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Apple’s camera app is getting manual pro controls for the first time.

Like their AirPods 4, the AirPods 5 come in two versions, but both now feature active noise-canceling — and it’s 50% more effective.

The leader of the Education Department's special education office told employees she is resigning less than four months in the role and as the agency overall is morphing and shrinking.

(Image credit: Robert Knopes)

Prosecutors told the court that Andrew and Tristan Tate boasted about having multiple passports and flying on private jets. But the Tates' lawyers argued they were only playing a role for their fans.

(Image credit: Lynne Sladky)

Apple took the wraps off its new flagship phones at its “Surprise and Shine” event on Wednesday.

The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 positions itself as an affordable, high-capacity, and portable power station that operates as a standalone unit. As the name suggests, this power station is pitched at adventurous users with durability in mind, although it works just as well in a home setting – as I found out.

Now, I admit that my motivation to test this power bank wasn’t entirely professional. Despite living in a country with a supposedly strong infrastructure, I’ve found power cuts to be increasingly common over the past few years, which I suppose is a side effect of ‘living in the sticks’.

Anything from a brisk wind or heavy rainfall to a few days of strong sun, and my power will fairly predictably fail for anything from 30 minutes to 12+ hours. A fair inconvenience for someone who works from home.

I’d already spent hours researching power stations and had actually added a few of Jackery’s units to the basket when the request to review the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 portable power station came in – so I jumped at the chance.

Jackery Explorer 2000 V2: Specifications

Specifications are easy enough to come by. But what do they actually mean for you?

Specification

What does it mean?

2,042 Wh capacity

You could run a standard laptop and wifi router for around 20 hours, a small electric camping fridge for around two full days or a high-velocity industrial fan for around 14 hours.

2200W output

It outputs enough power to run almost any household or job site appliance, including microwaves, coffee makers, or electric saws. But you may not be able to run two heat-producing appliances like an air fryer and a hot plate at the same time.

36.6lbs/17.5kg

It’s around 30% lighter than units with comparable 2 kWh capacity units; most adults can easily carry it short distances, but you wouldn’t want it in your backpack when climbing a mountain.

13.2 × 10.4 × 11.5 in (33.5 × 26.4 × 29.2 cm)

Easily fits in the trunk of a car or a campervan cabinet with room to spare.

4000 cycles to 70%+ capacity

It will last over 10 years of daily use before the battery capacity degrades by 30%. This is much better than similar, older units.

100W USB-C PD port, 30W USB-C + 18W USB-A Ports, 12V / 10A car port and 2 AC output ports, 230V ~ 50Hz, 10A max, 2200W rated, 4400W surge peak

You can plug practically any common item into the power station without the need for an adaptor.

220-240V ~ 50Hz, 10A max input

It will charge from empty to around 80% in just over an hour.

400W max solar input

You can fully charge it in around 6 hours with compatible solar panels when used in direct sunlight.

Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: Hands-on experience

I’ve had the Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 portable power station for just over a month now and have already made good use of it.

Unboxing

(Image credit: Future)

It turns up in premium packaging, including several boxes and a soft cloth bag, all of which took me a surprising amount of time to get through.

The amount of packaging actually made me question just how rugged the power station truly is, although once I had peeled back the layers and had time to play with it, it became clear that this unit can withstand a fair amount of handling.

The Explorer 2000 has passed the rigorous IEC60068-3-3 seismic test, proving its durability even in earthquakes up to a magnitude 9. Luckily, I’ve had no need to test it to this extent, but it has stood up well to some rough handling and falling out of the boot of my car.

The box also labels the product as a ‘Solar Generator’, although that is only referencing its compatibility; if you want to charge it via solar panels, you’ll need to buy those separately.

Usage

So, I got it unpacked, put it on to charge, and forgot about it for a while. But it didn’t take long for an opportunity to use it to come up. Apparently, a long period of dry weather had led to a tree falling on the power lines near my house, so we had a power cut right in the middle of the day.

I carried the power station into my office, turned it on, and plugged in my laptop. Nothing happened. About 30 seconds of wiggling the plug and pressing some buttons later, my laptop lit up. Turns out you need to select the power source you want to use for it to work. Yes, I should have read the instructions first, but it was a good test of how intuitive it is to use.

Three hours of work later, our electricity came back on. Compared to power cuts pre-Explorer 2000, where I would spend a few hours trying to work from my phone and panicking that the battery was going to die, this one was pretty seamless.

About a week later, another opportunity arose. This time, to test it out in the field. I took my son camping, and given the ridiculously hot weather, I took a large fan along to keep us a little more comfortable in the tent.

We parked about 300 meters from our camping spot, and carrying the power station over was pretty easy; I put the sweat down to the heat rather than the weight of the unit. It sat comfortably in the porch of our tent without getting in the way, and when the evening came, it easily ran all night, powering the fan and charging my phone via its USB-C port.

The last opportunity arose with another untimely power cut. This time when I was halfway through cooking our dinner. As anyone with an energetic five-year-old knows, any delay to food counts as a small domestic emergency. So, I grabbed the power station and plugged our air fryer in.

It only dropped by about 20% whilst running the air fryer for the last 25 minutes. The dinner and my sanity were both saved.

Jackery App

(Image credit: Future)

The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 is compatible with the Jackery app, giving you an easier way to control how you use your power station. After the usual sign-up process, you turn your power station on, follow the simple instructions on the screen, and you are ready to go.

The home screen gives some simple insights and controls. You can view the charge level, temperature, current input, and output. You can also turn on/off the DC and AC outputs, switch light settings, and select how long the screen stays on.

Dig a little deeper into the settings, and you can select emergency charging, battery-saving modes, energy-saving modes, and automatic shut-off times. You can also switch between fast charging and quiet charging - ideal if you're charging near where you are sleeping or working, although I could barely hear it charging in the fast charge setting.

I’m assuming the app is even more useful for Jackery’s interconnected units, but for a standalone unit like the Explorer 2000, it offers some useful, although not essential, tools.

Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: What you need to know

The Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 meets my requirements perfectly. However, it isn’t without its downsides, which may matter more to others with different needs.

Unlike some of Jackery’s other products, the Explorer 2000 isn’t modular. This means you cannot expand capacity or functionality as your needs change. What you buy is what you get. If that isn’t likely to meet your requirements in 6 months, you’ll need to start from scratch.

The unit also comes with a 400W max solar output. This is pretty good for those who want to top up the power station on the go, but it isn’t as good as some competitors if that is going to be your primary method of charging.

Heavy users may also find just two AC inputs, one USB-A port, and two USB-C ports a little limiting. If that's you, you may want to check out the Explorer 3000 v2.

Jackery Explorer 2000 v2: Final verdict

The Explorer 2000 v2 has impressed me for several reasons. Firstly, the build quality and easy setup stand out, limiting setup stress and giving you peace of mind. I also really liked the amount of power you get from such a small and portable unit.

I used it extensively in different scenarios, including working, running home appliances, and during a camping trip, and it never even got close to running out.

It is clearly a capable power station that can handle much more than I've thrown at it. However, heavy users may find it limited due to its lack of modularity and small number of ports.

• Some Android Auto users are missing the Google Maps speedometer
• The feature only recently rolled out to a wider group of people
• Real-time traffic data on the map has also vanished for a number of users

Google Maps has only recently started showing speed limit information on Android Auto screens — so recently that it hasn't reached everyone yet — but now users are reporting that the speedometer has started disappearing unexpectedly, together with real-time traffic data in some cases.

Reports appearing on Reddit (via 9to5Google) suggest the problem isn't affecting everyone, and comes and goes intermittently, but is definitely a real issue. Stop signs and traffic signals also appear to be affected by the same bug.

Some commenters on Reddit are saying that the speedometer shows up in Android Auto when connected to the phones of some family members but not others. That might indicate the problem is related to a specific Android or app version somehow.

Other users say the bug is connected to switching to or from the beta versions of Android Auto and Google Maps, which could be another explanation of what's happening. For now though, Google hasn't officially acknowledged that there's an issue.

Affecting some but not allGoogle Maps: feature loss from r/AndroidAuto

The problem of real-time traffic information not showing up has actually been going on for longer, and seems to be sticking around. Again, it doesn't look like a vast number of users are affected, but the bug is definitely having an impact for some.

With so many different Android device models, software versions (including betas), and vehicle types involved, it's perhaps no surprise that annoyances like this crop up from time to time — but that doesn't make the experience any less frustrating for users.

At least one Redditor in the main complaints thread has already quit Google Maps over the decision to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America in the app, under the direction of the White House, which does mean no need to worry any more about these bugs.

The good news for everyone who's sticking around is that Google regularly rolls out updates for Android, Google Maps, and Android Auto, and so we're hoping that these problems are sorted sooner rather than later. In the meantime, if you're seeing these issues, you'll just have to sit tight and wait for a fix to appear.

• Windows 11's latest update has arrived
• The September update brings in the ability to move the taskbar
• There are also new options for resizing the Start menu, and a really useful tweak for Windows 11's search function

Windows 11's latest update has arrived, and it packs some important new features for the interface of the desktop OS.

Bleeping Computer flagged all the additions in the September 2026 update for Windows 11, and there are three major highlights, which I'll pick out here, before providing a general roundup of some of the other tweaks that Microsoft has brought in this month.

As ever, some of these features are being rolled out in a phased manner, so even if you do install the September update today, you may still have to wait a while for certain pieces of functionality to make their way over to your PC.

1. A movable taskbar

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Thanks to the September update you'll finally be able to move Windows 11's taskbar away from the bottom of the screen, to the top instead, or the sides if you prefer (an option that people with an ultra-wide monitor often want to use, as it suits that aspect ratio much better).

This is an ability which has always been in Windows 10, but was dropped for Windows 11 because porting it over was a thornier issue than you might think (or so Microsoft told us).

Finally, however, Microsoft has got its act together and the taskbar can now be repositioned in Windows 11 – although I've a feeling this will be one of the features on a slower rollout. Hopefully I'll be wrong on that score and you'll get this ability promptly if you've been keenly awaiting it for the last five years.

It's also worth noting that there's another option introduced here which can make the taskbar smaller, so it takes up less screen real-estate on devices with small displays.

2. The Start menu can now be resized

(Image credit: Unsplash)

Want a more compact Start menu? Your wish is Microsoft's command, as this choice has now been introduced to the Settings app for the Start menu. You can elect to have a standard (large) menu, or a small one, rather than leaving it at the default 'automatic' setting whereby Windows 11 chooses the size itself based on your device. The problem with leaving the OS to decide is that sometimes you get the bigger menu on a laptop screen, where it pretty much eats the whole desktop – and so in these scenarios you can now manually choose the more compact Start menu.

With options to remove sections of the Start menu coming on top of this, you can now trim this part of the interface down so it's truly minimal. This choice will be more important than the movable taskbar for many folks – myself included – and it's great to see it now being rolled out.

3. Windows 11 search improvements

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Another notable boon with the September update is that there are a few changes for Windows 11's core search functionality, and the most important is a new option that lets you turn off web results in search.

When you're searching for a file on your local drive, those web results often get in the way, so it'll be a relief for many to be able to switch them off. As well as web results (which open in Edge, with searches in Bing, of course), you can also turn off Microsoft Store suggestions. Essentially this is a general decluttering of Windows 11 search which is long overdue, frankly.

Other features in Windows 11's September Update

(Image credit: Windows/Unsplash)

There's a performance boost for File Explorer in that the Home page now loads faster, and switching between virtual desktops in Windows 11 is now snappier, too.

Microsoft has made some reliability tweaks as well, including ensuring that the app history information in Task Manager is correct, and also that interacting with the Display panel within Settings is now more stable.

Furthermore, Microsoft informs us that there are some design tweaks here: "This update introduces updated progress indicators across Windows, providing a more consistent and modern experience during startup, sign-in, restart, shutdown, and update installation."

