Feed aggregator

Sony ECM-W5: two-minute review

Sony’s ECM-W5 is a prosumer wireless microphone system cut from the same cloth as the DJI Mic 3, Insta360 Mic Pro and Rode Wireless Pro. Like all those, it's available in a package featuring two clip-on transmitters, a receiver that plugs into your camera or phone, and a charging case to keep everything topped up. At £350 for the full kit, however, it costs more than any of them — so it needs to bring something extra to the table.

It does just that. The headline feature is in-camera 32-bit float recording, something no other wireless mic I’m aware of can do. Rivals will happily record 32-bit float files to their transmitters' internal storage, but that leaves you syncing separate audio in the edit. With the ECM-W5 mounted on a Multi Interface Shoe camera such as the Sony A7 V, that extra headroom is baked straight into your video files. Most people won’t need it day to day, but if you’re shooting somewhere unpredictable, where a sudden bang or boom could clip your audio, it’s a useful safety net.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

There’s plenty more for pros to like. Each transmitter has a 3.5mm lav mic input with a screw-lock connector (a feature DJI dropped after the Mic 2), along with a generous 62.5GB of usable internal storage. There’s timecode support and an optional 96kHz/24-bit Hi-Res Audio mode, too. The claimed 500m range is the longest I’ve come across, and in my testing the signal held up flawlessly through two floors of my house — a situation where other mics have faltered.

Sound quality is clean and clear, though in fairness that’s true of every decent wireless mic these days. The noise reduction is on the gentler side and less effective than what DJI and Insta360 offer, but it doesn’t introduce any odd artifacts.

The trade-offs are size and price. The transmitters are noticeably chunkier than the DJI Mic 3’s, the receiver’s touchscreen faces backwards when it’s mounted on a camera, and Sony doesn’t even include a 3.5mm audio cable in the box. Even so, for Sony shooters in particular, the ECM-W5 is one of the most capable wireless mic systems you can buy.

Sony ECM-W5: price and release date

• $399.99 / £350 / AU$619 for two transmitters, a receiver and a charging case
• Transmitters $189.99 / £110 / AU$179 and receiver $189.99 / £180 / AU$289 individually
• Available from November 2026

The Sony ECM-W5 will be on sale from November 2026, priced at $399.99 / £350 / AU$619 for the full kit, which includes two transmitters, a receiver and a charging case. Individual transmitters are available for $189.99 / £110 / AU$179, and the receiver on its own costs $189.99 / £180 / AU$289, which is handy if you want to expand your setup or replace a lost unit.

That makes it more expensive than its closest rivals. The DJI Mic 3 launched at £259 for an equivalent two-transmitter kit, for example, so you’re paying a premium of around £90 for the Sony. Given the ECM-W5’s unique features, I think that’s justifiable for the right buyer — but it’s a premium nonetheless.

Sony ECM-W5: specs

Dimensions

TX: 31 x 47 x 22.3mm / RX: 53.5 x 17.8 x 37.5mm

Weight

TX: 27.1g / RX: 35g

Range

Up to 500m

Connectivity

RX: Multi Interface shoe / USB-C / 3.5mm jack

Bluetooth

Yes

Battery

Up to 7 hours (transmitter), up to 7 hours (receiver), up to 11 hours with fully charged case

Noise cancelling

Yes

Sony ECM-W5: Design

• Chunky transmitters with fixed clips and 3.5mm lav mic inputs
• Receiver’s touchscreen faces backwards when camera-mounted
• No audio cable included, and no room in the charging case for windshields

In terms of size, the ECM-W5’s transmitters are closer to the original DJI Mic and Mic 2 than to the much smaller (and current, at the time of writing) DJI Mic 3. Each of the ECM-W5's transmitters has a fixed clip for attaching to clothing (it can’t be removed or rotated), and Sony includes small button magnets for thinner shirts. Despite the extra bulk, the transmitters are light enough that I barely noticed them once they were clipped on. Sony also says the system is dust- and moisture-resistant, but stops short of guaranteeing full IP-level protection.

Controls are simple: a power button, a record button (double-press it to toggle noise reduction on or off) and a USB-C port for charging and file transfer. More interesting is the 3.5mm input with a screw-lock connection for plugging in an (unsupplied) lavalier mic, which pros will appreciate. The furry windshields cleverly slot into this jack too, so they sit more securely than on some rivals. Each transmitter also packs around 62.5GB of usable internal storage (64GB before formatting). That's almost double the 32GB you get in the DJI Mic 3 and Insta360 Mic Pro transmitters.

Future | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam KieldsenFuture | Sam Kieldsen

The receiver can be fitted with either a USB-C connector or a Multi Interface Shoe adapter, and the latter also slots into standard hot and cold shoes (albeit without the MI Shoe’s digital connection). There are 3.5mm audio in and mic out ports, plus a small touchscreen for adjusting settings. My one real frustration is that this screen faces backwards when the receiver is mounted on a camera, so when I was filming myself I couldn’t see it to make changes. It’s a common problem with wireless mic receivers, and I’d love to see a manufacturer make the display rotatable.

The charging case holds both transmitters, the receiver, the adapters and the magnets, but there’s no room for the windshields. Sony doesn’t include a 3.5mm audio cable in the box either, so if your camera lacks an MI Shoe you’ll need to buy one separately. A soft drawstring bag is supplied, though, and it’s big enough for the case, the windshields and a couple of cables.

