TechRadar News

• A new video on YouTube shows a DIY handheld gaming PC using an Nvidia RTX 4090 gaming laptop GPU
• It features a 4K 60Hz display, 64GB of RAM, and 4TB of storage space
• It's a sign that handheld gaming PCs could be more powerful than current mainstream models are

Nvidia's RTX 5000 series GPUs remain in the spotlight after their launch in January, with Super model GPUs expected to arrive later this year. However, the previous generation's laptop GPUs have been utilized in an unexpected way – and it points to the possibility of more powerful portable gaming.

As reported by Notebookcheck, NITTRX has showcased a DIY custom handheld gaming PC on YouTube, running multiple triple-A games at 4K on high settings, utilizing an RTX 4090 laptop GPU. Yes, you read that right – and it's working alongside Intel's Core i9 14900HX, a powerful 24-core and 32-thread processor.

Now, that may instantly raise some red flags concerning thermals, battery life, and power consumption, but as the screenshot shows below, there's adequate cooling; the RTX 4090 laptop GPU temperature mostly remains at 162F / 72C, while the CPU fluctuates between 151F and 158F, or 66C and 70C.

That screen is massive... (Image credit: NITTRX)

Having tested a decent number of handheld gaming PCs from MSI, Lenovo, and Asus, I can say that the thermal performance of this DIY handheld is very similar to that of the mainstream devices. This is all while housing 4TB of storage via two 2TB SSDs and 64GB of RAM via two 32GB sticks – all of which should contribute to higher temperatures, but those temperatures are nowhere near what would be considered excessive.

It's also worth noting that this handheld is using a Dell 12.5-inch 4K 60Hz display (specifically the Sharp LQ125D1), but frame rates reaching triple digits in game tests truly show what the RTX 4090 laptop GPU is capable of. Great performance is achievable on current handhelds using AMD APUs and Intel SoCs, but this is possibly the best handheld gaming PC you'll see for a while.

This shows that it's no longer a matter of whether or not 4K handheld gaming is possible. It's now a matter of whether handheld gaming PC manufacturers are willing to make the leap and design more powerful handheld gaming PCs, which would likely target a niche audience, depending on pricing.

Analysis: These are the handhelds that should have premium prices, not the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme models

(Image credit: MSI)

I've been fairly vocal about my frustration with handheld gaming PCs and the sudden spike in their pricing, without much of a performance leap over previous hardware to justify it. We're seeing this happen with the new MSI Claw A8 pushing close to $1,000, despite early benchmarks suggesting a minimal 10% performance increase in games using AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, compared to the Ryzen Z1 Extreme.

The only handhelds with potential high price tags that can be justified are the Ayaneo Flip 1S DS, which uses AMD's powerful AMD's Ryzen AI HX 370 processor; the Lenovo Legion Go 2, mostly due to the addition of an OLED screen; and of course, this custom-made RTX 4090 handheld.

Unfortunately, I don't see any of the mainstream handheld gaming PC manufacturers getting any ideas from this DIY setup. Producing such devices would require plenty of durability tests, and the resulting handhelds would essentially rival gaming laptops on a larger scale.

A 12.5-inch display is also undesirable, which I've previously stated regarding the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 – and I still hold that opinion about this DIY device, although it's far more tolerable given the hardware and the available resolution.

I'd love to see a device like this be replicated by a mainstream manufacturer – and if there's anything we should take away from this DIY project, it's that 4K handheld gaming isn't impossible after all.

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2024 was a strange year for phones. Software packages like Galaxy AI, Google Gemini, and Apple Intelligence dominated keynotes and marketing campaigns, while hardware innovations were, for the most part, relegated to the sidelines.

On the outside, the best phones of 2024 were largely indistinguishable from their predecessors, with the exception of the Google Pixel 9 Pro, which felt properly different from the Pixel 8 Pro before it. Google refreshed its tired Pixel lineup with a more grown-up, modern-looking phone, and the Pixel 9 Pro also boasted the cleanest implementation of AI we’d seen at the time (Samsung’s Galaxy AI has arguably caught up since then).

For those reasons, the Pixel 9 Pro earned our Phone of the Year award for 2024. But judging by what I’ve seen so far of the Pixel 10 Pro, I don’t see Google’s next flagship repeating the feat in 2025.

The Pixel 10 Pro is set to debut at this year’s Made by Google showcase on August 20, but it’s already been semi-unveiled in an official teaser video, and countless leaks and rumors have given us an almost nailed-on idea of what to expect.

An official image of a phone believed to be the Pixel 10 Pro in Moonstone (Image credit: Google)

It’ll reportedly look almost identical to the Pixel 9 Pro, use a more powerful Tensor G5 chipset, and its battery will be marginally larger. We’ll also, of course, get some new colors, including a fetching ‘Moonstone’ shade.

On the software side, the Pixel 10 Pro is rumored to launch with a new photography feature called Camera Coach, which will use AI to analyse images fed through the camera and offer contextual suggestions.

And that’s pretty much it.

Where the Pixel 9 Pro represented a major generational leap over the Pixel 8 Pro, the Pixel 10 Pro will seemingly be an iterative upgrade over the Pixel 9 Pro. It won’t have the same feeling of newness or innovation, and as a result, I’m not expecting it to scoop this year’s Phone of the Year award on that basis alone.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro was our Phone of the Year in 2024 (Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

Weirdly, though, I don’t see this as a bad thing. In all areas except raw power, the Pixel line has caught up to the best iPhones and best Samsung phones, and now Google can afford to do what both Apple and Samsung do so often: innovate iteratively.

