight Genetics have become proof points for their industry, and so as businesses seek to replicate this success, it’s no surprise that, according to SAP’s recent research, as many as 86% of scale-ups have indicated growth is a priority for the year ahead.

But connecting aspiration to reality is no straightforward task. They need to be digitally equipped to navigate a plethora of internal and external business challenges, like supply chain disruption or productivity decline, and be ready to embrace the benefits of emerging AI tools. This will not just aid their own growth journey but will support the wider UK economy as well.

In the way of progress

Just as with the country’s largest enterprises, the UK’s high-growth organizations acutely feel the effects of global economic disruption, with supply chain challenges, skills shortages and inflation all impacting growth. While these pressure points are not necessarily new, as businesses have faced a notable rise in costs, battle for talent, and trade disruption since the onset of the pandemic, they have become exacerbated in the last 12 months by cost-of-living and geopolitical crises.

Globalization, often the fuel for growth, has been rocked by conflict in the Red Sea, trade tariffs, slow exports and high transport costs. When asked, 15% of the UK’s scale-ups ranked supply chain weaknesses and disruption as their most significant barrier to growth. This was followed by a lack of talent and skills (13%), siloed operations (13%) and low-quality data (10%).

With UK productivity flatlining, and behind the economies of its peers, like France and Germany, the growth agenda is at real risk of never getting off the ground. The UK’s scale-ups need to be productive and operate efficiently, unencumbered by legacy processes and backed by the right IT infrastructure, grounded in AI.

Unlocking the freedom to scale

To begin with, the UK’s high-growth leaders need to realize that AI transformation can be tailored to their needs. Understandably, the conversation can feel alienating when a quick search will find the world’s largest enterprises are steering investment or driving deployments. It’s a consequence of the ‘mass hype’ that has emerged as applications like Generative AI have directed VC investment, product launches and the ‘future of work’ debate.

But the hype is cooling and AI with real utility has emerged as critical to future-proofing organizations, of all sizes and growth ambitions, and addressing the biggest challenges to resiliency and scale. For instance, the UK’s high-growth businesses have outlined the development of skills and talent (40%), automation (39%) and improved supplier and partner networks (38%), as critical to growth plans, and AI can directly lend itself to these ambitions.

As a starting point, AI can augment roles to relieve employees of routine or administrative tasks so resources can be allocated effectively and to more pressing or sensitive work. This means that talent is not under-utilized in roles that do not influence growth and can be deployed across the business to offset skills shortages and drive productivity.

But where AI is arguably most valuable is in unblocking siloed data to drive high-quality business insights across functions like supplier and partner relations. Over the last 12 months, AI co-pilots have emerged as a strategic business partner, providing comprehensive and real-time insights from across different units to allow decisions to be taken with the right context in mind.

Backed with the right, and reliable information, the UK’s high-growth organizations can confidently navigate the most pressing challenges to scale and productivity. For instance, in the context of further geopolitical disruption, businesses can use AI to strengthen their grip on their supply chains; delivering smart contingency plans, increasing their supplier options to better suit their needs, and improving visibility into the availability of their goods and services.

In a similar context, AI can also automate and adjust financial insights based on new trade tariffs and international compliance or regulatory requirements. On the path to growth, this helps scale-ups ensure they are not caught out by unexpected disruption and costs. In turn, this ensures a constant level of service availability, boosting customer experience and providing a competitive advantage.

Powering the ‘Growth Agenda’

As the UK has its sights set on the growth agenda, it can appear a near insurmountable task given current levels of productivity, fluctuating business output and a challenging global operating environment. But putting too much energy into these concerns alone can stifle progress, and so the UK’s high-growth sector needs to focus on the variables it can control. These organizations need to consider how they can operate efficiently and best utilize resources in the face of skills shortages and supply chain disruptions to unlock growth.

As many have indicated that barriers to growth revolve around data availability, weak supply chains and talent acquisition, they need the right digital infrastructure to offset these pressure points. This begins with AI adoption, not to just buy into the hype, but to drive real value throughout the business with improved visibility, decision making and resource allocation. That’s how they’ll scale faster, and more sustainably, and boost the UK economy in turn.

We've created a list of the best Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.

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

• Orange is offering free ChatGPT Plus for a year with its 5G+ plan in Europe
• The Special Series 180 Go 5G+ plan also includes 180GB data, calls, and Netflix
• It costs €41 a month, but younger customers get reduced pricing

ChatGPT gives users free access to OpenAI for general conversations, answering questions, generating content, and the like, but if you need more, there’s the premium version, offering access to GPT-4 alongside benefits like priority access and faster performance during peak usage periods, which can be useful for those who use the service a lot.

ChatGPT Plus costs $20/€23 per month, but mobile users in Europe can now get it free for a year. As you’d expect, this isn’t something that everyone can benefit from.

The 12 months of free ChatGPT Plus – worth nearly €280 – comes as part of Orange France’s 5G+ consumer plan, and is the first such promotion in Europe.

New ChatGPT Plus users only

Orange’s Special Series 180 Go 5G+ plan costs €41 per month with no commitment.

As well as the free ChatGPT Plus it also includes 180GB of mobile data, unlimited calls, SMS, and MMS in mainland France, and dedicated bandwidth to help maintain service quality during periods of high usage. Six months of Netflix Standard with ads is also included.

Younger users aged 18 to 26 benefit from reduced pricing – Orange charges them just €25 per month – as well as stronger data protection features.

There is another catch for anyone interested in making use of the year’s worth of free ChatGPT Plus, and that’s you need to be a new ChatGPT Plus user. You'll also need to activate the offer within three months of subscribing, so don't forget. After the first year, standard ChatGPT Plus billing applies unless you cancel, which is standard practice for this kind of offer.

“With its 5G+ launch, Orange France’s key go-to-market message is the promise of ‘dedicated access’ in busy coverage areas," noted Emma Mohr-McClune, Chief Analyst – Telecoms Practice, Technology at GlobalData.

"The wireless market has operated on a 'best effort' basis for decades, and real customer education is required here to help end-users understand the benefits. They need to understand precisely how and when these benefits will materialize to effectively capitalize on the monetization opportunities available. It’s not clear that Orange France has done enough in this respect.”

“One angle that Orange France is tacitly exploring is the pairing of 5G+’s superior uplink capability with AI experiences," Mohr-McClune added. "Certainly, a faster and stronger wireless uplink is required for satisfactory experiences, and with a theoretical maximum of 200 Mbps upstream, Orange 5G+ promises just that.”

While Orange’s new Special Series 180 Go 5G+ plan will give the telecom provider the edge in Europe for now, it’s not expected to last. As Mohr-McClune noted, “Free Mobile flagged up the launch of its own standalone 5G network last September and Bouygues Telecom is already marketing offers for enterprises.”

You might also like

• Check out our list of the best AI tools around today
• ChatGPT remains the most popular AI tool in offices worldwide, survey finds
• ChatGPT, two years on: The impact on cybersecurity