It's also worth noting that the weird mouse bug that affected the preview version of this September update (the optional update released at the end of August) has been resolved.

There's a fair bit happening here, and as one Redditor put it: "What's left for the 26H2 [update] then?"

Well, not a great deal in truth, and if you've been following along with Microsoft's annual updates, you may recall that 26H2 is going to be a very minor upgrade that doesn't do a lot. Indeed, some folks are wondering why Microsoft didn't save these juicy new interface features for 26H2, given that it's out next month.

The reason is likely to be because Microsoft wants to ensure that 26H2 runs as smoothly as possible (with no bigger changes involved). Although to be fair, as noted, due to the rollout process, a lot of folks won't be getting the new Start menu options and taskbar repositioning until October (or possibly later) anyway.

• Sony has seemingly been caught testing dynamic pricing again
• PS5 users are seeing different discounts for Star Wars games based on unknown account factors
• Some regions seem unaffected by the experiment

Dynamic pricing is back in the gaming news, as PS5 players are yet again seeing the wild disparity between discount amounts for the same game — and its all-digital future feels ever more like a nightmare.

When looking at buying Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order while logged into their PlayStation account Reddit user Bluemonkey88 was told it would cost them CA$19.24, or a roughly 65% discount from its RRP. Meanwhile the sequel Jedi: Survivor would set them back CA$23.39 (a 74% saving). As soon as they logged out Fallen Order dropped to CA$10.99, an 80% drop from full price, and Survivor fell to CA$13.49, or an 85% discount.

In the replies, we can see folks being offered the games for CA$13.99 and CA$18.19, though further muddying the waters a couple of US users — one with PS Plus and another without — both see the games at $7.99 and $10.49, suggesting not every region or user is subject to the same price testing.

I really dislike these new pricing practices on the PlayStation Store from r/PS5What is dynamic pricing?

If you haven’t heard before, dynamic pricing is where a product’s cost fluctuates based on who is buying the product, or when they’re buying it.

It goes by other names you might have seen like surge pricing on Uber — when everyone is trying to book a cab, say just as a concert ends or if the weather turns bad, you’ll see costs rise because demand is up.

(Image credit: Uber)

In Sony’s case here the pricing seems more algorithmic. There’s an unending supply of digital games, so instead the discount amount folks are seeing looks to be based on how likely it is you’ll buy the product, and adjusting the sale until it just tips you over the edge.

For example someone who maybe plays a couple of games a year or isn’t a mega Star Wars or action adventure game fan might see a steep discount as they’ll need more convincing. Whereas a mega fan of Star Wars, or a gamer who digests a new title every other week might be willing to pay more.

It’s like how airlines and hotels are accused of upping costs for folks who have filled their search history with holiday plans to a dream destination — if they’re desperate to go to, say, Paris, then they’ll be willing to maybe pay that little bit extra compared with a more agnostic traveller.

No thank you

This isn’t the first time Sony has been caught testing dynamic pricing. In fact, some kind of experiment has been going on from as far back as November last year.

And it’s as scummy a practice then as it is now, and it will continue to be as awfully anti-consumer as some of Sony’s other recent moves (i.e. killing physical games media).

Though if you’re thinking of jumping ship to Xbox it too has been caught with its hand in the dynamic pricing cookie jar. In its case it appears Microsoft is offering deeper Game Pass discounts to some accounts than others, with current subscribers unable to see the deal at all.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

A digital-only gaming future already has so many downsides when it comes to ownership, game archiving, offline access and more, that we simply don’t need to add dynamic pricing to the mix.

Maybe Sony will reverse course, though its efforts for the past year suggest that dynamic pricing is here to stay. The best thing we can do is point it out every time it’s spotted, and making sure we don’t get suckered in with higher prices.

The bottleneck on sophisticated cyber operations that target nation states is breaking. Conducting a large-scale cyber attack used to mean scaling expert talent.

When the cost of adding a capable attacker approaches the cost of compute, the economics of offense fundamentally change.

This is already operational: Dream's threat research recovered an autonomous multi-agent framework that ran intrusion campaigns against government entities in Asia, executing twelve attack waves in four days with eight parallel agents, compromising 85 government accounts, and using a closed learning loop to adapt after failure.

The advantage is shifting from the number of experts to how effectively their expertise can be scaled.

AI benefits both attackers and defenders, but defenders start with a unique advantage: they already own the map attackers must discover.

Defenders that understand their environment can use AI to turn that knowledge into operational scale.

The Autonomous AI Government Hacker

In July, our threat research team recovered the operational workspace of an autonomous multi-agent framework that had been conducting intrusion campaigns against government entities in Asia.

Over roughly four days, the framework executed twelve attack waves and ran up to eight AI agents in parallel. Built on the publicly available Hermes and OpenClaw frameworks, it compromised 85 government employee accounts and used 84 of them to pivot through a government single sign-on environment.

What’s really intriguing is its autonomous operational decision making.

Assigning confidence scores

Every discovery was assigned a Bayesian confidence score to assess different paths and then chose how to proceed, just like an actual team.

Similarly, when an attack path failed, the framework automatically entered what it called a Learning Cycle, searched vulnerability databases and security research techniques relevant to that government's technology stack, and tried again. The framework audited itself – it created a closed learning loop: investigate, validate, act, observe the result, update its operational knowledge, and try again.

This was not a self-improving model. It was a self-adapting cyber attacker – there is a real expert behind it, embedded as AI system. The fundamentals of this attack weren’t even particularly impressive or novel. It is the scale – and the prospect for nearly infinite scale – that is daunting.

Until recently, one of the limiting factors in scaling sophisticated offensive operations was the expert reasoning required to decide what to investigate, validate findings, connect them into viable attack paths, and adapt when those paths failed. It was expensive, both in dollars and in expertise. That scarcity placed a natural constraint on offensive scale - scaling a sophisticated operation meant scaling skilled people, time and coordination.