I know that sounds strange – don’t we, as tech fans, hate iterative upgrades? – but we can’t shower the Pixel 9 Pro with praise and then expect (or want) Google to bring an entirely new product to the table the very next year. It got so much right with the Pixel 9 Pro, and it’s unrealistic to expect its successor to bowl us over in quite the same way.

If I were a Pixel fan, I’d be OK with that. Heck, as an iPhone user, I’ve already written about how the Pixel 10 Pro in Moonstone will test my loyalty to Apple. I think the phone looks great – it just doesn’t look particularly new.

Who knows? Maybe those aforementioned upgrades will be enough to see the Pixel 10 Pro scoop our Phone of the Year award in 2025. I’m simply suggesting that Google has made a rod for its own back with the success of the Pixel 9 Pro.

Are you looking forward to the Pixel 10 Pro? Let us know in the comments below.

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• Alien: Earth's creative team have given their take on why it's taken so long for an Alien TV series to be made
• They always envisioned it as a show rather than a movie
• Every other live-action Alien project has been made for the big screen

Alien: Earth's creative team has opened up on the decision to tell its story on the small screen.

Until now, every single project set in the Alien universe has been a movie. Indeed, from the 1979 Sigourney Weaver-starring original to 2024's pseudo-sequel Alien: Romulus, the sci-fi horror franchise's various tales have been told in film format.

That's changed with FX TV Original in Alien: Earth, which will air on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally). Created by frequent FX collaborator Noah Hawley, who also developed Fargo and Legion for the US TV network, Earth breaks the near-50-year cycle of Alien stories being released exclusively in theaters.

Bringing the Xenomorph-led property to the small screen wouldn't have been possible until a few years ago. Many of the world's best streaming services, including Disney+, didn't exist. Furthermore, production budgets for TV shows had lagged behind their silver screen counterparts for decades. However, a sea change largely brought about by the rise of the streaming industry has reshaped the landscape and led to the purse strings being loosened by TV executives, thereby allowing creators to make shows with budgets similar to those of their movie siblings.

A post shared by Alien: Earth (@alienearthfx)

A photo posted by on

It's the end to such financial restrictions that enabled Hawley, producer David W. Zucker, and the rest of Alien: Earth's cast and crew to craft an eight-part series with a scope to rival any of the franchise's previous projects. However, speaking to me ahead of the show's release, Hawley and Zucker revealed there are other reasons why an Alien TV show hasn't been attempted before – and what made them settle on telling Earth's story via the television medium.

"A two-hour Alien movie is a survival story, right?" Hawley said. "Other than how expensive it would be, the obstacle of bringing the franchise to television is 'well, what other story could we tell?'.

"It [an Alien film] is about monsters and people running for their lives," Hawley continued. "That's not a TV show with any staying power. Part of the reason why it [Alien: Earth] worked is because I use the IP [intellectual property] as a starting point to explore my own themes and issues, and build a story within the Alien world. The are challenges with the scale of this show, balancing the drama, horror, and action, etcetera, but I think we accomplished all of that."

"The truth is, corporately, the franchise has been owned by the film division [20th Century Studios]," Zucker added. "It only became possible when we were given access to it [the Alien franchise] and then tried to find a place, such as FX, that would support this kind of vision. Fortunately, the long relationship they have with Noah, that's become a dream pairing for us and is the only conceivable way this could've worked."

Alien: Earth launches with a two-episode premiere on August 12 (North and South America) and August 13 (everywhere else). Read my dedicated guide to Alien: Earth, as well as my Alien: Earth review, before it arrives.

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• A leaker claims the iPhone 17 Pro will have a new antenna design
• This will apparently improve performance in congested areas
• It might also result in a sleeker, less interrupted phone design

How many times have you struggled to make a phone call or send a text message on your iPhone when you’re in a crowded area? Even if your phone shows that you should have several bars of signal, actually connecting is often impossible due to the sheer number of devices clogging up the airwaves.

That might change in this year’s iPhone 17 Pro, though, according to a new report from a well-known leaker. If they are to be believed, Apple is working on a new system to reduce signal congestion and improve iPhone connectivity, and it’s apparently taken its inspiration from the Apple Watch.

The report comes from Majin Bu, a leaker with a somewhat mixed track record when it comes to Apple rumors. On their website, the tipster suggests that the iPhone 17 Pro will “introduce a significant structural change” that involves repositioning the phone’s antennas to the rear camera module.

Majin Bu says that Apple has taken inspiration from the Apple Watch here, as this device “integrates antennas near structural and functional elements of its chassis” in a similar manner. That’s a change from the iPhone’s current situation, where the antennas are located around the edges of the chassis. You can see that in the small lines near the bottom of an iPhone, and Majin Bu says the new design will result in a “Cleaner side-frame design with fewer visible breaks.”

Pushing performance

(Image credit: Freestocks / Unsplash)

But this update is not just about appearances – Majin Bu believes it will bring practical benefits too. In particular, the leaker says repositioning the antennas to the camera module will “reduce interference from chassis materials and enhance 5G and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity” because this area is “less prone to shielding and interference.” That’s presumably because it’s further away from your hand, which can cause problems with connectivity (just think back to the iPhone 4’s “Antennagate” for an example).

Majin Bu lists a host of other potential advantages, including reduced latency, “higher efficiency” in busy areas, enhanced radio performance (especially for 5G mmWave and Wi-Fi), optimized internal space, and more.

There are only a few weeks until Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 17 Pro, so we won’t have long to wait to see if these predictions are on the money. If they are, you might find it a little easier to push through that phone call or text message when you find yourself in a crowded area.

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• President Trump has apparently positive meeting with Intel CEO Lip Bu-Tan
• The President had previously called for Tan's resignation
• A former Intel leader has suggested customers invest cash into the company

Embattled Intel CEO Lip Bu-Tan has paid a visit to the White House for a meeting with President Trump which the latter has described as ‘very interesting’.