Sony ECM-W5: Performance

• World-first in-camera 32-bit float recording
• Rock-solid signal and a claimed 500m transmission range
• Noise reduction is less aggressive than Insta360 and DJI rivals

The ECM-W5’s standout feature is its ability to record 32-bit float audio directly in-camera, as well as onto each transmitter’s internal storage. Rivals such as the DJI Mic 3 and Insta360 Mic Pro can only record 32-bit float files on the transmitter itself, which you then have to sync up in the edit. I don’t think many people need 32-bit float day to day, but if you’re recording in uncontrolled environments where sudden loud noises might occur, having that headroom baked into your footage is a real advantage.

There’s both automatic and manual gain control, with the latter offering a nicely granular range of -12 to +12. I mostly left it on auto and found it worked well. Sound quality is good, but then so is that of pretty much every decent wireless mic. The difference compared with the built-in mic on your phone, computer or camera is night and day, particularly outside on a windy day. Sony also offers a 96kHz/24-bit Hi-Res Audio option, which beats the maximum quality of most rivals I’ve tested, though that’s reflected in the higher price.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Sony claims a range of up to 500m between transmitter and receiver, which is much further than its rivals. I can’t think of many situations where you’d need that much, and I didn’t test it to the limit, but it’s reassuring to have in reserve. Sony also says the connection is around three times more stable than that of its predecessor, the ECM-W3.

More tellingly, when I left the camera and receiver downstairs and walked up two flights of stairs to my bedroom with a transmitter, the signal stayed crisp and clear throughout — something other mics have struggled with in my home.

The single-level noise reduction isn’t especially aggressive, and I think DJI and Insta360 offer markedly better cancellation. That said, it noticeably reduced the hum of a fan at home without adding any odd artifacts, so you can probably just leave it switched on all the time.

Sony quotes up to seven hours of battery life for the transmitters and receiver, rising to 11 hours for the transmitters if you top them up from the charging case. And when the receiver is mounted on a compatible camera’s MI Shoe, it draws power from the camera and switches on and off with it, so there’s one less battery to keep an eye on. Add up to two extra transmitters (sold separately) and you can also record up to four audio channels in-camera, which should appeal to anyone shooting multi-person interviews.

Sony also offers wireless monitoring via compatible Sony wireless headphones that support Bluetooth LE Audio, so you can keep an ear on your audio without a headphone cable, and compatible models such as the WH-1000XM6 can even be used as mics for binaural recording. I didn’t have a compatible pair of headphones to hand (and the binaural feature wasn’t available before launch), so I wasn’t able to test either feature.

The ECM-W5 also supports timecode, another feature that'll appeal to professionals.

Should I buy the Sony ECM-W5?Buy it if…

You shoot with a Sony camera
The ECM-W5 receiver fits straight onto the Multi Interface shoe used by Sony's recent cameras, and the resulting in-camera 32-bit float recording is something no rival offers.

You want pro-grade features
A lavalier mic input, timecode support and 62.5GB of storage per transmitter make it a serious tool.

You record in unpredictable places
Baked-in 32-bit float and a 500m range give you a big safety margin when you can’t control the conditions.

Don’t buy it if…

You want the smallest, lightest wearable mic
The DJI Mic 3’s transmitters are far smaller and less conspicuous when worn.

You’re on a strict budget
Rivals premium microphones from DJI and Insta360 cost less and still sound excellent.

You need strong noise reduction
The ECM-W5’s noise reduction is gentle, and DJI and Insta360 do a markedly better job of removing background babble.

Sony ECM-W5: also consider

Insta360 Mic Pro

Insta360’s Mic Pro stands out with a customizable e-ink display on each transmitter, and it pairs strong AI noise canceling with 32-bit float internal recording and 32GB of storage per transmitter. It’s a great pick for Insta360 camera owners, though it lacks the ECM-W5’s lav mic input and in-camera 32-bit float.

Read our Insta360 Mic Pro review

DJI Mic 3

DJI’s latest flagship wireless mic is considerably smaller and lighter than the ECM-W5, with stronger noise canceling and a lower price. It lacks a lav mic input and can’t record 32-bit float in-camera, but DJI’s inexpensive MI Shoe adapter makes it an easy fit on a Sony camera too.

Read our DJI Mic 3 review

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)How I tested the Sony ECM-W5

• One week of testing indoors and outdoors
• Connected to Sony A7 V camera via Multi Interface shoe and OnePlus tablet via USB-C

Sony loaned me a review sample of the full ECM-W5 package along with a Sony A7 V camera for the purposes of this test, which allowed me to fully test the Multi Interface Shoe connection. I also tested the USB-C connectivity, by attaching the receiver to a OnePlus Pad tablet and recording video.

I used the mic system for about a week, recording in both 24-bit and 32-bit float modes and testing the noise reduction capabilities both indoors and outdoors in a variety of situations. I also tested its range and signal stability by leaving the receiver downstairs and walking up two floors of my house with a transmitter.

• First reviewed: October 2026
• Read more about how we test

Scancom has long been one of our favorite sites for business SIM and eSIM cards. One stand-out option I've found is the Three 1000GB data eSIM is £54 (was £249.99). That works out at just shy of £2.35 a month contract-free, with no monthly fees when you use code HUKD MAX.

For businesses that rely on internet connectivity away from a fixed office, this is a great alternative to expensive monthly mobile broadband plans. Although this is a Three SIM, it can automatically access Vodafone's network through Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology.