AI is beginning to automate precisely that expensive layer of the operation: deciding what to investigate, validating hypotheses, learning from failure and choosing what to try next. Talent still determines the quality of those decisions. But the number of talented people no longer has to determine how many times those decisions can be made in parallel.

What happens when scaling an offensive operation no longer requires scaling the number of experts behind it at the same rate?

As someone who has spent 15 years in both offensive and defensive cyber roles, it’s becoming clearer every day that AI has changed that equation - the historical relationship between the amount of expert talent an organization has and the scale at which it can operate is beginning to break down.

AI does not eliminate talent - it changes what talent can scale.

An Attack Surface the Size of a Country

Government IT infrastructure is an interconnected ecosystem built over decades. It consists of ministries, municipalities, operational technology, legacy applications, cloud services, contractors, suppliers, and countless trust relationships connecting them together.

These connections typically exist for legitimate operational reasons (or at least historically legitimate reasons).

Of course, every connection is also a potential vulnerability.

This is how modern government attacks spread - not necessarily by exploiting one critical vulnerability, but by chaining together many ordinary ones.

Historically, this challenged both sides. No defensive team could continuously reason over every asset, identity, configuration, vulnerability and trust relationship across an entire country. But attackers faced a version of the same constraint. Their experts also had to decide where to spend their time to find a viable path from intrusion to crown jewel

Autonomous systems change that.

An autonomous attacker does not need to understand the entire government environment in advance. It can explore it continuously: discover a relationship, form a hypothesis, test it, learn from the result and move to the next one.

For the first time, governments may face adversaries capable of reasoning over national-scale attack surfaces faster than the institutions responsible for defending them.

The Race to Change the Outcome

The dramatic decline in the cost of offensive cyber expertise, via leveraging and weaponizing agents, is a tectonic shift. Until now, this was a skill limited to a select few and came with a high price tag.

Today, discovering, prioritizing and combining these techniques into viable attack paths is cheap, and one can repeat the process at machine speed.

With the pace of AI development, that statement becomes more true every day.

Offensive capability is becoming cheaper, faster and easier to reproduce.

But there is another side to this equation.

Defenders have always had structural advantages: more telemetry, deeper context, persistent access to their infrastructure, and knowledge of its configurations, identities and relationships, while also have a much better ability to act.

They too had the constraint of human capacity. No team could continuously reason over all that information, across every asset and relationship, all the time. The same AI that benefits attackers may operationalize defender’s historical edge at scale too.

This is where time plays a key role. Analyzing everything is not the same as defending everything. If AI detects a compromised identity in seconds but the credential remains active for six hours, the attacker still has six hours. If it identifies an exploitable path to a critical system but remediation takes three weeks, that path remains open for three weeks.

The opportunity, then, is not simply better analysis. It is reducing time-to-effective-action: the time between understanding a risk and changing the outcome.

And "effective" matters- disabling an identity, changing a firewall rule or patching a vulnerability is not enough. The system must verify that the attacker can no longer achieve its objective.

The defensive loop cannot end with intelligence - or even with action. It has to end with a verified security outcome.

The Gap That Matters

AI does not inevitably favor the attacker.

The framework we recovered had to steal its map of the environment, one probe at a time. Defenders already have that map. Every configuration, credential, telemetry stream and trust relationship could take an attacker – even an AI attacker – days to weeks to discover. What defenders could never do was reason over all the assets they had, continuously, due to the lack of talent capacity to do that.

AI begins to remove that human-attention constraint. It allows defenders to amplify expert talent across thousands of investigations in parallel, continuously identifying attack paths, prioritizing those that pose the greatest risk, and focusing action where it matters most.

Attackers get the same leverage. But they don't start from the same place. Defenders have a home-field advantage: they already know and control the environment the attacker must discover.

The gap that matters is no longer simply the number of experts on either side. It is how effectively each side can scale that expertise- and direct it toward the right risks first.

Ultimately, the race is not about who can know more.

It is about who can scale talent in the right way- and turn that scale into an outcome first.

We've ranked and reviewed the best antivirus software available.

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to 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/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

My side quest was a fun and rare opportunity to mark a new venture for the famous blimp.

The floating Olympic cauldron, held aloft by a giant glowing balloon, is still making regular appearances two years after the 2024 Paris Games, showing up all summer long in the nighttime Paris sky.

While I was rewatching season 1 ahead of diving into The Paper season 2, one thing quickly became apparent: the internet was incredibly divided on Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore).

Self-centered, brash and oblivious, she's usually found tearing though the office of the Toledo Truth Teller like a bull in a China shop. She's incredibly hesitant to absorb (or even listen to) other people's ideas, and that comes back to bite her in new episodes.

Without giving anything away, Esmeralda is set up to face more than one brutal reality check across the 10 season 2 episodes, which all land on Peacock on September 9. But perhaps the damage has already been done — some fans think she's too overpowering and narcissistic, although others fully buy into her unique brand of silliness.

Has any of this affected how Esmeralda appears in The Paper season 2? According to Impacciatore herself, she's very much still "a work in progress."

"I don't think so," Impacciatore tells me when I ask her if fan opinion has affected how we see Esmeralda in season 2. "I think Esmeralda, like every other character, is a work in progress. The show itself is so alive. It's something that changes every day. Somehow, we keep exploring new things, and that direction changes day by day.

"We talk a lot with [the show's creators] Greg (Daniels) and Michael (Koman), going to the writer's room. I think we all enjoyed things more this year because we felt more relaxed. But I'm still figuring out how Esmeralda is perceived. I surprise myself when I watch the series... things sound new to me. It's an interesting process."

In my opinion, what will be even more interesting is whether fan opinion of Esmeralda will change following the events of The Paper season 2 — and for now, you'll have to trust me when I say that her upcoming storyline certainly has the power to do just that.

Don't get me wrong, though: in many ways, she's still as annoying as she ever was. If The Paper does get picked up for a third season and beyond, which we're yet to find out, I'm still doubtful that she'll ever fully leave her self-obsessed ways in the past.