This comes just days after the President demanded Tan resign from his position of CEO at Intel, calling him ‘highly conflicted’ - going as far as to say there is ‘no other solution to this problem’.

However following the meeting, Trump praised Tan for his success and ‘amazing’ rise to the top, using his social media site Truth Social to confirm cabinet members will now also meet with Tan to continue discussions.

Strong leadership

The details of the meeting haven’t been released, but Intel did release a statement thanking the President for a ‘candid and constructive discussion on Intel’s commitment to strengthening U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership’.

“We appreciate the President’s strong leadership to advance these critical priorities and look forward to working closely with him and his Administration as we restore this great American company” the statement confirmed.

The meeting followed a letter written to the Intel board of directors from Republican Senator Tom Cotton, in which he raises concerns over Tan’s alleged ties to China through his role as CEO of Cadance Design Systems, a firm which recently plead guilty to illegally selling export-controlled tech to organisations with connections to the Chinese military.

The recent turbulence between Intel and the US Government most likely stems from the President’s ambitions to build a domestic manufacturing industry to rival Chinese tech imports, with Intel perhaps the only US company positioned to take a leading role in semiconductor production.

Intel seems to be moving away from US manufacturing though, with the organisation making significant reductions to its workforce - terminating between 15-20% of its factory workers amongst the 25,000 Intel positions affected by the redundancies.

Former Intel CEO Craig Barett called for a customer-cash injection of around $40 billion to soothe financial difficulties and ensure a semiconductor source within the US, especially given geo-political tensions and the very low likelihood of TSMC or Samsung bringing manufacturing to the states.

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While United Airlines isn’t rolling out a ‘music dance’ in-flight experience, it’s sort of doing the next best thing. Thanks to a fresh partnership with Apple TV+ – one of the best streaming services around – you’ll be able to watch Severance, among other shows, while flying at 30,000 or so feet.

Joining the ever-expanding in-flight entertainment experience on United Airlines aircraft is a quartet of Apple TV+ Originals, and that number will grow again next month, in September. At launch, you can access episodes from the first season of Severance, Shrinking, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses and Silo on the screen in front of your chair or via the United app while in-flight.

Next month, September of 2025, United will add the first season of The Morning Show and Bad Sisters. United operates a broad range of aircraft and somewhere around 130,000 screens built into backs of seats. Even though that’s a massive number and newer aircraft will expand that, it’s nice to see United also offer this fresh Apple TV+ content via the app.

(Image credit: United Airlines)

Folks potentially traveling on planes without screens but with Wi-Fi connectivity will have the same access to the library of content. While this isn’t the first time that Apple TV+ has taken to the sky – some of its originals are available on American Airlines and Air Canada – the addition is a big deal for United Airlines, and it's the first time full seasons from the service have been made available. Frequent flyers of United will appreciate that.

The airline has promised to add new episodes and expand to other shows, movies, and documentaries on a monthly basis. The Apple TV+ originals join an array of other content and even access to popular podcasts, audiobooks, and playlists available on Spotify.

Adding shows like Severance makes a heck of a lot of sense, though, as Apple TV+ is having an incredibly strong year and the streaming service has secured a record 81 Emmy Award nominations. So if you haven’t yet seen Severance and have a few hours you need to fill while on a United flight, you can now binge the first season – or rewatch it – from the comfort of your seat.

It’ll be interesting to see if United Airlines can strike a similar deal with any other streaming services or if other airlines opt to add Apple TV+. Recently, Delta Airlines announced a collaboration with Crunchyroll to stream select anime while in-flight.

This expansion for United Airlines comes at a time with a heavier focus on the in-flight experience – the airline is also in the process of installing Starlink-powered, faster, and completely free Wi-Fi for MileagePlus members aboard its airplanes. It’s a longer rollout, but the promise is much faster speeds, allowing passengers to stream their own content, and further improvements to the in-flight experience.

We’re still waiting to see the entire vision for the latter, but the expansion to include popular Apple TV+ originals is certainly a step in the right direction. At the minimum, you innie will appreciate the expansion and your outtie will like the destination … or vice versa.

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• Elon Musk claims that Apple’s App Store is biased against Grok
• Sam Altman responds, accusing Elon of manipulating X in Grok’s favor
• Apple has not responded to either claim

Elon Musk, CEO of XAI, the company behind the Grok AI chatbot, has accused Apple’s App Store of favoritism towards OpenAI in a tersely written post on X that threatens legal action over antitrust issues.

In the post, Musk writes, “Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.”

Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.August 12, 2025

Further posts from Musk clarify his grievances, including a post pinned to the top of his X.com account which reads, “Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your 'Must Have' section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know.”

Musk also gave examples of screenshots showing how Grok is not mentioned in the various roundups of AI apps found on the App Store, while competitors like Copilot and Google Gemini are mentioned.

Altman strikes back

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, was quick to clap back on X, stating: “This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like.”

This is a remarkable claim given what I have heard alleged that Elon does to manipulate X to benefit himself and his own companies and harm his competitors and people he doesn't like. https://t.co/HlgzO4c2iCAugust 12, 2025

Altman links to an article on Platformer that alleges Musk created a team to modify the X algorithm to benefit his own tweets. This claim is based on a comparison between his Super Bowl tweet, which expressed support for the Philadelphia Eagles, and a similar one by then-President Joe Biden.

Apple’s legal issues with the App Store have already caused a very public spat with Fortnite developer Epic Games over the past few years. Much of the disagreement has centered on the fees that Apple charges apps for running on its platforms. Epic Games has recently won a court battle in Australia with the ruling that Apple and Google have engaged in anti-competitive conduct regarding the dominance of the app market. Epic has recently confirmed Fortnite will soon return to Apple devices in Australia.