• Best for: Sole traders, small businesses, remote workers, and anyone eligible who needs substantial mobile data for work.

• Why we like it: The data allowance renews each month until September 2028, without needing to worry about monthly payments. It offers 1,000GB of 5G mobile data every month with automatic access to Vodafone's network where supported.

• Keep in mind: You'll need to be registered as a sole trader to get the SIM card at this price. As ever, I recommend checking network coverage before signing up too.

Today's best Three SIM deal

1000GB Data SIM: was £249.99 now £54
This data-only eSIM provides 1000GB monthly UK data, automatic Three and Vodafone network access, QR-code activation, and renewals until September 2028. For the full discount, use code HUKD MAX.View Deal

Why we recommend it

As a Three SIM card, it uses Vodafone's network through Multi-Operator Core Network technology. That means you may benefit from improved reception in areas where Three's signal is weaker, although actual availability and speeds will depend on local network conditions.

You can opt for a physical SIM or eSIM (a digital eSIM delivered by email as a QR code) when buying. The data allowance renews each month until September 2028, without needing to worry about monthly payments.

Price context & historical value

Scancom normally charges £249.99 for this SIM deal, but entering HUKD MAX at checkout reduces the price to £54. That's a saving of £195.99, or approximately 78%. It's a brilliant deal, and cheaper than it has been lately.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Three 1000GB data SIM if...

You need regular large amounts of mobile data. It could be useful for connecting a laptop or compatible mobile router when working away from the office.

❌ Skip the Three 1000GB data SIM if...

You aren't eligible as a business or registered sole trader. It's also unsuitable if you need a mobile plan that includes calls, text messages, or international roaming. There's no built-in data usage monitoring, either, so you'll need to track consumption via your device or a third-party application.

• A Redditor improvised a new cooling solution for their Razer Blade 16
• This was a workaround for a broken heatsink which Razer wanted £2,500 to repair
• The cooler is fashioned from a plastic storage crate, and it's been drawing praise from gamers on Reddit – but be wary about attempting any DIY along these lines

"That's not a laptop cooler… that's a laptop cooler" as the old Crocodile Dundee-inspired quote goes – and in this case, the custom cooling solution being shown off on Reddit really is scarily huge.

Wccftech noticed the story of a Redditor in the UK, the owner of a Razer Blade 16 laptop in which the heatsink broke. That left the laptop lying useless, with a £2,500 (around $3,300 / AU$4,800) bill to replace said heatsink (because the procedure also involved fitting a new motherboard), and unsurprisingly the owner didn't fancy shelling out that much for a repair.

So, they left it for a year before deciding to go the DIY route and fashioning a new cooling solution themselves. And as you can see from the photo above, it's quite something.

The Redditor replaced the copper heatsink and "stuck a liquid cooler on it", with the latter being realized in the form of a crate with pipes running to the gaming notebook.

We're told the laptop couldn't be tested while gaming to check if this left-field liquid cooling is actually good for keeping the Razer Blade 16 motoring while running a game, but the Redditor claims the device has been sat idling just fine for half an hour. They can't test it fully yet as they've forgotten their Windows password, so need to reinstall the OS.

The total cost of the repair? £100 (around $130 / AU$190) using kit bought from Amazon, and of course Razer wanted 25 times that much.

Analysis: chaotic goodness

(Image credit: Pristine-Valuable775 on Reddit)

Obviously, there are some major caveats to bear in mind here, most notably that it requires a good bit of technical knowhow to pull off a repair like this. And the way in which this particular cooler has been implemented looks shaky to say the least, with the giant cooling reservoir fashioned from what appears to be a plastic storage crate, with plugs and wires haphazardly positioned on top of it. As one commenter puts it, this is very much a "chaotic" looking solution – albeit 'chaotic good' in that it has brought the dead gaming laptop back to life.

The crate and overall setup could, of course, be tidied up, and the coolant tubes springing a leak remains a concern; that really would finish off the Razer notebook. And obviously enough, this renders the laptop not portable at all, but better that than being non-functional, I guess.

Overall, it's clearly an eye-opening feat, but I can't stress enough that it's something I would not recommend you try yourself. It'll be interesting to see if we get an update from the Redditor confirming what kind of temperatures the Blade is reporting when playing taxing PC games or when running a stress-test benchmark.

As one fan of the concept on Reddit enthuses: "This is sick as hell especially for the super high-end Blade models that people use as desktops, this is great to keep them temps down."

This story also raises a point about how ridiculous laptop repair costs can get when a relatively insignificant component in terms of the overall bill of materials can necessitate a major change like a motherboard swap.

Samsung's 9100 Pro SSD is "the best there is." That was the verdict in our review, where this PCIe 5.0 SSD delivered "blazing fast speeds across the board."

Currently, the Samsung 9100 Pro 1TB is $265 (was $340) at Amazon, and it's the drive our hardware editor recommends over the similarly priced Samsung 990 Pro. It's faster - up to 14,700MB/s vs. 7,450 MB/s - making it a better pick for professionals who need fast transfer speeds for video editing and heavy workstation use.

• Best for: Professionals and creators running heavy workloads looking for one of the fastest consumer SSDs around.

• Why we like it: In our review, we found "fantastic performance with the fastest write speeds we've ever tested." Not every machine can make use of this SSD, but for those that can, it's an easy recommendation.