• The Aqua20 Pro Ultra Roller X Complete is Dreame's new flagship robovac
• World's first robovac to use heated steam at 180°C as part of its mop system
• Can also clear double-step thresholds up to an impressive 3.9in / 10cm

When I spoke to a load of major robot vacuum brand execs about where they thought robovacs were heading in the next five-to-10 years, a common theme cropped up: the desire to close the performance gap between manual and robotic floor cleaners. That's not just the vacuuming power, but the mopping prowess too.

And so, at IFA 2026, we have the world's first robot vacuum with steam cleaning powers: the Dreame Aqua20 Pro Ultra Roller X Complete. It's an exciting prospect, but based on the demo I saw, I'm not sure I'd be throwing out my manual steam cleaner any time soon.

The Aqua20 Pro Ultra (I'm not typing the full name each time) vaporizes water into 356°F / 180°C steam, which is pushed out through four outlets along the roller edge. This steam is designed to loosen tough, dried-on stains. The roller then gently scrubs them away, using hot water.

On the demo I saw, the steam function seemed quite gentle — there wasn't enough to be visible on a still photo, although you can see it in the video clip above. My first concern about the system is that there might not be enough steam to really make an impact.

The second is that because the heating happens inside the bot itself, using it has a big impact on battery life. I spoke to Dawn Chen, a Director at Dreame, and he confirmed that with the steam function on, the robot's runtime is around 30 to 40 minutes, compared to around four hours with it off. Steam needs to be switched on and off manually, in the app, and can only be used for a zone that's less than 10 square meters in size. Chen explained that the function is meant for spot-cleaning only; to tackle stubborn and dried on stains.

That runtime is fairly limiting. It makes it difficult to use the steam function as part of a more extensive cleaning session, which is a situation I expect will be common.

Making it work

The process of adding the steam function caused Dreame a few headaches. "During this R&D process, we faced two main problems. The first is about the limescale. Because we are turning the water into steam, this process will produce a lot of limescale," Chen explained. "To solve this problem, we added some limescale remover inside the robot, in the pipeline."

The second — and perhaps bigger — challenge was to do with controlling the temperature inside robot itself. "Because we put this kind of heat inside the robot body, the heat it produces will affect other components, especially the electronic components inside the robot body," Chen told me.

To address the issue, the engineers had to add internal insulation to protect the different components. And that was easier said than done — Dreame had to completely redesign the inside of the robovac to add the steam components, and insulation, while still maintaining the streamlined shape and size.

(Image credit: Future)

All the talk of limescale and preventing damage to internal components instills a certain amount of fear in me. I can't help but wonder if iRobot might have had the better approach — that brand's new Roomba Max 875 expels warm mist rather than steam, and the active heating happens in-dock rather than on-bot.

The demo showed a much denser cloud of mist than Dreame's bot was expelling, and because the Rooma bot itself isn't doing any active heating, using the mist function has a minimal impact on battery life. Of course, the really important thing is how effectively each robot cleans, and we won't know that until we've had a chance to test them.

Other upgrades

Back to the Aqua20 Pro. Aside from the headline steam feature, you'll also find an upgraded 'Proleap' system that can now bump the bot over single steps up to 2in / 5cm, or double steps up to 3.9in / 10cm. That's the tallest threshold clearance I've seen from any brand (so far) although in the demo it sometimes took a couple of run-ups to make it over.

Dreame has also added enhanced AI vision with adaptive learning — so the robovac can apparently react to moving objects and re-plan its route, in real time, in response.

The roller can kick out from the side of the robovac by up to 8cm / 3in — much further than its predecessor, the Aqua10 Ultra Roller Complete — to get nice and close to the edges of rooms. To avoid unwanted dampness while all this is going on, the main vacuum roller and side sweeper can both lift (by 5mm and 10mm respectively) while the mopping is happening. The roller can also lift 15mm when the bot is traversing carpet.

The Dreame Aqua20 Pro Ultra Roller X Complete is due to launch on September 21 in Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Switzerland, followed by a number of other European countries. I don't have a launch date for the UK yet, but Chen promises it'll arrive before the end of the year. Due to FCC regulations, launch in the US is unconfirmed.

• Aldi is bringing back its cheap KitchenAid-rival stand mixer
• It's available in-store from September 13
• It costs £35, and packs four attachments and eight speed settings

Aldi is replenishing its Specialbuys range once again, and this time it’s bringing back an old friend — its popular classic stand mixer that's a cheaper alternative to KitchenAid and Kenwood appliances.

Returning to shelves this weekend (September 13), Aldi’s £35 stand mixer will be available to purchase again after its last in-store appearance some six months ago. The mixer also arrives just in time for the long-awaited return of Bake Off, so you can aim to take your baking skills from novice level to being worthy of the ‘Hollywood handshake’.

For its cheap price, Aldi’s stand mixer packs all the basics you need for home baking and comes in two colors — a soft, baby green, and a vibrant red. So, if you’re not too worried about missing out on premium features, it’s enough to get you by.

Firstly, it comes with four dishwasher-safe attachments including a beater, whisk, dough hook, and splash guard, adding a dash of versatility to its baking options. And because of its swivel motor head, it makes it easier for swapping out attachments and general bowl access.

Speaking of its mixing bowl, this is where Aldi’s appliance wins over the likes of its big dog rivals. Compared to the KitchenAid Artisan Plus’ 4.7-liter bowl, Aldi’s slightly bigger 5-liter capacity allows for baking in large batches, ideal for if you’ve got a big family of hungry mouths to feed or whether you’re a keen meal prepper who wants to get ahead on your weekly delicacies.

It doesn’t fall short on its speed functions either, packing eight different settings so you can combine ingredients at the correct speed needed for your recipes. Additionally, the pulse function is a handy tool for when you need short bursts of high power, giving you added control.