Apple and OpenAI entered into an agreement in 2024, which saw Apple integrate ChatGPT into Apple Intelligence, allowing Siri to hand off to ChatGPT if a query proved too complex.

Musk’s grievance with Apple is more to do with the way the App Store promotes some apps over others. In another post on X, Musk says, “Apple is the gateway to the Internet for half of America. They are making it impossible for any other AI company to succeed by relentlessly promoting OpenAI in every way possible!”

However, as many people have pointed out on X, in January 2025, the DeepSeek app reached #1 overall on the App Store, and Perplexity reached #1 overall in India’s App Store. Both these occurred after the OpenAI and Apple partnership was announced in June 2024.

TechRadar has reached out to Apple for comment on this story and will update with any further information if the company responds.

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• EDRKillShifter is getting a dangerous upgrade
• The new malware can disable AV and EDR from reputable vendors
• Sophos, Bitdefender, and Kaspersky among the tools being targeted

Cybercriminals appear to have improved their antivirus-killing capabilities, as recent research suggest a new tool being shared within the underground community.

In a new report, security researchers from Sophos said multiple ransomware groups are successfully disabling endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems before deploying the encryptor.

Originally, the group known as RansomHub developed a tool called EDRKillShifter, which Sophos says is now made obsolete thanks to this new and improved variant. The new tool can disable security software from multiple high-end vendors such as Sophos, Bitdefender, and Kaspersky.

Shifting strategies

The malware is often packed using a service called HeartCrypt, which obfuscates the code to evade detection.

Sophos found the attackers are using all sorts of obfuscation and anti-analysis techniques to protect their tools from security defenders, and in some cases, they’re even using signed drivers (either stolen or compromised).

In one case, the malicious code was embedded inside a legitimate utility, Beyond Compare’s Clipboard Compare tool, the researchers explained.

Sophos also said that multiple ransomware groups are using this new EDR-killing tool, suggesting a high level of collaboration between players.

EDRKillShifter was first spotted in mid-2024, after a failed attempt to disable an antivirus and deploy ransomware.

Sophos then uncovered that the malware dropped a legitimate, but vulnerable driver.

Now, it seems there is a new method - taking an already legitimate executable and modifying it locally by inserting malicious code and payload resources (as was the case with Beyond Compare’s tool). This is often done after the attacker has access to a victim’s machine, or when creating a malicious package that pretends to be legitimate.

To defend against this threat, Sophos suggests users check whether their endpoint protection security products implement, and enable, tamper protection.

Furthermore, businesses should practice “strong hygiene” for Windows security roles, since the attack is only possible if the attacker escalates privileges they control, or if they can obtain admin rights.

Finally, businesses should keep their systems updated, as Microsoft recently started de-certifying old signed drivers.

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• Nintendo has filed a patent for a new Switch 2 Joy-Con attachment
• The patent shows a crank and clickable wheel that would seemingly turn the Joy-Con 2 controllers into a fishing reel
• The patent was filed in February 2024

Nintendo has filed a patent for a new Switch 2 Joy-Con attachment that appears to turn your controller into a fishing reel.

First spotted by Nintendo Patents Watch (via Polygon), the patent shows two Joy-Con 2 attachments that seem to be a crank and a clickable wheel.

The crank is described as being a mounted input device that would use mouse sensors to track movement and magnets to secure attachment.

The clickable wheel would also utilize magnets to stay in place, and its rotation would be tracked by mouse sensors. The attachment also seems to feature a second button for pressing the console's right shoulder (SR).

Presumably, this attachment could be used for a range of games with fishing mechanics like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, or a potential Kuru Kuru Kururin revival and Playdate ports, as Nintendo Patents Watch theorized.

A totally new game for the Switch 2 that Nintendo has yet to announce is also a possibility.

Although the patent application was published recently, it was filed in February 2024, suggesting that Nintendo has been working on the new accessory for some time, with Switch 2 compatibility in mind. That said, it is worth keeping in mind that not all patents see the light of day as an official product.

In case you missed it, the latest Nintendo Indie World Showcase for August 2025 was jam-packed with announcements. While there was no Hollow Knight: Silksong news, there were plenty of other indie reveals, including a new game from the Shovel Knight creators, several metroidvania-style titles, and more.

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• Microsoft has a new plan to target Chrome addicts to use Edge more
• A planned pop-up is only hidden in testing right now, though
• It may never be enabled, even in preview builds of Windows 11 - and I hope that's the case, as I think this is a dangerous road for Microsoft to go down

Microsoft is apparently testing another way to drive Edge adoption and attempt to cajole Chrome users into switching to its browser in Windows 11.

Windows Latest reports that in a new preview build of Windows 11 (in the Canary channel) there's some work hidden in the background pertaining to a new campaign to promote Edge.

This is targeting those who use Google's Chrome browser with a pop-up to get them to pin Edge to the taskbar when they close Microsoft's browser. Specifically, it's aimed at those who use Chrome a lot, and Edge a little (obviously you have to use Edge a bit to be exiting the browser in order to be shown the nag screen).

Windows Latest observes that one of the hidden flags - and remember, they are just lurking in the background, and not activated yet, even in testing - is for 'pin Edge when you close the browser' (so with it pinned permanently to the taskbar, you're more likely to come back and use it).

But the shadier move here is another flag which is for 'msPinningCampaignChromeUsageGreaterThan90Trigger' - and the key bit here is that the trigger for the pop-up appearing is if the Windows 11 user's Chrome usage is greater than 90 (meaning 90%.)

So, this means that those who run Edge more - who are using Chrome less than 90% of the time - won't see this pop-up. The reason why, presumably, is because Microsoft doesn't want to annoy people who already use its web browser a fair chunk of the time.