• Keep in mind: You'll need a PCIe 5.0 M.2 motherboard and reliable heatsinks to prevent thermal throttling.

9100 Pro 1TB PCIe: was $339.99 now $264.58
The 9100 PRO 1TB is an M.2 2280 NVMe drive with a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, up to 14,700MB/s sequential reads, up to 13,300MB/s sequential writes and random speeds of up to 1,850K read and 2,600K write IOPS. Samsung says its 5nm controller improves power efficiency by up to 49% compared with the 990 PRO, and it has hardware encryption and Magician software for updates and drive health. View Deal

Why we recommend it

During our 4.5-star review of this drive, the Samsung 9100 Pro delivered "best-in-class sequential read and write performance" and "fantastic random read and write speeds."

Even after review, we continued to test out the drive using a range of other motherboards and processors - and yes, we were able to reach the sequential read speeds that Samsung promised.

While it's not the cheapest drive, the performance-to-price remains low, and considering the 990 Pro is only $5 cheaper, we'd opt for the 9100 Pro wherever possible.

Price Context & Historical Value

This isn't the cheapest this drive has ever been - especially not after component costs began to rise. But it is in the general park for the sale price we regularly see. We have spotted it selling for the $340 list price often, so worth picking up while on discount. Considering the slower PCIe 4.0 SSD, the Samsung 990 Pro is only slightly cheaper, if you have a Gen5 board, the 9100 Pro offers better value for money.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB SSD if...

You want one of the fastest SSDs you can buy at a good price, and you run a lot of heavier workloads.

❌ Skip the Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB SSD if...

Your system only supports PCIe 4.0 or slower, since you won't see the top speeds.

• See all internal SSDs at Amazon

The Irish author said her books can no longer be sold in the UK after she pledged the royalties to a banned pro-Palestinian group.

(Image credit: Kin Cheung)

Amazon's $75 Bee Frontier includes free AI notes, but longer memory costs extra. Here's what Bee Pro's $11.99 monthly plan unlocks.

The post Amazon’s $75 Bee Frontier Includes Free AI Notes — Here’s What $11.99 a Month Adds appeared first on TechRepublic.

For years, organizations have focused on strengthening and fortifying endpoints, networks, and authentication at login. Meanwhile, one of the most critical control points in the identity lifecycle, the help desk, has remained surprisingly exposed, because most identity systems were not designed to extend strong verification into recovery and support workflows, leaving a critical gap that attackers are increasingly exploiting.

Without this shift, organizations continue to rely on human judgment in high-risk workflows, leaving a critical gap that attackers are increasingly exploiting.

With the rise of generative AI, deepfake videos, synthetic voice cloning, and AI agents, help desks have become a primary target for social engineering. Attackers can now synthesize a CFO’s voice from publicly available recordings, create deepfake video for live calls, or deploy AI agents to conduct persistent, multi-channel impersonation.

These bad actors can mine social media and breach data and corporate websites to collect personal details that make their story credible. They can also adjust their responses and adapt in real-time based on what a support agent says and asks.

Their goal is often straightforward, which is to convince the help desk to reset a password, enroll a new device, or override multi-factor authentication (MFA). If successful, the threat can quickly escalate to ransomware deployment, data theft, a full-scale account takeover, or more.

A modern identity architecture is necessary to address this significant verification gap, one that treats recovery and help desk interactions as first-class identity workflows, not exceptions outside the system.

The hidden weakness in manual verification

Most help desk workflows today still rely on knowledge-based questions, static employee data, or ad hoc manager approvals to validate user or customer identity. In a landscape where personal data is widely accessible and AI can convincingly impersonate individuals, these controls are brittle.

Knowledge-based verification assumes personal information is private, but it rarely is. Manager callbacks assume voice recognition is reliable, but it no longer is. Manual review assumes humans can detect AI deception, but that is not always the case. Many businesses are asking support staff to verify customer identity using tools built for a different era.

In many environments, help desk workflows sit outside core identity systems, operating as disconnected processes rather than being governed by the same policies and controls applied at login.

At the same time, expectations around identity protection are rising. As AI becomes more embedded in digital interactions, consumers expect organizations to have systems in place to effectively protect their identities. This is critical as 75% of consumers are more concerned about their personal data security than five years ago.

When protections break down, trust and brand reputation erode quickly and are difficult to rebuild. It is clear that trust can no longer depend on intuition or manual checks. It must be designed into identity systems and enforced through verifiable identity.

Modernizing help desk security with verifiable identity, at scale

Solving this requires rethinking how identity systems are designed, specifically how verification, recovery, and high-risk actions are handled as part of a unified architecture rather than fragmented processes. Modern identity architectures provide a path forward through decentralized identity and biometric-backed, phishing-resistant authentication.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

1. Biometric-backed, phishing-resistant authentication

FIDO-based authentication tied to device-bound credentials and biometrics reduces reliance on passwords and shared data. Because credentials are cryptographically bound to a device and validated using advanced encryption, they are resistant to replay and phishing.

Enforcement moves from human decision-making to system-driven policy, ensuring consistency across both login and recovery workflows. Extending this model to account recovery and re-authentication workflows ensures that high-risk actions, like password resets or device enrollment, are protected by the same strong controls used when the user first signs in.

2. Decentralized, verifiable credentials

Decentralized identity frameworks enable organizations to issue tamper-resistant, verifiable credentials that users store in secure digital wallets. These credentials can represent employment status, role, or other attributes needed for verification, without centralizing sensitive data.