Aldi is stacked with affordable versions of premium appliances — it hasn’t long launched a cheap Dyson-style stick vacuum and £20 air fryer — but there’s a reason why its products fall on the cheaper end of the spectrum. It doesn’t boast the advanced features that set KitchenAid mixers hundreds of pounds higher and it uses more power (420W), but aside from this, Aldi’s version is certainly enough to get you by if you’re not worried about missing out on the finer details.

As mentioned Aldi will be relaunching its stand mixer on September 13, and if you’re a seasoned Specialbuys customer by now, you’ll know that once its stand mixer has been cleared from the shelves, your chances at scoring one will be slim.

• Steam achievements of upcoming and unannounced games have leaked
• The achievements include spoilers for games like Control Resonant, Kingdom Hearts, and Persona 6
• Valve hasn't commented on the achievements or recent prototype leak on Steam

Steam achievements for both upcoming and unannounced games may have been leaked by Valve and spotted on the third-party site Exophase.

As reported by PC Gamer, the leak includes nearly 90 games, including Control Resonant, Kingdom Hearts 4, Gears of War E-Day, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, and Persona 6.

The leaked achievements are listed for each title on Exophase, including spoilers for major plot points, character reveals, and even weapon unlocks (notably for Kingdom Hearts 4), despite missing full descriptions. It's effectively created a minefield of spoilers to avoid, which is made worse since the list includes games that don't even have a release date.

It's not exactly clear how this leak occurred on Valve's end, but it doesn't appear to be a breach of the Steam platform. Instead, it may very well be an issue with Valve's API exposure, at least according to Exophase owner Mike Bendel, who claims it's a "possible screw-up on Valve's end", which makes this the second slip-up in just a few weeks.

Recently, around 12TB to 13TB of early prototypes, unreleased titles, and scrapped builds of games between 2003 and 2013 were leaked from Steam, including games such as GTA 5, The Binding of Isaac, and even some of Valve's very own games like Left 4 Dead.

(Image credit: T. Schneider / Shutterstock)

It's possibly the worst spell of game leaks for publishers launching games on PC platforms like Steam, especially with the leak of builds for games like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Forza Horizon 6 before launch.

There's clearly a major security issue at hand with Steam, and until it's addressed, game leaks seem inevitable. Game achievements, while potentially spoiler-filled, are minor in comparison to the very recent game prototype leak.

Valve hasn't made an official statement on the Steam prototype or achievements leaks, but with its impact on both publishers and consumers, it wouldn't be surprising to see both cases addressed soon.

Will artificial intelligence nibble around the edges of the economy or upend it altogether? A new, interactive model from Anthropic lets people tests their assumptions.

(Image credit: Imen Ben Youssef)

Looking for the perfect compact everyday shooter for travel or street photography? The brand-new OM System PEN could be a fantastic option for you. Preorders are now open for this affordable new rangefinder-style camera ahead of an October 1st release date, and several retailers have already updated their sites with listings.

Probably the best option for preorder today is over at Adorama, where you can get yourself a free wrist strap alongside both the body-only and kit-lens options. The strap in question is a black Clever Supply Skinny Wrist Strap worth $54, so it's definitely a nice little freebie that should complement your new camera nicely.

If you're in the UK (or USA but would prefer to order a camera elsewhere), I've attached a roundup of other options below. Major retailers like B&H Photo, Wex Video Photo, and Park Cameras are all stocking the camera today, so there should (hopefully) be plenty of stock available for early adopters.

Note that the OM System Pen starts at $999.99 / £849 for the body, with additional kit lens options. The lens kit, meanwhile, with the new M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III, is just an additional $100 / £100, which could be a better value option if you're new to the system, and looks like a particularly good option for travel photography. Not only is this kit a bargain, but the lens is also weather-sealed (unlike previous iterations).

Where to buy the OM System PENCurrent OM System PEN retailersUS retailers

• Amazon: check stock
• Adorama: $999
• B&H Photo: $999
• Best Buy: check stock

UK retailers

• Jessops: check stock
• Wex Video Photo: £849
• Park Cameras: £849
• Wilkinson Cameras: £849
• Camarthen Cameras: check stock

What's new with the PEN?

(Image credit: OM System)

• 2.36-million-dot OLED EVF
• IPX1-rated dust-and-splash resistance
• BLS-7 battery with USB-C charging

Much of the PEN's spec sheet will seem familiar to fans of the brand. As with most releases from OM System, the PEN is essentially re-using a lot of pre-existing tech in a new body at a lower price. However, its combination of a retro compact body, built-in viewfinder, image stabilization, weather resistance and accessible price makes it an attractive entry-level mirrorless camera, particularly for smartphone users.

Unlike the previous Olympus EP-7, the PEN now features a 2.36-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder as well as IPX1-rated dust-and-splash resistance. Internally, you're still getting the familiar 20.4MP Micro Four Thirds sensor with 5-axis image stabilisation rated to 5.5EV, but the 121-point phase-detection autofocus with subject detection is a key upgrade.

Other upgrades include OM System's latest computational photography features, namely Live ND, new color profiles, and two Cinema picture modes aimed at 4K video. Like the higher-end OM-3, the PEN is designed from the ground up for JPEG customization thanks to a new color/monochrome switch which provides quick access to film-inspired looks.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that the PEN debuts a new BLS-7 battery, rated for an impressive 410 shots per charge, as well as support for USB-C charging - another massive boon for travel photography.

Is the PEN worth preordering?

The PEN is a great alternative to the Fujifilm X-M5 (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

We haven't fully reviewed the OM System PEN yet, but my initial impression of the camera is positive. It's 'nothing new', so to speak, but the rock-bottom price that the brand is aiming for has the potential to make this one a crowd favorite.

For one, I don't think any other brand is offering a package quite like this for $1,000. With inflation and various tariffs, we've become accustomed to spiralling costs, so it's refreshing to see a brand-new camera with a viewfinder, weather sealing, and a stylish design for this price.

Perhaps the closest competitor to the OM System PEN is the Fujifilm X-M5 - one of our favorite entry-level cameras here at TechRadar. Both cameras share a stunning rangefinder-style design and enticing price point, but the PEN looks like the better choice for photographers, in my opinion. The X-M5 has far superior video specs, but it lacks image stabilization, a viewfinder, and weather sealing.