However, those who almost exclusively run with Chrome (90% of the time, or more) will see this nag prompt, and the question is: how might Microsoft quantify whether any given person's Chrome usage is 90% or more?

Analysis: Microsoft needs to tread carefully

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Okay, so we can't jump to any conclusions about Microsoft snooping on folks on the basis of some flags hidden in testing - all of this remains theoretical and speculation. But this does appear to indicate that some sort of measurement is being mulled - and how would Microsoft gauge a heavy Chrome user? The obvious assumption is that it must be through some kind of telemetry (data collection).

And regardless of the true answer behind this question, or indeed whether this feature is ever enabled - remember, it's not even live in preview, as noted - this kind of flag is not going to do anything to assuage the fears of those who believe Microsoft is 'spying' on them with Windows 11. And there's a good deal of paranoia around that issue, because Microsoft does, of course, utilize some telemetry with Windows 11. (Some of which may be justified, and some of which can be turned off - though notably not all of it, not unless you go to considerable lengths).

So, while we know that Microsoft collects some data on Windows 11 users, glimpses of the inner workings of the operating system laid bare like this aren't going to help the company's reputation. In my opinion, the software giant needs to tread very carefully in areas like this - and gauging browser usage to determine whether or not an Edge pop-up is shown (to Chrome addicts) is crossing a line.

No, it might not ever happen - and I hope it doesn't, because this really isn't a path Microsoft needs to be going any further down. With some of the pop-ups and various suggestions in Windows 11, Microsoft can argue that it's helping the user in some way - prompting to make a backup might be useful in some scenarios, for example, that's not inconceivable by any means. But in this case, Microsoft is only helping itself (and Edge).

From a broader perspective, we don't need any more nagging to use the Edge browser anyway - there's already far too much of this kind of activity going on in Windows 11 (which I feel is very much counterproductive anyway).

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• 115 inches to begin with, but more sizes are planned to arrive soon
• Available first in South Korea and then the US before a global rollout
• Approximately $32,000 / £24,000 / €28,000 / AU$49,750

Let's start with the bad news: Samsung's first micro-RGB TV is outrageously expensive. But the tech will quickly make its way to more affordable models, and could be a significant rival to OLED.

The newly announced 115-inch micro-RGB TV uses Samsung's exceptionally small LEDs to deliver what Samsung says is "a new benchmark for color accuracy, contrast and immersive viewing in the ultra-premium TV segment."

It's launching in South Korea first with a price tag of 44.9 million KRW; that works out as roughly $32,000 / £24,000 / €28,000 / AU$49,750. The USA will get the TV next, and it'll roll out to more markets after that.

(Image credit: Samsung)What's so great about micro-RGB?

The display uses a micro-scale RGB LED backlight comprising individually controlled red, green and blue micro RGB LEDs, each of which is less than 100µm in size. That means the TV can deliver much more precise lighting than a traditionally backlit LED TV, and that in turn means more precise and accurate color reproduction.

The display is powered by Samsung's Micro RGB AI Engine, which analyzes each frame in real time and optimizes the color output; it can also enhance dull color tones and intelligently enhance them to make them more vivid and immersive – hopefully less dramatically than the color optimization on my Samsung QLED, which does terrifying things to people's complexions.

The color output meets 100% of BT.2020, the global standard, and has been certified as "Micro RGB Precision Color" by the German electrical engineering institute VDE (Verband der Elektrotechnik).

Although the TV will only be available as a 115-inch model at launch, Samsung intends to expand the range quickly: it promises "a global rollout featuring a variety of sizes to meet customer needs" after the US launch.

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• You can use the usual keyboard shortcuts or right click
• Windows, Mac and browser versions all get the update

More than two decades after OneNote first hit the shelves, Microsoft has finally added what we would reasonably expect to be a core feature, saving a lot of unnecessary hassle that users have had to deal with until now.

As of August 2025, OneNote now supports text-only pasting or pasting without formatting – "mismatched fonts, awkward background colors, or unwanted styles" will no longer come over if you don't want them.

Thankfully, you won't need to do anything special to activate the feature, just use the same keyboard shortcuts you already use in other apps to copy the text only: Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+V (Mac).

OneNote finally has paste without formatting option

Apart from the keyboard shortcut, users can also place the cursor in OneNote, right click, select paste options and click 'Keep text only'.

"No more mismatched fonts, awkward background colors, or unwanted styles when pulling information from other apps – instead, bring content into OneNote as plain text, automatically matching your notebook’s look and feel," OneNote Product Manager Bola Soneye explained in a blog post.

Windows Version 2508 (Build 19101.10000) or later and Mac Build 16.100 (25080335) or later will both get access to the core feature, as well as the web version of OneNote, but it could be rolling out to Insiders first so other users may have to wait a short while to get it.

It's possible that Microsoft decided not to focus on format-free pasting because the app was designed for research notes where preserving formatting could've been useful, however due to high demand the company has finally added a feature that should've been part of OneNote since the very beginning.

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After a lengthy wait following its controversial premiere, South Park season 27 episode 2 aired on Comedy Central on August 6, and boy did it go for the jugular. A deepfake of Donald Trump was joined by a miniature J.D. Vance, Krypto the superdog was shot out of the sky by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk was… well, made fun of. Just a regular day in the sitcom, right? Wrong.

For starters, the Krypto reference was a parody of Noem disclosing in her 2024 memoir that she once shot and killed her dog on a family farm. She responded to the scene during an interview on the Glenn Beck Program podcast, slamming her character’s appearance: “It’s so lazy to just constantly make fun of women for how they look. If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that. But clearly they can’t – they just pick something petty like that.” Much like the official White House account, Noem also used a screenshot of her South Park character to try and recruit users to join ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

But did the South Park team stop there? Of course not! Not only did they fire back at the ICE recruitment posts on social media, but season 27 episode 2 features a scathing secret post-credits scene that can only be streamed on Paramount+.