From an architectural standpoint, decentralized identity reduces reliance on centralized data stores and enables verification through cryptographic proof rather than static records.

This shifts identity verification from a knowledge-based to a proof-based model. When a user needs assistance from a help agent, they can present a verifiable credential that the organization can cryptographically validate without relying on knowledge-based questions. Therefore, the help desk is no longer in the position of “deciding” whether someone is who they claim to be. The system verifies it for them.

3. Self-service, high-assurance recovery

Self-service account recovery, supported by strong authentication and secure digital credentials, allows users to regain access without needing to call the help desk. This reduces support workload, while also removing the common target for social engineering attacks. Self-service recovery reduces reliance on manual intervention and allows identity systems to scale without increasing operational risk.

In this model, the help desk is no longer responsible for judging whether someone’s identity checks out, ultimately reducing risk.

Redefining the identity control plane

The security perimeter as we know it now reaches every workflow where identity is verified, delegated, or recovered. Help desks are directly in that flow. A more resilient model separates identity into a control layer that defines policy and a runtime layer that enforces decisions consistently across every interaction.

Modernizing identity verification systems with decentralized credentials, biometric-backed authentication, and consistent assurance policies closes one of the most exploited gaps in the security chain. It replaces the need for help desk agents to rely on personal judgment with verifiable proof of identity, and ensures that high-risk actions are governed by controls designed for today’s threat landscape.

AI-driven deception will continue to mature in speed, realism, and automation. Addressing it requires durable identity architecture that applies consistent verification across users, devices, and workflows.

When identity systems are designed to enforce trust automatically and uniformly, organizations gain resilience that scales with innovation, and a foundation for maintaining confidence in an AI-shaped digital environment for years to come. In this model, identity becomes a distributed system capability embedded across workflows, systems, and user interactions, rather than a point-in-time check.

This shift turns identity from a point-in-time control into a system-wide enforcement layer, closing one of the most consistently exploited gaps in enterprise security.

We've featured the best firewall software.

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

• Sony won't deliver the final Android update it had promised for the Xperia 10 VI
• This is due to issues with the phone's storage configuration
• While the explanation seems reasonable, it also shows that these support commitments might not be guarantees

Nowadays, most Android phones are sold with the promise of a fixed number of major Android version updates, with top-end phones like the Samsung Galaxy S26 series and the Google Pixel 11 line promising an impressive seven. But it seems these promises might, in some cases, be more hopeful than guaranteed.

While neither Google nor Samsung have so far shown any sign of reneging on their update commitments, Sony just did with the Xperia 10 VI.

In a support post spotted by Phandroid, the company explained that while it had originally promised that the Sony Xperia 10 VI would receive three Android version updates, it will actually only receive two, as “due to limitations related to the device’s storage configuration, the Xperia 10 VI does not support an Android 17 upgrade experience that we consider adequate.”

The phone will at least still receive the promised four years of security updates, and Sony claims that this issue won’t affect other models, but it goes to show that these support promises aren’t as ironclad as you might have expected.

This could be the first of many rollbacks

The Samsung Galaxy S26 is supposed to get seven major Android version updates (Image credit: Future)

Of course, if updating the Sony Xperia 10 VI would genuinely have degraded the experience of using it, Sony probably made the right choice in not doing so. But that’s cold comfort for anyone who bought the phone off the back of Sony’s update commitment.

And who’s to say something similar couldn’t happen with other phones, whether those from Sony or other brands. In fact, expensive high-end phones might be even more at risk of unfulfilled commitments, with most offering up to seven years of promised updates; seven years is a long time in the tech world, so who’s to say whether Android 24 will actually work well on a phone that launched this year.

So, if you weren’t already doing so, you should probably take any support commitments as a goal rather than a guarantee.

A teen opened fire at an Oregon elementary school, leaving three kids and one teacher dead. And, the Justice Department is suing California over alleged noncitizen voters.

(Image credit: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland)

The witching hour is almost upon us - and as a fan of all things spooky, creepy, and terrifying, I've rounded up my favorite Halloween home office desk decor.

I never need an excuse to get into the spirit of the season. So, you'll find a broad selection here from the cozy to the gothic, with nods to some of my favorite horror movies along the way. My number one pick though? It's definitely the mouse mat styled like The Shining's Overlook Hotel carpet. All work and no play...

My top Halloween home office desk accessories

Amcove The Shining Overlook Hotel Carpet Mouse Pad

Ngup Thing Pen Pot

Numskull Official Ghostbusters Ghost Trap Incense Burner

TuTuArt 6pcs Horror Movie Coaster Set With Holder

Streamline Imagined Raven Bookends

AbyStyle Lovecraft Necronomicon Hardcover Notebook

Toacsucp Skull Candle Warmer Lamp With Timer & Dimmer

Atallit Nooklight for Bookshelf

Ofdne Ghostly Pen Holder

Melonva Coffin Zen Garden for Desks

Emotional Uplifting Bookish and Spooky Bookshelf Scene

VIPbuy Skull Glasses Holder Stand With Storage Tray

Miarita Grim Reaper Emotional Support Cards

Rulaihong 3-Piece Skeleton Figurines

Mark Feldstein & Associates Peanuts Great Pumpkin Halloween Cuckoo Clock

Character.AI collected millions of users, making it a very appealing acquisition. Google took a unique route to "acquiring" it, hiring away its founders and licensing its technology. Now Character.AI is filing for bankruptcy. Here's what to know.