With such features, the PEN looks like a very, very compelling budget option compared to the likes of the Fujifilm X-E5. That's another one of our favorite rangefinder-style bodies, but it comes in at an eye-watering $1,799 / £1,399 for the body-only. In comparison, the PEN is a more entry-level body, but it's definitely a good option if you're happy with 20MP.

Over the past few years, I've become absolutely fascinated and have fallen in love with BenQ monitors. I love how they have become more Apple-esque, yet they include some features that most people wish Apple would add to their monitors. While I would love to have a studio display someday, I think that the quality would be amazing.

I am absolutely loving my MA series monitors across several of my workstations. I'm still loving my MA320U on my main desk in my home office studio, but the MA270S has made its home as the vertical monitor in my setup, where I currently have my RD monitor as well.

This panel is unbelievably crisp, integrates with everything in my DisplayPilot 2 app, and offers extra ports. It's got a halfway decent speaker for virtual meetings, though I wouldn't listen to music through it beyond background lo-fi. All around, this monitor has been an absolute treat for a ton of reasons.

BenQ MA270S: Price and availability

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The BenQ MA270S retails for just under $1,000 on BenQ's website. It's also widely available from online retailers, including Amazon.

If that price doesn't scare you and you're looking for a 32-inch variant, they do have an MA320UG panel that is the same type of panel, just 32 inches. Make sure you check that one out if you're interested.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )BenQ MA270S: Unboxing and First Impressions

The unboxing experience for this monitor is much like that of every other BenQ monitor I've tested. It comes in a simple brown box that's somehow still very well packed and secure. In the box is the monitor or panel, the stand, documentation, and every cable you could possibly need.

That is one thing I will always appreciate about BenQ: they include every single cable, regardless of how you use this monitor. If there's an HDMI option, they include an HDMI. If there's USB-C, they include USB-C, so you can get up and running right away.

The first time I laid eyes on the monitor, I immediately recognized how glossy the first panel was. Of course, that could be an issue if you're in a high-glare area, but I decided to put it to the test anyway. It took me exactly one second to know exactly what I wanted with this monitor.

I added it to my test setup that already has a BenQ R/D monitor. I knew this would be a perfect vertical monitor, even though there's a difference between the slightly matte display on the R/D monitor and the glossy display on this one.

Plus, to the left of my desk is a window. I have a semi-transparent shade on it, but still, there's a window. I did worry for a moment if there was going to be too much glare, but after setting everything up, I completely forgot that it was a concern. I was able to get to work immediately. Now, 100 days later, I am absolutely thrilled with this monitor.

BenQ MA270S: Design & Build Quality

As I briefly mentioned above, this monitor is incredibly clean. It comes with everything in the box, which is awesome. It has a fairly high-gloss finish. This is the kind of glossy finish that you would find on a studio display.

This is the kind of glossy finish that you would find on a MacBook or on a high-end creative laptop. It's beautiful. It's not just glossy for the sake of being glossy, but it's glossy to show just how sharp the image is, how beautiful the blacks are, and how vibrant the colors are.

That, plus the native integration with Apple's walled card, makes this monitor an absolute dream to use with a Mac. While I have used this desk setup with a PC, I prefer to use it with my MacBook Pro M4 Pro 14-inch. I can plug in a single cable through a docking station, technically, too, and run both these monitors without any problem.

When I need to just listen to a little bit of music or join a virtual meeting and I don't want to use my soundbar, I can run the audio through this monitor. While it's not great, it could get the job done before a virtual meeting if that's all you need it for, or maybe some lo-fi background music. If you're trying to actually listen to music or need to play audio for some other reason, I would suggest using headphones or an external speaker.

The bezels on this are sharp. The port access is phenomenal, and the ability to fit a clean Mac desk setup is truly uncanny. Sure, there's still a part of me that wishes I could have a studio display; however, with every upgrade to the BenQ Mac-specific line-up, that desire shrinks a little bit, by little bit, by little bit.

To bring me back to the ports for a moment, I genuinely appreciate that BenQ doesn't try to hide their ports under some sort of breakable plastic cover. Instead, they make the cables highly accessible, pointing directly over the monitor to avoid the cable dangling down underneath the bezel and being visible from the front.

The ports are firm yet not difficult to plug things into. They are well spaced, leaving room for even awkward cables, and they're in a good position. All around, a big win for me.

I've said it once, maybe even twice now, but I'll say it again: this is essentially BenQ's version of a 27-inch studio display. While the studio display has better speakers and a built-in camera and mic, this display wins out in pretty much every other category.

It's easy to set up and easy to use with both the Apple ecosystem and others, in case you need to plug in something else. It's got spectacular color accuracy, a beautiful panel, high resolution, a nice gloss, and it functions just as beautifully as it looks.

BenQ MA270S: In use

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

Looking back at my arrival date, I've had this monitor for exactly 166 days as of this review. In that time, it has lived almost every single one of those days on my desk in the photos as a vertical monitor paired alongside my BenQ RD series monitor.

It truly is a remarkably good 5K monitor, especially with the built-in features that let me adjust brightness and volume directly from my keyboard. I've used this monitor for accessing emails.

I always have my calendar, some messengers, and reminders up on this monitor, as I can have it scaled up to the smallest size Mac offers and still see every single line super crisp. Unlike the Studio Display, what I really appreciate about this monitor is that it doesn't just have USB-C. It has USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, and others to make these a lot easier.

BenQ MA270S: Final verdict

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

At the end of the day, most Mac users decide whether they care about the Studio Display. Since it was released, most people with an X-ray monitor have thought about switching to the Studio Display, but usually see the cost and change their minds.

That's where this monitor comes in strong, serving as a shield unless you are sitting on cash to burn or need the proprietary one for some other reason. This BenQ monitor feels like a true MVP.