South Park season 27 episode 2 post-credit scene on Paramount+ goes even harder on Kristi Noem

Didn’t see this on TV? Here’s the Paramount+ version of the end credits scene. pic.twitter.com/QAvMgQfU9tAugust 11, 2025

Spoilers for South Park season 27 episode 2 ahead.

In short, it’s even more bad news for Noem. In the post-credits scene, Noem essentially goes on a shooting spree in a pet store, opening fire on all of the poor puppies who are inside. One manages to escape, but Noem soon guns it down after catching up to it. Even for South Park, the scene is especially grim, and I can’t say I’m surprised it’s a well-hidden secret. What did puppies do to deserve getting caught up in Noem’s political crossfire?

While no official reason has been given for why the post-credits scene wasn’t included in the original broadcast, it’s possible that it was added last minute after the White House and Noem both began to publicly respond to season 27, meaning it would have been too late to include in the live transmission. This might not necessarily be the case, though, and if it isn’t, it’s a dang good marketing ploy.

It’s also a lot less obvious if you’re going to double-down on your governmental criticisms on a streaming service than on cable TV (South Park season 27 is airing on Comedy Central). Paramount+ isn’t likely to be repulsed by the idea either, drawing more viewers to their streaming service to see the post-credits scene in its entire episodic context. It’s a shrewd move on all counts, even if it’s making me a little nauseous and light-headed just by writing about it.

Is this going to be the last of South Park season 27 airing subtly placed clapbacks and putting their subjects of parody on blast online? I doubt it. If anything, this streaming war could be about to get very ugly, and I’m not just talking about the bloodshed onscreen.

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• Turtle Beach has revealed its new Airlite Fit wired gaming headset for the Nintendo Switch 2
• The headset is also compatible with all prior Switch systems
• Pre-orders are now open and the headset officially launches on September 3

Turtle Beach has announced its new Airlite Fit wired gaming headset, which is officially licensed for the Nintendo Switch 2.

The company re-released the Airtlite Fit for the original Nintendo Switch earlier this year, with several color options including Neon Blue & Red, White & Black, and Ghost Purple.

The latest Switch 2 edition delivers the same lightweight comfort and immersive gaming audio that the headset series is known for, with a new design befitting the latest console.

The Airlite Fit is compatible with the Switch 2 and prior Switch systems, including the Switch Lite and Switch OLED, and comes officially licensed for packaging showcasing the official Switch 2 badge on the headset’s headband. This edition also offers a new Charcoal Black colorway to what was previously available for the Switch.

The headset also features high-quality 40mm speakers for "superior sound", a sound-isolating, bi-directional microphone with flip-to-mute functionality, premium, noise-isolating ear cushions with an over-ear fit, and on-ear volume control.

"Working with our partners at Nintendo, we are excited to release our latest Airlite Fit headset for a lightweight and comfortable gaming experience, licensed for Nintendo Switch 2," said Turtle Beach CEO, Cris Keirn.

"With proven, excellent audio performance at an affordable price, the Airlite Fit enhances the amazing experiences on Nintendo Switch 2 for gamers everywhere."

The Turtle Beach Airlite Fit wired gaming headset for Nintendo Switch 2 in Charcoal Black can now be pre-ordered for $27.99 / £19.99 / €24.99. It launches worldwide on September 3, 2025.

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• Image in iOS 26 shows what looks like real-time translation
• Will require an Apple Intelligence-compatible device
• Could be iPhone 17 only, and possibly 16 Pro/Max

The latest developer beta of iOS 26 has apparently revealed a major unannounced upgrade for AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2: real world, real time translation.

As 9to5Mac reports, iOS 26 developer beta 6 contains a new system asset showing both AirPods stems being pressed simultaneously. The image seems to refer to the Translate app, and shows multiple words in multiple languages including Hello, Danke, Obrigado, Bonjour, Olá and Bye.

Real-world translation wasn't announced at WWDC but we know it was in development (Image credit: Apple)Danke, Apple

Apple announced Live Translate last month at WWDC, but not for real-world chatting: Apple focused on FaceTime and phone calls as well as messages. But live, face to face translation was leaked earlier this year by Bloomberg so we knew it was in the works. We just didn't know when it'd arrive.

There's a lot we don't know about this new feature, including device requirements: AirPods and AirPods Pro don't have the horsepower to run real-time translation natively, so that's going to be handled by your phone, iPad or Mac.

We also don't know what languages will be supported when the feature launches, although clearly the leaked asset shows some of them (Portuguese, French, German and, er, English).

It looks likely that the feature will initially support a fairly small selection of languages and require a recent iPhone, iPad or Mac: the Live Translation for phone calls and FaceTime already announced is available for English (UK and US), French, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish and requires an Apple Intelligence-compatible device.

It's possible that as Apple did with Apple Intelligence last year, the new feature may be exclusive to the iPhone 17 and last year's Pro models.

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• Windows 365 Reserve includes 10 days of Cloud PC access
• It's designed to plug the gaps during hardware, software or cybersecurity-related outages
• Affected users can access their work by logging in from a browser or the Windows app

Microsoft has revealed an initial launch of Windows 365 Reserve – a new service which gives users temporary, dedicated Cloud PC access when their primary device is unavailable.

The company says Windows 365 Reserve is designed to maintain business continuity during any type of outage, be it from a cyberattack such as ransomware, a hardware failure, software issues or loss or theft.