(Image credit: Gabby Jones)

At the start of every school year, schools, colleges and universities across the UK race to onboard thousands of new students, faculty and staff members, provisioning accounts, issuing credentials and connecting a wave of new devices to institutional networks.

That operational pressure creates opportunities for attackers, and this year, AI is amplifying the threat more than ever. Not only are phishing campaigns more convincing, but a hidden layer of unmanaged machine identities is expanding the cyber attack surface.

Attackers are persistent and the education sector remains a top target with many facing cyber attacks weekly. The UK Government’s cyber security breaches survey revealed that 27% of further and higher education institutions reported experiencing a breach or attack at least weekly, compared to 14% of primary schools and 20% of secondary schools.

Navigating the expanded threat window

The education sector is one of the highest targeted industries for ransomware, credential theft and data breaches. For hackers, schools and universities present an appealing combination of high-value data, including student records, financial information and research, alongside underfunded IT departments and an enormous, ever-rotating user base.

The back-to-school season intensifies this pressure. Bulk account creation, mass device enrolment and a surge of third-party application onboarding all happen simultaneously, creating a greater risk of misconfiguration and excessive access rights. The UK Government found that no tier of the education sector had a majority of institutions compliant with all of the government’s Cyber Security 10 Steps.

Just 14% of primary schools, 23% of secondary schools, 33% of further education colleges and 45% of higher education institutions had covered all 10. As thousands of new identities and devices enter this already insecure environment, gaps in security controls can become harder to identify and manage.

AI has made cybersecurity threats significantly more dangerous. The same government survey found phishing to be the main threat identified by institutions that had suffered a breach, and those emails can now precisely mimic communications from student funding offices, IT helpdesks or university leadership, with none of the traditional red flags that once made them easy to spot.

Keeper Security’s research into AI and cybersecurity in education found that 41% of schools have experienced AI-related cyber incidents, including phishing and misinformation, while 90% of education leaders expressed concern about AI-related cybersecurity threats. Yet only one in four respondents felt very confident recognizing AI-enabled threats such as deepfakes or AI-driven phishing.

As AI makes social engineering attacks more convincing, education institutions need to reinforce human awareness with stronger identity and access controls that do not rely on users spotting every malicious message.

The hidden attack surface: non-human identities in EdTech

As students and staff begin the new academic year, IT teams will rightly be focused on securing human accounts, but there is another, much larger population of digital identities that can easily escape attention: Non-Human Identities (NHIs).

NHIs are now embedded throughout modern education environments, from service accounts that synchronize student records with learning platforms to API keys connecting third-party applications, digital textbooks and payment systems.

Machine identities and certificates authenticate everything from campus Wi-Fi and smart boards to lab equipment and security cameras, while cloud workloads automate backups, research pipelines and administrative processes. Similarly, AI agents powering admissions chatbots, helpdesks and grading tools are adding yet another layer of identities and access privileges that institutions need to manage.

These identities are essential to keeping schools and universities running, but they can also create significant security gaps when credentials are rarely rotated, old integration tokens remain active or automated accounts are granted more access than they need.

Unlike employees and students, NHIs are not naturally caught by onboarding and offboarding processes. Without a complete inventory, organizations can struggle to know which identities exist, who owns them and what they can access.

The cybersecurity conversation in education has historically centered on protecting students, teachers and administrators, but the machine identities powering modern EdTech deserve the same scrutiny, because regardless of whether a breach stems from a human or machine, the impact is the same.

Back-to-school is a useful opportunity to review the full identity estate – both human and non-human – remove identities that are no longer required and tighten access for those that remain.

How education IT teams can reduce their risk

For most institutions, the fundamentals of managing humans are manageable. The critical gap is visibility and governance over the NHIs that power modern EdTech, like service accounts, API tokens, machine certificates and AI agents that multiply with every new integration. Security teams should take these steps to help secure NHIs and humans alike.

Enable multi-factor authentication

As the new semester begins, organizations should ensure MFA is enforced across all faculty, staff and student accounts, with new users defaulted into it from the moment they are provisioned. MFA remains a fundamental defense against credential-based attacks.

Audit privileged access

Many accounts give users privileged access beyond what’s necessary for their role. Privileges should be audited for both humans and non-humans. This includes removing access for departed employees and students, retiring expired service accounts and eliminating unnecessary administrative privileges.

Deploy enterprise password managers

Password security remains one of the hardest problems for security teams to solve. Awareness and training can provide students, faculty and staff with the knowledge on how to create strong passwords, but converting that knowledge into practice is difficult because password reuse, written passwords and browser storage remain common. Enterprise password managers remove that gap, enabling users to create and store strong, unique credentials.

Build a non-human identity inventory

You can’t secure what you can’t see. Schools should catalogue every service account, API key, machine certificate, cloud identity and AI agent. Establish ownership and record what each identity can access.

Establish credential rotation policies

It’s important to establish credential rotation policies for machine identities, paying particular attention to AI agents and third-party EdTech integrations added for the new school year. The Canvas learning management system hack, reported in April 2026, affected almost 9,000 educational institutions globally – a reminder that third-party credentials require the same rotation discipline as internal accounts.

Third-party access should be regularly examined and security teams should scrutinize the security of all current and potential partners and suppliers.