I have absolutely loved using this monitor for work, and I look forward to continuing to use it as much as possible in the future. For me, this is one of the best photo editing monitors I've ever used.

Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future

For more top picks, we've tested the best monitors for Mac mini and the best monitors for MacBook.

Over the past few years, I've become absolutely fascinated and have fallen in love with BenQ monitors. I love how they have become more Apple-esque, yet they include some features that most people wish Apple would add to their monitors. While I would love to have a studio display someday, I think that the quality would be amazing.

I am absolutely loving my MA series monitors across several of my workstations. I'm still loving my MA320U on my main desk in my home office studio, but the MA270S has made its home as the vertical monitor in my setup, where I currently have my RD monitor as well.

This panel is unbelievably crisp, integrates with everything in my DisplayPilot 2 app, and offers extra ports. It's got a halfway decent speaker for virtual meetings, though I wouldn't listen to music through it beyond background lo-fi. All around, this monitor has been an absolute treat for a ton of reasons.

BenQ MA270S: Price and availability

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

The BenQ MA270S retails for just under $1,000 on BenQ's website. It's also widely available from online retailers, including Amazon.

If that price doesn't scare you and you're looking for a 32-inch variant, they do have an MA320UG panel that is the same type of panel, just 32 inches. Make sure you check that one out if you're interested.

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )BenQ MA270S: Unboxing and First Impressions

The unboxing experience for this monitor is much like that of every other BenQ monitor I've tested. It comes in a simple brown box that's somehow still very well packed and secure. In the box is the monitor or panel, the stand, documentation, and every cable you could possibly need.

That is one thing I will always appreciate about BenQ: they include every single cable, regardless of how you use this monitor. If there's an HDMI option, they include an HDMI. If there's USB-C, they include USB-C, so you can get up and running right away.

The first time I laid eyes on the monitor, I immediately recognized how glossy the first panel was. Of course, that could be an issue if you're in a high-glare area, but I decided to put it to the test anyway. It took me exactly one second to know exactly what I wanted with this monitor.

I added it to my test setup that already has a BenQ R/D monitor. I knew this would be a perfect vertical monitor, even though there's a difference between the slightly matte display on the R/D monitor and the glossy display on this one.

Plus, to the left of my desk is a window. I have a semi-transparent shade on it, but still, there's a window. I did worry for a moment if there was going to be too much glare, but after setting everything up, I completely forgot that it was a concern. I was able to get to work immediately. Now, 100 days later, I am absolutely thrilled with this monitor.

BenQ MA270S: Design & Build Quality

As I briefly mentioned above, this monitor is incredibly clean. It comes with everything in the box, which is awesome. It has a fairly high-gloss finish. This is the kind of glossy finish that you would find on a studio display.

This is the kind of glossy finish that you would find on a MacBook or on a high-end creative laptop. It's beautiful. It's not just glossy for the sake of being glossy, but it's glossy to show just how sharp the image is, how beautiful the blacks are, and how vibrant the colors are.

That, plus the native integration with Apple's walled card, makes this monitor an absolute dream to use with a Mac. While I have used this desk setup with a PC, I prefer to use it with my MacBook Pro M4 Pro 14-inch. I can plug in a single cable through a docking station, technically, too, and run both these monitors without any problem.

When I need to just listen to a little bit of music or join a virtual meeting and I don't want to use my soundbar, I can run the audio through this monitor. While it's not great, it could get the job done before a virtual meeting if that's all you need it for, or maybe some lo-fi background music. If you're trying to actually listen to music or need to play audio for some other reason, I would suggest using headphones or an external speaker.

The bezels on this are sharp. The port access is phenomenal, and the ability to fit a clean Mac desk setup is truly uncanny. Sure, there's still a part of me that wishes I could have a studio display; however, with every upgrade to the BenQ Mac-specific line-up, that desire shrinks a little bit, by little bit, by little bit.

To bring me back to the ports for a moment, I genuinely appreciate that BenQ doesn't try to hide their ports under some sort of breakable plastic cover. Instead, they make the cables highly accessible, pointing directly over the monitor to avoid the cable dangling down underneath the bezel and being visible from the front.

The ports are firm yet not difficult to plug things into. They are well spaced, leaving room for even awkward cables, and they're in a good position. All around, a big win for me.

I've said it once, maybe even twice now, but I'll say it again: this is essentially BenQ's version of a 27-inch studio display. While the studio display has better speakers and a built-in camera and mic, this display wins out in pretty much every other category.

It's easy to set up and easy to use with both the Apple ecosystem and others, in case you need to plug in something else. It's got spectacular color accuracy, a beautiful panel, high resolution, a nice gloss, and it functions just as beautifully as it looks.

BenQ MA270S: In use

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

Looking back at my arrival date, I've had this monitor for exactly 166 days as of this review. In that time, it has lived almost every single one of those days on my desk in the photos as a vertical monitor paired alongside my BenQ RD series monitor.

It truly is a remarkably good 5K monitor, especially with the built-in features that let me adjust brightness and volume directly from my keyboard. I've used this monitor for accessing emails.

I always have my calendar, some messengers, and reminders up on this monitor, as I can have it scaled up to the smallest size Mac offers and still see every single line super crisp. Unlike the Studio Display, what I really appreciate about this monitor is that it doesn't just have USB-C. It has USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, and others to make these a lot easier.

BenQ MA270S: Final verdict

(Image credit: Collin Probst // Future )

At the end of the day, most Mac users decide whether they care about the Studio Display. Since it was released, most people with an X-ray monitor have thought about switching to the Studio Display, but usually see the cost and change their minds.

That's where this monitor comes in strong, serving as a shield unless you are sitting on cash to burn or need the proprietary one for some other reason. This BenQ monitor feels like a true MVP.

I have absolutely loved using this monitor for work, and I look forward to continuing to use it as much as possible in the future. For me, this is one of the best photo editing monitors I've ever used.

Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future Collin Probst // Future

For more top picks, we've tested the best monitors for Mac mini and the best monitors for MacBook.