In a blog post, Microsoft Senior Product Manager Logan Silliman explained companies already have to deal with, "halt[ed] productivity, delay[ed] deliverables, and strain[ed] IT teams," but the new offering could lift a huge weight off companies during these times of stress.

Windows 365 Reserve is available for some users to try

Microsoft will give users up to 10 days per year, which can be split across incidents or used up in one go.

"With this solution, organizations can proactively establish protections that reduce both financial and operational impacts when disruptions arise," Silliman added.

Promising the usual suite of Microsoft 365 apps, existing Microsoft Intune policies and secure access from any device, Windows 365 Reserve could vastly improve a worker's return to productivity.

It also buys the IT team undisturbed time to remediate whatever the issue is without the worker effectively being offline.

Microsoft noted the feature was developed after customers expressed concerns about challenges preparing for disruptions.

End users affected by any type of outage can regain access to their work by logging into their Windows 365 Reserve via a web browser or the Windows app.

The limited public preview launch comes less than two months after Microsoft first lifted the wraps off the concept.

It remains unclear whether the service will come at an additional cost to businesses, and how any pricing model would work. TechRadar Pro did ask Microsoft to confirm this, but we did not receive an immediate response.

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• Ryan Reynolds has hinted that he'll appear in one or both of the next two Avengers movies
• The Deadpool star sent fans into a frenzy with a cryptic Instagram post
• The image and caption features call-backs to two of the most profitable Marvel films

Another day, another Avengers: Doomsday cast rumor – but, this time, it's a Marvel actor who's whipped fans into a frenzy over a possible appearance in the film.

Taking to Instagram overnight, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds sparked a frenzied reaction from fans about his potential inclusion in the superhero flick.

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds)

A photo posted by on

Ordinarily, a post like this wouldn't be much to write home about. The image, which features a red, rebel-style version of the Avengers logo on top of the superteam's official emblem, might be viewed as nothing more than a call-back to Deadpool and Wolverine. That's the only Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie that launched in theaters last year, and it ended up making over $1 billion globally.

It's the caption accompanying said image that's excited MCU fans, though. Referencing a key line of dialog uttered by Clint Barton/Hawkeye in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, Reynolds wrote: "Don't do that. Don't give me hope".

The implication here, of course, is that Reynolds is suggesting The Merc With a Mouth could finally get his wish to join Earth's Mightiest Heroes to combat an otherworldly threat. Deadpool says as much in Deadpool and Wolverine's first act when he interviews for a place on the super-group's roster.

Reynolds wasn't part of Doomsday's initial 27-strong cast that was announced via a four-hour livestream in March. Less than 24 hours later, though, Marvel insisted "there's always room for more", thereby indicating that more cast additions might be made in the months ahead. If you're interested, here's a list of 17 other Marvel heroes I'd like to see in Avengers: Doomsday.

But I digress. Reynolds' latest social media post insinuates Deadpool will appear in a future Avengers movie, but I'm not sure he'll show up in Avengers 5. I think he'd serve a better purpose by being a big part of Avengers: Secret Wars instead.

Deadpool has already traversed the Marvel multiverse multiple times (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Hear me out first. As I outlined in my Deadpool and Wolverine ending explained piece, the movie ends with the titular pair residing on Earth-10005. That's the parallel universe – one of many that exists alongside Earth-616, aka the MCU – that the bulk of the MCU Phase 5 film is set in.

Furthermore, Joe and Anthony Russo, who returned to the MCU to helm Doomsday and its sequel, told me that they're "drawing inspiration" from both of Marvel's 'Secret Wars' comic book series. I won't spoil the events of either literary works here – you can learn more about how they may influence Doomsday and its follow-up in the aforementioned linked-to article and my Fantastic Four: First Steps ending explained piece. The latter article reveals how the first Marvel Phase 6 movie might set up Doomsday's plot, so it's also worth reading.

Anyway, considering what's likely to happen in Doomsday (seriously, read the two articles linked above), it makes more sense for Deadpool to meet The Avengers in Secret Wars rather than shoehorn him into its predecessor. Doomsday is already going to be a busy film with so many characters in it. As I pointed out above, more heroes could be part of proceedings, so Marvel might be best served delaying Deadpool's team-up with The Avengers until Secret Wars to ensure the emotional pay-off – for the character and fans alike – is worth the wait.

But, what do you think? Has Reynolds all but confirmed Deadpool will appear in either or both Avengers movies? Which one would you prefer to see him in? Let me know in the comments. Then, check out my dedicated guide on Avengers: Doomsday for the latest news and rumors on the highly anticipated flick.

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• Thomas Dohmke resigns as GitHub CEO, effective by the end of 2025
• GitHub is getting closer to Microsoft as it aligns with CoreAI business
• Microsoft CEO says "internal organizational boundaries are meaningless" anyway

GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke has announced he is resigning as CEO of the company as Microsoft begins to bring GitHub closer to its CoreAI team.

Following the move, Microsoft will not appoint a new GitHub CEO and the company will no longer have a single leader, instead reporting more directly into its CoreAI division.

After a four-year stint, Dohmke will continue to serve as CEO until the end of 2025, however he has alluded to plans to found a new startup.

GitHub CEO resigns, no new CEO in sight

CoreAI, led by former Meta exec Jay Parikh, is Microsoft's new division for building AI platforms and tools.

"GitHub and its leadership team will continue its mission as part of Microsoft’s CoreAI organization," Dohmke wrote.

The departing CEO also noted "pride in everything we’ve built as a remote-first organization" – it was recently revealed Microsoft could be looking to increase its in-office working days, and it's unclear whether Dohmke's comment is a secret dig at this.

With GitHub set to become more closely aligned with Microsoft's CoreAI, we could speculate that the developer platform's workers could be affected by any upcoming changes.