Updated training

Security awareness training needs to keep pace with the threat landscape, particularly around phishing, where AI-generated messages may be indistinguishable from legitimate institutional communications. Staff should independently verify unusual requests rather than relying on visual cues alone

Getting ahead of the rush

Back-to-school will always put education IT teams under pressure, but it does not have to create an open window for attackers. As institutions begin the new academic year, security must extend beyond onboarding students and staff to understanding every identity with access to critical systems and data.

By enforcing strong authentication, tightening privileged access, improving credential hygiene and gaining visibility over the growing population of non-human identities, IT teams can significantly reduce their exposure.

Security should be treated as a continuous discipline, not a back-to-school checklist. It is critical that every human and machine identity has the right access, for the right purpose and for only as long as it is needed.

We've featured the best antivirus software.

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

A broken iPhone Duo inner screen could cost $999 to repair without coverage. See how Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 repair prices compare.

The post iPhone Duo’s $999 Screen Repair Could Make You Think Twice — Here’s How Samsung Compares appeared first on TechRepublic.

Keep oil out of the kitchen sink with this nifty trick.

Wyze BodyScan smart scale: One-minute review

Over the years, Wyze has released a number of high-profile smart products across a range of different industries. They began with cameras but have expanded their range to offer vacuums, lights, locks, and a collection of affordable smart scales.

The Wyze BodyScan sits just underneath their most premium offering, the BodyScan Ultra, and is the brand’s most affordable 8-electrode BIA (which stands for bioelectric impedance analysis, the method many smart scales use to scan users’ bodies) scale. Offering segmental muscle and fat analysis across a user’s arms, legs, and torso, the BodyScan is more capable than almost all other smart scales at this price point.

As for its positioning in the market, the best smart scales for home users range from $20 for the Vitafit Smart Bathroom Scale all the way up to $599.95 / £449.95 / AU$895 for the Withings BodyScan 2. The BodyScan sits just above Vitafit’s offering and sets itself apart with segmented body composition reporting.

The BodyScan boasts a very impressive 4.7-inch LED screen, which displays seven different metrics, including weight, BMI, bone mass, protein, and body water percentage. The display is one of the largest you’ll find on any smart scale, elevating the user experience well beyond the $84.98 price tag.

The remaining metrics, including protein, basal metabolism, and subcutaneous fat, are displayed in the Wyze app. Unfortunately, because the app covers all Wyze products, it’s not a dedicated smart scale platform. The interface provides little more than a presentation of the metrics in both data and graph form. When compared to the premium Withings app experience, the two are worlds apart.

The BodyScan smart scale offers an incredible amount given the small price tag and delivers all the health metrics that most everyday users could ever need. The scale offers only a little more than the basics, but it does those basics without fuss and without stress. If you were to also invest in one of the best smartwatches, then you’d have a great all-round solution for measuring your health progress.

Wyze BodyScan smart scale: Specifications

Component

Wyze BodyScan smart scale

Price

$84.98 USD / £111 GBP / $210 AU

Metrics

17 essential metrics, including body weight, BMI, body fat, muscle mass, and basal metabolism.

Dimensions

11.81 x 13 x 1.49 in / 300 × 330.2 × 37.8 mm

Weight

4.18 lbs / 1.90 kg

Material

Plastic, Silicone, ITO-Coated Glass

Display

4.7-inch Color LED

Battery

4 x 1.5V AAA

Connection

Bluetooth 5.0

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Wyze BodyScan smart scale: Price and availability

• $84.98 USD
• Only available in the US
• Budget-friendly

At just $84.98, the Wyze BodyScan scale is one of the most affordable on the market, especially if you’re looking for segmented muscle mass and body fat with a high level of accuracy. The app experience and build quality leave a little to be desired, but at this price point there’s nothing better.

If your budget is even tighter and you have no interest in segmented data, then the Vitafit Smart Bathroom Scale, for around $20, is currently our best budget pick in our best smart scales buying guide. The scale delivers accuracy that we were “blown away” by across a varied set of metrics, including weight, BMI (although you can calculate this yourself at home, the scale does it for you), bone mass, basal metabolic rate, and more.

• Value score 5/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Wyze BodyScan smart scale: Design

• Large 4.7-inch LED display
• Cheap and basic handlebar construction
• Solid glass base

Let’s begin with one of the main highlights of the BodyScan scale, the huge 4.7-inch LED display. I was so surprised to see a screen of this size that I had to check the price point again. In fact, this is the largest of all displays of any scale featured in our best smart scales guide, and for under $100, its inclusion is even more impressive.

The display is located at the top of the base unit and is big, bright, and super clear even when viewed from six feet away. The benefit of packing the display into the base rather than into the handlebar, like the Withings BodyScan 2, is that they can make it significantly larger and thereby display more information at once. As a result, I found myself opening up the app a lot less compared to other brands.

To keep costs down, Wyze has stripped out a number of additional premium features found on the BodyScan Ultra, but the most noticeable compromise is actually the budget material choice and the basic construction quality of the handlebar. The plastic is cheap, it feels lightweight, and it lacks a locking mechanism, so it won’t automatically stay in position when you’re waiting for measurements to be calculated.

I was glad that these issues don’t translate over to the main base unit. Thanks to a solid plastic base and a thick ITO-coated glass panel, I was left confident that it would stand the test of time. My only issue with the base is an aesthetic one. For some unknown reason Wyze has inserted a protruding plastic rectangle into the middle of the glass, which breaks the otherwise sleek design of the panel.

• Design Score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Wyze BodyScan smart scale: Features

• 17 body composition metrics
• Seven of these metrics are displayed on the scale itself
• Syncs with Apple Health, Health Connect, and Fitbit.

The Wyze Bodyscan covers 17 body composition metrics. Seven of these are displayed on the 4.7-inch LED display: Weight, Body Fat Percentage, BMI, Muscle Mass Percentage, Bone Mass, Protein, Body Water Percentage.

These metrics and the 10 remaining ones are displayed in the Wyze app. These are Muscle Rate, Physical Age, Lean Weight, Visceral Fat, Basal Metabolism, Subcutaneous Fat, Fat Mass, Skeletal Muscle Mass, Segmented Muscle Mass, and Body Fat.

Beyond measurements, the Wyze Bodyscan syncs with Apple Health, Health Connect, and Fitbit. It also recognizes up to eight users automatically and has a nine-month battery life.

• Features Score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Wyze BodyScan smart scale: Performance

• Comparable results to the industry-leading Withings BodyScan 2
• Simple but basic app experience
• Managing multiple users is a bit of a hassle

Given the sub-$100 price tag, I didn’t expect very much from the Wyze BodyScan. Not only were my expectations exceeded with regard to design and features but also with overall performance. Despite not having any bells and whistles, the BodyScan manages to do all the basics incredibly well.

The overall experience of using the scale is a positive one. The large display presents seven of the most common metrics, which means most users won’t need to check the app each time they step off the scales. However, when you do find yourself drilling down into the metrics, you’ll discover a very basic app experience. Data is clearly laid out, but there’s no analysis or health advice, as is found in the Withings app. On the plus side, there’s no subscription either.

Part of the reason for the basic app experience is that it handles all Wyze product types and has a significant interface bias towards its cameras. The positive of that is that if you’ve bought into the Wyze ecosystem, then you’ll be able to manage all your smart devices in one place.

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)

Unfortunately, the app issues don’t end there: there’s no support for a multi-user profile, so other family members will have to download the app on their own phone. That’s fine for other adult members or older children but not if you’re wanting to track the health of your young child.

More positively, when compared to the Withings BodyScan 2 and the RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro, the scale delivered accurate results. This was especially true for the key metrics of weight, BMI, muscle mass, and body fat. There were only two metrics with issues, and those were body water and basal metabolism.

Thanks to the electrodes in the handlebar, the BodyScan is capable of reporting body composition across five separate segments. Measurements are overlaid onto a body graphic within the app, so it’s quick and easy to see where imbalances are located.

The overall speed of the unit was good, with weight being calculated in a matter of seconds and the remaining 16 metrics taking less than 20 seconds. This is about the same length of time as most other scales we’ve tested.

• Performance score: 4/5

Wyze BodyScan smart scale: Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

One of the most affordable smart scales for body composition segmental reporting. Fantastic value for money.

5/5

Design

An impressively large and bright LED display, but the overall build quality is lacking.

4/5

Features

An excellent set of health-tracking features that are rarely found at this price point.

4/5

Performance

Generally accurate measurements, but the app is too basic for serious users.

4/5

(Image credit: Future / Paul Hatton)Wyze BodyScan smart scale: Should I buy?Buy it if

You want to address muscle mass imbalances

The Wyze BodyScan is one of the most affordable ways of getting body composition reporting.View Deal

You need a large-format display

At 4.7 inches, the BodyScan’s color screen is great for those who are slightly visually impaired. View Deal

Don’t buy it if

You want a premium app experience

The Wyze app offers basic reporting and simple graphs but nothing more.View Deal

You need a scale that’s going to last decades

The build quality is no surprise given the budget price. More robust scales exist but you’ll have to pay a premium for themView Deal

Also consider

RunStar 8E SmartScan Pro

A DEXA-verified smart scale that records 28 metrics instead of 17. The downside is that it’s more than double the price.

RunStar 8E SmartScan ProView Deal

Withings BodyScan 2

The Wyze BodyScan is budget and basic. If you’re interested in a full cardiometabolic assessment, then the Withings BodyScan 2, which delivers advanced features in abundance, is a great choice.

Vitafit Smart Bathroom ScaleView Deal

How I tested the Wyze BodyScan smart scale

I used the Wyze BodyScan smart scale in my bathroom for several weeks. Each time I used the scale, I measured all 17 available metrics, which enabled me to track accuracy over time as well as whether it was susceptible to fluctuating results. Because of the lack of multi-profile support through one account, I didn’t use the scale with my children.

First reviewed: October 2026

Saint, who died Oct. 6, studied at the Actors Studio and was best known for her roles in On the Waterfront and the Hitchcock film North by Northwest. Originally broadcast in 2000.

A focus group of eight Gen Z Trump voters reported feeling unhappy or disappointed with the state of politics, with some going as far as to say they regret supporting him in 2024.

(Image credit: Mandel Ngan)

Plus, this week saw comings and goings at the White House, the revenge of a child (reality) star, and Elon Musk doing Elon Musk things.

The administration says papers created in the White House belong to Donald Trump, not to the American people. The case could ultimately end up at the conservative-leaning Supreme Court.

(Image credit: Alon Skuy)

Three children and a teacher were killed in a shooting at an Oregon school, how Russia is viewing Ukraine's strikes and its growing rift with the U.S., DOJ sues California over its voter rolls.