Speaking about the scale of GitHub, Dohmke mentioned that the platform now houses over one billion repos and forks, more than 150 million developers, and more recently, over 20 million Copilot users.

"By launching this new age of developer AI, we’ve made it possible for anyone – no matter what language they speak at home or how fluent they are in programming – to take their spark of creativity and transform it into something real," he added.

When Satya Nadella launched CoreAI, he explained that besides bringing together "Dev Div, AI Platform and some key teams from the Office of the CTO (AI Supercomputer, AI Agentic Runtimes, and Engineering Thrive)," it would also "build out GitHub Copilot" – an early clue that the popular developer platform would be losing some of its independence.

Nadella also noted: "We must remember that our internal organizational boundaries are meaningless to both our customers and to our competitors."

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• iOS 26 beta 6 is out for developers
• There are changes to Liquid Glass and the Camera app
• There are also 7 new ringtones

Apple continues to push out beta updates for its iOS 26 software ahead of a full launch later this year, and the latest beta 6 version for developers brings with it a number of interesting tweaks – including one I'm particularly keen to try out.

As reported by TechCrunch and others, iOS 26 is snappier than ever, with app launching and switching noticeably faster – a sure sign that Apple is continuing to optimize the software before it gets rolled out to millions of iPhones.

There are also more tweaks to Liquid Glass here (via MacRumors), with more transparency on the lock screen, and a more 3D look to the lock-screen clock. Apple also seems to have done more work to improve text legibility with the Liquid Glass effect.

Apple has also brought back the previous swipe direction for the modes on the Camera screen, so it's very much as you were with that – a couple of betas ago it reversed the swipe direction for some unknown reason, which messed up the muscle memory of the majority of users.

Added ringtones

iOS 26 beta 6 adds 6 new ringtones!All 6 are variants of “Reflection” pic.twitter.com/BN3mWXm2t5August 11, 2025

There's also a new and improved onboarding process for users here, which will help explain all the changes when iOS 26 rolls out to the masses (most likely in September, with the iPhone 17 series). Do note though that this is the developer beta, and you won't see these changes yet if you're in the public beta program.

What I'm most excited about, however, are the seven new ringtones Apple has added, giving you even more choice for incoming calls. As well as some neat variations on the default Reflection ringtone, there's also a brand-new one called Little Bird.

I've already given it a listen, and it's a jaunty number that mixes synth and whistling sounds to interesting effect. I also like the new Reflection takes, which sound familiar, but which each have a fresh new sound layered on top.

I may be opening myself up to ridicule by getting excited about new ringtones, but these are sounds I hear every day, and new ones are always welcome – it's actually been a couple of years now since Apple treated us to any new variations.

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• The malicious group VexTrio Viper developed and shared a host of fake apps via legit app stores, new research reveals
• Malicious applications include VPNs, ad-blockers, RAM cleaners, and even online dating services
• VexTrio Viper employs traffic distribution systems (TDSs) to spread malware and other online scams since at least 2015

No matter if you download your VPN app through Google Play or Apple App Store, there's still a chance it could be a malicious app developed by VexTrio Viper.

In an extensive report, researchers at Infoblox Threat Intel revealed how the fraudulent adtech group published a range of applications on official app stores – from virtual private network (VPN) and ad-blockers to RAM cleaners and even online dating services.

Thought to be active since 2015, VexTrio is a complex criminal enterprise that involves several companies and employs traffic distribution systems (TDSs) to spread malware and other online scams.

At least seven security apps impacted

"They released apps under several developer names, including HolaCode, LocoMind, Hugmi, Klover Group, and AlphaScale Media. [...] Available in the Google Play and Apple stores, these have been downloaded millions of times in aggregate," Infoblox explained to The Hacker News.

Specifically, at least seven applications supposed to offer security tools have been developed by LocoMind, which in 2024 claimed over 500,000 downloads and 50,000 active users for their apps.

These include various VPN services, such as Fast VPN - Super Proxy, and other utility applications, like RAM cleaners.

Once users have installed these applications on their devices, they are bombarded with intrusive ads and prompted to sign up for deceptive subscriptions.

(Image credit: APKPure)

The team at Infoblox Threat Intel has tracked VexTrio's malicious activities since 2022, publishing various reports throughout the years.

Among these, in June 2025, researchers disclosed a criminal web between WordPress hackers and a traffic distribution system (TDS) operated by the VexTrio group.

In 2024, they also unveiled VexTrio's massive malicious affiliate program that worked like a food delivery service for criminals.

"In total, the VexTrio enterprise includes nearly a hundred companies and brands. The scope of their activities includes malicious apps and large-scale spamming operations, and as we published a few months ago, they have a special relationship with numerous website hackers," notes researchers.

How to stay safe

This story is a stark reminder that it isn't enough for an application to be on an official app store to be safe. You should be even more careful when it comes to a security tool, as cybercriminals are notorious for taking advantage of unprotected devices.

For instance, in April, an investigation found at least 20 free VPN apps with undisclosed Chinese ownership lurking in Apple's official app store in the US. At least five of these were linked with a Shanghai-based firm believed to have ties with the Chinese military.

While the best VPN services boost your online anonymity and security by encrypting your internet traffic and spoofing your IP address, malicious apps pose risks to your privacy.

As a rule of thumb, you should only download a reliable service with a strong no-log VPN policy and a history of independent third-party audits.

If you aren't willing to pay for a premium service just yet, I recommend checking Proton VPN and Privado VPN, as they currently are the best free VPNs on the market, according to TechRadar's reviewers.

That said, our testing confirmed NordVPN as the best all-arounder right now, thanks to great security/privacy features and impeccable performance. Even better, perhaps, you may still be in time to grab TechRadar's exclusive deal, which expires on August 12, 2025.

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